Strolling in the Village on a sunny day.  What else can I say?  The lure of a quaint village and an endless Antique Mall drew us in on the glorious, crisp Saturday in January.  I wore my happy coat, a red swing coat with vampirish stand-up collar, that is perfectly lightweight for both shopping indoors and wandering the streets in search of the next enticing window display.  With my Mom, Sister and Cousin we scoured the 10,000 sq feet of the Village Antiques Mall  that houses 55 independent dealer booths.  Thank goodness that each little cozy area is stocked by a different person, because otherwise it would take years to set all this stuff up!  There is something for everyone; Sam was looking for a  little side table for her cabin, Janice and I couldn’t keep our baby blues off the china and tea cups, and Mom was looking for presents for everyone.  After all, Christmas is over and it’s time to start shopping for Xmas 2016.  She excels in her preparedness for stocking stuffers and unique and useful gifts!

Everything in Fort Langley looks delicious, from the charming day bed in the garden to the “Victoria” magazine cover and Wendel’s blackboard advertising the Fig & Brie grilled cheese.  We even saw a Butter Chicken grilled cheese sandwich at the “Say Cheese” bistro on the main street.  Next time I have to taste that one!  Down Gasoline Alley I discovered the creators of “Simply Delish” soup at SIMPLY LOCAL ARTISAN SPECIALTIES!  Somehow the soup tastes better knowing that I have met the real people who make this delicious and very prettily packaged product.

When we did stop for lunch at Beatniks Bistro, it was only a 10 minute wait for our table so Janice and I checked out Roxann’s Hat store.  Each hat belied its own attitude and Janice was rocking a purple Cloche, but somehow we resisted buying any of their fine felt millinery.  Luxurious, but pricey.

The sunshine was so welcoming that it sad to see it fade away because it signaled the end of our time together.  Even after 5 hours of exploring the shops, there were some doors  that we did not enter, not this time anyway. The car was parked at the edge of the river and the view to the mountains was glowing golden in the setting sun.  I took some pictures of the bridge, now empty of traffic compared to its heyday when the Albion Ferry was in daily use.  As if to give us one last special event, the train thundered by as we drove past the old Bedford House Restaurant and waved our goodbyes until next time.

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