Nothing after my desert has ever made me care to return.
Trust me. I get that. El Monte doesn't look anything like it did when I left, but even with my memories of it, I would never want to return. No part of the San Gabriel Valley looks like it used to, honestly. I prefer to keep my memories locked in that frozen moment. Much like my memories of Portland/Vancouver now. I hate what it has become, and prefer to remember it for the period when I first got there when it was still green and wet and nice.
Portland/Vancouver
I remember visiting my stepdad's family in Eugene. Totally different kind of beauty. If I could put all of the world in my head I think I might write a line that might incline Him to nod.