2005-04-18 - 1:46 p.m.

"So, what is there to do in this quaint little town?"

"Antiquing," says my love.

"Nice," I say. "Let's do it!"

That's when we notice that said little stores are all closed.

It's a Saturday.

It's 5:30 p.m.

Who closes a store at 5 p.m. on a Saturday?

"Okay," says my love hopefully. "How about some ice cream? I see a couple of cute little ice-cream parlors down the street."

"Good idea!"

We walk down the street, hand and hand, thinking how romantic it is to sit down at an old-fashioned ice-cream parlor in this adorable corner of the world, and savor some of the house specialties.

Both parlors are closed.

Damn!

"Is there anything open in this place?" I say, frustrated.

"Weeeell," says my love. "There is a tack shop down the street that sports a sign that reads 'Open'."

"Cool!" I say. "What's a tack shop?"

"A place where they sell horse equipment."

"Hmmmm . . . I have an idea . . ."

"Ohhhhh noooooo!!!!!!!!!!!"

Enter Marcellus and Belphoebe's romantic weekend escapade to Middleburg, VA.

(And for those of you who are reaching for the bottle of Lysol to disinfect your inner eye, get your mind out of the gutter. No riding crops were cracked and no actual horses were harmed during this romantic getaway.)

It all starts with us getting a nifty gift certificate as a wedding present for a weekend at the Red Fox Inn at, yes, Middleburg, Virginia. (Thanks Tom!)

And of course, being our first wedding anniversary, what better than a weekend away from it all in the middle of the country?

It was fantastic.

Even if the stores were closed.

The Red Fox Inn is a bed and breakfast, which is a bit different than your typical one. It is more like an old-fashioned hotel, which affords a lot more privacy than your usual B&B, but with the same vintage charm.

It also has a really nice tavern/restaurant and the food was fantastic. (Their duck is wonderful and the pecan pie is superb. Take it from me.)

We also got to chat with the bartender. A nice German lady with a dry sense of humor. She told us that she had never gone to Berlin, and of course I had to convince her that she has to go.

(Then again, I keep trying to convince everyone to go to Berlin. It is one of my favorite cities in the whole wide world.)

But back to our getaway. We had a wonderful time and we got the relaxation we needed. Getting away from it all every once in a while is very therapeutic, not to mention a lot of fun.

Next time, Annapolis.

(I don't think that we will find any tack shops there, open or closed.)

(Although I wonder what can we think of in one of them boat supply shops.)

(Hmmmmm . . .)

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