weekend escape: cow country, pa.

Tony and I are in the city now after a really relaxing weekend in the country, where our only neighbors were cows and sheep.

Think of the most picturesque farm you can imagine, and that's basically where we went for a long weekend to celebrate the 10th anniversary of our very first date. It's in a valley, so the farm is surrounded by mountains.

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

Exhibit C:

I've blogged before about my love for vrbo.com (which stands for vacation rentals by owner), where you can book a whole house instead of a hotel, and that's where Tony found this farmhouse. It's in McConnellsburg, Pa., which is only two hours from D.C.

The house that we rented is on a 130-acre cattle farm. The property actually has two houses. The owners, who live in Northern Virginia full-time, restored the main farmhouse and use it for themselves. They also restored the second house, where the tenant farmer once lived, and that's the house we rented. It was built in the 1880s.

Cool things about the house include the 1935 refrigerator. Which works.

And a 1911 stove. Which also works.

Also, that old-timey rotary phone in the background of that picture works. We got a political robocall on it. That was cool.

(I took some more interior photos of the house that show decor elements I really liked, and I'm going to write another blog post about farmhouse decor inspiration.)

I'm not sure if McConnellsburg shows up on any tourism lists, but the big attraction of this place is the solitude. There's absolutely nothing around. So Tony and I spent three nights just unwinding. Reading magazines, listening to music, watching movies, cooking dinner. Going for walks around the farm.

Tony and I walked over to visit the cows when we got there, and they must associate humans with feeding time because once they saw us, they started walking toward the barn. They all lined up at the gate, waiting to be let in. And then they started to realize Tony and I weren't going to let them in. So they started mooing. Having 100 cows moo at you in anger -- that's quite an experience.

I do have to say that the solitude was kind of unnerving once it got dark because, holy batman, does it ever get pitch black there.

The only real reason Tony and I left the farm was to go into town to do some antique shopping, and I found some nice pieces to bring home with me. And I took this picture of a downtown parking meter because it amused me. One hour costs 5 cents.

So if you're looking for a weekend escape, I wholeheartedly recommend this area and specifically this house.

P.S. Here are the sheep, who live at the farm across the street.