Wow, Lindsay! What an incredible small-world story! I applaud your father's fascination with Bellefontaine and hope you can share more details as they come together. A friend who is newer to Substack (but hardly new to writing) is a collaborator in her mother's efforts to piece together the lives of families, or members of those families, enslavers and the enslaved. She writes in Periwinkle, "She searches for the records of the Peter family and the Black families who were enslaved by them and lived nearby after freedom, if they were fortunate enough to have escaped being sold. The link between us is the land where I live. Because we are too haphazard to help with the online research, Sadie and I are deputized to do the physical work. We walk the land, following the old boundary lines that run “from a rock… to a tree.” I'm so grateful for those who help us bring the past into the present.
Elizabeth, how fascinating. I've learned again and again that the best to pull threads is to walk, look, and listen to people. Use the senses. Connect. Having my dad's medical lens on things has revealed a whole other facet - how bodies, diet, sickness and disease reveals so much about a story. He can tell you a lot about the civil war through the history of disease... that's another story! Thanks for sharing this project. Amazing.
Fabulous story. As a cold water swimmer, I think we're brave here in Tasmania until I realise that there are swimmers who dunk in ice-strewn bays and rivers in winter. My own seawaters rarely drop below 10 Celsius and I wear a wetsuit, boots and gloves. Even think I might wear a surf-cap this winter as I get vicious icecream headaches.
I'd be interested to know the final outcome of your father's research. Did Bellefontaine succumb to the cold? Did he have a heart attack? A stroke? Did he lose his mental bearings with hypothermia and swim longer and further than he should have?
I love hearing stories of all kinds and whatever portals are used it's always a thrill. Thank you.
Dear Prue, thanks for your message, I always love them!
I used to cold water swim during lockdown, when I could easily drive through the empty streets (normally clogged with traffic) to meet my friend for a lake swim. I always wore a wet suit with boots and gloves too. Eventually the gloves came off. I think we all know that euphoric glow, temperatures can vary for each person. I much prefer a swim than a plunge so icy it restricts movement.
I do also love clothes and proper gear... so I could be tempted to get back into it with one of those big jackets the Irish wear after a cold plunge?
I'll keep you posted on Tony Bellefontaine's story. I don't think we'll ever know how he died, the pathology records haven't been kept, but we can speculate. He was a indeed a polar bear, with perhaps a little post war ptsd at the root of it all.
I absolutely loved reading this piece — it was so beautifully written and woven together, much like the scarf you're knitting. I was struck by how seamlessly you tied together so many different threads: from the scarf you were knitting, to Cate Blanchett’s cold water swim, to your family holiday in St. Pierre to research the mysterious death of Bellefontaine. Each detail pulled me further in, and the way it all unfolded felt intimate and poetic. Thank you for bringing us along on this journey — it was a joy to read!
Thank you Kristen, what a message to receive! I heard an author in an interview recently say, "I can't write fiction because all I can do is write what happened." That really resonated with me!
That quote really resonates with me too — there’s something so powerful about writing about what actually happens and allowing the meaning to emerge through the details. You do that so beautifully. Your storytelling feels lived-in and layered, and it’s what makes your writing feel both intimate and universal. Thank you again for sharing it. I’m already looking forward to your next piece!
As a tepid water swimmer, well, maybe cold water swimmer if going from hot sauna and to sauna afterwards, which is the way Finns do their swimming, I find these stories nudge me towards trying to push my limits, go outside the comfort zone. There is a brave group of cold water swimmers here in Halifax who swim without the sauna, and report having the euphoric glow. One of the swimmers is a knitter so they enjoy a cup of a warm drink wearing mitts she made specifically for this purpose.
My therapist suggested plunging your face in ice cold water if having a panic attack. Body resets and so does the mind. Or rub your hands over something texturised for a sensory grounding. Like a knubbly woollen scarf with a knot in the middle.
I love a carrot, I always need one, and a sauna after a cold swim is the perfect carrot. Tea may not be enough... but the eurphoric glow could be?
I always turn my shower to icy cold at the end, and try to stand there for at least 5 seconds. Baby steps! It always sets me up (for at least a few minutes) for the rest of the day. Almost finished the scarf!
Loved this mystery and how your family dove in to unravel this story!
I hope there is more, as it’s such an interesting event. You’ve woven the details beautifully Lindsay.. Agatha, Miss Marple move over.. all whilst knitting the scarf. A visual and sensory feast.
Wow, Lindsay! What an incredible small-world story! I applaud your father's fascination with Bellefontaine and hope you can share more details as they come together. A friend who is newer to Substack (but hardly new to writing) is a collaborator in her mother's efforts to piece together the lives of families, or members of those families, enslavers and the enslaved. She writes in Periwinkle, "She searches for the records of the Peter family and the Black families who were enslaved by them and lived nearby after freedom, if they were fortunate enough to have escaped being sold. The link between us is the land where I live. Because we are too haphazard to help with the online research, Sadie and I are deputized to do the physical work. We walk the land, following the old boundary lines that run “from a rock… to a tree.” I'm so grateful for those who help us bring the past into the present.
https://amandamcather.substack.com/p/periwinkle
More power to you and any other cold water dunkers. I know we're told to never say never, but I do not believe I will ever be that person!
Elizabeth, how fascinating. I've learned again and again that the best to pull threads is to walk, look, and listen to people. Use the senses. Connect. Having my dad's medical lens on things has revealed a whole other facet - how bodies, diet, sickness and disease reveals so much about a story. He can tell you a lot about the civil war through the history of disease... that's another story! Thanks for sharing this project. Amazing.
Use the senses. Connect. Yes! Appreciated you, Lindsay.
That photo is stunning, too!
❤️
Fabulous story. As a cold water swimmer, I think we're brave here in Tasmania until I realise that there are swimmers who dunk in ice-strewn bays and rivers in winter. My own seawaters rarely drop below 10 Celsius and I wear a wetsuit, boots and gloves. Even think I might wear a surf-cap this winter as I get vicious icecream headaches.
I'd be interested to know the final outcome of your father's research. Did Bellefontaine succumb to the cold? Did he have a heart attack? A stroke? Did he lose his mental bearings with hypothermia and swim longer and further than he should have?
I love hearing stories of all kinds and whatever portals are used it's always a thrill. Thank you.
Dear Prue, thanks for your message, I always love them!
I used to cold water swim during lockdown, when I could easily drive through the empty streets (normally clogged with traffic) to meet my friend for a lake swim. I always wore a wet suit with boots and gloves too. Eventually the gloves came off. I think we all know that euphoric glow, temperatures can vary for each person. I much prefer a swim than a plunge so icy it restricts movement.
I do also love clothes and proper gear... so I could be tempted to get back into it with one of those big jackets the Irish wear after a cold plunge?
I'll keep you posted on Tony Bellefontaine's story. I don't think we'll ever know how he died, the pathology records haven't been kept, but we can speculate. He was a indeed a polar bear, with perhaps a little post war ptsd at the root of it all.
xo
Agreed! I am so curious to learn what happened!
to be continued!
I absolutely loved reading this piece — it was so beautifully written and woven together, much like the scarf you're knitting. I was struck by how seamlessly you tied together so many different threads: from the scarf you were knitting, to Cate Blanchett’s cold water swim, to your family holiday in St. Pierre to research the mysterious death of Bellefontaine. Each detail pulled me further in, and the way it all unfolded felt intimate and poetic. Thank you for bringing us along on this journey — it was a joy to read!
Thank you Kristen, what a message to receive! I heard an author in an interview recently say, "I can't write fiction because all I can do is write what happened." That really resonated with me!
That quote really resonates with me too — there’s something so powerful about writing about what actually happens and allowing the meaning to emerge through the details. You do that so beautifully. Your storytelling feels lived-in and layered, and it’s what makes your writing feel both intimate and universal. Thank you again for sharing it. I’m already looking forward to your next piece!
As a tepid water swimmer, well, maybe cold water swimmer if going from hot sauna and to sauna afterwards, which is the way Finns do their swimming, I find these stories nudge me towards trying to push my limits, go outside the comfort zone. There is a brave group of cold water swimmers here in Halifax who swim without the sauna, and report having the euphoric glow. One of the swimmers is a knitter so they enjoy a cup of a warm drink wearing mitts she made specifically for this purpose.
My therapist suggested plunging your face in ice cold water if having a panic attack. Body resets and so does the mind. Or rub your hands over something texturised for a sensory grounding. Like a knubbly woollen scarf with a knot in the middle.
I love a carrot, I always need one, and a sauna after a cold swim is the perfect carrot. Tea may not be enough... but the eurphoric glow could be?
I always turn my shower to icy cold at the end, and try to stand there for at least 5 seconds. Baby steps! It always sets me up (for at least a few minutes) for the rest of the day. Almost finished the scarf!
A very memorable post. Wow. Thank you! Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. I loved all the little interesting and intriguing diversions in here.
Loved this mystery and how your family dove in to unravel this story!
I hope there is more, as it’s such an interesting event. You’ve woven the details beautifully Lindsay.. Agatha, Miss Marple move over.. all whilst knitting the scarf. A visual and sensory feast.
Thank you,
H♥️