did I ever tell you about the time...

I went to my hometown on the 4th.
Chilled with the parental units and raced my bike in small circles past places I hung as a kid. We traveled at 30+ mph past:

1. What used to be $1 movie theatre I frequented for 20 years.
2. The long gone army/navy store that I hung out in nearly every day waiting for the - perfect combat boots to show up.
3. "Jakes," the late night and breakfast joint were I have been drunk, sober, asleep, in love, heartbroken, confused, completely out of my mind, and never more sure of myself.
4. The old bank where "Dan Tanner",a resident of the now defunct State Hospital, used to stand on the corner with his transistor radio, shirtless, all year.
5. The bust of Calvin Coolidge in the courtyard of the Old Courthouse that I traveled back to from Cleveland, to fight a speeding ticket, and won. Boo Yaaaah!
6. The convenience store previously known as "Grampy's" were I would wax philosophic with the clerk at 3 AM while in various states of being.
7. The building that used to house "Friendly's" where we would have lunch with my great-grandmother.
8. "Peoples Institute," where I first went to summer day camp and fell in love at the ripe old age of 4.
9. The Hotel Northampton. Still there. Still the same.
10. "Lizotte's" The tobacconist where I used to buy cool cigarettes and Chesterfield Kings.

Most things are gone, but so am I.

Thomas Wolfe said it best, "You Can't Go Home Again"