Finally I seem to have gotten to the whole point of starting this blog,that being to write a memoir of my time growing up in Moncton New Brunswick and beyond,perhaps.There seemed to be a lot of preliminary work,like setting out the context for the memoir,and reminding myself of the kinds of people who populated my life at the time.To that end,I'm sure I've not remembered them all,but I needed to write it down as a reference for myself.I know it may all seem odd to a reader,but this blog is as much about the process of memoir writing as it is about the memoir itself.And this is the first memoir I've ever tried to write.
A few notes to my readers are in order.First,what is to follow is my memory of my life,and it may well be that my memory is not perfect.It would have been better I believe to have recorded my life as it happened from my earliest years,but that did not happen.I try to be true to what I'm writing,but to be sure,I have to call upon imperfect memory and draw inferences that may not be completely correct.It's important to realize that a memoir is,at least in this case largely an interpretation of events and memories.
As for the actual recording of my life,I am doing that too,but that is a very different activity.Likely you will still get to read some of that so you need to realize that I am actively recording now,while I also record the past.But the "now"and the "then" are two very different activities.I do them separately and keep them far apart.While I expect you will see a reasonable memoir evolve,I'm not certain you will get all of the other writing I do on a daily basis.Someday though,most of it may emerge.Keep in mind there are things that I write that I may choose to keep relatively private.
It was not my original intention to provide memoir done in two different forms,but that's what this memoir shall be.There is,of course the more or less chronological activity of recording and interpreting life events,which I always thought memoir was.But memoir is not limited only to that form.
While in Toronto,I had the privilege of meeting weekly with a wonderful group of memoir writers weekly where we practiced writing topical pieces in relation to our lives.It was an invaluable activity which I still tackle in these blog entries.Anyone in the group can suggest topics which we then draw out of a coffee can and write for about ten minutes.The only real difference in the way I do this exercise is that after I've written down what I have to say,then I put it in the blog.The exercise is supposed to take ten minutes and I would have no hope of accomplishing that using a keyboard.I've always considered these exercises as being of a "hunter/gatherer"nature,a way of collecting resources that I would likely otherwise overlook.So,I go about the exercises because I wish to remain connected to that particular community of writers.They have all been so inspiring.And in deciding how to lay out this memoir,I've made the decision to present some of those finished exercises in unedited form,as a sort of deviation from simply following the "history text"style of memoir.
For all of those still with me-Enjoy.
Sunday 12 August 2012
memoir introduction/part3/places
Goose bay was a city in Canada's north,with two military bases,one Canadian,the other American. Redmondville was the community in northeastern New Brunswick we moved to when we left Goose Bay.On the old route 11.Curtis Park was the military base where my father worked.The towns to the south were St.Louis De Kent,Richibucto,Rexton,Buctouche,notre Dame,Irishtown and then Moncton.
Moncton was a small city in southeastern New Brunswick.In the very center of Atlantic Canada.It had huge locomotive repair shops in the middle of town.Moncton was the center of our world.The Trans canada Highway passed,going both east and west and we had occasion to travel it often.
To the east lay Memramcook,an Acadian community in a pretty valley.then there was Dorchester,a town with a huge prison on a hill.Sackville was the next town,home of a small university.The Tantramar marshes,flat and barren lay beyond on the road to Nova Scotia.At the border there was a traffic circle with a sunken garden in the middle.Often a piper was there playing the bagpipes.Amherst was the first town in Nova Scotia.a small but busy town.The next major town was Springhill,a coal town.But first you passed through Fenwick,where there was a sugar woods,and Little Forks,and Springhill Junction where I once saw a wolf.Ann Murray called Springhill home,as did my father.Oxford,on the river Phillip was next.A sleepy little town.Then you passed through Rockley and Roslyn and Port Phillip,where I once caught a very strange fish,on the way to Pugwash.Pugwash was a seaport with a salt mine and some very large mansions.They have a gathering of the clans on july 1st,and also a philosophers conference.Fox Harbour was beyond Pugwash.A cottage community where my family had a summer cottage.You could use any of three different roads to get there,but whichever road you took you had to turn at the Co-Op store which was not much bigger than a large shed.Beyond Fox Harbour,Wallace was the closest town,a fishing village with a few stores and a dump.Tatamagouche was the next town,bigger than Wallace.Drysdale Falls was located east from Tatamagouche in a community called The Falls.An impressive waterfall to be sure.Balmoral had a restored flour mill with a big water wheel.From there you passed through Earltown and North River on the way into Truro,a big town in the center of Nova Scotia.Back to the west you came to Glenholm,then,if you took the Fundy coast road you would pass through Bass River,a village with a wooden chair factory.Economy Mountain was really a big hill with a picnic area at the top.From there you could look down on Five Islands in the bay.My grandfather is said to be from Five Islands,from Blue Sac Road.Beyond Five Islands,a scenic area,you come to Moose River and the Lynn Road which leads back to Springhill.There was a school house on Lynn Road that my grandfather was said to have blown up with dynamite.If you pass Lynn Road,you come into Parrsboro,a seaport and boat making town with a huge statue of Glooscap,a native deity.Parrsboro once hosted a session of Canada's parliment because the Parliment buildings in Ottawa had been damaged by fire.From Parrsboro,it's maybe 30 miles back to Springhill,then on again to Amherst,Sackville and Moncton.
To go west you first had to go north to Megnetic Hill.From there you passed by the village of Berry Mills where the train tracks passed over the road.Farther on was a cross roads that offered two different routes to Fredricton.One road would take you through Canaan,then through the bush on the south bank of the Canaan River to Coles Island.It was an isolated road where you could sometimes see moose.The other road took you through River Glade where they raced stock cars,then Peticodiac and into Sussex,a quaint dairy town with a lot of covered bridges and jersey cows.Then it was up over Kierstead Mountain,through Bethel and into Coles Island,that had two bridges and a lot of water.The the road wound through Youngs Cove at the bottom of Grand Lake.Swimming was good at Youngs Cove.The road then led through Cambridge Narrows and on to Jemseg with its very high bridge.From there it was river bottom all the way to Fredricton,through Gagetown with it's military base,and Burton,Sheffield,Maugerville where there is a very large potato,and into Fredricton.The Princess Margaret Bridge bypassed Fredricton but you could see the whole town from the bridge.There was a huge church there called Christ Church Cathedral.Beyond Fredricton was a huge dam,built in the 1960's.The dam holds back a huge reservoir.Beyond that is Prince William and Kings landing,a restored historical site.Pokiok is beyond that.There was once a waterfall here until the dam flooded it out.The Starlite Motel is there too,where my parents began their honeymoon.Nackawick,on the far side of the river is next.My mother used to tell a story about Nackawick and the Devil every time we passed through here.Nackawick had a large mill too.Up the road a way is Crow Hill and the turnoff to Canterbury.My grandparents lived there,past downtown on Orchard Street.It used to have a mill and a few stores downtown but there is not much of it left any more.My parents and grandparents rest in it's cemetery.Dead Creek and Skiff Lake lie beyond.Skiff Lake is a gem of a lake,and Dead Creek is nearly forgotten country.Beyond that,through the bush is the American border.
To the east lay Memramcook,an Acadian community in a pretty valley.then there was Dorchester,a town with a huge prison on a hill.Sackville was the next town,home of a small university.The Tantramar marshes,flat and barren lay beyond on the road to Nova Scotia.At the border there was a traffic circle with a sunken garden in the middle.Often a piper was there playing the bagpipes.Amherst was the first town in Nova Scotia.a small but busy town.The next major town was Springhill,a coal town.But first you passed through Fenwick,where there was a sugar woods,and Little Forks,and Springhill Junction where I once saw a wolf.Ann Murray called Springhill home,as did my father.Oxford,on the river Phillip was next.A sleepy little town.Then you passed through Rockley and Roslyn and Port Phillip,where I once caught a very strange fish,on the way to Pugwash.Pugwash was a seaport with a salt mine and some very large mansions.They have a gathering of the clans on july 1st,and also a philosophers conference.Fox Harbour was beyond Pugwash.A cottage community where my family had a summer cottage.You could use any of three different roads to get there,but whichever road you took you had to turn at the Co-Op store which was not much bigger than a large shed.Beyond Fox Harbour,Wallace was the closest town,a fishing village with a few stores and a dump.Tatamagouche was the next town,bigger than Wallace.Drysdale Falls was located east from Tatamagouche in a community called The Falls.An impressive waterfall to be sure.Balmoral had a restored flour mill with a big water wheel.From there you passed through Earltown and North River on the way into Truro,a big town in the center of Nova Scotia.Back to the west you came to Glenholm,then,if you took the Fundy coast road you would pass through Bass River,a village with a wooden chair factory.Economy Mountain was really a big hill with a picnic area at the top.From there you could look down on Five Islands in the bay.My grandfather is said to be from Five Islands,from Blue Sac Road.Beyond Five Islands,a scenic area,you come to Moose River and the Lynn Road which leads back to Springhill.There was a school house on Lynn Road that my grandfather was said to have blown up with dynamite.If you pass Lynn Road,you come into Parrsboro,a seaport and boat making town with a huge statue of Glooscap,a native deity.Parrsboro once hosted a session of Canada's parliment because the Parliment buildings in Ottawa had been damaged by fire.From Parrsboro,it's maybe 30 miles back to Springhill,then on again to Amherst,Sackville and Moncton.
To go west you first had to go north to Megnetic Hill.From there you passed by the village of Berry Mills where the train tracks passed over the road.Farther on was a cross roads that offered two different routes to Fredricton.One road would take you through Canaan,then through the bush on the south bank of the Canaan River to Coles Island.It was an isolated road where you could sometimes see moose.The other road took you through River Glade where they raced stock cars,then Peticodiac and into Sussex,a quaint dairy town with a lot of covered bridges and jersey cows.Then it was up over Kierstead Mountain,through Bethel and into Coles Island,that had two bridges and a lot of water.The the road wound through Youngs Cove at the bottom of Grand Lake.Swimming was good at Youngs Cove.The road then led through Cambridge Narrows and on to Jemseg with its very high bridge.From there it was river bottom all the way to Fredricton,through Gagetown with it's military base,and Burton,Sheffield,Maugerville where there is a very large potato,and into Fredricton.The Princess Margaret Bridge bypassed Fredricton but you could see the whole town from the bridge.There was a huge church there called Christ Church Cathedral.Beyond Fredricton was a huge dam,built in the 1960's.The dam holds back a huge reservoir.Beyond that is Prince William and Kings landing,a restored historical site.Pokiok is beyond that.There was once a waterfall here until the dam flooded it out.The Starlite Motel is there too,where my parents began their honeymoon.Nackawick,on the far side of the river is next.My mother used to tell a story about Nackawick and the Devil every time we passed through here.Nackawick had a large mill too.Up the road a way is Crow Hill and the turnoff to Canterbury.My grandparents lived there,past downtown on Orchard Street.It used to have a mill and a few stores downtown but there is not much of it left any more.My parents and grandparents rest in it's cemetery.Dead Creek and Skiff Lake lie beyond.Skiff Lake is a gem of a lake,and Dead Creek is nearly forgotten country.Beyond that,through the bush is the American border.
op-ed/integrity in journalism/update
Nearly a month ago I brought to the attention of those who read this blog a matter involving a small,unconventional,self proclaimed "news agency"from Atlantic Canada.The problem was that one of this agencies directors had made unsupportable accusations against another individual,specifically that that individual had been involved in domestic violence.A criminal background check of that person reveals no such record,not even so much as an accusation,much less a conviction.Yet this "director"thus far has neither retracted the statement,defended it,or resigned pending the matters outcome.My point at that time was,how are we to believe that this person or their agency can objectively report news when a matter like this is still pending?My commentary then was that it's strictly buyer beware with this particular agency.
After nearly a month I have yet to hear from this agency,who I will now identify as Newschaser,from the greater Moncton,New Brunswick area.In the time since my last editorial I have been in contact with two directors of said agency,informing them of the events going on within their ranks.You see,I had the distinct impression that,as an agency they may not have been aware of where their colleague stacks up in terms of integrity.In fact,they may well have been deceived.But they are deceived no longer.I had a rather lengthy online chat with a director(there appear to be four or five such directors).I should interject here,that the journalist in question is,in fact my sister,and the person she has accused is myself.That is all quite beside the point.Yes,there is more here than meets the eye,but this is not about anyone's family feud and the facts of the accusation and its falsehood remain the same.So do it's implications so far as journalistic integrity is concerned.During the chat I had with this agency's director,it was mentioned to me that I should be "supporting"my sister.I was quick to inform this person that,in fact I do support my sister.I support her to stand up and stand behind the things she says.I support her to be a moral,decent reporter if that's what she chooses to do.But I do not support her if she chooses to yellow her profession with defamation based on no effort to perform the due diligence that should be routine to the profession of journalism.But my real point here was not so much the activities of this journalism,as it was the reaction of the director I was speaking to.Apparently things such as friendship and family loyalty trump integrity in this persons view.That is all fine and good,but then lets admit it,this is not a legitimate news agency.So lets recognize them for what they are.that would appear to be essentially ambulance chasers.Anyone with a police scanner,a cell phone and a device for recording live video can call themselves reporters.And,as I say,that may well have a place in the marketplace,but responsible journalism it is not.
So what has newschasers done regarding this issue?Nothing so far as I can determine at this point.The first director,after admonishing me for my "disloyal" behavior,reluctantly agreed that she would need to take this matter under advisement.The following day I communicated my concerns to a second director who was far less reluctant to address the matter.Good for her,because this issue really does matter.
Now in all fairness,I am prepared to alter my view of Newchasers if they would only do what any respectable news outlet does.Lets start with a mission statement and a statement of guiding values.Maybe a policy and procedures manual would be in order.And by the way,what do directors at this agency actually do?Are they routinely involved in editorial control of what they distribute?What,if any ethical standards do they subscribe to?I for one am interested to hear from them on these matters.Because,while it may make little difference if all you do is follow ambulances with a video camera,it makes a world of difference when you presume to report on hard news,especially news involving persons accused,who must be considered innocent until guilt is established.At least one reporter has yet to see the significance of this matter in that light.I'm still hoping that it will not elude the intellect of Newschasers directorship though.
I encourage readers to check out Newschasers for themselves.Just key in "newschasers"on Youtube to decide for yourself what sort of value reporting of this nature has.I invite reasonable comments.
After nearly a month I have yet to hear from this agency,who I will now identify as Newschaser,from the greater Moncton,New Brunswick area.In the time since my last editorial I have been in contact with two directors of said agency,informing them of the events going on within their ranks.You see,I had the distinct impression that,as an agency they may not have been aware of where their colleague stacks up in terms of integrity.In fact,they may well have been deceived.But they are deceived no longer.I had a rather lengthy online chat with a director(there appear to be four or five such directors).I should interject here,that the journalist in question is,in fact my sister,and the person she has accused is myself.That is all quite beside the point.Yes,there is more here than meets the eye,but this is not about anyone's family feud and the facts of the accusation and its falsehood remain the same.So do it's implications so far as journalistic integrity is concerned.During the chat I had with this agency's director,it was mentioned to me that I should be "supporting"my sister.I was quick to inform this person that,in fact I do support my sister.I support her to stand up and stand behind the things she says.I support her to be a moral,decent reporter if that's what she chooses to do.But I do not support her if she chooses to yellow her profession with defamation based on no effort to perform the due diligence that should be routine to the profession of journalism.But my real point here was not so much the activities of this journalism,as it was the reaction of the director I was speaking to.Apparently things such as friendship and family loyalty trump integrity in this persons view.That is all fine and good,but then lets admit it,this is not a legitimate news agency.So lets recognize them for what they are.that would appear to be essentially ambulance chasers.Anyone with a police scanner,a cell phone and a device for recording live video can call themselves reporters.And,as I say,that may well have a place in the marketplace,but responsible journalism it is not.
So what has newschasers done regarding this issue?Nothing so far as I can determine at this point.The first director,after admonishing me for my "disloyal" behavior,reluctantly agreed that she would need to take this matter under advisement.The following day I communicated my concerns to a second director who was far less reluctant to address the matter.Good for her,because this issue really does matter.
Now in all fairness,I am prepared to alter my view of Newchasers if they would only do what any respectable news outlet does.Lets start with a mission statement and a statement of guiding values.Maybe a policy and procedures manual would be in order.And by the way,what do directors at this agency actually do?Are they routinely involved in editorial control of what they distribute?What,if any ethical standards do they subscribe to?I for one am interested to hear from them on these matters.Because,while it may make little difference if all you do is follow ambulances with a video camera,it makes a world of difference when you presume to report on hard news,especially news involving persons accused,who must be considered innocent until guilt is established.At least one reporter has yet to see the significance of this matter in that light.I'm still hoping that it will not elude the intellect of Newschasers directorship though.
I encourage readers to check out Newschasers for themselves.Just key in "newschasers"on Youtube to decide for yourself what sort of value reporting of this nature has.I invite reasonable comments.
Friday 10 August 2012
1961
It's supposed to be easy to write a memoir,right.I mean it's my life so all I have to do is tell it the way I saw it,the way it happened.No need to dig deeply into a lot of particulars,because it's all in your head.Yeah right.It's a good thing that I rather like research or I may have given up on the idea of writing a memoir about ten minutes after the thought occurred to me.
I was born in 1961,but to tell the truth,I don't really remember that.I've talked to people who say they can remember being born,but to tell the truth I don't believe them.In my case I don't know if maybe March 2nd was just a busy day,with a lot happening all at once and lots of new people to meet,but I just don't recall a lot about it,believe it or not.So I had to do a substantial amount of digging to bring back to my mind what that year was really all about.
In 1961,Kennedy had just been sworn in as the president of the United States.Diefenbaker was the Prime Minister of Canada.The depression had been over for almost 40 years and WWII was 15 years in the past.The Korean War was eight years past.The Soviet Union and the United States were locked in a Cold War,which for the most part was more posturing than war.
Canada had a population of 18 million +.Just under 600,000 people lived in New Brunswick,and Newfoundland,where I was born was home to 458,000 people.Canada's largest city then was Montreal,not Toronto.The population of Canada was shifting from rural to urban with about 70% living in urban areas.
March was a busy month so it seems.On the day before I was born,the United States Peace Corp was created.The Soviets launched a dog into space,then,just a short time later,a human.The United States followed by launching a chimpanzee,followed shortly thereafter by Alan Shepard.The space race was on.
In the American south the Civil Rights Movement was in the headlines,and Freedom Rides were taking place.On a related note,"To Kill A Mockingbird"won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction that year.Other books of note were "Winter Of Our Discontent"by John Steinbeck and "Catch 22 by Joseph Heller.
Movies of that year included "Breakfast At Tiffanys","Judgement At Nuremburg",and the winner of best picture,"Westside Story."
Popular TV shows in 1961 were "Gunsmoke""The Jack Benny Show"Candid Camera" and "The Andy Griffith Show.Wide World Of Sports also began broadcasting that spring.
Hit songs of 1961 included,"Run Around Sue"(Dion),"The Lion Sleeps Tonight"(The Tokens) and "Hit The Road Jack"(Ray Charles)
Some further research revealed that,in 1961,The Oxford English Dictionary added 501 new words including,Valium,keyboard,plea bargain,and woody,meaning a station wagon.The words docudrama,skyjack and weight watcher also appeared in 1961,as did the word shitcan meaning to dispose of something or fire someone.And,if you happened to shitcan the devil,you could say you were born again,another new word in 1961.In Canada,the word New Democrat was new,as was the political party of the same name.They hoped to shitcan the ruling political parties of the day,but as of yet,they have had limited success in doing so.Neurotransmitter was also added to the dictionary that year as was the word down,in the sense of Downs Syndrome,which was used to replace the word mongolism which was considered offensive.
I was surprised to note that a copy of The New Yorker could be purchased for just 25 cents,a true bargain.I've included a picture of The New Yorker,published two days after my birth.But to tell the truth,I don't think I paid a lot of attention to popular magazines at the time as,at just two days old,one hardly has enough neurotransmitters to really appreciate the esoteric nature of such a magazine.I'm guessing I likely did like to look at the pictures though.
So there you have it.My summary of 1961,the year I was born.
References: Canadian Facts and Dates-Richard W.Pound.
American Decades 1960-1969-Richard Layman.
Chronicle Of Canada-J.M.S. Careless Et.Al.
www,wordorigins.org
I was born in 1961,but to tell the truth,I don't really remember that.I've talked to people who say they can remember being born,but to tell the truth I don't believe them.In my case I don't know if maybe March 2nd was just a busy day,with a lot happening all at once and lots of new people to meet,but I just don't recall a lot about it,believe it or not.So I had to do a substantial amount of digging to bring back to my mind what that year was really all about.
In 1961,Kennedy had just been sworn in as the president of the United States.Diefenbaker was the Prime Minister of Canada.The depression had been over for almost 40 years and WWII was 15 years in the past.The Korean War was eight years past.The Soviet Union and the United States were locked in a Cold War,which for the most part was more posturing than war.
Canada had a population of 18 million +.Just under 600,000 people lived in New Brunswick,and Newfoundland,where I was born was home to 458,000 people.Canada's largest city then was Montreal,not Toronto.The population of Canada was shifting from rural to urban with about 70% living in urban areas.
March was a busy month so it seems.On the day before I was born,the United States Peace Corp was created.The Soviets launched a dog into space,then,just a short time later,a human.The United States followed by launching a chimpanzee,followed shortly thereafter by Alan Shepard.The space race was on.
Some further research revealed that,in 1961,The Oxford English Dictionary added 501 new words including,Valium,keyboard,plea bargain,and woody,meaning a station wagon.The words docudrama,skyjack and weight watcher also appeared in 1961,as did the word shitcan meaning to dispose of something or fire someone.And,if you happened to shitcan the devil,you could say you were born again,another new word in 1961.In Canada,the word New Democrat was new,as was the political party of the same name.They hoped to shitcan the ruling political parties of the day,but as of yet,they have had limited success in doing so.Neurotransmitter was also added to the dictionary that year as was the word down,in the sense of Downs Syndrome,which was used to replace the word mongolism which was considered offensive. I was surprised to note that a copy of The New Yorker could be purchased for just 25 cents,a true bargain.I've included a picture of The New Yorker,published two days after my birth.But to tell the truth,I don't think I paid a lot of attention to popular magazines at the time as,at just two days old,one hardly has enough neurotransmitters to really appreciate the esoteric nature of such a magazine.I'm guessing I likely did like to look at the pictures though.
So there you have it.My summary of 1961,the year I was born.
References: Canadian Facts and Dates-Richard W.Pound.
American Decades 1960-1969-Richard Layman.
Chronicle Of Canada-J.M.S. Careless Et.Al.
www,wordorigins.org
photo essay/places-part 4/west
 |
| Fredricton |
 |
| Canaan River |
 |
| Highway near Coles Island |
 |
| Canterbury |
 |
| Christ Church,Fredricton |
 |
| Eel River Falls |
 |
| Canterbury |
 | |||
| Skiff Lake |
 |
| Bridge at Burton |
 | ||||
| Cows,near Sussex |
Tuesday 7 August 2012
out and about/Calgary/August 5th,2012
 |
| Making a quick escape...almost |
 |
| Along The Mall |
 |
| Hans and Blue Belle |
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)