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As you drive along La. 82 next to the Gulf in Cameron Parish, the name Constance keeps popping up.
Constance Bayou is just west of the Vermilion Parish line, and runs generally north from Big Constance Lake. Little Constance Lake is a bit to its west and nearby you will find Big Constance Bayou, Little Constance Bayou, East Little Constance Bayou, East Constance Bayou and East Constance Lake. Constance Beach is midway between Holly Beach and Johnsons Bayou.
You begin to wonder, “Who the heck was Constance?”
As it turns out, Constance was a ship, El Nuevo Constante (The New Constance), that was driven ashore in 1766. Right after it sank, Spanish officials in Louisiana made a big push to salvage what they could from the wreck, but then the ship slipped into the mists of history. It stayed hidden for two centuries, until November 1979, when shrimper Curtis Blume aboard the Lady Barbara caught his net on something heavy about a mile south of the Rockefeller Wildlife Refuge.
When he got the nets untangled, he pulled up three large copper discs, each about 20 inches across. He didn’t know what he’d found, but he made a note of the location, mostly so that he wouldn’t snag his nets again.
When a friend saw the discs and told him they looked like some that were found in Spanish shipwrecks off the Florida coast, Curtis put on diving gear to look a little closer at what he’d snagged. He found some more discs, more exciting ones. These were made of gold and silver.
Curtis thought he’d found one of the Spanish ships that hauled gold and silver from Mexico to the port of Cadiz. That idea also excited historians because it was the first historic shipwreck ever found off the Louisiana coast. Curtis and the salvage experts that backed him were mainly interested in the gold. The scientists were just as interested in the ship and how it came to rest in shallow water almost due south of Big Constance Lake.
They found an “old wreck,” not identified by name, on a chart that used data from 1779. An 1806 map showed a Bayou Constance and also recorded a “carcasse” near the bayou’s mouth. Neither of the old maps connected the shipwreck with the bayou’s name, but investigators combed through old Spanish records and were finally able identify the ship and to piece together its story.
El Nuevo Constante was part of a convoy sailing from Veracruz to Cadiz by way of Havana when it was caught in a storm and driven ashore during the first week of September 1766. The ship weathered three days of hurricane wind and waves and the passengers and crew thought they’d made it through the worst of it. But on September 3 they began to notice water seeping into the ship, and getting worse by the hour. By the next morning the ship’s pumps could not keep up. The pounding seas had loosened the caulking in the hull, and it was beginning to give away altogether. There was nothing to do but head for land.
The chaplain, Father Joseph Buenaventura Morelda, prayed they would reach the coast before sinking. He must have been a pious soul.
About 4:30 p.m. Sept. 5. El Nuevo Constante ran aground “one and a half musket shots from shore.”
When the crew first rowed two boats ashore they found nothing but marsh and mosquitoes, but finally reached a little rise in the marsh.
While one boat hauled people and cargo from the ship, Captain Julian Antonio de Ureullo sent the other boat to get help at the Balize, a little fort at the mouth of the Mississippi River.
A good bit of the boat’s cargo was salvaged right away, but there was still some interesting stuff to find when the scientists sifted through the remains two centuries later —iron cannons, indigo, vanilla beans, dye, hides, ceramics, some hand tools, more copper, a silver coin or two, but no more gold.
Some of the ships that sailed with El Nuevo Constante had been filled with gold and silver, but the New Constance wasn’t one of them.
It was carrying only mundane cargo. The pieces of gold and silver that Curtis found had apparently been hidden among stones used as ballast in the bottom of the boat.
It appears that Captain de Ureullo was trying to smuggle home a little something to put aside for his retirement.
A collection of Jim Bradshaw’s columns, "Cajuns and Other Characters," is now available from Pelican Publishing. You can contact him at jimbradshaw4321@gmail.com or P.O. Box 1121, Washington LA 70589.

DEAR ABBY: I have a much older sister who has become very religious. Most of her life decisions are based on her faith, so conversations tend to develop into faith-oriented topics and justifications. I don’t initiate these conversations, and I make a genuine effort to understand her perspective. When I am not able to, I have mastered the “smile and nod.”
My problem is, anytime I bring a friend or date to a family function, she drags them off to the side and begins to question and discuss the importance of faith. Since religion is a widely varied and highly sensitive topic, this can sometimes be uncomfortable. I recently asked her to stop doing it, and I haven’t heard from her since. How can I explain healthy boundaries to her so we can have a respectful relationship?
YOUNGER BROTHER IN GEORGIA

DEAR YOUNGER BROTHER: If part of your sister’s religion is advancing it or converting others to her faith, you won’t be able to convince her to stop. I agree that what she’s doing can come across as obnoxious.
Because you can’t control what she says or does, you may have to stop bringing friends or dates to family functions where you know she’ll be present. Otherwise, warn them in advance so they can either avoid being cornered or get away from her.

DEAR ABBY: My boyfriend was my first crush in grade eight. We are in our late 40s now. He was in a relationship for 17 years with a woman who has three daughters.
One hasn’t talked to either parent in years. The other two drink, use drugs and have kids of their own. They often ask to “borrow” money, but never pay it back. One of them asked me for enough to put down a deposit for rent on a house. I have two of my own children and my exes don’t support them, so I’m wondering how responsible I am for his ex-girlfriend’s kids.
NOT GONNA HAPPEN

DEAR NOT GONNA: You have no legal, moral or ethical obligation to the children your boyfriend raised with his former girlfriend. Stick to your guns, dear lady, because you are off the hook if you have the backbone to stay that way.

DEAR ABBY: I am a 50-year-old male. When I interact with a woman whose name I don’t know, I address her as “Dear.” Surprisingly, many of them respond in a negative way, regardless of age. Is it wrong to call someone “Dear”? And if so, what should I call them if I don’t know their name?
UNSURE IN IOWA

DEAR UNSURE: The women may respond the way they do because they consider being called “Dear” by a stranger to be overly familiar or even condescending. (Other titles to avoid would be “Honey” and “Young Lady,” if the woman appears to be past the age of 30.) Be safe — and respectful — by addressing them as Miss or Ma’am.
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Abby shares more than 100 of her favorite recipes in two booklets: “Abby’s Favorite Recipes” and “More Favorite Recipes by Dear Abby.” Send your name and mailing address, plus check or money order for $16 to: Dear Abby, Cookbooklet Set, P.O. Box 447, Mount Morris, IL 61054-0447.

Out-of-state competitors are expected for this weekend’s Bayou BBQ Bash in Morgan City. But there’s still room for local barbecue chefs, too.
Local contestants can sign up until 5 p.m. Friday for a shot at the trophy that goes to St. Mary Parish’s champion, said Bill Goessl, who is coordinating the event.
The Bayou BBQ Bash will begin with a meet-the-cooks event Thursday night at Hampton Inn & Suites. The event opens under the bridge near Second Street in Morgan City on Friday, followed by the meat of the competition Saturday.
The Bayou BBQ Bash is sanctioned by the Barbecue Competitors Alliance. The alliance will sanction 14 events between the Bash and a Biloxi, Mississippi, competition in June 2022.
The contestants take their barbecue seriously. Last year, the Bash was slimmed down to competition only with no music or food vendors because of COVID-19. But 39 competitors came to Morgan City anyway.
Goessl is a member of the Marine Corps League, which is running the Bash for the St. Mary Chamber of Commerce. He expects between 40 and 50 competitors, including chefs from Texas, Mississippi and Alabama.
They’ll compete in three categories: chicken, ribs and brisket.
The judging will be at noon for chicken, 1:30 p.m. for ribs and 3 p.m. for brisket.
The award ceremony will be at 4:30 p.m.
Cannata’s will again sponsor a Kids Q barbecue contest for young people early Saturday.
This year, the Bash will have live music, barbecue and other food for sale, and arts and crafts on display along Front Street to Greenwood.
On the music schedule are Cliff Hillebran, 6-9 p.m. Friday, and Krossover, noon-4 p.m. Saturday.
East Gate Barbeque and Goessl’s The Smokehouse will be selling barbecue, and Xtreme Sports will have hamburgers and fries. Cher t’Dough’s artisanal bakery items and Sno on the Go snowballs will be available.
Beer will also be sold.

The Louisiana Legislature adjourned the state’s first veto override session in modern history Wednesday without overturning a single veto.
Democratic Gov. John Bel Edwards rejected 28 regular session bills this year. The GOP-dominated Legislature, however, failed to reach the necessary two-thirds majority in each chamber to erase Edwards’ veto pen.
The Fairness in Women’s Sports Act, or Senate Bill 156, was seen as the GOP’s best opportunity for success. The transgender athlete legislation would have prohibited students from competing on teams that differ from their assigned gender at birth.
The bill initially passed with bipartisan support, but Edwards vetoed the legislation, saying it “unfairly discriminated against transgender youth.”
A successful Senate override vote occurred Tuesday, but the House failed to advance the effort Wednesday after tabling 20 other bills to get to it.
Rep. Laurie Schlegel, R-Jefferson, spoke in favor of the measure. Members were allowed to discuss only the governor’s stated objections in his veto message, not the merits of the legislation.
Schlegel reminded her colleagues that nothing had changed since the bill passed in May with 78 votes and 50 co-sponsors.
“If you’ve seen the polling on it then you know in this state, in every single district, whether it’s Democrats, Republicans or Independents, they overwhelmingly believe biological males should not play female sports,” she said.
Edwards also cited the NCAA’s anti-discrimination policy covering transgender sports bans in his veto statement, which he said could impact the state economically. New Orleans is scheduled to host the 2022 men’s basketball Final Four.
“It’s unimaginable to me that we could let any outside organization hold our state hostage on a bill,” Schlegel said.
Rep. Royce Duplessis, D-New Orleans, was the lead dissenting voice.
“Protecting our girls is something I choose to believe every member of this Legislature wants desperately and undeniably. It’s something that I believe our governor undoubtedly wants,” he said. “But members, not only is this bill unnecessary, I can assure you that it does not, in fact, protect our girls.”
Duplessis warned of lawsuits, personal privacy violations, bullying and economic losses. He added that helping girls in sports would involve additional funding to create more opportunities.
“They’re not on a mission to dominate sports. They’re on a mission to survive,” he said of transgender youth.
Rep. Jeremy LaCombe, D-Livonia, unsuccessfully urged House Speaker Clay Schexnayder, R-Gonzales, to let he and other members speak.
“Some of us have been put in astronomically difficult situations,” he said.
LaCombe voted for the Fairness in Women’s Sports Act in May but chose to sustain the governor’s veto Wednesday.
Democratic Reps. Chad Brown, Mack Cormier, C. Travis Johnson and Pat Moore also voted against the override after previously supporting the bill, as did Rep. Roy Daryl Adams, the lone Independent in attendance.
Schlegel closed by asking members to “fight like a girl and override this veto.”
Seventy votes were needed but only 68 came – two short of the required super-majority. The 68-30 final result prompted Schexnayder to suspended further deliberations.
Senate President Page Cortez, R-Lafayette, moved to adjourn hours later, indicating no other reconsidered bills would receive attention. The House soon followed in tow.