Blair's Grandma Robichaux's Gumbo

I remember, before Tom and Blair married, Wayne and I dropped
 Wyatt off in Columbia, SC to ride to Houston with Tom ( we were
 all going to be with Amanda, pregnant with the twins, and Greg 
for Christmas).  Blair prepared gumbo for the guys that night.  
Tom had bragged on her gumbo...Wyatt loved it, especially since
 Blair had made that batch especially spicy.  A few years later,
 while visiting the "Creek House" with all the family, Blair and
 Tom made gumbo, with me watching.  I learned some key
 elements from Blair that day, "The roux needs to be the color
 of a well-used copper penny".  "If you scorch the roux you
 must throw it out".  "If you don't cook the gumbo long enough
 it will taste like dishwater".  All of these Blair heard from her
 Grandma Robichaux as she learned to make
 real gumbo...I mean really good gumbo!  Along with her
 expertise with gumbo, Blair is an amazing children's
 photographer in Baltimore.  You can find her at
 http://www.blairblanks.com/ .

Ingredients:
1/2 cup vegetable oil (or bacon grease)
1/2 cup flour
2-3 lbs. Frozen Cut Okra (not breaded!)
2 Onions diced
1 cup celery, diced
1 large green pepper, cut in thin strips
4-5 cups any combination: crawfish tails,  shrimp, crabmeat, cooked
 shredded chicken, smoked sausage
7-8 cups water or stock from cooking chicken (recommended)
3 Cans Diced Tomatoes (I use 1 can Rotel  and 2 cans diced)
Tabasco, salt and pepper
4 lg. bay leaves

1.  Make a roux by mixing flour and oil.  Heat over medium
 heat in an iron skillet, stirring constantly until the mixture
 turns the brown color of a copper penny.  (Patience!
 This takes about 20 minutes or more). http://southernfood.about.com/library/howto/htmakeroux.htm 
 Add the onion, celery and green pepper and stir.
2.  "Sweat" the okra in a large pan. (Do this at the same
 time you're working with the roux.) I combine 2 cups of
 water with the okra and cook until the water is gone and
 the okra has turned to mush(not watery).
3.  Combine the roux mixture, okra, meats (if using shrimp
 do not add now) and all other ingredients in a large soup pot
 and cook over low heat for 3 or 4 hours, stirring frequently.
4.  Add shrimp during the last 30 minutes.  If I plan to freeze
 the gumbo, I cook the shrimp and add to bowls as I serve.
  I have found that the shrimp gets mushy if I freeze or "hold"
 the gumbo in the refrigerator for a few days.
5.  Serve over hot white rice.

All measurements are approximate as gumbo is

 a "throw everything in" Cajun dish!