Memphis’s “Great American Pyramid” was originally conceived by Mark C. Hartz, a Memphis artist – in about 1954. The project originally included three pyramids located on the south bluffs of Memphis overlooking the Mississippi River.  (Fom the straight-on position, it doesn’t quite look like a pyramid, but it truly is – I took the following picture on a trip through Memphis a few years back)

The idea languished for three decades until Mark’s younger son, Memphian Jon Brent Hartz, resurrected the concept.  After years of negotiations, the younger Hartz’s concept was reduced to a single pyramid and adopted by entrepreneur John Tigrett as a symbol for the city of Memphis. The groundbreaking ceremony was held on September 15, 1989, and the building was opened on November 9, 1991.

On the Pyramid’s opening night, the arena floor flooded because of inadequate drainage pumps, forcing stage hands to sandbag the entire perimeter to preserve the electrical that runs under the stage.  A rather inauspicious beginning, to say the least.

By 2001, the city of Memphis looked to lure either the Grizzlies or the Charlotte Hornets to town. While the Pyramid was functional and profitable, it would have required retrofitting in order to be a viable long-term venue for an NBA franchise. A retrofit would also have required taking the arena offline for a year.   As a result, the $250 million FedExForum was built as a condition of the Grizzlies move from Vancouver and opened in 2004. The city of Memphis spent $7 million on renovations such as improved dressing rooms and new television camera platforms for the Grizzlies’ three-year stay in the arena.  

While hosting the Grizzlies, the arena lost $200,000 in 2002. 

The City of Memphis’s contract with the Grizzlies forbade the use of The Pyramid without the team’s approval, and as a result, it went dark. The Memphis city council voted to keep the arena open in the early 2000’s.  ^]A committee headed by Memphis businessman Scott Ledbetter studied possible uses of the arena in 2005, and considered such uses as converting the arena into a casino, an aquarium, a shopping mall, or an indoor theme park.

In October 2005, media speculation began to focus on an aquarium or a Bass Pro Shops superstore as the most likely long-term tenants of the arena. In 2008, the city and Bass Pro Shops reached a “tentative” agreement, short on details, but based on an intent to develop the then-abandoned structure. On June 30, 2010, after 5 years of negotiating, Bass Pro Shops and the City of Memphis signed an agreement for a 55-year lease for a Bass Pro Shops megastore. In addition, the redevelopment plans include revitalizing the  Pinch District, the neighborhood east of the Pyramid. The city invested $30 million and hired O.T. Marshall Architects to help with the seismic retrofitting of the structure which was funded by sales tax revenue in the surrounding area. O.T. Marshall and Insight Design Architects was later hired by Bass Pro Shops for its renovations and construction, leading to its opening April 29, 2015. Construction was completed by W.G. Yates & Sons Construction Company.

In addition to the retail store itself, Bass Pro Shops at the Pyramid is home to an archery range, shooting range, and laser arcade. The building also includes an Uncle Buck’s Fishbowl and Grill with a bowling alley and a saltwater aquarium. The tallest freestanding elevator in America takes visitors to The Lookout at the Pyramid at the apex of the building, where they can take in the view on an indoor and outdoor observation deck or dine and drink at the “Sky High Catfish Cabin”, a restaurant, bar, and aquarium at the top of the building. At the base of the Pyramid is a 103-room hotel known as the Big Cypress Lodge. Bass Pro Shops at the Pyramid contains 600,000 gallons of water features and the largest collection of waterfowl and hunting-related equipment in the world. Over 3 million people visited Bass Pro Shops in its first year.

Now you know…

Mandy

…the last time it was sunny and relatively warm, with no rain. 

There were a number of Honey-Do errands lined up for me to make on the “other side of the bridge,” as well as a couple of my own.  I decided that it was time for Mandy to have a much-needed a day “out of the suitcase” and left the house in a pair of my 3” inseam black shorts with a tunic blouse, My plan was to do a cornfield change into a skirt, and whether I was recognized as female didn’t really matter…   I just wanted the freedom that comes with wearing a skirt!

To go with my black shorts, I put on with a longer-sleeve tunic top and my brown slide sandals, plus the usual accessories, with no complaints from Wifey.  As soon as I left the house and cleared town, I changed out of the shorts and into my black skirt (pic below.)  And then, off to the first stop.  It was a drop-off only, and there was nobody around, so there was no issue.  But it sure felt good to be sporting a skirt. 

Then…across the big bridge.

Second stop was a shoe shop in a city on the other side, to have some shoe repairs done.  (No shoe shops where we live.)  The elderly owner didn’t seem to care what I wore, and didn’t use any gender-specific phrases or words.  Darn.  But no matter – he didn’t use “Sir” – that was good.  Repairs couldn’t be done while I waited, thus I left them, and had no “backup” shoes to wear…only the sandals I was wearing, or barefooted.  No problem, my sandals are comfortable.  Even for all day.

Third stop was to do some banking – in person, with a representative.  They had my driver’s license info in their file, so I didn’t have to hand them mine.  Not sure if the 20-something rep noticed that my presentation didn’t quite match that gender shown on their license info, but there was no issue.  And since the transaction involved a follow-up at another institution, I wondered if I’d have to jump through hoops there.  None there, either. But no mis-genderings.

Next stop was the seamstress’s shop, to pick up my altered tee dresses.  She liked my black skirt, but suggested that I try on one of my dresses.  I had plenty of time, so I did – the dark blue one.  She offered to take my pic out front, since “it’s tough to get a picture of yourself.”  You can guess what my response was – I immediately handed her my camera:

She commented that I’d selected the longer of the two to try on…and confessed that she deliberately hemmed the light blue dress 2 inches shorter than originally measured, to be sure “you’ll display plenty of leg.” She obviously knows what’s best for me…but the fact that I blushed (yes, she noticed – and commented) demonstrated some anxiety. “Once you wear it a few times…you’ll be bringing it back to be shortened another 2 inches, and the one you’re wearing back to be shortened, too!” Can’t wait to try it on…will post a pic!

Since I was already wearing my dark blue dress, she encouraged me to spend the rest of the day shopping in it.  I admit – I’d have loved to. But taking off the dress and changing back into my shorts outfit to return home would be a major challenge, even on a rural road, since corn hasn’t been planted yet. So I decided to just go with my black skirt and everyday tunic.  Much easier to change. (In hindsight, that decision turned out to have been a good one…a police vehicle ambled by as I was preparing to change on the way home!   No, they didn’t stop – even for what appeared to be a woman alone in a car parked alongside a rural road with the 4-way flashers on. I was more than a little surprised – but glad.)

On to the next stop – the banking institution…where there was no issue with my identity, but again, no gender-specific greeting or forms of address were used.   And from there, pick up our evening meal as a take-out at a restaurant we both like, so Wifey wouldn’t have to cook.   (No mis-genderings here, either – just no gender-specific forms of address.) Then it was off to pick up some electronic gear at the repair shop, and head back across the bridge to change..

Don ‘t get me wrong…it was wonderful for Mandy to be able to get out, particularly after such a long hiatus.  And wearing a skirt or dress is heavenly in warm weather. But it was surprising that my alter-ego got quite a bit more affirmation on our trip to TN, than right here in MD.  I guess you win some, you lose some!

Will be out and about again soon…I hope!

Mandy

Bet my visit to get taxes done this year was more interesting than yours!  (No, this is not being judged by the size of our refund…there wasn’t one.)  It’s for reasons other than “related to money…”    

When we walked in the shop’s front door, our regular preparer (a 40something female) greeted us as usual, apparently not noticing my attire (short shorts, polo blouse and strappy sandals with my white toe nails on display), or my face above the mask (the same face she sees every year), and we got right down to business.  As we were going over the paperwork, she looked at me, and asked me out loud, in front of Wifey, “____________, are you all right?”  Ummmm…say what?  “Have you hurt your eyes?  They look very dark underneath…”  “Oh, that?  I’ve had those dark bags under my eyes since I was a kid…” And that began a segue into a discussion of them – the first time this has ever happened.  Wifey wasn’t terribly thrilled with it, but the discussion led itself to a conclusion, and once we got back to the business at hand, it was over.  Or so Wifey and I thought at the time.

After everything was complete, we gathered up our documentation, our copy of the final tax returns, and headed to the reception area to pay the bill.  Our preparer, who followed behind us to the counter to enter the payment, apparently was watching my legs and feet. (I could almost “feel the stare.”)   Wifey and I both heard her say that it’s “the first time I’ve ever seen your legs and feet – you’re usually wearing leggings and ballet flats.”  Amazing that she remembered…or maybe not. “Right you are – normally this tax work occurs in late March, not late April, when it’s cooler than today’s 85 degrees!  But shorts and sandals are such fun to wear” was my response…and thankfully, no further questionable discussions occurred.

Once in the car, Wifey and I discussed the discoloration issue, and how shocked Wifey was to hear it brought up publicly.  She married me with the issue, and it’s still there, so it’s not a problem for her.  But I said that I’ll start applying facial makeup each day.  She’s fine with that approach, to make it less noticeable to others.  “Maybe you can even get help with the proper shade of foundation,  powder and a neutral lipstick at Ulta or MAC.”  (I wouldn’t have expected that much agreement – it’s a really big plus. And I won’t have any reason to try to camouflage the fact that I’m wearing makeup – even from the kids if the subject comes up!) 

We certainly concur that the preparer was more than a bit insensitive…both with regard to my eyes, and the comment about my legs and feet.  (We’re both surprised she didn’t mention my white toe nails, and it makes us both wonder if she may have a “thing” just for legs?)  But we aren’t going to change preparers. She does a good job. We’ll just have to wonder what revelations next year will bring.  Unfortunately, my joke that “maybe next year, I should wear an up-do hair style, cute mini-dress, 5” heeled sandals and 20 long red nails to her office” got a rather cold stare!!

Speaking of sandals, several of the sandals you’ve seen me wearing are slip-on styles.  I have one good pair of “dressy” sandals with a backstrap (bought years ago and worn sparingly):

That’s in addition to many other more casual pairs.  She has several times mentioned that she likes the above pair better than all the rest, and that sandals are fine for everyday. When we go someplace, including less casual things, as long as sandals are appropriate footwear for women “that’s what you’ll wear.”

An interesting change…I’ll find out what that really means in practical terms as time goes on. My “business” outfit is a women’s pants suit – dark pants, matching jacket, and button-front blouse. Up to now, I’ve always worn a pair of ballet flats. Women almost always wear sandals with pants suits or dresses, so it’s possible that I’ll find myself wearing them, too. Time will tell.

One thing is certain: I need to find a second pair of pretty leather sandals with a backstrap “that she also approves of,”  to keep these looking good for as long as possible.   I’ll keep you advised about that search.

Mandy

To my most recent hair appointment (and in keeping with my current wardrobe style), I wore 3” inseam shorts, a boatneck blouse and slide sandals.  Since I needed a color touch up, everything was dark…including the brown sandals – due to the ever-present risk of accidentally-spilled hair color. 

When I walked in, a 60-something female customer who had just paid and was on the way out, stopped me and said: “I love your pedicure, dear – white is so fashionable this season.”  She held out her hands to show me her beautiful red manicure…and grabbed my freshly-pink-acrylic-manicured hands to check mine.  “Very nice, but a bit too plain.  After (stylist’s name) gets you all prettied up, you need put on your nicest dress and some heels, then have your fingers and toes painted like mine.  Even at our age, you’ll love the attention you get from both women and men, if you wear 20 beautiful red nails.”  

Then, she sat down beside me, and we girl-talked about our nails till I was called back to my stylist’s chair, at which point the lady left the salon.

My stylist (who knows my gender) complimented my outfit,  and noticed my fresh white toe nail color, which she said was very pretty and in style this year.  She was wearing sandals too, and put her lovely pink-nailed feet next to mine so we could compare pedicures.  Both were well done, considering that we both have similar problems with our destroyed nails.  And she pointed out that I should be looking forward to keeping my nails pretty for a long time…her issues have lasted for years.  “You can use whatever is the most fashionable color each year.  She had overheard the discussion I was having with the customer, and added “but Martha was right…20 bright red nails are elegant, and always in fashion!”

Yes, the fun just keeps on happening!

Mandy

Anyone remember the Western Maryland Railway? Opened in 1852, as the Baltimore, Carroll & Frederick RR, renamed the Western Maryland Rail Road Co. in 1853, added various branches, and the WM (Wild Mary was one of its acronyms) operated a line almost parallel to the B&O, on the other side of the Potomac River thru the western part of the state. The WM became part of CSX (former B&O) in 1968, and its new owners abandoned many of its lines in the 1980’s, including the following one.

The Western Maryland Scenic Railway came to be in 1988, operating over WM’s tracks between the shops in Ridgeley, WV and Cumberland, then further west, around famous Helmstetter’s Curve and thru the Brush Tunnel near Corriganville, then on to Frostburg. The rails from there, west to Connellsville, PA were abandoned and removed. If you ride trains 29 and 30, you will pass under the massive Salisbury Viaduct, now restored and a part of the Allegheny Highlands Trail.

Western Maryland Scenic Railway 2-8-0 #734 under steam, in the snow…

It’s a very scenic ride in the summer, but snow makes it that much more so!

For any of you railfans out there, the above locomotive is not running – it’s down for maintenance. But that’s because their repair efforts are all being concentrated on the big project: restoring for operation C&O 1309, a Mallet 2-6-6-2 locomotive that came to them from the B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore.

Chesapeake & Ohio Railway No. 1309 was built by Baldwin Locomotive Works in 1949. It was the last Class 1 mainline locomotive built by Baldwin, maker of over 70,000 locomotives since 1832. It was ordered by the Chesapeake and Ohio Railway to pull heavy coal trains in the mountainous terrain of West Virginia and Kentucky, which it did from 1949 until 1956, after which it was stored for twenty years at their roundhouse at Peach Creek, West Virginia. The locomotive, along with several others, all considered impractical to restore to working condition due to lack of maintenance in operation, were moved to the B&O Railroad Museum in Baltimore, Maryland in 1976 for cosmetic restoration and static display. It remained there until 2014 when it was purchased by the Western Maryland Scenic Railroad for restoration. When returned to service, it will be the largest steam locomotive in regular scheduled service in the United States and take 2-8-0 No. 734’s  place as the largest active steam locomotive in the state of Maryland. The Western Maryland intends to use the locomotive on tourist excursion trains between Cumberland and Frostburg, Maryland.

It’s an impressive steam engine. It operated under “its own steam” over the New Years Holiday, though there is still work to be done. Once they get it up and running, I plan to visit and ride. If you like trains, you should, too.

Mandy

After disappointment locally with acknowledgement of my femininity since we got back from our TN trip, I was looking for some real affirmation.  And it showed up in an unusual and unexpected way…read on for more.

We had a serviceman scheduled one day last week.  He was supposed to be here by 5 PM.  7:30 PM came and went with no sign of him.  So I jumped into the shower.  While I was doing that, the phone rang and Wifey picked it up.   He was running very late and hoped he could still come by.  She said “Sure.”  And she came in to let me know that he was coming, which was fine with me.

I grabbed the quickest outfit I could find…my new black leggings, a turtleneck top,, ballet flats and my little purse.  I answered the door, and “Hi Ma’am.  I’m sorry I’m late.”  “No problem, sir.”  I showed him the issue, and he went ahead with getting the info for the estimate.  And several times he asked me for info or had questions, and he always responded to my answer with:  “Thanks, Ma’am.” 

When he was finished, he said “Ms. Sherman, I’ll work this up tomorrow and have the quote ready in a couple of days.   So there was the affirmation I was hoping for…right at my front door!

Now all he needs to do is produce the quote!

Hugs,

Mandy

Wifey asked me to look thru the corners of my closet to see what still fits and get rid of those things which don’t. There is (or now, more appropriately “was”) a section which contained a number of “unworn in recent history” clothes: mostly women’s non-stirrup pants, a few blouses, my (new) leggings (buried there for safekeeping,) and a pants/vest outfit that I had forgotten about.  A reasonable request, in that they were accumulating dust…

Most were “fat women’s conventional pants” – all but one pair were far too baggy for me to ever wear again now that I’m under 200 pounds (they’ll go to charity), two delightfully-silky-smooth and luxurious long sleeve (and overtly feminine) blouses (yes, complete with shoulder pads installed), both of which Wifey moved to my “active” wardrobe… She washed them, and (below) I’m wearing one of them around the house and yard under my sleeveless house dresses. Can’t wait to wear them in public! But first I need to start remembering to adjust my shoulder pads…lol!

Both blouses should be perfect with capris (or skirts) and sandals. A picture from the archives is below:

Can you just imagine how much prettier these outfits would look, if I were wearing 20 bright red (and extended at least ½”) finger and toe nails?? That’s in my plan for a future solo trip “someday”…

Also unearthed was an old (non-stirrup) women’s pants/vest outfit in robins-egg blue.  Wifey said it’s not currently in style, but worn over a blouse, could work during cold weather (and be perfect for winter travel.)  She washed it and it’s being kept. At some point, I’ll get a pic of that combo for you. 

The other garment which surfaced was my new black pair of leggings.  Her only comment was “Wow, those fit you nicely.”  I’ve taken that as approval to start wearing them – and they feel wonderful! Since the black ones passed muster, I’ve ordered another pair…in brown. If they fly as well, then I’ll see if I can order a white pair…and maybe tan.

More later…

Mandy

I was in several stores during our visit, with and without family members, and never heard the dreaded “S” word.   Mostly I was just “a woman out doing her shopping.” At the grocery store, son entered his wife’s discount number at checkout, to get us the discount.  For the rest of the transaction, that clerk addressed me by his wife’s name.  Son and I joked about my long hair and mask making the difference…

As I alluded to in the prior post, when I went into the Urgent Care Center I was wearing one of my usual feminine stirrup pants outfits with turtleneck tunic, flats and purse.   Despite the fact that they had my ID in front of them, which clearly shows that big “M,” I was addressed as female.  Maybe the mask?  Doubt it…more likely long hair and mani/pedi. Female forms of address, right from the get-go.  When they called me in, the nurse announced “Ms. Sherman?”  I stood up, and she motioned “Right this way, Miss. To the scale…and please leave your flats on, Miss.”  Including by the nurse who asked me to remove my flats and get up on the exam table. She took my blood pressure, temperature and so on, and said “Your BP is fine, Ma’am.” Then the 40something male doctor entered, examined me, and said “Ma’am, the nurse will be in to give you an injection in the hip, so you’ll need to roll over and pull your panties down in the back.”   When the nurse came in, I did as instructed, she said “This will pinch for a moment, Ma’am.” And soon, it was over.   A fabulous and quite unexpected feminine experience!  Something I truly didn’t expect to happen in the South…

On the way back home a few days later, we had to drop in at a rest stop for a restroom and stretch break.  I wasn’t carrying a visible purse (the little one with the phone and car key in it for safety tucks away nicely under my sweater.)  On the way into the men’s room, a big guy leaving blocked my path and pointed to the men’s room sign.  I laughed, held out both hands for him to see my nails, and said (in my regular voice) something to the effect that “not only girls wear long hair and nail polish.”  He said “Oh, sorry” and gave up, clearing the doorway for me.

That definitely was a fun trip…I’m ready to go again!

After arriving back home, I stopped to pick up mail at the post office.  On the way out, a guy parked next to me was cussing up a storm about the lousy job of parking done by a customer, which was making his exit by pickup truck a real challenge.  (He was correct – the guy parked in a no-parking area.)  A constant river of four-to-seven-letter obscenities were flowing forth loudly as I walked up to get into my car.  He noticed me and cooled the filthy language, saying “I’m so sorry, Ma’am.  Hope you’re having a better day than I am.”  And then he started ranting again, but at least eliminated the filth till after I had closed the car door upon getting in.  Guess he really was having a bad day…LOL!   

Good thing he didn’t have an AK-47 (or any other visible weapon) in the pickup’s gun rack. 

It’s never dull here.

Mandy

….to TN for a visit with the kids a while back.  We moved some of the excess furniture in our basement, and some personal effects, into their house’s lower-level “In-law-apartment,” to give us our own separate space when visiting.  And to let us spend as much time there as we can, at the least possible cost.  Never a bad thing – especially as the grandkids get older and more responsible.

On the long drive south, there were a number of stops – restroom and leg-stretch breaks.  I  try to use facilities with handicap rooms or “one-holers.”  But that’s not always possible.  At a rest stop in Virginia, as I walked into the men’s room, an elderly guy was eyeing me up and down as he approached me (in stirrup pants, turtleneck tunic and flats) on his way out.  Of course both of us were wearing masks, but as he got close, I simply said “Good Morning” in my not-very-feminine voice.  And that was the end of the issue!

Young kids are like “walking Petri dishes”…the older granddaughter had a cold when we arrived, but she cleared in several days, except for a cough.  By the time we were getting ready to leave, I had caught whatever it was.   No, it was not THAT virus – even her doctor had told mommy and daddy there’s some “other” virus going around among schoolkids, and to give her some kiddie acetaminophen – it would clear in a couple days – with a cough lasting more than a week. And he said he’d be surprised if mommy and daddy don’t get it, too.  His diagnosis was substantially correct… I got it and had to visit a doctor myself, who advised that it was not Covid…  (In fact, D-I-L was in the process of getting it as we left…)   Since all adults in the family have now been fully vaccinated against Covid, the odds against so many vaccine failures occurring in one family would be astronomical.  (It was an interesting doctor visit. More about that later.)

While we were visiting, D-I-L’s girlfriend came over after work one evening, for a visit and cookout – yes, weather was decent most of the time.  I was wearing a generic light gray women’s jogging suit (elastic waist with “non-stirrup” bottoms) around the house, ballet flats, and with my phone in the new “purse” from a previous post.  D-I-L was dressed in a nice skort (I was a bit jealous), Wifey was in capris, and girlfriend was wearing a lovely maxi-dress and sandals, with gorgeous long robin’s-egg-blue finger and toe nails.  I told her how pretty she looked, and said that I was just “slumming it” around the house that day, regretting not being dressed more appropriately (leaving her to interpret that any way she wanted to!)

She commented that I’m always nicely-dressed, but “today you look particularly cute – comfortable and casual, relaxing in your ballet flats.”  I thanked her, and the discussion continued.  She went on to recommend putting away flats for the summer and simply wear sandals, with a colorful mani/pedi for an accent. As she talked, I didn’t even try to challenge her recommendation, though I couldn’t help but mention that I’d love to.   I was too busy thinking it’s probably the first time I’ve been called “cute” by a woman…  Interesting, right?

More to follow…

Mandy

While out exploring our home state, we came to the quiet little town of Secretary in Dorchester County, with a population of 535 at the census in 2010. It’s said that “back in the day” Lord Baltimore named the town after his secretary.

It’s home to a small bridge with an unusual (and rather dark) name: Suicide Bridge. Yes, it has a history…the first wooden bridge was built at this location in 1888. In 1910 a new bridge was built and in 1967 a two-lane wooden bridge with asphalt was built. The present bridge was rebuilt in 2005. It has been said that each iteration of the bridge has at least one tale of suicide associated with it.

Very strange.

Looks may be a bit deceiving, but the deck appears to only be about 6 feet above the surface of the water. Some diving boards are higher than that!

If things in life were so bad that a person really wanted to “end it all,” one would think chances of success would be enhanced if they were to find a more suitable venue! Occasionally when traffic ties up on the Chesapeake Bay Bridge due to a “disabled vehicle”, it turns out that the vehicle is only disabled because the key is in the pocket of the owner – who has already jumped over the railing and “bought the farm.” Saying that publicly is apparently taboo.

So I guess the name Suicide Bridge can be added to my list of unusual names…not quite as strange as Toad Suck, Arkansas. But still unusual in its own right!

Happy travels…

Mandy