Alas, My Last Day

As I wrote previously about Friday, "Every day at Fantasia Fair has been a full day. For example, I left my B&B at 9 AM Friday and did not return until 1:15 AM except to change outfits. As a result, I had no time to write here and barely enough time to post a photo from the day... After I get home, I will fill you in with a lot more words and even more photos."

I hope you have enjoyed reading the expanded version of my Fantasia Fair adventure. Friday follows.

Off-season, the store hours in Provincetown are all over the map, but most seem to be opened on Friday, so that was the day I planned to shop.

Monday, I noticed a beautiful blouse on display in a window of a boutique about a half-mile down Commercial Street. The store was closed on Monday, but opened on Friday, so that was my first stop. I wish I had noted the time that it opened because when I got to the store, it still displayed the blouse, but it was still closed and would not open until 11 AM.

With over an hour to kill, I decided to give my camera a workout as I stood in front of a sign for the Charles Baltivik Gallery & Sculpture Garden. The sign looked cool, so I took a photo of it. Then it occurred to me that a lot of the signs in Provincetown looked cool, so I spent the next hour or so walking down Commercial Street photographing signs.

You can see what I photographed, "Signs that you're in Provincetown," on flickr.

After the photo shoot, I returned to the boutique and asked the salesboy about the blouse in the window. He informed me that the blouse was made of silk and only cost $549. (I have very good taste, but not a pocketbook to match.)

On my way to Napi's to eat lunch, I stopped by another clothing store, which had $10 and $20 racks of clothing for sale (a better match for my pocketbook). I tried on a few things, but nothing moved me to open my pocketbook and I left empty-handed.

I had better success after lunch. I bought two pairs of real cool-looking vintage clip-on earrings in a collectibles store. The store had an off-season sale, so I got a good deal (can't remember exactly what I paid, but I do remember it was a good deal) and wore one of the pairs the rest of the day.

Lunch at Napi's was a chicken dish and was the best lunch I had all week. Since there were no plans for an evening meal, I went back for seconds. However, I knew that I would never finish it all, so I talked another new friend, Jennifer, into splitting the second portion with me.

I met up with Melissa at the Keynote Address ("We Will Be Free: Legal Developments on the Path to TG Rights" by Michael Silverman, Executive Director of  Transgender Legal Defense and Education Fund (TLDEF).

After the Keynote, we attended Amanda Ryan's presentation "Visibility - The Road to TG Acceptance." Amanda is very out about her crossdressing in Canada and she related her story about being out in her presentation.

Friday night's schedule consisted of the Fantasia Fair Follies at The Crown & Anchor, followed by the Late Night Dance Party at Club Purgatory. Since no evening meal was included in the schedule, Melissa and I agreed to meet at George's Pizza for a slice or two before the Follies. 

I returned to my B&B to get ready for the night. My goal was to make a splash especially at the Late Night Dance Party, so I wore my gold sequins tunic, off-black thigh-highs, and black accessories (scarf, jewelry and shoes). To keep off the cold, I wore a black metalflake cape. By the time I was ready to go out, a light rain was falling, so I added a red floral umbrella to my ensemble.

Mellissa was already at George's Pizza, so I joined her and made my first splash of the night when I walked to the back of the restaurant to get two slices and a bottle of water. Most of the patrons watched me pass by both coming and going, but I never heard a discouraging word or a snicker or a guffaw or a pick-up line. I either shocked and awed them or they've seen it all before. (Knowing Provincetown, it was probably the latter.)

After pizza, we moved on to the The Crown & Anchor for the Follies. We were early and got good seats close to the stage, but far enough away so that we could take it all in and not be overwhelmed.

The show was excellent. The song and dance performances by my trans brothers and sisters were on par with professionals. In fact, a few of the performers were professionals.

By the time the show was over, the rain was falling steadily. Melissa did not want to go to the dance party, so we parted ways and I began walking through the rain to Club Purgatory a few blocks away.

A woman crossed the street from the other side and joined me in my walk. She was a genetic girl who I noticed checking me out at both the Fashion Show and Follies. We began small talking while dodging puddles on the way to the party. About a half block away from the club, lightning and thunder struck and the steady rain became a deluge, so we ran up the hill to the club as fast as our heels would permit us.

Inside the club, she complimented me on my perfume and beautiful eyes. Instead of complimenting her on her beautiful eyes, I babbled on about something and she excused herself to use the bathroom. I never saw her again.

I bought a drink, ate some hors d'œuvres and waited for the crowd to grow and hit the dance floor. Meanwhile, I struck up a conversation with Mariette Pathy Allen, the famous photographer of the trans. We talked about a variety of trans topics for about 20 minutes, then I asked her to dance. She accepted and we rocked and rolled for one song.

At my age, I rock and roll for one song and rest during the next song. And that is how it went the rest of the night - dance, rest, dance, rest, etc. I probably danced six or seven times before last call, then I exited the premises.

The rain was heavy and I was soaked by the time I got back to my B&B.

I changed out of my wet clothes, dried off, slipped into my nightie, and went to sleep. Next morning, I drove home.

End of story!