Even though it was a dreary, drizzly morning here in Langley, we gathered ourselves together after breakfast and sallied forth towards Coupeville, a little north from here and situated in the “elbow” of the island.  As we drove, the rain became heavier and we feared that our morning would be best spent indoors, perhaps in a museum or gallery but more probably in a coffee shop!  As I understood it, there’s a lively arts scene in the town and we’d been led to believe that it’s worth a visit.  So, we carried on through the rain.

But lo and behold, when we reached Coupeville, the rain had stopped and there was even a hint of sunshine.  Woohoo!  We parked the van outside the (closed) Museum and crossed over the road to the Information Centre.

A bronze boy and a bronze dog were the only “life” we’d seen on the street so far, but sure enough, in the centre was a well-meaning but somewhat unhelpful woman who couldn’t suggest enough places to visit beyond Coupeville but when challenged to tell us what we needed to see in this, her own town, seemed totally stumped.  In answer to our question about a lively arts scene, we learned about the Memorial Day Parade and an arts week sometime in August, but for now?  Well, not a lot to report. We thanked her, gathered a few leaflets and maps and retreated to the car.  Driving back along the (closed) main street, feeling disheartened, we decided to head back to Langley which we felt sure could keep us entertained for a few hours.

The sky had brightened here somewhat by the time we set out once again, this time on foot towards the Village Pizza for lunch.  Very good it was too.  The guy there said that the weather would turn and the sun was due at 2.30pm and sure enough, out it came.  For an hour or two we basked in the warmth of the sunshine and wandered around “our” little town.

The rain had left everything fresh and green, the hanging baskets and small planted boxes along the street were pretty.  Why did we want to venture further this morning?  Langley is a charming town with plenty to see and do.

The Chocolate Flower Farm and Garden Shed had a fascinating usp, with specimens right outside

Whilst in the market in Seattle, we’d tried some Chocolate Mint herb, too – there seems to be quite a market for a chocolate garden!

At the next corner, we stumbled upon a little more yarn bombing, with a label attached offering details of the nearby yarn stores.  One was just across the street, so of course, we dropped in.  KnittyPurl proved to be a delightful store with a fantastic selection of yarns and patterns – some beautifully knitted samples too.  I was smitten with a single hank of Malabrigo which was the colour of a gorgeous Tiffany window – purples, blues and lime green.  I dithered – should I bring it home or not?  In the end, I decided not…since I wasn’t too sure what I would do with one skein, beautiful or not.  The friendly assistant told us of a recent YarnShopHop they participated in (which might explain the preponderance of yarn bombing?) and generously shared the freeby pattern they offered to participants.  How kind…

Further along we spotted more yarn bombing and later, learned that only a few days ago there was trouble.  Hmmm.

Quite a few pieces of knitting survived in spite of the upset and we thought they added to the charm and added a bit of personality to the town.

There was a well stocked quilt store in this courtyard, together with several interesting independent bookstores.  What a great place!

We’d shopped yesterday in the Star Market but entered through the Main Street door rather than the car park, thereby missing the glorious planted roof of the car park attendant’s booth.  The Star Market is a fun,quirky store with heaps of personality and this little feature fitted the character perfectly.

Around the corner, the planters of the Moonrakers bookstore were another shining example of the lovely, individual nature of the businesses in Langley.  Of course, we went inside and spent a happy half hour browsing the shelves which were full of less run-of-the-mill titles – not a bestseller or a blockbuster in sight!

With one last stop in the Whidbey Island Soap Company (leaving with a great lavender and bergamot shower gel), we were nearly “home”.  There was just time to step outside onto the beach to take a few driftwood photographs before the rain began again.

Langley is such a great place to be, full of personality and with huge individual charm.  Wherever we went, we were greeted with a warm welcome and we were happy to potter and browse.

Sorry, Coupeville.