Overdue Update, Part II

The rest of the story…

So, we arrived in Baton Rouge and parked on the outskirts of the LSU campus at a house that belongs to friends of Hale and Sandra. We tailgated there for several hours. I met several friends of theirs who I assume knew who I was. Mostly everyone was talking about the impending LSU-Florida game so there was no need for getting into deep discussions about why I was there, which was fine with me. Everyone was a little concerned about my affiliation with Auburn but happy to know that I was pulling for LSU that day. After a few hours of tailgating there, eating wonderful food and having a few pre-game drinks, we began a somewhat long walk towards campus to look for Allison, Hale’s daughter, and his goddaughter Jenny (both students at LSU). After a few cell phone calls and quite a bit of walking, we were able to find Allison and Jenny, so I met them for the first time right near the LSU Memorial clock tower by the library. Allison is a junior at LSU. After a few quick introductions, we walked over to a building nearby and met up with my parents, who were tailgating there with friends. More introductions followed, and we all sort of mingled for several minutes before Allison, Jenny, and Brian decided to take off and do their own thing. Hale and Sandra stayed with me for a little bit longer to visit with my parents, and then I took off with them to head towards the stadium. The campus was absolutely crazy, so we enjoyed taking in the sights, the crowds, and the chaos. Eventually we made our way to the stadium and found our seats, right near the very top of the nosebleed section. Surprisingly though, because it was such a big game and the crowd was so wild, it really didn’t seem like we were so high up in the stands. It was a great game. Long story short – LSU won and we had a great time cheering for them together. I didn’t know if Sandra was very into football, but she was right there in the mix and just as excited as anyone around, so we all had a great time. Geaux tigers!

Sandra, Jenny, Hale, Allison, Brian, me

With Mom and Dad Pre-Game

With Hale and Sandra Post-Game

After the game, Hale and Sandra gave me a ride to my parents’ house, so I stayed the night there while they stayed with some friends of theirs nearby. They had lunch that day with Brian and Allison while I went to church and ate lunch with my parents, and they stopped by mid-afternoon to pick me up and to spend a few more minutes with my parents. I rode back to Jeanerette with Hale, Sandra, and Brian, and I spent a little time late afternoon at the bayou house relaxing while they went home. Hale picked me up for dinner, and we went to a very posh sushi restaurant at a casino in the middle of the sugar cane fields about 15 minutes or so from his house. Who would have thunk that this nice restaurant would be right there in the backwoods, but there it was, and it was very good. We enjoyed fresh sushi and a wine selection chosen by the restaurant manager.

That night I ended up staying at Hale’s house, and Monday morning we went to my favorite restaurant for breakfast. After some eggs, scrambled light, and hashbrowns just the way I like ‘em, we headed towards the airport. We started to say our goodbyes as Hale walked me in to check in, but before we knew it we were walking right back out – flight delayed. We ended up having quite a few hours of extra time to linger around in Lafayette, so I had the opportunity and pleasure to meet a gentleman named Mr. Lee.

Let me now diverge a little to explain who Mr. Lee is... The first night that I met Hale, when I stayed at his bayou house, I noticed a few wooden bowls and vases in the kitchen. They were very beautiful, made of many different types of wood, and appeared to be hand-crafted. I lifted one of them up and noticed on the bottom a name, a date, and a description of the types of wood in that piece. After appreciating the small collection of bowls in the kitchen, I happened to see a few of them in the bedroom, and in the bathroom, and then I noticed the mother-load stored in the bedroom closet. Wow, I thought, I’ll have to remember to ask about these things. Of course, this was at the end of a long and monumental day. At some point in the weekend I did remember to ask about the bowls, thinking that maybe a relative of Hale’s had made them. He explained to me that he had bought one of them one day at a craft fair, and after driving off and examining it closely, he promptly drove back and bought the rest of them that were for sale. When he asked for information about the artist who crafted them, he got no further than the name of the man who lived in Lafayette. So, getting to the point, Hale has since found and befriended Mr. Lee, a retired engineer who has picked up the hobby of woodworking in his retirement. Every couple of weeks, Hale stops by Mr. Lee’s house for a visit and pretty much buys everything he makes. I was intrigued by this, so when we found ourselves with the extra time on Monday morning, Hale took me to meet Mr. Lee. He and his wife were at home and invited us in to visit. Mr. Lee took us back into his shop and showed me all of his woodworking tools and machines. He was working on a new bowl for which he showed me his CAD design printout, and he let us watch him work for a few minutes.

Needless to say, meeting Mr. Lee was a nice and unexpected surprise, but of course the whole weekend was a new and exciting adventure. Hale and his family were welcoming hosts, and I have already had the opportunity during my Christmas break to visit them again.

So, now I don’t have any more huge unanswered questions about my past and my adoption. Of course, this is not the end but another beginning.