Wednesday, December 28, 2011

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!

3 comments:

  1. Thanks for giving us the virtual tour! It's the next best thing to being there. :)
    Hope that eye heals quickly; it sounds like something that would happen to me!

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  2. Beautiful places and shops! I'm so happy that you found a new Rumtoph. Have you ever made one? Just finished reading Lora's post at Diary of a Mad Hausfrau. She lived in Germany for the past five years and moved to NYC this summer. She started her Rumtoph before she left and when she returned to Germany for Christmas, it was still good! Full of fruit and rum and it looked delicious.

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  3. Oh my! Not only did you lose your rumtopf but it tried to take you down with it. So glad you found a new one just like it and a beautiful one at that.

    I admit I almost gasped at the price. Mine didn't cost more than 5 euro in our local thrift shop in our little German village. It's marked "W. Germany" on the bottom so it was definitely made before 1989. There are so many in local thrift stores there for under 5 euro. I will have to being a few back to the States with me next time I go home as gifts or maybe as a giveaway on my blog.

    I also love your jellyfish find. Thanks for stopping by my blog!

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