Harry Potter – Dear Liza

Dear Liza,

One of our favorite local businesses, the McMenamin brothers, helped us celebrate Harry Potter’s birthday this past weekend. The party was at The Kennedy School.

We started with lunch on the Cypress Room patio and Zach took good care of us. There was a special menu of food and drink to honor our favorite boy Wizard, and we took advantage. I had the Leaky Cauldron Shepherd’s Pie and Bridgett enjoyed the Chamber of Secrets pizza in a gluten free crust. Our drinks were a butter beer for Grandpa Nelson, Felix Felicius for me, and Pumpkin Juice for Bridgett.

Once we were fed, it was time to shop! The classrooms of the School were filled with vendors of candy, books, art, and all sorts of Wizarding goodies. Honeydukes sold me some delicious peanut butter fudge. I passed on the “Cornelius Fudge”, which a fellow shopper guessed might taste of cowardice and bad management. (Don’t you just love clever smart guys?)

I met Christie Quinn, The BookMobile Babe, at her Banned Books booth.
She knows Auntie Katie and Books with Pictures and loves them almost as much as I do! In the world of “Folks Who Get Books to Kids”, these two are best buddies.

As always at McMenamin’s, we took time to appreciate the design and decoration of the place. We stepped into The Detention Bar for a refresher cocktail (and to get Bridgett the special stamp in her McMenamin’s Passport) and enjoyed the Oriental details as the The Chamber of Secrets played in the overhead screen.

Just down the hall was this lovely, ornate door, labeled Kennedy Night School. Our waiter, Zach, walked past as I was taking this picture. “It doesn’t go anywhere and is just nailed up there,” he said, “but doesn’t it look neat?”
Yes, it does.

When we had seen everything there was to see and gotten Auntie Bridgett a few more stamps, we headed home. I love that Harry and the McMenamin’s get together.

Love,

Grandma Judy

Dear Liza,

Harry Potter and his author, J.K. Rowling, have been famous for a long time now. The first book about Harry and the Sorcerer’s Stone was published in 1998 and has been both loved and hated all over the world ever since.

Wonderful display at McMenamin’s Kennedy School

I was first introduced to Harry through your Auntie Katie, who was in high school and working at a bookshop in Monterey at the time. Part of her job was to dress up in her black, star-printed cape and read the first chapter of each newly released book at the Midnight Release Party. She loved the books, so I gave them a try. I loved them, too.

Their magical world is complex and well described, and the story of a boy and his friends trying to conquer puberty, final exams, and world-dominating evil all at once is emotional, funny, and compelling. The story they tell of the importance of love and friendship makes us understand our humanity better.

Auntie Bridgett as a studious young wizard

We have gone a little nuts with the Harry goodies, I admit. We have all the books in English, and most of them in French, too. We also have background books like ““Quidditch Through the Ages” and “Harry Potter’s Bookshelf”. Auntie Christy even made us magic wands in her wood shop, and Cousin Kyle got us figurines, scarves and tee shirts! Yes, we like us some Harry.

Meeting a fellow Hufflepuff at Laurelhurst!

We have also enjoyed events in town that are all about Harry and our love of his wizarding world. We dressed up to attend trivia night at the Nerd Out and Harry’s birthday celebration at the Kennedy School, joining with lots of other Harry fans to eat, drink, play games, and have a good time in an imaginary world where we are all wizards.

I am currently re-reading The Goblet of Fire in French, enjoying the story and understanding more as I go along. Last week, when I read about Neville making a mistake in Transformation class and accidentally attaching his own ears to a cactus, I laughed out loud! At French! Hooray!

Love,

Grandma Judy

Tag: Harry Potter

Harry’s Birthday at the Kennedy School

Me and Harry