Vièrge Noire of Orange Street

Late July Figs

              Mom under the fig tree. 

Cedar Hill Grotto

Maison Blanche

Maison Blanche

Moi j'reste dans un mobile home
Mais tous les soirs je rêve de ma maison blanche
Moi j'ai une femme et un ti-garçon
Et j'aimerais les mettre dans ma maison blanche

Moi j'veux p
as d'être president
Mais j'aimerais rester dans ma maison blanche.

Moi j'veux pas d'être le president
Mais j'aimerais rester dans ma maison blanche.

Ma Maison Blanche

 

Nonc Bob's Auctions has a Facebook Asteur

Le Nonc Bob's Auction Barn 

12004 L'anse aux Pailles Road, 

Ça c'est là bas dans le cœur de l'anse aux Pailles 

et il y a toute sorte de marchandise qu'il vend à l'encan. 

Des vieilleries, des antiques, collectibles, 
des outils de tout qualité, primitive, glassware, 

en fin, j'vas dire quoi, 
Nonc Bob peux vendre toute sortes des articles à l'encan, 

et pis il après servir le public dans le business des encans 

il y a plus que quarante ans asteur 

et pis tu peux le suivre sure Facebook! 

C'est bien! 

Nonc Bob est sus Facebook asteur!

Nonc Bob's Facebook 

Nonc Bob's

Nonc Bob's Blogspot

Petite Madame Veillon Speaks French in Chataignier

I have committed my life to learning as much about Louisiana French as I can, but I am not a true native speaker. Because I am young, there is some confusion when I speak with a local as to why I speak French. Imagine then what a joy it was for me to meet Madame Ethel Fontenot Veillon at the Evangeline Parish French camp this year in Chataignier.  Born in 1982, she is a year younger than me and one of the youngest people I have met who speaks Evangeline Parish French, or what some call "Cajun French" as a first language.

I was so happy to have the charming Madame Veillon agree to give a little interview for the Prairie des Femmes. Here is the transcript:

June 20, 2014, Chatiagnier, Louisiana

Mon nom est Ethel Veillon
Et je viens de la Ville Platte.
Mon dernier nom c'était Fontenot 

avant je me mariée.
Ma mère et mon père, ils m'ont montré 

comment parler en français depuis j'étais un ti-bébé
Et il faullait j'parle en français 

avec mes grand-parents dessus les deux bords 

parce-que ça parlait juste, juste en français 

pas en anglais du tout.
J'ai trente-deux ans 

et j'reste à la Ville Platte 

et j'travaille à l'Opelousas 

et j'aide tout le monde parce que j'suis un nurse, 

j'travaille à l'hôpital et 

je peux parler en français avec le monde.

So Immaculate

Simar's Song

Tu te rappelles de Norman Guillory? Simar? Il té beaucoup bon camrade avec mon frère. Il té à la maison souvent. La maman à Norman té school teacher et son papa c'était un bus driver. Nevertheless, that was his favorite song, Under The Double Eagle. Chaque fois j'attends ça sur KVPI je jongle à Norman Guillory à force qu'il aimait ça. Ça aimait aller camp! Ça fait, il
chantait ça proche tout le long. Et c'était pas des camps comme aujourd'hui, non! Lui et mon frère et deux autres qui restait on Theophile Road là, ça allait camp dans le bois. And I couldn't get over it quand mon frère est revenu-- ça mettait de la mousse dessus des racines des arbres, dessus une grosse racine qu'a sortie!
Et j'ai dit Qui ti vas me dire? Tu vas quitter ton bon lit pour aller coucher dans le bois dessus des racines des arbres!? Mais ils ont eu un bon bon bon temps. Y'n'a pas ein qu'a jamais reveillé!

Et chaque fois ça joue Unda Da Double Eagle I think about him. He's been gonna a long time. When my sister came down one day and she heard that song she said Hey! Isn't that Unda Da Double Eagle? I said yeah, that's Simar's song. She remembered too. 

Comment tu peux te rappeller les affaires si longtemps passé mais je peux pas me rappeller ça y'a eu t'à l'heure!? Uh oh! Ça c'est triste quand même! Mais des fois quand tu oublies des affaires c'est bon à l'oublie, ouais.

Point Blue Madonna Chez Verbis

The Seven Sisters of Arnaudville

Like a Homeboy, Things I learned on the Tasse Cafe Radio Program

C'est un beau jour aujourd'hui, le temps est brillant, j'crois on a vingt percent chance des tis orages ici et là bas, on appelle ça du tac-tac parce que des fois un bout de la ville a de la pluie, et l'autre boute a pas rien, ça se fait, j'crois c'est pour ça que ça dit popcorn showers.

Dans temps d'hiver, on a cold winter day, Mom would make the boules de tac-tac.

Notre mot du jour c'est P-O-T pot, et 'coute, y'a toutes sortes de manière de dire "pot" en français.

Merci on apprecie le phone call, T.J...
Ok, guys y'all have a good day and... Lâche pas la patate, cher!
On va pas lâcher on va la manger tant d'alle est chaude.

A pot-chambre was also walled a wa-too ('ois tout) because it saw everything.

Un raconteur... des bagueuleur... un raconteur c'est meilleur qu'un bagueuleur!
Exactement! Bagueuleur c'est pas un nom qu'est flatteur, tu connais? j'crois pas.

A leg of a chicken is a cuisse or tchuisse?
Well, j'pense c'est cuisse, mais un tas du monde dit tchuisse!
My wife she don't call it tchuisse, she call it cuisse, yeah, that's the real French. And the thigh is la hanche. 

Moi j'aime le bout du nord d'poulet qu'après aller sud!
Comme "barbe-a-queue"!

Talkin about chicken parts? My mother would say she wanted the last piece that passed under the fence!

 Jim? Bonjour, c'est Lena, J'étais après attendre Ferrel parler d'bagueuler. Comment tu dis bagueuler en anglais!?

Years ago, Father Bourgeois said if you actually saw it, it was not gossip, it was not a sin, but if you repeat what others say they saw, that's gossip, that's a sin.

When somebody is ugly to you, ça te foutre des chiques, what is that in English? 

Businesses in Mamou used to close on Wednesday afternoons in the summer to give everyone a rest. 

Bring ya broom, ya mop, tie up ya head with a tignon cause we gonna clean up the building get it ready for the boys and girls club!




 

And the Daddy said, tu v'aller couper les zherbes à Monsieur T-Nes!

There you go!

Of course I was treated good, yeah. I was treated like a homeboy.

Our Lady of the Oak, Church Point Highway

Our Lady of the Rosary Chapel

Mary at Bayou Doza

Complexes of Apartment

Old Plantation on Gloria Switch 

Rue Royale on Pont des Mouton

Rue Royale in Summer

La Petite Place Apartments in Grand Coteau

Pointe Claire Plaza on the Pointe Claire side of Arnaudville

La Belle Maison in Kenner

La Bonne Vie in Lafayette

Prairie des Femmes Origins

Had a good visit with my new little babysitter who lives across the prairie a half mile south as the crow flies. A beauty, she seemed to be a direct descendant of the very women the Prairie is named for. We swapped ghost stories and information about old sites and neighbors and talked about the Indian artifacts that are found here. When I asked her what was the story she had heard of the Prairie, she said her daddy said it was where the Indians "hid" their women when they went off hunting or fighting. It was the first time I'd heard it told like that, and I liked it! 

 

Click here for more PDF Origin Stories

The Presbytère of Prairie des Femmes

This is the Presbytère, known as the Lagrange House circa 1830. Its original location was in Prairie des Femmes, and now it is a registered historic structure located at Vermilionville in Lafayette. I was happy to be able to explore it yesterday. When I walked in to it, I felt the scale and form of the space was exactly like the old Lagrange house in the woods out here, except in miniature. I have written about here and here and most recently here. It made me hopeful that one day we can do something to save the big Lagrange House, but for now, she remains the hidden jewel of the Prairie des Femmes woods.

Red, White and Green, just like the LaGrange House.

The LaGrange Family House 1830

Inside the House

bed and candle

Our Lady and Kneeler

Up the garconiere, where the boys slept. This angle and exposed bousillage looks exactly like the big LaGrange House out here in the PDF woods.

Job's Tears in a bottle and candle

Same angles in the second room of the house as at the big Lagrange House

Red, Green and White.

The Presbytère of Prairie des Femmes

Small Talk about the Vent Nord

Mista Charlie-

Hey! 

This is John Pitre from Plaisance.

Allo Mista Pitre!

Comment les affaires à ce matin?
Haaw, 'coute! Les tit' zydecos après profiter dans l'vent nord!
Tit' vent nord, là, il chiffone la robe de Nananne des fois!

_______________________________________

Mista Charlie-
Hey!
This is John Pitre from Plaisance.
Hello Mister Pitre!
How are things this morning?
Aw, listen! The little snap beans are growing in the north wind!
The north wind there, it blows Nananne's skirt up sometimes!

Praying for the World at the Prairie Ronde Shrine

 I was driving the Opelousas Road today and had a few hours to myself, so I decided to turn off on the Prairie Ronde Highway, a road that despite having passed easily ten thousand times in my life, I had never once traveled down. People ask me if I've photographed the Ave Maria Shrine out there, so I thought today was the day. I traveled the broad turns through the prairie communities of Andrepont and Frilot Cove, places that despite their proximity to my hometown, I had never seen.

It was very peaceful out there on the Prairie Ronde and I could immediately smell the citrus scent of the rose bushes planted around the perimeter of the shrine. I was surprised to find the shrine bustling with people, there were ladies and men holding rosaries and speaking in English and French. 

There was an open air metal pavilion with benches that protected the inner room of the Shrine, and there was a fine mist all around from small tubes piped to spray cooling water on the faithful. It was very misty indeed, and the metal benches and prayer cards got damp if the wind was right, but it was so pleasant and cooled us in the mounting heat of a June afternoon.  In the small central room is a replica of the Fatima statue carved by the same family as the original in Portugal. I spent a good 20 minutes alone in the little shrine listening to the group singing and praying the rosary. It was very cool, and very, very calm in there. The statue in the shrine of Our Lady of Fatima is the most beautiful and peaceful I have ever seen.

I met a Mrs. Soileau who said that I happened to be there on the first Saturday of the month, when it was promised that, if this shrine was built on this "Holy Land" of Prairie Ronde, the Blessed Mother herself would come there for five minutes from 6:00 until 6:05 to take the petitions of the faithful to her son.

Well it was 5:00 and if the Lady herself was coming in an hour, I was sure to stick around. I learned that the group had been there since 3:00 (and really since 1996), praying the rosary repeatedly and also saying the Chaplet of the Divine Mercy, which I had never prayed before, and found it to be quite beautiful. I sat on the metal bench praying the rosary and listening to the voices of the women and men, feeling the cool mist and watching trucks and old tractors pass on the road. 


 

For the sake of His sorrowful Passion, have mercy on us and on the whole world.

At one minute to six they began to ring a bell, and rang it more loudly when the hour came, when a younger man in a blue work shirt opened the door to the shrine, and as if divine light spilled out, everyone fell to their knees and the whole scene went into a silent prayer-scape. The scent of roses again was in the air; all you could hear were the bird songs of the prairie, and the soft hum of the mist, which covered us like dew.