You Can't Go Home Again

Dear Henry,

Last week we ventured to Grandma P's to meet up with your Great Aunt Clare-cee and cousin Wendy. We decided to go to lunch at Zaharako's or The Greeks. Zaharako's

is an old soda fountain that was established in 1900 and until a couple of years ago when Lew, a descendant of the original family died, was still operated by the family. At Lew's death a Columbus community member bought and restored the shop. Zaharako's had been featured in National Geographic, TV, been used in catalog shoots, and at one point the Smithsonian made an offer to transfer the whole thing to its museum of American History. The shop was in dire need of cleaning the woodwork, painting and restoration of the fountain and marble bar and fixing the roof and skylights. Zaharako's is a place that Mommy and Daddy went to so often Lew took the time to sit down with us and chat when we came in. There was and is a little ice cream table for bitty butts like yours that Mommy sat in, Grandma P sat in, and even Great Grandma Merge sat in. Great Aunt Judy would take Mommy, Uncle Gary and Cousin Ricky on the bus there to get a sarsaparilla and a gom sandwich. The place is full of history.

There is a book by Thomas Wolfe titled, "You Can't Go Home Again." If you grew up in Columbus and had Mr. Lindsey as an English teacher he would often use that phrase. It is very true in many ways. Much like the post about Daddy reading to you it was a moment in time and if you try to repeat it you'll be disappointed. Mommy knows this and it explains my need to photograph everything, to mark ourselves in a particular place and time. The new Zaharako's is beautiful. I don't want to discount the hard work the owner and community members did to keep things true to the early 1900's. But.... I missed Daddy and Mommy's old hang out. It is there but it isn't. The old red plastic letter menu, the lack of light, the yellowed robin's egg blue paint, the mishmash of generations of additions are gone. I miss the sort of working Welte Orchestion in which you could hear the bellows filling and puffing in and out again and every gear and lever moving as it played its song. The place is now light and bright, sparkling and exciting, with a short menu that is brought to your table and lacks cottage cheese or soup. The Welte is restored and pristine playing flawlessly and loudly further throwing off the rhythm of a the entire place.
Henry, that is precisely what time does. It makes things settle in and relax. The creaks, peels and grit give it character and love. Mommy would dream about going with Daddy to meet Lew, have a chocolate soda or Green River and in some odd way breathe the same air and have you contribute to the provenance and the generations of grit and wear that the place had cultivated. It is gone to you as is the old Common's indoor playground. Then again Columbus is not your home, you will be a Bloomington boy, not a Columbus boy. There are many reasons this makes me happy, even if, those cherished nuggets of our childhood are lost to you. ALL of that being said.... you get the opportunity to enjoy this new place that catches the eye upfront. The new generations will love the place for new reasons and this is okay. I don't know how much longer the building could have hung around without the work being put into it. We didn't stay and eat. We left due a little to the uncomfortable new shoes fit of the place and a little of Great Aunt Clare-Cee bringing up the Mexican place 10 times.

We left Zaharako's had lunch at the Mexican place and went back to Grandma P's. Cousin Wendy cuddled on you and about jumped out of her skin with excitement when she discovered that you too are a big thumb sucker. "Winky" had a long love affair with her thumb and still has a line on her nose that marks the spot she hooked her index finger around it.

Crappaw measured you again. You are growing still but not enough to fit your shorts. Crappaw wanted to make you a belt out of one of Grandma P's old belt. It was black fake croc pattern, patten finish with a big gold buckle. I got ya out of that one, you owe me Hank!

On our way home we stopped to check on Great Grandma Hazel. She was starting to do a bit better. Then we surprised Grandma La Jean at a local restaurant. Everyone there was very excited to meet you as they have been reading about you here. Great Grandma Anne was there too and snapped a photo to prove to the ladies at work that she actually was able to see you in person.

Mommy looks forward to passing onto you a love for history and unique places. I hope that you, Daddy and I discover many cool place new to us all.

I love you,
Mama