THE SNOWPOCALYPSE SAGA part 3

I know, I know!
You must be DYING to hear what happens next in the
thrilling Snowpocalypse Saga!
That's why I'm here to set it off!

When last we left the adventuresome Warburton Family, they were stranded in the icy tundra of Brooklyn, NYC and surrounded by bloodthirsty Frost Giants hellbent on making them wear Ugg boots in horrible fashion colors.

OR...

We were on our way up to visit Mo Willems in Southampton, MA.
I mean, when was the next time the whole family would get a chance to hang at Knuffle Manor? Especially on New Year's Eve?

Once settled in, we went to see Southampton's yearly fireworks show, but not before warming up with some delicious soup and homebaked bread whipped up by Mo's better 2/3rds, Cheryl.


After that, we got dressed up for New Year's Eve.

See, we were going to Holly Black's house...

What?

Um, yeah.


THAT Holly Black.

The one with the this:


And the one with that trilogy I liked so much:


I've mentioned it before, but if you swing a monkey whilst standing on a random corner of Northampton you're gonna hit at least 12 authors, artists, craftsman, illustrators, artisans, and/or designers.

And Holly Black is one of them!

Dude.

Well, Holly and her awesome husband Theo (who I had met at Knuffle Manor before) have an annual New Year's Eve party that always has a theme. Last year it was SPIES!

And this year it was a VENETIAN BALL theme.
But can you believe it?
When packing for my holiday trip I TOTALLY forgot to pack anything Venetian!
How stoopid of me!
But things have an odd way of working out don't they?

It seems that while shopping in NYC I had picked up a rather awesome jacket that fit the bill quite nicely.
And Mr. Willems had bought a couple extra masks.
The results were as such:




The most awesome thing about that jacket
(aside from being the fact that it serves as camoflage on ugly sofas)
is that it has this sewn into the lining:

I think it's a message from the KND!

Anyway, if you can imagine what Holly Black's house might look like--
You're right and then some!

It's gothic and mysterious, filled with dark wood and darker velvet.
There's artwork depicting all manner of mystical creatures smattering the walls
and there's no shortage of skull, bone and arcana.

If you were to dare venture downstairs
(and why wouldn't you?
that's where all the lavishly costumed folk were heading)
you were treated to a full-on, ornately constructed bar manned by a team of expert bartenders making all sorts of mystical concoctions. In fact, there were THREE (count' em) lists of drinks. Here's one:


I was particularly fond of something the "Piero The Gouty"
(but don't tell my mother)

Also in the bar area was a resplendently carved and comfy day bed that could fit, oh i don't know, maybe 15 people. Apparently this is where Ms. Black and some of her cohorts write together.

But let's not sit there long.
Let's slip silently behind the secret door
(yes... a REAL secret door)
that leads into a shadowy library complete with a grand fireplace of magnificent proportions.
Aside from the countless tomes lining the walls, there are scores of artifacts from every time, place and plane;
ancient ray guns, medieval helmets, a small cage made of sticks
(perhaps to trap something... or someone?)
And don't get me started on the spread of food all nestled within decorative clusters of grapes and pomegranates.

SO COOL!
We had a great time hanging out and chatting with all sorts of fun folk...
But you know what the dumb thing is?
I BARELY got to talk to Holly!
I was too busy keeping track of my two wolf cubs who were upstairs playing video games.
With no babysitter we had to bring them with us.
And Holly was, of course, VERY busy being an awesome hostess.
I would have loved to hang out and talk with her a while since I enjoy her books so much.
And I definitely wish I brought one of her books to get signed.
But that'll have to wait until the next time I'm in Northampton.
Because we had to get going way before the stroke of midnight occurred.
Didn't want the kids turning into weremonkeys, you know.

But still... what an amazing evening!

Thanks Holly and Theo!
And thanks Mo, Cheryl and Trixie!

And keep it here for the amazing (kind of) conclusion to The Snowpocalypse Saga!