Sunday, January 3, 2016

Eugenie Boisfontaine


The Discovery Channel has a new show starting on Jan 5th called "Killing Fields". The show tries to solve murders that happened many years ago and one of the murders the detectives on the show is investigating is of a girl named Eugenie Boisfontaine. She was murdered and left in a ditch near the lakes of LSU's campus in Baton Rouge, LA.

That name is so unusual that I have been repeating it around the house since I heard the preview for the show on TV. The investigator on the preview pronounces it 'U-ja-nay Bwah-fon-taine'. Unusual, right? Or....maybe typical for Louisiana.

Laurie says: Eugenie Boisfontaine
Cliff says: What?

Laurie says: Eugenie Boisfontaine
Whitney says: Eugenie Boisfontaine

Laurie texted Whitney: Eugenie Boisfontaine
Whitney texted the next day: Eugenie Boisfontaine

Laurie says: Eugenie Boisfontaine
Cliff stares with a blank look on his face....you can hear crickets chirping.

And so it goes.

Well.......

I did something Saturday morning that I've never done before. I went duck hunting with Cliff in the Hell Hole Swamps, deep in the Francis Marion National Forest.

Here's how it went.....We left the beach house at 3:30 a.m. The drive would take us 1.5 hours to get to this swamp. It was total darkness, not many cars out at the time of the morning. Back country roads half of the way. Sleep was creeping up on me and I began to doze. In that half sleep state I heard Cliff yell, "Whoa"! And in that split second I felt the thud and felt the jarring as the tires ran over something. It scared me so bad that I jerked awake and hit my fingernail on something and nearly broke it off.

I don't know why, but Eugenie Boisfontaine came to mind.

Laurie said: OMG, Did we run over someone?

Cliff said: We hit a deer.

Cliff stopped to look for damage and saw that it broke one of the fog lights on his Jeep and bent his Ironman license plate on the front bumper.

Arriving at the swamp, it was total darkness and everything was covered with water. It was slightly creepy. Cliff has been wanting me to experience his world in the swamps for some time and I thought why not. It's cold out, so I wouldn't have to worry about snakes. He made two small boats a couple of years ago that run with an electric motor. You can't hear a thing when you run them and they would be our ride in the swamp. So, there we were in total darkness. It was eerily quiet. I was bundled up with a cap on and a hoodie over that with a scarf wrapped around my neck. It's one of those times that you feel like you can't turn your head to see what's around you.....you can only see straight ahead. So, you keep yours eyes looking ahead, slowly making your way through the swamp, dodging trees and fallen limbs and logs....until you hear something splash or a bird screech and then you flip around so fast that you nearly fall out the boat.

No use for make-up in the swamps, y'all! Just trying to stay warm.

Just when we arrived at THE spot, deep in the swamp, surrounded by trees and water and darkness, my mind said.....Eugenie Boisfontaine. 

Gah! 

I had to work through some things for that one!


But then, daylight came and my nerves settled. Cliff slipped around the swamp looking and waiting for the ducks to fly. I stayed far enough behind that I wouldn't spook them. As a matter of fact, I was nearly dozing again, when Cliff aimed his gun and shot for the first time. I jerked awake so fast that I, again, thought that I might fall out the boat. HaHa!

We saw this owl, just before daybreak. I had to use my flash, but he didn't seem to mind.

As it turned out, I enjoyed being out there in the middle of nowhere, no one around but us and the wildlife as daylight broke and the wildlife started to go about their day. It was very peaceful and not at all unnerving, as I first thought. And the more I looked, the more I saw and the more I liked. When I could, I pulled out my camera and took a few shots. You can see them below.

Did you know that it was beautiful in the swamp? Me, either!
There was beauty everywhere....such as this lichen...

...And ferns growing on trees.
Cliff called these Snake Berries.
Here I come, easing back to the Jeep.

And here, Cliff is loading up the boats to leave. 
I think the moral of this story is that nothing is ever as it seems. I was always afraid of the swamps, mostly because of snakes. But there is some deep seated beauty in there....among the water and the trees. I can see now why Cliff loves it so much.

And as for Eugenie.....I certainly hope the investigators solve her mystery. I'm pretty sure she's not in the Hell Hole Swamp.

Eugenie Boisfontaine, God rest your soul.

Laurie

20 comments:

  1. I love the snake berries because they really stand out in the gray tones throughout the area.

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    1. Thanks, Carol! I took that picture while the boat was slowly moving. It could have been a little clearer, but I kind of like the effect.

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  2. I definitely believe there is beauty to be found everywhere but will not be waking up to go out into the swamp when it's dark outside. :) Happy New Year!

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    1. Haha! That's what I've always said, but now that I've experienced it, I'll do it again. But for sure, only in the winter months!

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  3. Eugenie Boisfontaine! I'm still laughing, 'cause I've seen the TV ad as well. I'll probably end up watching the series just to hear her name spoken over and over. It's sort of like an ear-worm - that thing that keeps repeating itself in your head. This has to be the funnies blog entry you've posted. Keep 'em coming. BTW, you never said if Cliff got his duck...

    Jim Fowler, Greenville, SC
    www.jfowlerphotography.com

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    1. HaHa!!! I'm going to be watching it, too! Yep, Cliff got his duck and a squirrel. He's way too patient. It took him 20 minutes to sneak up on that duck. I would have given up in 18 minutes. Lol!!

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  4. You are so entertaining and very adventuresome! Hell hole swamp. Really?

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  5. How funny you are and I have seen the same ad way up in the northwest.
    I have never been to a swamp...only see them in those scary movies. Your pictures are beautiful and they show the swamp beauty as well. Please don't tell me you eat squirrel. ha My uncle from Kentucky used to shoot and eat them when i was growing up. i have three pets in our fir tree out front.

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    1. I never wanted to go in the swamps before, mostly because of snakes and alligators. But, it's winter and I felt safe. I discovered as you mentioned the beauty of it. Who knew? Cliff, that's who....that's why he's been trying to get me out there. HaHa! And no, I don't eat squirrel, but Cliff does. He hunts them, I cook them and he eats them. This little squirrel is our neighbor at the beach. He lives in the tree by the front porch. So, as far as hunting goes....he's safe.

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  6. By the end of your adventure I had tears as I read "God rest your soul"...I live in Baton Rouge and the name Eugenie Boisfontaine has been haunting me and my husband also.
    We went Sunday out to Alligator Bayou Bar and tried to find the spot where she was found (no luck). The bar is Alligator Bayou Tours and had about 50 people there fishing LOL We will be glued to the TV for the conclusion...
    We love the swamp too...so beautiful and mysterious! I enjoyed your blog very much!

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    1. Hi Jeauxdi and welcome to my blog. Someone told me it's called an earworm when you get a name or word stuck in your head like that. Well that earworm has been working on me. HaHa! Oh Lord, if I lived close enough, I would make my husband carry me out to Alligator Bayou, too. I wonder if those 50 fisher people even knew what happened in their fishing hole? Yep, I'll be glued to the TV, too. Sure hope they solve the mystery and she can rest in peace. The swamp is so beautiful, but I can only go out there in the winter. I'm deathly afraid of snakes and that's the only time I feel safe. Although, my husband has otters buzzing him....just not sure what to think about that. Thanks for commenting on my blog. I do hope you'll come back again, soon!

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  7. you are correct with her name being a typical Southern Louisiana name...not uncommon to come across a difficult french name to pronounce...you have to let them just roll smoothly off your tongue with french dialect. I am from Southwest side of Louisiana and was about 20 years old when this happened and I don't recall this story. But I assure you it has my attention and have been watching it on the killing fields. There are several other murder/serial killer stories from these areas in the same year range that I recall, but not this one. Seems like this will be a cold case never to be solved. She may have been a victim of Derrick Todd Lee who was raping and killing women in the Baton Rouge area during this time,,,he was in Angola State Penitentiary until this morning when he died at the hospital for an illness of some sort....my gut says she was a victim of his. The swamp knows the story.

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    1. Hi Dawn, thanks for commenting. It's great to hear from someone from Louisiana. I love the dialect and found Eugenie's name so unusual. I have been watching Killing Fields, too. It's so interesting. I hope they solve the mystery, but you're right...they may never know, especially since Lee died. That information didn't make the news here in SC. If only the swamps could talk.

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  8. I love swamps. Louisiana is my dream state to live in. Love your photos. And I hope they catch Eugenie's killer.

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    1. Thanks for your visit Beverly. I never knew the swamps could be so beautiful until that trip with my husband. He loves it there. I was hoping Rodie and Aubrey would find her killer by the last episode. Still hopeful!

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  9. Eugenie Boisfontain ... ... Rodie's cajun voice repeating Eugenie's name so frequently in "The Killing Fields" series about her murder case is haunting and appropriate ... I'm not surprised you felt compelled to repeatedly speak her name yourself ... I hear the echo ...

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  10. I want to see Jerry case solved, but I also want to know how to correctly say her name. My boyfriend and I say hey name, constantly...ujanay bwafontain is how we pronounce it

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    1. I don't know where the word Jerry came from!! Wow...

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    2. It's amazing how a word, a song or in this case a name can get stuck in your head. HaHa! I still repeat it around the house and as far as I'm concerned, the way Rodie says it will always be the right way to me. I think you and your boyfriend are saying it the same way. I sure hope this case gets solved, also. Thanks for stopping by, Carly.

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