| Once again, I was up before my alarm went off, which was set for 9:00. The big breakfast-time buzz this morning was the cruise ship, which we could see docked in the bay from our deck, while enjoying the B&B’s complimentary breakfast.
This ship was from Rosie O’Donnell’s line r family VACATIONS. As you can see from the itinerary at the link, there’s a stop in Provincetown, Massachusetts on July 18th. “They’re here until 8PM,” the Aerie House owners warned us. “2,100 of them. You probably want to avoid shopping today.” |
Here’s a picture of the ship from our deck:
While I have the camera out, here are a couple of shots of breakfast on the deck:
What other kind of paper weight would you expect on Cape Cod?
There was a lot of activity on the deck this morning for breakfast. A very gregarious guy named Joe, along with his partner Andy, made sure everyone was introduced to everyone else, and got everyone talking. Perhaps he could get a job on Rosie’s boat as Cruise Director.
An interesting, what Paul Harvey would call “The Rest of the Story,'” posting from largetony about his grandma and the attorney. The guy is an exceptional writer.
I know I have been overloading the blog lately with stories about Granny and/or the Attorney. But, here’s one to show you that it isn’t always rosy. Read the rest…
The “twitter buzz” today was all about the CNBC story airing today about last weekend’s RTP Startup Weekend, in which I participated. For some weird reason, I’m not at all engaged by it. How odd. I even have access to a television in my room, which I have yet to turn on, of course. Some online articles:
Startup Weekend Confession Cam: These are actually quite amusing.
Startup Weekends: Starts off talking about Columbus, Ohio, and Atlanta, Georgia, but quickly gets to the RTP one.
Weekend Today at 7:30 a.m. on Saturday. Also a blog on today.msnbc.com
It’s 1:20 now, and I’ve been out on the deck since breakfast at 9:00, doing what I love best—writing. Dave (one of the B&B owners) just brought up a big container of what looks like iced tea, but tastes like more than that. Perhaps it’s the huge half lemons floating all along the top. Iced lemon tea, I suppose. Whatever it is, it’s a real treat.
What’s not a treat, however, are the “differently-paradigmed” tongs that are beside the iced tea with the ice bucket. These tongs, you squeeze to open, instead of close. Odd. Awkward. Clunky. Interesting.
Before I left the deck, Joe (the presumptive cruise director) and (his partner) Andy, returned from a little place on the next block called Angel Foods, and highly recommended it for lunch.
Oh, speaking of establishment names here in P-Town—as I did yesterday—another one that makes me smile is the Seaman’s Bank. Come on. Or, should I say, “Cum on.”
I went there to get some cash, passing one ATM that wanted $2.50 for a service fee. I was in line for the one at Seaman’s, where it was hot as f*ck, and to use it you had to go into this glass-encased area that I knew was going to be even hotter. Just then, a bank employee came outside and said, “The ATM inside has no waiting.”
I stepped inside to glorious air conditioning, and waited behind one person to make my $200 withdrawal for a $1.75 service charge. Fair enough.
Since my favorite card store is very close to the bank, I stopped in there and bought a bunch of cards for birthdays and such coming up soon. The same, beautiful lady who waited on me yesterday was there, and she was embarrassed that she didn’t recognize me. Uh, it’s only a tourist town with about a gazillion people going in and out every day.
I reminded her that I was the one who said something to her yesterday, when she was having a “poopy” day. Her face lit up.
While I was walking back from there, I got a phone call from Suzanne to tell me that she was listening to this week’s This American Life, and was thinking about me. Sweet.
Nice interview with Leslie Jordan: Candid Q & A with gay icon Leslie Jordan.
I did indeed take Joe and Andy’s recommendation for lunch from Angel Foods, and I got a Curry Chicken Salad sandwich on a whole-wheat wrap, and a bag of some local (I think) kettle-cooked barbecue potato chips. The wrap was most delicious. I ate half, and put the other half in my fridge for a midnight snack after the bars tonight.
Get this. A hot tub update. This is not going to be TMI, so skip to the next section if that’s the only reason you’d read it. 🙂
So, late afternoon, I walk out to the deck to go use the hot tub, and Chip is there. I had met him about a half hour earlier, when we were both sitting on the deck using our laptops.
Now, he’s sitting on a lounge chair, talking on his cell, and he says as I walk by, “Hot tub time?”
“Yes,” I say, and proceed to it, while he goes back to his conversation.
About five minutes after I get in, here comes Chip, puts his stuff down by the hot tub, whips off his swim trunks and gets in naked!
The owners are actually off to the left in a little private patio area of theirs, grilling out their dinner.
I say to Chip, “Are we allowed to be in here naked?”
He’s so cute; he gets all embarrassed, and stammers, “Oh, I’m so sorry. Have I made you uncomfortable?”
“No, no, no,” I say, “It’s not that. I just didn’t think this was a clothing-optional hot tub.”
He looks at me as if to say, “Gurl, it’s a gay B&B.”
However, there were Lesbians in the place earlier in the week, and it’s definitely not a clothing-optional guest house.
He said, “Oh, I don’t think they mind. It’s not like I’m parading around the whole place nude or anything. It’s just in here. It’s private. There are no kids staying here. And I’ve been here over a week doing it.”
“Cool,” I said, hanging my bathing suit over the side of the tub.
For dinner, I went to The Mayflower, a restaurant whose sign in their front window that says “STEAMERS: $10.95″ I’ve been gawking ever since I got here.
It was actually a clamboil that I wanted—New England/Portuguese style, complete with the steamers, hot dogs, sausages, onions, potatoes, and chourico, clam broth for dipping/cleaning the clams, and then some drawn “buttah” for a final dip, but their steamers were a la carte. I ordered a side garden salad with it, which was kind of small, but good, and it came with two complimentary rolls with butter.
To reward myself for passing on French Fries, I ordered the Apple Crisp for dessert. It was pretty small, of which I’m glad, and came with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top. Pretty yummy.
Last night, “the place to be” was at The Crown & Anchor, where it was “The Fireman’s Ball.” This is an annual fundraiser for the local Fire Department, and many of them were there in their uniforms “teasing” to raise money. Nice hoses. You know you’re hung when you can push box in a fireman’s uniform.
The cover charge was $10 tonight, which I didn’t mind paying at all, since 100% of the cover tonight went to the Provincetown Fire Department. I bought one drink the entire night, and it was sort of like two. The bartender was using the end of a bottle of bourbon, and after the pouring gadget stopped the flow, he took it off and dumped the rest of the bottle into my glass. ¾ bourbon, ¼ Diet Coke. My kind of drink.
I stayed in the video bar, as opposed to the dance bar, part of the place, where after about an hour or so, some incredible videos came on of old songs, and I had great fun just people-watching some very beautiful men, and rocking in place and singing along the songs I knew: The Hues Corporation’s Don’t Rock the Boat, Chic’s Le Freak, Thelma Houston’s Don’t Leave Me This Way, Ce Ce Pennison’s Fin-a-ly, and the Pointer Sisters’ “Jump!” to name a few.
There was incredible lightning in the sky all night (and a lot of ooo-ing and ah-ing, which at times sounded like it was coming more from girls than men, truth be told), and at one point it just opened up—which unfortunately, brought the hordes of folks on the deck into the two clubs.
Fortunately though, the downpour didn’t last long, and the doors were re-opened and people meandered back out, leaving more breathing room, and some fresh air blowing through the place again.
I left there at about 12:30, and totally enjoyed my half-a-wrap when I got home.