I’ve been involved with the Surrey Little Theatre for about six months now. The people there are amazing. Everyone is so talented and so welcoming, it has been a joy. However, I don’t want to write about them or my experiences there today. I want to write about my drives getting to there.

Most of the time my drive there was nothing to write about. It was often dark and rainy, with heavy traffic. Getting on the Port Mann bridge from the on ramp could be interesting, especially when people were in the lane I had to merge into and they wouldn’t, or couldn’t, move over. The drive was almost always the same. I had to concentrate on getting into the right lanes to exit or merge and so I didn’t get to see much. Add in rain and darkness, and really, there was nothing to see except taillights in front of me and headlights behind me. There was always less traffic on the way home, but all I could really see then were the lights of the city. On clear nights the city lights were amazing but those clear nights were few and far between.

However, sometimes I got to make the drive during the day, usually on the weekend. Then the traffic was lighter and there were many more things to see, especially if it wasn’t raining. BC has done a great job with keeping trees and undeveloped land close to the road. It’s been interesting to see the changes in that land from season to season. The view from the bridge is magical at night but during the day it’s amazing to see the mighty Fraser and all the activity on it.

Yesterday we had a matinee show and so I drove to and from the theatre in daylight. I noticed old nests in the branches of trees. I saw several hawks sitting on fence posts or in trees. In folklore, seeing hawks means we should pay attention because a message or blessing is coming to us. They represent clear sightedness and bring courage, wisdom, creativity and truth. Every trip that I’ve made in the daylight I’ve seen more than one hawk. It could be that the time I was travelling was the best time for them to be out, sitting up high looking for the movement of little creatures in the field, or it could be that all those wonderful things are coming to me. I’m open to either possibility.

Yesterday’s drive also allowed me to see the beautiful snow-capped mountains. It’s been raining a lot lately so between the fog and the clouds I had almost forgotten we even have mountains . But yesterday, they were there, in all their grandeur. There is something so wonderful about seeing mountains, snow, bright blue skies and green fields all in the same glance.

The day drives also give me the chance to see details that I miss at night. I didn’t know there was a walking/running/biking path along the road just before Exit 53. I looked it up, I think it’s the Tynehead Perimeter Trail. It’s quite a long trail that hooks up with other trails in Tynehead Regional Park. On the Pacific Highway, also known as Highway 15 or 176th Street, there are several farms with many buildings. At night most of them aren’t lit, so I didn’t know they were there. When I turn up on the Fraser Highway, there is a greenhouse/nursery business close to 184th Street, where I turn to get to the theatre. I had no idea it was as big or as busy as it is, only having seen it at night.

Thank goodness the traffic is usually lighter during the day. I just love looking around to see the details that I can’t see on those drives at night. I’ve made a mental note of all the places I want to visit – the parks, the trails, the businesses. And as soon as I don’t have shows on the weekend, I’ll do just that. However, I hope that won’t be until much later in the year. Maybe several more months of driving to and from the theatre will reveal even more details. Then in the summer I can go to all those places, when there’s no show to be in.