JOYE – Page 5 – Single Older Woman – Living Life Passionately

Single Older Woman – solo traveler – anxieties, concerns and fears

April 2022

Most, if not all of my posts have been uplifting, encouraging, positive, funny and interesting. This one though will take a turn to the dark and scary side of being an older single woman and travelling by oneself.

I won’t mince words over my personal experience and feelings from my road trip in July 2021. For me, it is as important to share all the positive aspects of being single, as well as those instances where it can be scary, very scary…..

All the planning involved to do a Ontario Beach road trip was completed by mid June 2021. Hotels booked, local restaurants sourced, the #CAA road maps were all highlighted with my potential routes, cat care was arranged with my neighbours, bills were paid and itineraries were sent to various family members. The day before, the car was taken to the mechanic for a last minute emergency window repair and an oil change.

All was good, and then a severe panic and anxiety attack……I would be driving on several major highways the next morning, during rush hour and with hundreds of transport trucks in the lanes next to me…..The weather forecast called for sunshine, blue skies…Yet I could not shake the feeling – that I was going to be in a car accident and I would not be going home………Only a few weeks ago, a person lost his life, when the steel overhead sign on a highway, was bumped by a rig, the sign fell on top of this man’s SUV and killed him instantly.

I would be driving past/underneath that very sign…….

In my panic, anxiety and nightmares, I had convinced myself that I did not see the end of this wonderful trip….All sorts of worries and fears haunted me for DAYS……..I came so close to cancelling this trip, I couldn’t do it……This was my WORST FEAR – how would my kids and my parents be contacted, would the police/paramedics/firefighters know who to contact, would my sister know where my Will was, would she know how to access my bank accounts to pay my bills, what would happen to my cats…????. My poor dad at 87, would lose his eldest daughter….. I could not put them through all of this…..

Then, I had to put a stop to this irrational fear… I prayed and prayed hard….. asking my Heavenly Father to protect me and bring me safely to all the places I was going and to bring me safely home again…..

If this trip was going to be my end, then so be it…..my time had come…..With that sobering thought in the back of my mind, I prepared my car for the trip…..copies of the Hotel confirmations were in my purse and in the car, the maps were laid out in the car, I printed out an ICE ( In case of Emergency) document, one was posted on my fridge at home, one was emailed to my sister, one was in my purse and one was placed on the passenger seat of my car….just in case…..

I altered the start route just slightly, so that I would not be driving all major highways and stopped for a drink when my anxiety levels got the best of me…my sister tracked my phone while I drove, so that she could track my location….but after about an hour, I knew I had to stop, this was not fair to her…

I started my vacation at about 9:15 that first morning and made a few stops along the way before reaching my first destination – Leamington, ON. I arrived at the hotel at approx 5 pm that day…a brief but heavy downpour escorted me along the country roads….lol….

I continued with my nightly and morning prayers every day of that road trip. Asking for safety on the roads, in my car, on foot and in the water and to keep me free from evil, harm, injury and tragedy….

When I returned home the following week, I had driven 1445 kilometres, with no incidents.

Thank you for reading and for letting me share.

Joye

Single Older Woman – being alone and enjoying Nature

Feb 2022

Circa 2020 – as we all settled in to stay home and sit on our balconies, or porches, or enjoy a solitary glass of wine in our backyards, I knew I had to find some way to enjoy the outdoors and still get some exercise, while maintaining physical distancing. With all the local indoor pools closed and the gyms shuttered up, my only recourse was to find local parks and walking trails. Well, did I not come across a wonderful book entitled – “Waterfalls of Ontario” – beautifully illustrated with extensive info on locations and waterfall specifics – types, height, etc.

Just what I needed – if I couldn’t get into the water, I could at least enjoy the water!!! So I purchased the book and tagged every one that I would visit.

Lo and behold – I found this sister reference book – “110 Nature Hot Spots in Ontario”. I was all set – I flagged too those locations I would visit.

For the summer of 2020 – I focused most of my afternoons (after work) and the weekends to stroll along some of my local parks – Colonel Samuel Smith Park, Credit River Conservation Area, Jack Darling Park, to name a few. I was in my element – fresh air, plenty of open spaces, water, lakes, geese, mallards, birds, trees, water, beaches, etc. An easy and effortless way to get in 10,000 steps in an afternoon.

These strolls became my refuge and sanctuary for the next year…..and they helped preserve my sanity and self esteem….

The waterfalls book highlights 125 different falls in Ontario – I have visited 5 already. Of the 110 Nature Hot Spots highlighted, I endeavour to visit 76 of them over the next two years. I’ve been to at least 6 of them. There are quite a few in the norther part of Ontario that I don’t foresee I will get too – the drive there, is at least 14 hours – a little too much out of my comfort zone.

As 2020 turned into 2021 and with hopes of summer travel upon us, these books became my inspiration for my 2021 vacation. The trains were still not in service and so this trip would be all on me and my car.

Stay tuned.

Thank you for reading and letting me share.

Joye

Single Older Woman – Life’s Passion – sharing stories

Feb 13, 2022

I’m more of a spiritual person than a religious one. I was raised in a Christian home and we attended Church and Sunday school every week. Once I had children of my own, they also learned about God, the Bible and attending church on Sundays.

I have chosen to live my life with an innate sense of gratitude and humility. I pray twice a day (morning and evenings) and give thanks for all of the blessings in my life. My cup is ALWAYS HALF FULL, NEVER HALF EMPTY. In this, I pray every day and ask the Good Lord to show me my talents and gifts and how best I can share them for the good of others.

Quite frankly, I’m still not too sure what my gifts are, but I think they involve words, stories and crafts.

I love to tell stories and I LOVE WORDS. To all of my family and friends, who have heard many of my stories over the last few decades – thank you and I’m sorry…..hahaha.

We all have stories to share. Good, bad, sad, tragic, uplifting, spiritual, resonating, life changing, life altering. We all help each other when we share – not always necessarily with those closest to us, but strangers too.

To this, my kids are grown but don’t yet have lifetime partners or children. My sisters, my friends – many of them are grandparents or about to become grandparents. I won’t be part of that group for another few years, methinks.

So until that time, I’ll be sharing my stories here…….I pray that some of them will make you laugh, some of them may bring a tear or two, some may invite change in your own life or give you inspiration/permission to seek out your own gifts and talents.

My travels have given me new stories to share – the Canadian Mint, Viola Desmond, the Gimli Glider, driving past Miami to get to Holland ( see post about Manitoba), Pier 21 ( my parents sailed to Halifax from the Netherlands, in the 1950’s), Hopewell Rocks, the Confederation Bridge, the Crooked Bush, Point Pelee National Park, Lake Manitou, Grand Beach, the Yellowhead Highway.

Stay tuned.

Thank you for reading and for letting me share.

Joye

Single Older Woman – Canada is breathtaking – travelling alone

Feb 13, 2022

Thoughts and ideas fill my head as inspiration for my next post. I hope you will enjoy reading some or all of them.

I hear time and again from writers, bloggers, authors, etc – to be serious about writing, you have to write everyday. It doesn’t matter what you write, JUST WRITE.

Well I’m doing just that… I started this journey in 2016 and I’ve posted 52 entries. I’ve set a new goal for myself – by June, I will have 100 entries posted. Frankly I’m not too sure what I’ll be sharing with you but as long as there is one person out there, reading my blog, I’ll post on my blog. Thank you.

It occurred to me, that as I’ve traveled across Canada, I hadn’t really taken the time to appreciate and marvel at the beauty of our country. In 2017, I spent a lot of time driving while in Manitoba and did not have enough days to really explore the province. In 2018 with my BFF in the passenger seat, she made sure to take lots of pictures. Again, we only had 4 full days and a lot of the time we spent driving. In 2019, lots of driving and solitary time in the SUV while in Saskatchewan and Alberta.

Now don’t get me wrong – I have seen some really neat things:
Manitoba – Holland (MB), Riding Mountain National Park, Canadian Museum for Human Rights, Canadian Mint, Selkirk, Gimli, etc.

Nova Scotia – Pier 21, Titanic Exhibit,

New Brunswick – Magnetic Hill, Magnetic Hill Winery, Hopewell Rocks,

PEI – drove across the Confederation Bridge, a walk through Charlottetown,

Saskatchewan – Lake Manitou, Stone Hall Castle ( Regina), the Crooked Bush,

Alberta – Devonshire Beach, West Edmonton Mall.

In the summer of 2021- I drove from Mississauga to Leamington, then north to Goderich, then north to Owen Sound and swam at Sauble Beach. More on this trip to follow.

This summer I have 3 weeks of vacation booked and will be heading back to the East Coast.

I will see more, do more, drive more and take in as many of the sights as is humanly possible, while ensuring I sleep and eat in between…hahahaha..

Stay tuned.

Thank you for reading and for letting me share.

Joye

Single Older Woman – travelling alone- Phone Maps or paper road maps

In one of my earlier posts, I touched briefly on my experience only having a pay- as- you- go cell phone, with only data and text options.

During my first solo vacation to Manitoba, I ran out of minutes, had no idea how to connect to WIFI and had to rely on my sister via Facebook to communicate to family members back in Ontario, where I was and what I was doing.

Never again…. So in March 2018, before that summer’s East Coast trip, I invested in an IPhone6.

I was very happy to have my BFF with me – she was street finder, restaurant locator, map reader and Siri expert and a superb photographer…..she used the map feature on her phone to get us to all the places we needed to go. I did the driving and PB2 took great pics too. I would have been lost in PEI without PB2.

Well fast forward to 2019 – trip to Saskatchewan and Alberta, now I’m travelling solo and I have to look after all these little tasks myself….. I managed quite well the few days in Sask. However once I got to Alberta, things went by the wayside……and I did not venture too far out of the vicinity of the hotel, for fear I would get lost….

In 2020, we all stayed home. As 2021 approached, I was itching to get back to my Beach travels. I had hoped to go to the East Coast, however VIA Rail had suspended their trips for the year.

Well then, I’ll complete the list of Ontario Beaches – Sauble Beach, Owen Sound; Sandbanks, Prince Edward County; Singing Sands, Tobermory. All I needed was a full tank of gas, some lunch and snack items and maybe a hotel stay or two.

For this trip, I would rely solely on paper road maps and not my phone. My dad immigrated to Canada from Europe in the mid-1950’s. He loves maps- he is an expert on maps, streets, highways, towns,etc. He can calculate to within a kilometre the distance between any two points on such map….My inspiration, to say the least.

Paper maps give you that whole big picture idea – you can lay it all out and see North, South, West and East. As a member of CAA, we have access to as many maps as we wish, for free. Off I went to the local store, to get my hands on ALL THE MAPS –

Stay tuned – more to come on this journey – the planning, the anxiety, the day excursions, the highlights, the funny moments, the momentous and the AHA moments.

Thank you for reading and letting me share.

Joye

Single Older Woman – Devonshire AB- Beach #5 – Accomplished

August 14, 2019

Today I made the three hour drive from Edmonton to Slave Lake where I would swim at my 5th #CanadianBeach – #Devonshire Beach.

It was a long and solitary drive, mostly country roads with nary a Tim Horton’s or gas station in sight. My rental vehicle for this vacation was a white SUV and as someone mostly familiar and used to small cars, this was quite a change. Most importantly – I had to relearn how to drive automatic transmission….lol..

It is poignant to mention here that in May 2011, Lesser Slave Lake suffered a devastating fire, started by an arsonist. Over 12,000 acres of trees, etc were burned. As I made my way to Slave Lake, I saw the remnants of the foliage that were destroyed. A somber reminder of that horrific period.

Once on the beach, I found a change room and got into my swim suit. I found a quiet spot to reflect and prepare for my swim. As luck would have it, I found two lovely women sitting near me and asked them if they would videotape my swim.

Done! Beach #5 from my TenCanadianBeaches list is now complete.

As I wrapped up my beach things, I said my goodbyes to my two helpers and made my way back to the SUV. I stopped in town and grabbed a coffee and a muffin, before making the trip back to Edmonton.

I wish I could have taken more pictures, the scenery was absolutely breathtaking however the shoulders on the side of the highway was very narrow and not safe to stop and snap pics.

Onward now to my next trip – which province/beach shall I accomplish next?

Sauble Beach in Owen Sound, Singing Sands in Tobermory, ON, Martinique Beach, NS, Sandbanks Prov Park, Prince Edward Cty, Long Beach, Pacific Rim, BC?

More to follow…

Thank you for reading and for letting me share.

Joye

Single Older Woman – Parlee Beach, NB – Beach #3 – Accomplished

Aug. 24, 2018

It is our last day in New Brunswick and it will be a busy one. We had to pack up all our belongings from the hotel and check out by 11:00. We grabbed breakfast and made the 35 minute drive to Parlee Beach, Shediac, NB.

The day was cool and overcast as we approached the parking lot. We paid our entrance fee and found a spot near the beach. Suffice it to say, some more thought on my part should have gone into the packing and storage of beach items in my luggage…..lol…

Once I removed the necessary attire required for a sojourn in the water, I proceeded to make my way along the beach to find a place to change in to my swimsuit. Well,as I scanned the length of the beach, from one end to the other, such a place could not be located. It is important to note too, that the time was approximately 12:30 pm and Stacey and I had to be at Greater Moncton Airport for 4 pm to catch out flight. Plus we still had to return the Big Blue Beast rental vehicle and make our way to the airport.

So, with bag, flip flops, towel and suit in hand, I did what any self respecting female would not do ……. I went back to the van and changed in to my suit while squished in the back seat. Not an easy task AT ALL!!! To squirm and wiggle around, taking shirts, pants, et al, off, all the while trying to keep one’s dignity and private parts out of view….. Need I say more. This big blue beast van did not come equipped with darkened or tinted privacy windows……

Did I mention we were just ever so slightly pressed for time…..

I found Stacey lazing in the grass, waiting for me. We made our way out into the water. As I waded out, Stacey prepared her phone and began to videotape my swim. I did it! Beach #4 done!! Woohoo!.

I’ll edit this post at a later time, once I locate some stills of the beach, water and surrounding area.

For now though, courtesy of Reader’s Digest:
“New Brunswick has more than 50 beaches – the most popular is at Parlee Beach Provincial Park, Shediac.”

I finished my swim, did find a public washroom way out in the parking lot and changed back into dry clothes. We hightailed it back to the van. Along with our luggage and assorted purses/bags, my wet swimsuit and beach towel were strewn over the back of the seat, in an attempt to dry them off, before they got stuffed into my suitcase and loaded into the cargo hold of our Air Canada flight home.

The shuttle driver from the rental car agency was waiting for us and drove us straight to the airport.

So ended our 5 day trip to the East Coast….. I wish we had logged the number of kilometres we drove during this trip – New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and PEI in 4 very short days.

A special shout out to my bestie, PB2….. Thank you for joining me on this very special trip. I hope you will join me again in the future.

Thank you for reading and for letting me share.

Joye

Single Older Woman – Canadian Vacations – Winnipeg 2017

August 1, 2017

Today I would play the tourist in Winnipeg on my final day in Manitoba.

This post will tell the story through pictures and text

I bid my gracious hosts adieu and headed out early from Selkirk to make the trip into downtown. I certainly was blessed with glorious sunny days this past week and the day shone blue and bright all day.

First stop a Trolley tour through the City:

Then a tour of the Manitoba Museum – where I discovered that people from the Netherlands also immigrated here.

As the day neared dinner time, I headed back to the rental car agency to return my vehicle. The employee graciously offered to drive me back to the Via Rail Station. I checked my luggage in and made my way to one of the local restaurants for a well deserved and relaxing dinner and wine.

As dusk fell across the city, I walked to the train station and settled in for the short while until our train would arrive. Little did I know that I would not be boarding until early early Wednesday morning. Read about this trip in my other post entitled “Via Rail Travel – Excursion #1”.

So ended my first solo Canadian provincial vacation – I had a fabulous time, achieved my beach swim goal, suffered no glitches, well other than not being able to find the horse ranch, and felt empowered to start planning next years trip. To the East Coast I go!! New Brunswick and PEI.

Thank you for reading and letting me share.

Joye

Single Older Woman – Cdn Vaca – Outings #5 – Cdn Mint, Gimli

July 31, 2017

Today I would travel from Selkirk to Winnipeg for a visit to Manitoba’s Canadian Mint. This location produces all coins for circulation. Our Mint in Ottawa produces those strictly for commemorative purposes.

Now I have a funny story about this Mint. A few days before my trip, I had dinner with my parents and my children. I told them about my plans to visit the Mint and highlighted for them some interesting facts. Well to my disbelief, both my dad and my kids challenged me on some of these facts – primarily that the Mint produces many of the coins used around the world??? No that can’t be true – “how is that possible” chimed in my eldest……

See below – wherein I brought back proof of such claim…

Once satisfied that I would win this argument, I took leave of the Mint with much of their secrets still intact…I almost expected them to “zap” each of us as we exited – you know with that device from “Men in Black”……lol…

My next outing would be to visit the “Gimli Glider” Museum in Gimli. Home also to the plant where our famous Crown Royal Canadian Whisky is produced.

The Gimli Glider refers to an Air Canada flight # 604 that on July 23, 1983, ran out of fuel and had to make an emergency landing on an abandoned air strip in Gimli. In 1983, we switched from the Imperial method of measuring fuel to the metric system. As such, the ground crew for that flight miscalculated how much fuel to load onto the plane.

The plane, en route to Montreal, knew they would not make it to their ultimate destination. The pilot and co-pilot, were successfully able to glide the plane onto this airstrip and with minimal damage landed the plane.

The plane continued in service for another 25 years and was finally retired to the Mojave Dessert in California.

I’ve always been fascinated with planes and their history. I have a morbid interest watching all episodes of “Mayday” and I worked for many years at our major Toronto airport…..Other than the Air France flight that skidded off the south runway during a major rain storm, YYZ can still boast as a very safe airport to fly out of.

August 1 – I finish off this vacation with a day of sightseeing in downtown Winnipeg before boarding VIA RAIL for my inaugural train trip home.

Thank you for reading and letting me share.

Joye

Single Older Woman – Cdn Vaca – Outings #4 – Manitoba 2017

July 29, 2017

This was mid vacation – I had checked out of the B& B in Morden and would make my way to my next B& B in Selkirk.

The City of Winnipeg boasts the Perimeter Highway which circles around the downtown core and provides easier access into and out of the City.

It was necessary for me to travel along the Perimeter as I made my way to Selkirk.

In that I had allotted a fair bit of time for travel that day, I had booked an afternoon of horse back riding at a ranch #MiracleRanch en-route to Selkirk.

Well I pride myself on my excellent sense of direction and knowing the difference between east and west. However driving along the Perimeter “threw me for a loop”… which I am quite embarrassed to admit. I made some turn off the wrong exit and had no idea what direction I was going in……. at some point I found a rest stop with a public phone and called the Ranch to let them know I won’t be there for my hour long ride….. I don’t even remember how I got back on track, but at some point, found the exit to Selkirk and made my way to #EvergreenGateB&B.

Once safely in the vicinity of Selkirk and with the B & B only 10 minutes away, I did some exploring and went on a tour of the Lower Fort Garry National Historic Site.

July 30 – I swam at Grand Beach on Lake Winnipeg.

July 31 took me to the Canadian Mint and the Gimli Glider Museum…

Stay tuned for my next post – a interesting piece of aviation history in Canada.

Thank you for reading to the end and letting me share.

Joye

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