A Day of Distraction

I've been very tired lately and very frustrated with paperwork and hitting my head repeatedly against brick walls, so I had not intended to indulge this year in the madness that is the semi-annual Round Top Antiques Fair. However, when a co-worker I don't get to see very often suggested we go and volunteered to drive, I decided I would take her up on the offer. So this morning we were up and on our way early and arrived about 10 minutes before the doors opened.

The official fair is contained in two sites, but the entire area bounded by Shelby, Fayetteville, Warrenton, Round Top and Carmine turns itself over to antiques fever twice a year. There is no way to see it all, so every time I attend I try to choose the best spots to get the broadest shopping experience. This was my friend's first time to attend and she let me choose which locations we would hit. We started at the official fair at The Big Red Barn and adjoining tents. I found not one, but three antique oak bedsteads that I would have been happy to cart home, but I'm still not 100% sure what I want, so I decided to pass on them all this time around and will probably spend the next few days regretting the ones that got away.

From there we went to my second favorite location at La Bahia and had another enjoyable ramble.

The stop was a success for my friend, who acquired two pieces of McCoy pottery for her collection. I acquired a couple of miniatures for my dollhouses.

Our next stop was the huge show at Marburger Farm near Warrenton. This particular location spreads across a massive area and after grabbing a fantastic lunch, we walked through about 8 tents and a half-dozen buildings and had a great time, even though we were beginning to stumble up the steps at the last few dealers due to exhaustion.

You always see things at Marburger Farm you've never seen before. Like, when was the last time you saw an honest-to-goodness $1,000 bill?

We saw lots of iron bedsteads, which also tempted me, wonderful shop fixtures from days of old (what I wouldn't give for a huge kitchen that I could fill with antique shop display cabinets), lots of wonderful pieces of golden oak, and lots of friendly dogs sleeping in the corners of the various booths.

I have a real weakness for golden oak. I hardly ever attend the fair without hauling at least one piece of golden oak furniture home. It's where I've acquired 3 desks, a bookcase, a stool, a sewing stand, a pair of night stands and I forget what else. This year was no exception. I passed on the bed steads, but I found a great mirror that looks wonderful over my golden oak chest of drawers in the bedroom.

They were made for each other.

Our last stop was an old favorite in Carmine. My friend acquired a third piece of McCoy pottery. I think she was satisfied with the results of her first trip to the Antiques Fair.

I'm delighted with my mirror.

And a day of wandering about the lovely countryside around Round Top in perfect weather was just what I needed.

It's just too bad we only scratched the surface of what there was to see.

And I sort of wish I had gone back for a bed stead.

LSW