“All Clinton, all the time,” is how the editors sometimes jokingly refer to our extensive coverage of the presidential scandal at THE WEEKLY STANDARD. No wonder America — if the Democrats are to be believed — is sick of hearing about Monica Lewinsky.
But as sick as the public may be of hearing about this business, there can be few who are as tired of seeing it as I am: in particular, of seeing Bill Clinton’s face at very high magnification on my computer screen, as I compose cover after cover relating to Scandal Lewinsky.
In an attempt to escape the terrible visage of the Adulterer in Chief, the other Saturday I took my wife and children out to the 55th Annual Waterford Homes Tour & Crafts Exhibit. As in past years, the festival delighted us. The streets and open spaces of this historic village are the perfect setting for Civil War reenactments, bluegrass performances, folk dancing, and displays of arts and crafts.
Planning to return to the festival on Sunday, we’d arranged to spend the night in a log cabin near Middleburg. On the way there, we drove down winding roads lined with stone fences. We arrived in the early evening, feeling about as far from Washington as you can get.
We had fruit and cheese and a glass of wine for dinner by a roaring fire. Utterly relaxed, I picked up the Gastebuch and browsed through the entries, many of them written — as I might have predicted from our host’s accent and the spelling of “guestbook” — in German.
The entries I could read perfectly echoed our sentiments about the cabin, though they used up an extensive inventory of cliches:
It was great! FABULOUS!
It is a little piece of heaven!
This is paradise!
Loved the cabin — a perfect retreat from the city.
One, from some months back, was faintly suggestive:
I think we came here searching for something and here is where we found it. We found love in our hearts, care in our eyes, and that ‘spark’ in our touch. This cabin will always be home to us both. Thank you for what will be a great memory! K&T
And I was intrigued by the second-to-last entry, written by someone who really did seem to have found a needed refuge:
23 Aug. 98 Your delightful cabin in the woods brought back fond memories of our homes in Vienna & Graz & the wonderful experiences of our childhood.
Thank you for your gracious hospitality, particularly on such short notice! Overnighting in relative seclusion in your lovely cabin was a true escape from the scrutiny of everyday life, these days.
Thanks again, we hope to return for a longer stay!
Alles Gute, Linda Tripp
Who knows whether our predecessor in the cabin was the Linda Tripp? Underneath the signature was something illegible that could have been “& Lanidri.” What I can say for certain, though, is that when I read this, the cigar I was smoking — my favorite brand, always dependable, bought at the tobacconist in Old Towne Alexandria with this much-anticipated getaway in mind — suddenly no longer tasted quite the same.
KENT BAIN
