Well I Declare

“Well I declare!” If I had a dime for every time I heard that or “Bless your heart” over the past two weeks, I’d be rich. Pia and I are back from our mid winter vacation to Atlanta, Savannah and Tennessee. This vacation was part of our plan to get through winter here in Provincetown. Spring has already “sprung” in Atlanta. The trees were already green!

I decided to take the train down to Atlanta from Boston. I rented a roomette and enjoyed some time to catch up on my reading. I also met some really interesting people in the dining car, one of which was a retired general working to repeal Don’t Ask Don’t Tell.

Anyhow, I had much fun the first few days doing pretty much nothing. My brother Chris and niece Amanda went to the Atlanta Zoo. It was fun and I recommend it if you are in Atlanta. Troy and his roommate Steve were very hospitable and went out of their way to show me true southern hospitality.

Troy and I headed to Savannah Friday afternoon, and after getting stuck in Atlanta traffic for two hours, made it out of the city. This made me thankful that I live in

Provincetown. We happened to be in Savannah for St Patrick’s Day weekend and needless to say it was full of drunk, wild partygoers who were definitely not my scene. What was my scene was Forsyth Park, the beautifully landscaped squares and lovely old homes. The cafes on the squares, trolley tour and fountains were my favorite. There is a huge young gay scene in Savannah.

It so happened that while in Savannah my Blackberry lit up with emails and text messages from folks up north interested to know if I was OK. It turns out that a major tornado hit downtown Atlanta seriously damaging the buildings.

Our last night in Savannah was spent in the dark…literally. The power was knocked out for 12 hours. Troy and I got creative on how to spend the time. We did enjoy a fabulous lightening show that lasted for about half an hour. The sky was illuminated non stop! 

When we returned to Atlanta, Troy, his roommate Steve and my brother went to Tennessee on a day trip to see The Lost Sea. This remarkable attraction is an underground lake. Totally awesome! Afterwards we toured an ice creamery.

On my last day, Troy and I walked up Stone Mountain. This was a cardio workout but once at the summit, the views were breathtaking.

Before I caught the train home, my brother’s roommate Douglas, prepared a delicious meal. It was a nice send off. I boarded the train and headed home.

I’m now easing back into Provincetown life.

Provincetown in the winter means ... I'm off again ...

Pia and I will be away from the blog for this week and next week. We’re off to play Auntie Mame in a sun drenched Atlanta, Savannah and Tennessee.

“Mother of Jefferson Davis, she’s passing the fox!”

We’ll tell you all about the trip with tons of pictures. Check back on March 24, 2008.

In the meantime, here are some photos of Ptown for you to enjoy.

NOTE: Check out the blog entry on ptownma.info for pictures (click here)

Just Another Day

It’s Sunday night and I just returned from dinner with friends Rich and Mark. Comfort Food Sunday at Bayside Betsy’s…always a winner. But comfort food suggests fattening grub designed to chub you up for the winter. This combined with a Fish Fry Friday night and dinner party Saturday spells inflation of the waistline. Muffin tops all around. When you are single, such as I, this is not good. But Saturday, I went out dancing to The A-House. I haven’t been there in about two years. Not sure when I’ll be back.

I’ll be heading to Atlanta and Savannah shortly and desperately trying to keep the pounds off, because, sure as snow, the shirt will most likely be coming off on the dance floor. I ask myself “am I too old for this silly body image game?”…but when in Rome. I’m kidding a little bit, but in all seriousness the camera is coming south and you’ll get to see some of the fun. I’ll be in Troy’s neck of the woods with his crew. As long as I’m not blindfolded and hear a banjo I’ll be fine.

The weather here in Provincetown is still pretty cold and the winter winds add that stabbing, penetrating jab when walking down Commercial Street. Afternoon coffee at Café Joe always hits the spot. There is also some comfort in the isolation during the week when friends have retreated to their respective cities. Working out and renting movies is a nice time filler.

Later this week, Brad and I will head to Hyannis for a day trip and to catch a matinee. What a scandal! Slipping away to catch a flick midday. My weekend is your weekday…the life of a realtor.

There really isn’t much to write about this week. I’ll be flying to Boston on Friday to catch dinner with friends and a show at Club Café. My friend and real estate clients Buddy and Patrick have written and produced “Buddy Starr’s Fabulous Tour of Provincetown.” Buddy is the star. If you get a chance to go, check it out…visit http://www.buddystarr.com The dinner and show tickets cost a total of $32. Not bad for Boston and I hear Club Café has a new chef so the food isn’t as horrible as it used to be. Plus you get preferred seating. The show premiered two Fridays ago but Provincetown was socked with a snowstorm and I was marooned. Buddy got great reviews by some pretty discerning queens though. And those Boston boys can be tough so you know he must be good.

Have a good week and I’ll report next Monday!

Pia Sees A Wreck

This week I trotted down to Newcomb Hollow Beach in Wellfleet to take a first hand IG look at a shipwreck.

I was able to put the camera around my neck and take some spectacular photos using my snout.

First, a little background. On January 27th, this year, we experienced quite a storm that churned the ocean viciously. The winds howled and I spent most of the time under the covers hiding next to daddy. Ultimately, this storm caused the skeleton of a sunken vessel to wash ashore on Newcomb Hollow Beach in Wellfleet. It has become quite the attraction here.

The 60 foot remains of the ship, believed to be a 19th century schooner, lay upright on the beach as if on display in a museum. Due to the number of shipwrecks off the coast of Cape Cod and without a name, spectators speculated as to the ship’s identity. Theories were abundant in the crowd that gathered around the decomposing hull that the ship was a fishing vessel from Gloucester or a coal carrying barge. No one really knows for sure. My theory is that it carried crates of dog food destined for Italian Greyhound puppies.

The National Parks Service has no plans to remove the ship and the remains are expected to be washed out to sea. If you have a chance to visit the Cape, check out the ship as it is truly a remarkable piece of history.

I bit part of the boat off and asked an onlooker to throw it for fetch. He scolded me for chewing on the boat and shooed me away. What a crab! I barked at him and ran home.

I showed daddy my photos and he thought I should share them with you, so please enjoy.

NOTE: Check out the blog entry on ptownma.info for pictures (click here)

Georgia Peach, Big Apple and Beantown

A few weeks back I offered some insight as to what to do in Provincetown to make it through the winter. Well, this past weekend was a whirlwind of events that included a visit to Boston and New York. I was able to get away with Troy who came back for another visit from Atlanta. Since he lives in the “New York” of the south, I figured he should get to the big apple and take you along for the trip.

It started Thursday night in Boston. We went to Club Café, the true Boston “stand and pose” club, then Fritz and ending at The Eagle. After a piece of pizza from Emilios, we crashed at friends Frank and Tim’s place on Union Park. A fun filled first night in my old stomping grounds, the South End of Boston.

We awoke at 5AM and boarded the 6 AM Amtrak to New York City. Troy had never been on the train before. The sky was dotted with clouds which led to some beautiful colors in the sky as the sun rose over the Atlantic. The trip down to NYC went quickly and we arrived at Penn Station around 10AM. We dropped our bags off at friends Wayne and Gary’s loft in Chelsea. We socialized a bit and headed to Elmo’s for lunch with Wayne and Alex.

Afterwards, Troy and I headed off to The Statue of Liberty, where surprisingly enough, we took the Provincetown 2 for a ride. For those of you that don’t know the significance…this big lumbering boat used to be the ferry service to Ptown from Boston. Lady Liberty stood tall and the view of Manhattan from the island was awe inspiring. As I boarded the Ptown 2 and headed back to the mainland, I felt at home in many ways. Memories of my youth in Provincetown collided with my memories of Manhattan. I felt I was heading to a new beginning on many levels as this Provincetown “townie” I was riding, had found a home as a working girl in New York.

We took the “1” train to Times Square and bought last minute tickets to A Chorus Line. After indulging in some truly New York style pizza, we watched the show. It seemed to drag a bit. At one point I asked Troy if it had an end…he couldn’t stop laughing which caused me to laugh. Kind of like laughing in church…once you start forget it. However, there is a part in the performance where eight actors are cut from the show. When this happened, members of the audience actually cried. We saw that the show had impacted them differently than us. We stopped our snickering...as best we could.

We walked 7th Avenue back to Chelsea after the show. The air was cool but the city was, as always, alive. Troy and I ran into some of New York’s finest…and snapped a photo.

The next day Troy and I woke up early and walked to Rockefeller Center to watch Lester Holt deliver the news. It was freezing but pretty cool watching the Today Show. Troy’s mom, watching back in Tennessee, saw him waving to the camera. We met Wayne, Gary and their two children, Brennan and Juliet, at Cafeteria for a scrumptious brunch before heading back to Boston on the train.

This was one of my best trips top New York. No pre-clubbing drinks at “G”, no dancing at Splash or stops at that leather shop in The Village where they sell electric paddles. There was something in the air that I couldn’t put my finger on. I talked business with clients, shared laughs with friends and recalled the past in the secret of my heart. New York felt good, the company felt better. I realized that I have a history in this remarkable place.

Back in Boston, Troy and I met up with my friend and Playwright George Sauer…who surprised us with comp tickets to see his new play “Crab Legs” being performed at the BCA. What fun. Here’s a plug for his play that I concocted for him….”The plot thickens like a bowl of chowder as Tanya Harding, her manager and bodyguard, meet for lunch in a seafood restaurant.” Check it out if you’re in the area. It is worth it.

We drove back to Provincetown after the play and had two days of fun at The Porch Bar, watching Auntie Mame and taking in the scenery.

Unfortunately, we missed the American Heart Association’s Monument Crawl on Saturday …a fundraiser to help fund the study of the prevention of heart disease. In fact the monument was illuminated red for the past two weeks in anticipation for this event. It was quite a sight.
Once again, I got my dose of civilization and breathed a sigh of relief when the monument came into view.

Pia the Italian Greyhound interviews Brad, a true Provincetownie

Pia: How long have you lived in Provincetown?

Brad: 4 Years Year-round, summers since 1999

Pia: What made you first want to work out here during the summer?

Brad: I was back home in Michigan after finishing cooking school, but before starting my undergrad. I wanted out of Michigan and needed to make money for school. A friend had worked in Ptown the prior summer and suggested to

Pia: Why did you decide to go year round?

Brad: Like they say, once you leave Ptown it will keep pulling you back in

Pia: What do you do now for work?

Brad: Bookkeeping, cooking, retail, Whatever odd jobs to make it through the winter.

Pia: How do you keep busy during the winter?

Brad: I’m lucky I still have work in the winter. Otherwise, I watch more movies, cook more and arts and crafts (I’m learning how to knit).

Pia: Not to sound like a job interview, but where do you see yourself in a few years?

Brad: I’m not sure. I keep thinking I’ll leave town but like I said earlier, town has a way of pulling you back in.

Pia: Will you sneak me some food from the fridge?

Brad: No, I think you get spoiled enough as it is.

An Undefeated Season ... Until the Big Game

Never count your chicks before they hatch. Is that the saying? Well, we all saw that tonight as The New England Patriots completely threw away a nice lead over The New York Giants. With 1:30 to go in the game, which of course can be an eternity, The Patriots let The Giants gain yardage and ultimately a touch down to win the big game.

Not that I am a sports fan but it just seems like Tom Brady’s career could have been a little more protected here. Imagine an undefeated season right through the Super Bowl? Wow. Oh well. Move along.

Brad, Guy, Mark, Darren and I decided to be butch gay boys and watch the game. I feel a joke coming…“What do five gay men in Provincetown, off season, do on Super Bowl Sunday?” You fill in your own punch line, it’s probably spicier.

Well, here’s what we did. I bought a manly sized bag of corn chips and salsa, Guy brought 3 pizzas…cheese, pepperoni and mushroom, Mark brought soda, Darren brought coffee and Brad brought his smile.

The first three quarters (or innings as Guy asked) were quite uneventful and downright boring. I know a few lesbians who may beg to differ. However, the commercials were always as fun as ever….except, in my opinion, the one with the talking baby…I mean, come on, it’s been done how many times?

Tom Petty was right on in my opinion for the half time show. However the room was divided on whether he should have been the performer and whether his beard looked good. He was great, how old is he anyhow?

We watched the Patriots fall apart and let the Giants slice through their defense like a hot knife through cheese. I called it. Don’t ask me how but I called the Giants winning with a 5 point spread.

Even though none of us really cared, there was some sadness in the room when it became apparent that the undefeated Patriots season was sinking faster than Shelly Winters on the Poseidon.

We were all stunned as the last second dragged on forever and the Patriot’s dreams of making NFL history disappeared like a drag queen from Ptown after Labor Day.

We all sat in somber silence with frowns and maybe even a tear. Oh, that was just for Tom Brady as he walked off the field looking so sad.

And who says its dead here in the winter?