Four down from the Pharmacy sign.

Yep, that is how I remember where I park my vehicle when parking to enter a mall.
In this case, just outside a Wal Mart so I could run in and find a bathroom which I needed after drinking a 12 oz. coffee.  Moral of this story, do not drink a large cup of coffee before taking off for an 1-1/2 hour drive especially when you have no control over traffic and get stuck waiting due to an accident on the freeway.
But this was only part of the drive out yesterday morning.
The day began with an early start, 7:00 am on the road, sun in my eyes and brilliant blue sky.
I guess I joined in the regular commuters and such as it was, by the time I hit the freeway it was bumper to bumper and the accident didn't help.
Why is it that the bottle neck is in the immediate area of the accident?  Is it because the lookie-loos, lulled out of their early hour daze are mesmorized by the sudden influx of flashing red & blue lights coming from the emergency vehicles? Who knows but as soon as we are past all the excitement, the traffic goes back to its usual grind and the mad dash to work or wherever continues.
A rather uneventful ride for me and in about 45 minutes I am exiting Abbotsford enroute to Chilliwak for my visit.  Glancing  behind me I notice a bright orange car following at a safe distance.  Above me, on my right side is a helicopter hovering over the freeway.  Perhaps a reporter for the local news alerting people to possible delays due to an accident.  To my left, mountains. The various degrees of green mingled among the evergreen trees and other abundant foliage make for a vibrant, colorful border.  And behind these, in the distance more mountains standing in the background their dark grey hue, topped with snow making for a more dramatic landscape.
I am still on the freeway but all around me are the signs of a very different life lived in comparison to the city life I experience in Vancouver.
Here I see winding dirt roads that lead to farms.  Tall willowy grass in ditches that run alongside the freeway acting like a barrier between country & city.  At times the wind picks up and softly ripples through the grass as if someone or something small ran between the blades.
On the side I see a sign, "pottery, next exit".  Farther down the road on my drive I pass a new building with a brilliant blue roof.  I imagine the snow sliding down its sharp, sloping metal roof in the wintertime.
Presently I see the sign indicating where I will exit. I glance into my rearview mirror and still see the orange vehicle behind me, that is until we reach the same exit and he turns left while I make my right turn. 
I take another right turn followed by a left turn into the parking lot and park my car.
Four down from the pharmacy sign I count as I hop out of my vehicle.
I need to do this because if I don't I will forget where I parked.  I do that on occasion.
But it is early and there are few cars and  after all, this is Chilliwak, a kind of sleepy little town just off the traveled road. Well, right off the freeway to be exact.
The country air is sweeter, the sun felt warmer and it was a great day for a drive.
In fact, it turned out to be a great day, period.