Fun in the Fort!

The name Fort Langley always conjured up foggy images of an agonizing field trip I had to partake in during elementary school. All I remember is a very large wooden boat in a dim and musty room (possibly the museum?) and the thought "I want to go home!" This could have been due, in part, to the fact that when I did finally get home that evening I was spiking a very high fever. I digress...
So, when my husband and I decided to go on a date last weekend I was very surprised to find myself googling "Fort Langley". We did have some geographic constraints; we were leaving our daughter with my mother-in-law who lives in Langley. In my research I was very thrilled that Fort Langley offers much more than old boats in smelly buildings...there is tonnes of shopping! Everything from antiques to gardening decor to books to fashion - the majority of the stores seemed to be on Mavis Street. The area is quaint and smacks of tight-knit community. If you find yourself in the vicinity I would definitely take your inner artist for a trip down this lane!
There are many stores in which I wanted to jump around and shout "Ooooh, loooooook....this is sooooooo niiiiiiiiiice!" Ok, in one store I did, but then I was afraid I might knock over something expensive so I just let my eyes do the dancing while my lips stretched from ear to ear. That was in The Gardening Circle. I want to go there. Now. Besides the usual pots (there were some very unusual pots as well), there were magnificent candle holders, wall hangers, bird feeders...everything you need to create that tranquil and earthy space. But that was the problem. Then I started longing for that space and really, where would I put all the things I wanted to buy? I think I would need to buy a new house with an expansive garden that somehow miraculously remained weed-free, always. So, now I'm in the market for a new house.
At the front counter, the clerk was giving out peanut butter and oatmeal squares kindly gifted to them by the bookstore and cafe down the street. Smart advertising - guess where we headed next?
And it was at Wendel's Bookstore and Cafe that we enjoyed wheat-dairy-egg free desserts (I had a pecan cookie and my hubby had a date square). Soooo yummy washed down with a mug of mint tea. As we sat, we talked and dreamed about the possibilities of the future. We also reminisced about our two years spent in Niagara Falls, Ontario and the trips to Niagara-on-the-Lake, a town not unlike Fort Langley.
There is no doubt I will find my way back to Fort Langley, and maybe next time I'll treat myself to something for my new house ;)