The Trail of the Frog

Posted on by Charles F-M

Yesterday I did something I haven’t done since 2016 and that was walk a trail at the Irving Nature Park. Over the past few years, I would drive there and sit and watch movies, but never actually walked a trail. Even before now the Sheldon’s Point Loop was the only trail I had completed.

Like most trips, it started by going to my favourite parking lot and watching a movie. I was watching the Showtime documentary Belushi on the Crave TV app. It is an amazingly good telling of the life of the legendary comedian John Belushi. After the movie I had noticed the sign say the trail was only 0.5km. Given my condition, I thought it was doable, although to be honest I have been incredibly afraid of exploring the wilderness on my own. It should come of no surprise I don’t have many friends at all. Even fewer are those that will actually go exploring when I fell the spout of motivation. Thus, I was to take the journey alone.

Due to the pandemic the wilderness trails are currently one-way and where I was, was near the end. I started walking along the road until I picked up the start of the path. There was a nice set of stairs that went down to the beach. I wanted to go down but knowing the quest I was on and in my head, it was going to be a massive undertaking and the voice in my head told me I shouldn’t risk it.

I followed this pat until the first bridge, and by bridge, it is three steady wide boards laying on wet ground with just a little movement as the bowed under my immeasurable weight from above. It is raised about 20-30cm above the ground. This platform also curves around the natual features and had no end in sight. It then occurs to me that if I trip, I’m done for. If I lose balance, I’m done for. If my leg loses feeling and my ability to control my knee and I fall over. I’m done for. It is at this moment that the panic starts to set in that I’m totally alone, with no help, only myself to count on. I can’t fail, I can’t rest, I can’t lean on a tree, I can’t run from a wolf/bear/dear/goose. I must go on. The greatest sight was when I turned the corner and seen the end.

I knew that if I was to trip on a root, bash my head on a tree, get attacked by I coyote. I was now in a better spot than on that bridge. I walked a couple of metres more and so another reverse identical bridge and I was convinced I was losing it. Or was I going in circles and was this the bridge I just came from? I’m panicking looking at all the vegetation trying to remember if this was on the last bridge too? That is when I hear a voice from behind say “Hello” and frighten me so bad.

“I wasn’t trying to startle you, I just wanted you to know I was here.” This was the point the terror of being alone in the forest changed to the fear that I was going to faceplant and embarrass myself or inconvenience her by slowing her down on her nature walk. I was one foot in front of the other until I made it to the end, and as that bridge ended, I once again seen the parking lot and my beautiful car. I finished the trail and finally completed something. Not that it could possibly be considered a success yet.

2021 Municipal Election Endorsements

Posted on by Charles F-M

Mayor (1 to elect)

Donna E. Reardon

Also worth consideration:

Mel A. W. Vincent

Councillor Ward At Large (2 to elect)

Neil S. Clements
Brent Harris

Also worth consideration:

Dean M. Secord
Arthur (Arty) Watson

Councillor Ward 1 (2 to elect)

Sean Patrick Crowley
Joanna F. E. Killen

Also worth consideration:

Richard Lee

Councillor Ward 2 (2 to elect)

Russell Wilson
Jocelyn M. Stevens

Also worth consideration:

Tamara L. Steele
Barry Ogden
Jason L. Alcorn
Justin B. Tinker
Jerald H. Kunitzky

Councillor Ward 3 (2 to elect)

Adam J.C. Salesse
Jordan R. Hollingsworth

Also worth consideration:

Barbara Ellemberg
Mariah A. Darling

Councillor Ward 4 (2 to elect)

Gina E. Hooley
Paula Radwan

Also worth consideration:

Greg R. Stewart
Christopher C. Daigle
Lynaya L. Astephen

ASD-South Subdistrict 4 (1 to elect)

Kristen Murphy (accl.)

ASD-South Subdistrict 5 (1 to elect)

Theresa M. Rogers

ASD-South Subdistrict 6 (1 to elect)

Jane Logan

Also worth consideration:

Andrew James West

ASD-South Subdistrict 7 (1 to elect)

David W. Connell (accl.)

FSD-Sud Subdistrict 9 (1 to elect)

Michel Côté(accl.)

Horizon Subregion B3 (1 to elect)

Jon Paul Osborne

Also worth consideration:

Colum E. Connolly

Horizon Subregion B4 (1 to elect)

William Brian Wheelock

Also worth consideration:

Jeff Sparks
Srikanth (Sri) Narayanan

Deaf Difficulties (one of two: General Difficulties)

Posted on by Charles F-M

This was written in the early 2000’s this segment was recorded over and I no longer have the video. It originally aired on Rogers Television on a news program called Focus NB.

Lead: There are many disabilities faced by New Brunswickers. One of the most noticeable is cultural deafness. Our Reporter Charles Frees-Melvin brings us the difficulties faced by the Deaf in day-to-day life.

Stand-up: Deafness is a condition faced by several hundred residents in this province. Many people are unaware of some of the difficulties faced by these people. Gerald Frazee stressed that the biggest concern is the need of interpreters to be present.

Gerald: (48:47-48:59) 12 sec

“Culturally I am deaf and a lot of what goes on in the world I perceive with my eyes, so probably the biggest concern for me would to make sure interpreters are present”

VO: Mr. Frazee can’t stress enough the troubles he would faces trying to cope with day-to-day life without an interpreter.

Gerald: (49:08-49:21) 13 sec

“Oh, Gosh it’s chaos, the communication breaks down, writing back and forth isn’t adequate enough only having an interpreter there are we able to interpret adequately.”

VO: Joanne Burke also agrees with the need for interpreters.

Joanne: (49:24-49:55) 31 sec

“Without the interpreter present I have to rely fully on my Children, and it’s not their responsibility they’re not professionally trained so we have to hire a professionally trained interpreter. and then we can communicate and make designs that we need. For us English is our second language, and not necessarily do we know it so by having the interpreter present, being able to communicate in our language of American sign language we have the confidence to make the decision we need to make.”

VO: Another difficulty is the lack of Public Tele-Type devices so the deaf can make phone calls. Mike Clark definitely thinks that stores and malls should be equipped with these devices for their deaf patrons.

Mike: (59:15-59:41) 26 sec

“A lot of deaf people go into stores or into companies and they have absolutely no devices for us to make phone calls. We must have a teletypewriter. It is a device that deaf people use to make phone calls we need to make in public.”

VO: (Insert Name) and (Insert Name) say they want to see devices installed so that they can become more independent. And that New Brunswick is far behind other provinces in meeting their needs.

Group 3: (04:29-05:21) 52 sec.

“In Ontario they have a lot of services for deaf individuals, flashing alarms for fire in public places, TTY to make calls. When they are in the public however in Saint John there is nothing isn’t anything like that for deaf people, no fire alarms, TTY, every time I have to go to the mall, I have to get a hearing person to make a call for me, but I want to be independent. I don’t want to have to rely on someone else.”

Stand up: A special thanks to Interpreter Shelly Williams for assisting us with the interpretations. In Saint John, I’m Charles Frees-Melvin, for Focus NB.