From left to right, Gramps, Grandson Gabe, and Daughter Meredith in a soda fountain
In case you have doubted the heavy Germanic ancestry in America's Midwest, where do you suppose the Wittich family arose and just what is a 'beechwold' since it's nothing in English I ever heard. There's a strong German influence in Ohio and particularly in Cincinnati.
The soda fountain vibe is innocence, happiness, and without even the faintest shred of the corporate world. It's down home Americana and Cadillac Man (i.e. Gramps) is in highly enjoyable pursuit of that. He's not getting nostalgic about Happy Days and, oh gee, it sure would be great to hang around with Richie Cunningham and the Fonz. The pursuit isn't so much for 'what America was' but rather what it is now since these soda fountains are not gone, you just have to look harder to find them.
As to the existential aspect, I haven't seen Daughter Meredith in-person since she was about five-years-old and came to visit my place with Pre-Gramps Cadillac Man. There was a quite swanky swimming pool I had installed and, after installing a swimming pool, we learn pools have one primary purpose: collecting worms after it rains.
Pre-Gramps Cadillac Man and I were talking about some damn thing while Daughter Meredith studied the moment and, after a few minutes, she asked in her tiny voice, "Why does he keep worms in his swimming pool?"
She thereby went immediately to the root of suburban existentialism, why does that man keep worms in his swimming pool.
2 comments:
Thanks for posting this pic. Time does march on. That sweet little girl in the painting now a beautiful woman with a child. Caddy Man looks like a happy Gramps too.
It's not even so long ago he mentioned the painting and it's remarkable to see in a way it's bloomed. She does well with her life and he has every reason to be proud. It's unknown if she was permanently traumatized about swimming pools and worms, tho.
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