Yesterday, Grandpère and I headed for New Orleans again for another check-up by the doctor after my cataract surgery. I'm not scheduled to return for three months. All is well, and I have the okay to visit the local optometrist, because I will need corrective lenses for far vision.
On the way, so I wouldn't have to listen to Grandpère's talk radio, we listened to the three CDs that GP owns that he purchased for himself and keeps in his truck.
Chart Toppers - Romantic hits of the 50s
The 1950s - 16 most requested songs, V. II
The 1940s - 16 most requested songs, v. I
The CDs included Marty Robbins' "A White Sport Coat and a Pink Carnation" and Pat Boone singing "Love Letters in the Sand". How cool is THAT? Remember Johnny Ray's "Cry"? Of course, you don't unless you're old like me.
If your sweetheart sends a letter of goodbye
It's no secret you'll feel better if you crrryyy....
Mixed in were goodies by Louie Armstrong, the Harry James and Benny Goodman Orchestras, and also early performances by Doris Day, which, in my opinion, were better than her later songs, because she had a pretty nice bluesy style back then.
GP and I danced through the 1950s to to the music of many of the songs. Memories of slow dancing with someone you liked tends to produce a positive response to songs that were not always of the top quality. "Memories Are Made of This", by Dean Martin, describes the story of Grandpère's and my life together, even down to the three children.
WAIT!
GP and I didn't meet didn't meet until 1960! We danced through the 50s with other people! Oh well. It could be that some of the 50s songs were still playing on the jukeboxes in the 60s.
After the visit to the doctor, GP wanted to eat at Andrea's Restaurant, which serves northern Italian food, where my friend,
Paul the BB, showed off and conversed with the proprietor
en italiano, so we headed into the belly of the beast with a huge mass of Christmas shoppers, the area near the intersection of Veterans Blvd. and Causeway Blvd. in Jefferson Parish. Even on an ordinary day, the traffic in the neighborhood is bad. We should have known better.
To make a long story short, we never reached the restaurant. The traffic was horrendous. We turned off Veterans as soon as we could and ate a late lunch at Dot's Diner on Jefferson Hwy, much to GP's regret. I had an excellent BLT and GP the lunch of spaghetti and meat sauce. Hey! He ate Italian. What's not to like? For dessert, I had cheesecake topped with chocolate chips, and GP had pecan pie, both quite tasty.
Then we came home.
I took the picture above of the stained glass, which hangs in the doctor's office. A patient made it for the doctor. A patient who had radial keratotomy?
