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The Bauers have had some unique hobbies over the years, and it seems that mythical map-making has made its way down to the youngest generation—my son. When it’s Doug’s turn, he picks Henry (he has yet to choose a moniker for himself - another hobby Bauers have dabbled in) up from kindergarten and brings him to Lorraine’s, a local coffee shop run by coffee connoisseur Lorainne. The coffee shop also doubles as a driving school run by enterprising entrepreneur Lorraine and an entertainment venue run by legendary, boisterous bluegrass singer Lorraine. The lore of Lorraine runs deep. Doug and Henry order coffee and a cold hot chocolate, respectively. The duo then perch on their high top, spread out their map-making materials, and meticulously go to work making magic on the territory of Henryville (again, we need some work in the name titling department). Henryville features 5 main neighborhoods: China, Vernot, North Carolina, Canada, and India. Nearly all the neighborhoods feature Mean Birdy (played by Doug Wanoy) - a resident who wreaks havoc upon the whole town by pooping on things and squawking in another native, Henry’s (played by Henry), ear. Henry, fortunately, can retreat to his lake house out in the country, but Mean Birdy always finds a way to foil Henry’s rest and relaxation. Another trope of Henryville is that the sovereign nation always features shoddy infrastructure dilemmas. The state’s head civil engineer, Henry (played by Henry), is called upon to rebuild broken roads, stabilize rundown bridges, and repair collapsed buildings. While Henry works diligently on his restoration project, he is interrupted by a phone call from the mayor played by Doug Wanoy. The mayor, without fail, scolds Henry for taking too long. Henry gets annoyed. The mayor threatens Henry. Henry saves the day. CHINA Breaking down each district, we will start with CHINA. China houses the police department and is the safest, albeit, the strictest of the five neighborhoods. Residents here aren’t known for having fun. Their vernacular largely consists of words related to work. They strongly live by five main pillars: Labor, Chores, Projects, Duties, and Assignments. Labor refers to their job. Chores consist of what they do around the house. Projects reference the passion project each member focuses on. Duties allude to how they serve the greater community. Assignments constitute the work they do for higher education. All residents strive to complete each of the five pillars each day. Henry spends the least time in this city as the area is generally neat and sturdy. The retention pond and pocket park are well maintained. Some notable residents of this area are Chief of Police Chad, a four-time state champion in football who always vows to be tough on crime. However, everyone knows he frequently visits North Carolina and India to engage in debauchery and lives in China just for appearances. Married couple Simon and Betty Li also reside in the neighborhood. They both have PhDs, and their life’s work has been devoted to the sciences. They generally despise Chad as they think he is a buffoon but put up with him due to their beliefs that local politics and bureaucracy are malarky and below them intellectually. They also do a remarkable job of keeping Mean Birdy away thanks to their patent-pending invention of Wordy Birdy, a communication tool that helps them mimic and speak the language of birds. Mean Birdy respects them tremendously. It also helps that Henry is often not in this neighborhood. Chad puts up with the dynamic duo because, without them, the neighborhood would collapse. Chad knows this but is too proud to admit it. This is why he drinks every night. VERNOT Moving on to the neighboring village of VERNOT, visitors will find the quirky and eccentric residents of Henryville. The streets of Vernot are filled with hipsters working at coffee shops and ice cream shops with names like The Daily Grind and The Vernot Creamery. Most noteworthy is the neighborhood’s Robot Park, a Henry and Doug production. Little kids and adults alike flock to the park during all seasons. The train station is nearby, so guests can conveniently ride the train here. Sven Larsson, a Swedish designer, lives in one of the mid-century modern split-level houses in the neighborhood. He had a large hand in designing Robot Park. Sven dates local bookstore and boutique owner Ashley Parker. Ashley lives with her twin sister, Hannah, in a modest cottage on the outskirts of the neighborhood. Hannah owns a bakery and has recently become engaged to a big-city guy, Pilot Pete who lives in Canada. Lastly, retired partners Reginald and Archibald live in an apartment in the middle of the neighborhood. In their mid-60s, they have taken Ashley and Hannah under their wings and frequently host dinner parties and themed nights. Most recently, their Halloween party boasted over 100 guests. It is rumored that Chad snuck in with a costume of a sumo wrestler even though he’s been very public with his disdain for the lifestyles and decisions of Reginald and Archibald along with the rest of the neighborhood. He tried to flirt with Hannah even though she’s 20 years younger than him. She rebuked his advances. The people of China do not get along with the people of Vernot, for they criticize their relaxed and carefree ways. The people of Vernot pay the people of China no mind. NORTH CAROLINA The third neighborhood of Henryville is NORTH CAROLINA. North Carolina has one thing and one thing only. The high school, Henry High, and the football field, Henry High House Stadium. Chad was made here. He ran the halls of Henry High with his best friend, Bob (commonly known as Construction Bob now). Chad, the quarterback, and Bob, the running back, never miss a Friday Night Lights with their lettermen jackets in tow albeit 50 pounds heavier. They sit in the same seats and chew on sunflower seeds while cursing the refs, complaining about their wives, Sandy and Debbie, former cheerleaders, and reminiscing on the good old days. Their wives stay at home and take care of their combined 11 kids. Bob lives right next to the stadium and the bar, Seniors, which frequently has patrons who are both seniors in high school and seniors in age bracket. Chad wishes he lived here, too. CANADA Venturing down further is CANADA, the warehouse district of Henryville. Canada has upscale condominiums where Pilot Pete lives. Lakeside property adorns the centerfold of the neighborhood. Breweries, escape rooms, fun houses, and an Urban Outfitters make up the rest of the neighborhood. Twin bros, Skeeter and Jeter, often can be seen skateboarding around the neighborhood or trying their hand in some ponzi scheme like Need Weed, a pop-up shop for anyone who needs weed. They brag that they pull a lot of girls. They do not. INDIA The last neighborhood is INDIA. The fire station is here. Fire chief, Fred and his wife Jasmine live right next to the station. Fred is one of the most upstanding citizens of Henryville, and his business acumen is topnotch. He absolutely cannot stand Chad who regularly hangs out in this neighborhood because there is a subsidiary police station and, of course, another bar called Poor Pours. Chad’s eldest son, Gary, rents a house in this neighborhood and loves breaking the law and hosting house parties with high school and college students even though he’s 25. Fred’s life mission, besides putting out fires, is bringing down Chad. THE COUNTRY In the countryside of Henryville is a cute little lake house surrounded by fields and flowers. Henry currently stays here in hopes of evading the tyranny of Doug and Mean Birdy who are always trying to cause him much-needed stress. His passion is building cities and making Henryville into the best city it can be, and the two evil villains are always trying to put a stop to Henry’s accomplishments. Recently, Henry made the news for some of his latest projects. Please watch below. I have always been amazed and thankful at the creativity and imagination my parents bestowed upon us. I am glad in my mom’s short time with Henry that she imparted some of this creativity on him and that my dad continues to do so. What is your favorite city? CHECK OUT the NEW BOOK about Doug, KB, and Dead Mom on Amazon. Learn more here. First 5 people to tip me this month will get a signed Doug Wanoy copy of Henry's Hiccups for Deaf Awareness Month. And if you're a parent, check out my parenting guide Now What? Mindful Parenting Checklists for Life’s Hard Moments.
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