Run Away for Christmas... Day Two!

Run away from for Christmas day two took us to Middleburg, Virginia

When Army dad was growing up in Arlington, Virginia he said Middleburg was

where all the poor people lived. Now, Middleburg is prime horse-country! I've

never seen so many taxidermy foxes, antique polo mallets, and riding tack in my

life! There's a realtor on every corner and Middleburg's turned into the Carmel of

Northern Virginia where Washington DC and Hollywood money comes to buy

sprawling country estates. And, who could blame them? It's beautiful out here!

Many of Army dad's ancestors are buried right here in Middleburg... You can't

walk through the Middleburg cemetery without seeing all the familiar names. But

all that family history in this area aside, I love all the cute shops in Middleburg!

You can't help but feel like you've stepped right back into a simpler time here

in Middleburg. And, you can't help but wish the walls of its taverns could talk!

After we explored every antique shop in Middleburg, we stopped in Aldie at

Bella Villa (see here!) where we met owner Rosanna, a fellow former Californian,

who recommended that we also visit Wally, the owner of the Aldie Peddler wine

and antique shop next door to hers. Wally is the former mayor of Aldie, Virginia

and a descendant of one of the men that served with John S. Mosby, commander

of Mosby's Rangers. And, since Army Dad also has a relative that served as a Ranger

with John S. Mosby, they had quite a lot to chat about. While they chatted, I did a bit

of shopping, and picked up several things I couldn't live without. Speaking of things

I couldn't live without... During my cleaning spree on Monday I moved my poor

Rumtopf a little too close to the edge of the refrigerator door... So, when I swung

the door open to grab a stick of butter, my Rumtopf crashed down onto my face!

That's why I am currently sporting a huge black eye! Have you ever had a black

eye? This is my first. And, I find it's not only painful, but awkward too. People

stare, and you can see they really want to ask... And, me... I feel like I have

to tell them that I am not prone to bar brawls, nor have I been abused!

Then there's the loss of my Rumtopf! I bought it at an antique shop in Monterey

just before we left California and I loved it! I never imagined I'd find another

one like it. I mean, you don't see German Rumtopfs in many stores. But today,

while browsing through an antique shop in Haymarket, Virginia of all places...

I found my Rumtopf!

And, it only cost me twice what I originally paid for it! Now, as

soon as I lose this shiner, it'll be like none of this ever happened!

Remember my collection of antique

covered display cases and cloche bells?

It would have been so easy to add to them today. But I didn't... I resisted!

Totally came home empty handed in this department! The three I found in this

shop were amazing too. Extremely old, and extremely expensive. The large one in

the middle of the table was marked $550 and the one to its left was $375. It was

so easy to pass them up at those prices! This one below caught my eye because of

the shape, and its $1,500 price tag. What could possibly warrant that kind of price?

Well, as it turns out, this is a memorial piece from Edwin Booth and

his daughter, Edwina to honor his beloved wife and Edwina's mother,

Mary Devlin-Booth who died in 1863 at the age of twenty-two. Who is

Edwin Booth? Well, he was none other than the brother of one John

Wilkes Booth, whom we all know as President Lincoln's assassin!

And that's why we enjoy exploring these little shops...

You just never know what you're going to see or learn!