'Harry and the Hendersons' & 'ET'

Last night we watched E.T. with the kids, which I must say is one of the most well made movies ever.  There are so many subtle touches, and a great Spielbergian mix of action, compelling storyline and feelings.  A few weeks ago we watched Harry and the Hendersons, which is also pretty good.  Both these movies are special to me.

 

When I was a kid for a few years we lived about 20 miles outside the already isolated town of Forks, Washington.  We lived in a old trailer with a bunch of additions built on, in the middle of miles of wilderness.  For the first summer we did not even have a working toilet or electricity; that fall we put in a septic system and a generator.  It was very rustic, but pretty wonderful for children.  My siblings and I spent every nice weekend or afternoon building forts, swimming in the nearby river, and making trails.

 

When it was raining (which was often), we were trapped inside.  This led to a love of reading.  But we also had about 10 good movies on VHS.  We watched these in steady rotation.  E.T. and Harry and the Hendersons were our favorites, and I wouldn't be surprised if we watched them 25 times each.  I still remember every word.