Roy

Wayne's brother came to visit from Hawaii.  They hadn't seen each other since Gramps' funeral in 1995.  He flew in on October 22, which is their sister's birthday.  This was JoAnn's birthday surprise - pretty extravagant, right?

Roy has been working in a lab in Hawaii for the past fourteen years, and he's been incommunicado until JoAnn tracked him down.  He started e-mailing and calling, and eventually, he said he would come and visit. I told him, "If you're going to come visit, do it soon.  You know your brother had stents in 2007, and his heart stopped on the table.  Don't wait too long."

Roy had already bought his airline ticket, and then Wayne had a heart attack on October 11.  I didn't tell either Roy or JoAnn until after Wayne was home and the crisis had passed.

Wayne got out of the hospital on Thursday, October 18, and Roy arrived the following Monday.  Wayne met him at the airport, and when I woke up, there was a message on the answer machine, "Roy was hungry, so we went to get a roast beef po-boy."  My heart fell, and I sighed, thinking of the amount of sodium in a roast beef po-boy.

Well, the rest of the week was a culinary tour of New Orleans for Roy as he indulged in all the things he hadn't had in Hawaii.  Wayne cooked a chicken, andouille, shrimp, and okra gumbo, and we ate that Monday night for the birthday party.  Of course, there was cake and ice cream (German Chocolate with Tin Roof Sundae).

The next day, we went to some of their old stomping grounds. We saw Gramps and Granny's house and visited another friend, Trapper, who kept us enthralled with stories of some of his adventures.  Wayne showed Roy some of Hurricane Katrina's handiwork.  That night, more gumbo.

Wednesday, we ate lunch at Drago's and had raw oysters, char grilled oysters, and fried seafood.  We drove to the French Quarter and walked through the all the booths in the French Market.  We got coffee and beignets at Morning Call in Fat City.  That afternoon, Roy helped me give Walter a bath.  Walter absolutely loved Roy.  I told my niece that she'd be jealous if she saw how Walter had taken to Roy.

Walter did something he's never done before.    He took a running leap and jumped on to Roy's lap while he was seated on the sofa.  Roy said it was like having a linebacker come at him.

The next day, Wayne and Roy went fishing with one of Wayne's buddies, Jeff, who is a fishing guide.  They caught masses of white trout, and they filleted all of them.  Can't remember - did we eat boiled crabs that night?

Saturday, we invited family and friends to come eat fried fish, boiled shrimp, corn, new potatoes, corn, and sausage.  Walter had lots of people to play with, but the cats pretty much stayed hidden under the bed until everyone went home.

Sunday, we met up with some more friends, Bob and Dianne, and we ate at another seafood restaurant, so Roy could eat boiled crabs and raw oysters.  Afterwards, we went to a grocery store so he could get some file, beignet mix, and Community coffee, to bring back as souvenirs for all the guys he works with.

Monday, we got up early so Roy could be at the airport for 6 a.m.  When we left the airport, Wayne and I ate at IHOP.  He was good - he had a heart healthy omelet.

Now we're trying to get back to eating according to his cardio diet:  low sodium and low fat.

It was nice having Roy visit, and I'm glad he got to be with his brother and sister.

I'm really glad JoAnn did the legwork of finding Roy and initiating communication again.  He already said he's planning to return in the spring.  Walter will be waiting....