My “home away from home” for this short visit was the Red Caboose Motel.  Pictured below, the cabooses are all lettered for different railroads, and thus aren’t all red.  But they’re in decent shape, the bed was comfortable, everything worked properly, and the room was clean.  What more does a girl need?

After a walk around the property, I headed for a nearby airport to see the other “object of my desire” – a 1929 model airplane designed by William Bushnell Stout (following some principles copied from the work of Professor Hugo Junkers, noted German all-metal aircraft design pioneer.)   Ford bought out Stout’s “Stout Metal Airplane Company” in 1925, thus the aircraft was truly manufactured by Ford, with 3 Curtiss-Wright radial engines.  And aptly called a “Ford Tri-motor.  In its day, it won success as a dependable cargo plane/early commercial airliner, which had 8 or 9 removable seats.   And these planes ultimately participated in an early air-mail arrangement with the Post Office.

The last Tri-motor was built in 1933, but that wasn’t to be the end of Ford’s aviation adventures.  During WW II, the largest aircraft manufacturing plant in the world was built at the Willow Run, Michigan plant, where Ford produced thousands of the B-24 Liberator bombers under license from Consolidated Aircraft.

Maybe someday I’ll get a chance to ride in one of those…

Here I am, standing next to the Tri-motor.

And an interior shot:

Rather luxurious digs, much nicer than some of today’s aircraft, IMHO.  And the windows are huge, large enough to actually let the occupants see the passing scenery.  With a ceiling of just over 16,000′ and a cruising speed in the vicinity of 110 mph, this plane stayed low and slow, for fantastic viewing of the countryside.

Above is an in-flight picture…

This plane was lettered for the Transcontinental Air Transport (TAT), an airline founded in 1928 and merged in 1930 with Western Air Express to form Transcontinental and Western Air, which ultimately became TWA (now defunct.)   It initially offered a 51 hour train/plane trip for just over $300 including sleeping car berths) from NYC to Columbus on the train, Columbus to Waynoka, OK, by plane, and train again from Waynoka to Clovis, NM.  (At the time, there were no sophisticated naviagtional aids in aircraft…thus no long distance night flight.)  There they would board another Tri-motor to finish the trip to Los Angeles in the daytime.

After the flight….

Mandy

In 2017 I had the opportunity to visit the Lancaster, PA area for some rail-and-aviation-fanning.   The Strasburg Railroad is a perennial favorite; likewise, the Railroad Museum of Pennsylvania.  And as an extra added attraction, an operating Ford Tri-motor aircraft was scheduled to be visiting a nearby airport.  I seldom miss a chance to visit Lancaster – whenever the opportunity arises.  And I heard it calling my name…

Before anyone asks, on this trip Mandy did not have any opportunity to climb out of the suitcase, even though I had packed some of her clothes.  I went with my everyday feminine appearance,  wearing shorts, women’s tunic top and flats, but no skirt or dress.  I carried my purse, had my long hair flowing in the breeze and my pink acrylic nails glowing in the sun…plus I wore my necklace and bracelet,  makeup with lipstick, and perfume.  As you can see, I was fairly androgynous, and perhaps a massive enigma for the locals.

Remember, that area is very religious, and as I understand it, the Amish influence means strict adherence to the male/female binary.  Boys are boys and girls are girls. Period. Women/girls raise the kids, and men/boys work the fields.  None of this “Boys are Girls in the wrong body” or gender dysphoria stuff.  

I didn’t hear “Ma’am” very often.  That was disappointing.  But on the other hand, I didn’t hear “Sir” at all.  Ninety-five percent of the time, there were no hints of any gender recognition.  Yes, I did notice a few of the local youngsters in Amish garb doing double-takes.  I expected that, and would love to hear the questions their parents got (as well as their probably-brutally-religious-inspired answers.)   I just wonder (and will never know) if wearing a dress would have improved or decreased my odds of being recognized for what I am?

Back to the trip…   Naturally, I took the “route less traveled” going north.  As such, I went through some agricultural areas, including many farms owned and operated by the Amish (or Pennsylvania Dutch) folks.  They do not drive cars, and travel in one-or-two-horsepower buggies.  (Yep, real horses…not gasoline-powered engines.)  This type of travel helps tremendously in the fight against pollution from burning fossil fuels…   Of course,  it also results in a very predictable type of pollution, an accumulation of which is left behind with each buggy’s passage…as you can see below.

Eeeeeeewwwwwwww….especially in road spray from rainstorms…car wash, here we come!

This type of transportation is much simpler to maintain than our current automobiles, with their fancy tecnological features and internal combustion engines.   The only “blue tooth” you might find on these early types of conveyances, might be a bluish cast on the tooth/teeth of one of the horses after they eat blueberries.  Some buggies even seem to have moved into the age of technology, with battery-operated lights on the front and back. and most of them have natural types of air conditioning…no top, sides or backs.    (Like the old cars from the 1950’s which had what we called “260 air conditioning”.  Roll down 2 windows and do 60 mph.)

Buggy owners can do most maintenance themselves.  But this does not bode well for the auto mechanics of the area.  So what can they do to make up for lost business?  One enterprising individual in Nickel Mines, PA opened a “coach shop.”   When a farmer’s buggy finally needs professional help, or after a wreck, he can take it to the coach shop….

As I drove past, I noticed a number of buggies in the coach shop’s yard, hidden by shrubbery.  Couldn’t get a picture… and wasn’t ready to go in and ask if I could take one.   😦

A bit about Nickel Mines, PA:   Per Wikipedia, it’s named after the mines where millerite (a sulfide) ore (a form of unrefined nickel) was mined in the mid-1800’s.  The first mining company sold its interests to Joseph Wharton (founder of the Wharton School of Business at the University of Pennsylvania) in 1862. And he refined the ore to retrieve the nickel, in Camden NJ.   Ultimately, between 1862 and 1893 they extracted 4.5 million pounds of nickel from the mines, and Wharton was influential in persuading the US Mint to issue the first five-cent nickel coins in 1866, using the nickel from his mines.

The last mines closed in 1893 because of competition from new nickel mines in Canada., and there are no traces of mining left, except for a few waste piles. The area is now completely agricultural.  As of 2016 there are 16 households in town, and the area has a high percentage of Amish residents.

The above is central downtown Nickel Mines.   There is a crossroads between the gray stone house and the white house in the distance.  No stop light, of course.  Just a stop sign, with a rather ignorant driver of a modern “horseless carriage” who apparently wasn’t happy with me sightseeing in the area.  It appeared as though he was trying to ram me as I pulled through the intersection.  A motion of my foot, a squeal from my tires, and I was clear of him.  He roared off into the distance.  Obviously not an offended Amishman…they don’t drive cars.

All the “action” made me hungry, so I headed into Strasburg, PA for lunch.  It’s a lovely old town, founded in 1733, and the architecture is very “period.”  I ate in an old storefront, now an ice cream store and deli. 

Though the above photo doesn’t show it (due to a temporary lull in traffic), there were a fair number of tourists in town, doing what I was doing…getting lunch.  And most of them were elderly….local schools may have been back in session, based on the number of cars in school parking lots.

After lunch I did a bit of train-spotting.  It’s easy, as the line parallels the main road, with intersections every so often.  And I wasn’t alone…there were other railfans out and about.   On such a beautiful day,  why not? 

All too soon, the day was done, and I caught this sunset from the window of my caboose:

I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves….

Stay tuned for part 2…

Mandy

In 2017, my wife and I drove my antique car to upper Michigan, to meet with friends and do some touring.   We had a fabulous time…

It was tough to decide what clothes to take.   Weather forecasts were “all over the place.”   We both took sweaters and heavier coats, plus umbrellas and water resistant coats.  No shorts or sandals.  Both had a good supply of capris and long pants (she chose jeans and mine were stirrup pants.)  With all the extra things we took, it was good that the antique has a huge trunk!

There were a lot of sights to see, which were on our direct route to Michigan…so we did a little extra sightseeing.  First stop was in Huron, Ohio to see the lighthouse.   The original one was replaced with a more modern style, and automated.  It gave us a chance to stretch our legs, walk the breakwater part way and get as close as possible.

Not too far away was Marblehead (OH) Light – a traditional -style lighthouse.  I had been to town years before, but never got to the light.

And once in Michigan, we made it as far north as St. Ignace, on the Upper Peninsula.  Driving across the Big Mac (Mackinac) bridge to get there was an adventure.  But since we’re used to driving the similar Chesapeake Bay Bridge, it wasn’t a huge challenge.  The toll was a lot higher than the bridge back home, however.  And yes, the water was much deeper blue than I recall noting on any of my other travels to other places.  Hence the nickname for the area:  Bluewater Michigan.

On the way back to our hub hotel, we stopped at the lighthouse in Mackinaw City:

Notice the bridge behind it, and on the right side…

For those who wondered, with the exception of 2 days in the upper 70’s or low 80’s, the rest of the time the mercury (how’s that for an old-time phrase?) was in the 60’s during the day (or lower) and 40’s at night.  In mid May, the trees were still budding, the forsythia was still in its springtime yellow dress, and the spring flowers were blooming.  The morning we left, the National Weather Service said the temperature was 33 degrees.  If you’re from Michigan, you’re used to it, but we aren’t, and weren’t.  I guess northerners are comfortable with two seasons – July 4th and Winter.   It gets cold enough in Maryland for us….but we really do have 4 distinct seasons most of the time!

For those who wondered, my outfits for most of the trip looked reminiscent of this:

I only wore capris two days – the warm ones. Local women wore them more often than I did.  But it was too chilly for me, even with my pantyhose!

In several places, we found signage alluding to the existence of the 45th Parallel, which is half way between the equator and the North Pole.  This is not something we had actively contemplated…though we both knew of its existence.  And following is the first explanatory signage we’ve seen with regard to it…wherever we traveled.

When you’re out and about, you never know what you’re going to find…

About halfway through our trip, I got a call from my credit card company.  Someone somewhere had hacked my credit card and was running up mail order charges on it, so it had to be cancelled and replaced.  The new card would be waiting when we get home.  We didn’t want to risk using my other credit card that has the automated toll collection transponder on it (we hate to sit in lines on toll roads), so we used my wife’s credit card, which had nothing else connected to it.   This was the beginning of a lot of fun (at least for me) – and confusion for the clerks at stores. 

I had to change the credit card I used to pay for our hotel reservations.  This was not a problem.  They accepted the one with my wife’s name on it, from me.  I’m not sure what they were thinking when they saw the “other” female name.  My wife was always nearby, but they didn’t ask to talk to her.  And the clerks said “thank you, Ma’am” as I finished with the changes.  This happened several times, till we got home. 

We went into a restaurant for dinner one night, and the twentysomething waitress was doing the “no gender-specific form of address shuffle.”  I was in a stirrup pants outfit with my purse, etc..  But I wasn’t disguising my voice.  When it was time to pay the bill, she asked “one check or two?”  “One, please” was my response.  When it came, I handed her the credit card in my wife’s name.  The waitress returned with the credit card slip, and left the table.  My wife signed it, and when the waitress came back, I handed the signed bill back to the girl.  Who looked at it, looked at me,  then my wife, and gave us a cheery “Have a nice evening, ladies.”   This happened a lot, and I loved it!

In conversation later that evening I jokingly said “I guess we’re confusing a few people as to whether I’m a boy or girl.”  She raised her eyebrows, and said:  “A few?  More like a lot.  Just about everyone.”   She apparently took it in stride.  Amazing…but I won’t read too much into it.  I don’t think she’s ready for me to wear skirts in public.   Someday, I hope.

While we were in Michigan, a crowned tooth broke off, way below the gum line.  A couple days ago, when I visited my dentist, he told me that it’s so badly damaged, it has to be pulled.  I got an appointment for next week with the oral surgeon.  And I still need to get the daily driver aligned – it pulls to the left on the road.  It only takes a moment to end up in the opposite lane.  Not a good thing. 

Before long we plan to go visit the kids and our granddaughter. She’s growing, and beginning to talk.  We’re anxious to see her again!

For now, I’ll leave you with a couple more pictures from the trip.   Following is one of the “mushroom thatched-roof houses of Charlevoix, MI”:   Their style is fascinating…

A very unique design, to say the least! 

While in Charlevoix, I was able to locate the now-trackless but nonetheless well restored ex- C&O railroad depot…

Notice the (formerly) trackside semaphore above, positioned for and waiting to signal the next train…which will never arrive.

Do you enjoy an occasional beer?  “Hops” is an ingredient…  Ever wondered how they’re grown?   We came across a hops farm:

 I’m told the outer fence is to keep the deer away…they like to nibble!

Another wonderful trip!

That’s all for now,

Mandy

It was an interesting get-togther while on vacation a couple years ago.

I made no attempt at femininity the whole time.  My outfits generally were shorts and club logo tops of various organizations.  Most of the time my appearance resulted in “no gender-related greetings.”  But at restaurants, there were more than a few stray indications that they (the staff) interpreted both my wife and I as female.  Things like asking “one bill or two?”,  leaving the bill on the table between us, and pointing me toward the ladies’ room.  One that comes immediately to mind was a server asking for orders, who said “Ladies first, and started with my wife.  She then took my order and my friend’s wife’s order, before taking our friend’s husband’s order. 

Yet, “Sir” would occasionally pop up at the oddest of times, sometimes after the above types of situations.  I guess that comes as part of my androgynous presentation.  A little confusion never hurt anybody.   Among friends, as we frequently were, of course they know my true gender.  And everyone seems to accept my presentation.

However, one particular day I was wearing shorts over bare shaved legs,  a men’s logo polo shirt (men’s because it was all they sold – it’s OK for women to wear men’s things – double standard, of course), women’s flats, and carrying my purse.  I carried the sweater I wore that day…it had been a bit chilly that morning.   By afternoon,  it was tied it around my waist to free up my arm.

That little change was sufficient to elicit a comment from the jokester in the crowd, who at one point happened to be walking behind me:  “Nice skirt, (insert my given name here.)”   My generic reply (with a smile) was “glad you like it.   It’s very comfortable.”   What I didn’t say (to spare my wife, and avoid controversy) would have been “You can be glad I’m not wearing all the other trimmings today – like styled hair, makeup, jewelry and a pair of heels to match.”

Even so, I didn’t hear another peep out of him about it.   Wonder why?

Hugs,

Mandy

But wait, there’s more…. and as you read the following, remember that our entire Cape Cod vacation took place over 5 years ago.  The following “concluding part” of our adventure cannot be repeated as the railroad operator ran into legal issues and trains are no longer running, with little-to-no hope of restarting operations. Much of the equipment is being sold.

With my love of ferroeqinology, I had been wanting to visit the Saratoga & North Creek, a tourist line which recently began running on the formerly abandoned Delaware & Hudson line in upstate NY, between its namesake towns. With some friends, I had visited the line during its abandonment and wanted to ride now that it was back in operation. This vacation seemed a perfect chance to do so. But the better half preferred not to spend most of the day on a train, or be stuck in a small town near the Gore Mountain ski resort during the layover  So, we compromised – I would ride the train if I could find a motel that would let her go into downtown Saratoga for shopping & local sightseeing.  And I did.  So, with that, Saratoga was added to our vacation itinerary.

The day was to be cold and windy, so I pulled out the denim jean leggings I’d worn a couple times earlier in the vacation, with a turtleneck, pantyhose and flats.  I wore my new makeup – all except the eyebrow shaper, eye shadow and blusher, and thought it once again covered my beard shadow well.  So, off I went, into the unknown.

No issues at the Saratoga Springs Amtrak station…

You can see the train I rode, on the far right edge of the picture, waiting for an Amtrak train to clear the station before boarding passengers.

When the excursion train boarding time arrived, staff used the appropriate pronouns and addressed me as a female.  My seating was in first class, so they directed me into the dome car.  There were 3 people already seated at my table (one guy, two gals, all related), and I became the fourth.  We introduced ourselves, by first names (I used my regular first name, which is now used by females), and I softened my normal voice, but only a little, in hopes of being able to stay consistent all day.  From that point on, my table mates presumed (or at least treated me as though) I was female.

They asked me to take a picture of them with their camera, which I did, and one of the girls reciprocated for me.  They continued to treat me as a woman through the entire trip.  After brunch, when one of the girls wanted to take pictures from the rear vestibule, she asked me to join her…which I gladly did.

On the dome car, the women and men each had separate restrooms.  However, shortly after departure they took the women’s room out of service, so everyone used the men’s room.  And there were unisex restrooms on the rest of the train.  I had to use them several times to reapply my lipstick and powder my nose.  (Sound familiar, girls?)  Unfortunately most of the other women – including my table mates, weren’t wearing makeup, thus I didn’t get invited to join them in the restroom!

Upon arrival in North Creek, there was a bus waiting to take us to a local shop or two, that were too far out of town to reach on foot.  When we got back into town, everyone started visiting the local merchants.  (Where, when I needed a restroom, I was directed to the women’s room.  Which I used.)

Some folks came away from their shopping with lots of “finds.”  Others, like yours truly, bought little or nothing.  A number of women chatted with me while we were waiting to re-board the excursion train.  Their husbands also treated me as a female, and one of them even gave me the seat next to his wife in the station, “so you girls can talk.”  Wow – that’s a first!

Our return train departed on time, and since my new friends, including the girl with the camera, wanted to be near a dutch door or clear window for taking pictures of tthe sights, they elected to move to one of the almost-empty coaches – with sparkling windows.  Needless to say, after some hot soup in the dome, (to warm up after walking all afternoon in the cold), I joined them.  And we had a fun ride back…our new little traveling group!  After a toast to a fine day with my new friends (who know me only as a woman – a big first for me), the girl with the camera and I kept running to the open dutch doors in the vestibule and amassed many pretty pictures, since the sun had finally come out.  

Before you ask, no, I’m not naive enough to believe my traveling companions (and also some, if not all, of the folks I interacted with) didn’t realize that I was a CD’er or TG.  That would be a huge stretch of the imagination.  But it was wonderful to realize that so many people could be so accepting and caring. 

When I got back to the motel after the excursion,  the better half and I decided that dinner was in order.  My makeup still looked fairly good (with just a bit of touch up),  since it was dark outside.  As we walked toward the lobby on the balcony by the pool, I was shocked to hear “Hey, it’s the Train Lady!!  Hi there (insert my real but feminine first name here)“ from the ground floor below.   I looked down, amazed, and recognized her so I waved back and said “Hi!  Didn’t realize you were staying here! Looks like this is a great motel for us train riders!” as we headed for the door – the better half and I were both hungry.  “Gotta run.  So have a wonderful evening!”  “You too…” And we moved on, looking like two ladies heading out for shopping.  The better half again made no comment. 

Absolutely nothing was said about the exchange during dinner, which really was just a recount of each of our activities during our busy day, quite ordinary discussion-wise.  I just “neglected to mention” that I had somehow managed to be accepted as female all day, without wearing a dress or seriously feminizing my voice, and she didn’t ask me about it.  (Maybe it’s the domestic version of “Don’t ask, Don’t tell”????)   

And, to add icing to the cake, both the greeter and server at dinner addressed us as “ladies.” The server asked if we wanted separate checks, which the better half declined.  When our server brought the check, she placed it on the table so that one of us would actively have to reach for it, instead of handing it to “the gentleman” – since there obviously wasn’t one present!

A perfectly fitting ending to a fabulous day…as well as a picture-perfect vacation – that I think even pleased the better half.  And I may have just helped myself “kick the closet door open” a bit wider for public events…   The most important take-away:  as Marian has pointed out,  I don’t necessarily have to wear a dress or skirt in order to be recognized as female – and that’s good, since cold weather typically cuts down on numbers of females in dresses.

I’m certainly finding myself feeling more confident as a woman…and that’s a good thing.  

Mandy

With some future trips beginning to be considered, once again, my wife has taken exception to my wearing these sandals while we’re on them:

This past summer, I’ve been wearing them during warmer weather – indeed since they were new back in December of 2015, and out and about with her occasionally.   The only reason given was “they’re too girly, men don’t wear white shoes.”  Apparently it’s OK if I wear them around the house in her presence, or when I’m in town or traveling alone.  

So – I will wear them when I can! They’re too comfortable to give up!

Interestingly, my shorts (below) have been around for years.  The inseam is a bit over 3″, so they almost qualify as “short shorts.”  When I sit down, my legs are very much on display – there’s no possible way to hide them.   And I’ve worn them in her presence.  

So far, not a peep!  (I’m not arguing, mind you!)  But to me, the sandals don’t seem quite as feminine as my shorts which, being dark, might even be mistaken for a short skirt…

C’est la Vie!

Mandy

After Thanksgiving Day, I visited the hardware store where I frequently shop, to pick up some LED medium base (standard) light bulbs which were on sale at a very favorable price.

The 40something helpful hardware man was telling me all about LED bulbs and the color choices (soft white, daylight, etc.)  I already knew, but listened as a woman would, while he talked.  I made my choice, then asked if the 40 watt equivalent were priced the same as the 60 watt equivalent.  He checked with someone in the back, and said yes.  So I took a carton of each, and he said, “Thanks for shopping here, Ma’am.”  “You’re welcome, Sir” was my response, and I headed for the checkout register.

A 50something female clerk rang up my order, and said “That’ll be XX, Ma’am.”   Well,  the price hadn’t rung up correctly.  So I told her what the man had said, and she called the manager…  “There’s a lady here whose order didn’t ring up right.”  The manager came over, heard the story, and said “Unfortunately the two bulbs are not priced the same.  But due to the confusion, we’ll give it to you.  Sorry for the delay, Ma’am.”   After she left, the cashier at the lane behind me said “That’s a good price for those, Ma’am.”  I agreed with her, and as soon as my order finished ringing up, I headed out, saying “You ladies all have a great day!”  Their response:  “You too, Ma’am.”

Due to the 12 degree cold, I was wearing my tan stirrup pants over black tights, an untucked dark turtleneck tunic over a sleeveless camisole, freshly clear-coated (very shiny) light pink nails, a necklace, ancient ankle booties (too cold for flats), my new winter coat with fur lined hood, and my purse.   No makeup.   With the exception of the ankle booties, I’ve worn everything else there before, and most of the clerks know me.  I wonder if these folks are the second string, i.e. part-timers being “railroaded” to work an undesirable early shift in such cold weather.

If that’s not the case, I can only hope they finally decided that I’m female.  Time will tell…

Mandy

As you read this, remember that this vacation occurred over 5 years ago. Some editorial updates have been made.

The day dawned sunny, but with rain in the forecast. On the docket was a quick morning return visit to the Nobska lighthouse, then off to the boat for a ferry ride to Martha’s Vineyard.  We elected to take the car over with us. because we had too many sights on our to-do list, to rely on walking or taking their public transportation.  When we checked the car in at the dock, the attendant used no gender-specific pronouns as we talked.

Martha’s Vineyard was discovered in 1602 by Bartholomew Gosnold, a British fisherman.  He named it after his firstborn daughter and the thick vegetation, which resembled a vineyard.  The island is roughly triangular-shaped, with its base the straight south shore, and northern points facing Cape Cod.  It’s 9 miles wide and 26 miles long, and the total area is about 96 square miles, with 124 miles of shoreline spread over six small towns,   About a third of the land mass is protected from future development.

At departure time, It was quite cool and very windy, but nonetheless, I chose to ride on the front observation deck of the ferry Island Home for a while. 

My better half elected to stay inside, not wanting to be chilly.  Since I was determined to have a picture taken outside, I shamelessly asked a guy who was standing there next to me if he’d mind taking my picture..  “I’d be happy to, Ma’am.”  

The above was his creation.  He did well.  Funny thing was…it all happened in full view of the better half.  I simply said to her afterward that it was nice of him to take the pic, and she said that if he was willing to stand out there in the wind and cold, then it was fine that I asked him – and she chose not to pursue it further.

Managed to get a picture of the cars inside the ferry enroute:

They surely are crammed in there!

Once on Martha’s Vineyard, our sightseeing began in earnest. Off to the Gay Head Cliffs!

There were no further public interactions until we arrived at the Gay Head Light in Aquinnah.  (Yes, Gay Head Light really is its name!)  During our tour, the guide referred to us as ladies.  “Where are you ladies from?”  The rest of our conversation was of the same nature – we were both ladies.

And the nice docent gave us permission to go up the stairs to the light, since her little charges (a school group) hadn’t arrived. Needless to say, I was the only girl to go up to the top…that turned out to be a good choice. It was a tight squeeze. But, the view was great!

This beautiful and historic lighthouse is in danger of falling into the sea within the next decade or so, because the clay cliffs it is built on are eroding at about 6 feet per year.  If the process is not begun within the next year or two at the most, there will not be enough solid ground to bear the weight of the machinery needed to move it, and it will be doomed.   Plans are to take it out of service at the end of 2014 and proceed with the move, but they are still short of funds to finish it, so the fundraising continues.

Update as of December 2019: Yes, the lighthouse was moved inland 130 feet on May 30, 2015. Engineers say it should now be safe for the next 100 years!

When we inquired about restrooms, the tour guide at the lighthouse said “Ladies, the restroom over there in the park is open, but there is a small charge.”   So, I suggested to the better half that we both use the women’s room for safety, since there was nobody else nearby at that moment.  She looked over at the little building standing alone in the big field, and said “everyone’s decided that we’re two girls, so why not.” 

It definitely was a first – entering a women’s public multi-stall washroom with the better half.  Though in hindsight, I wonder if she might have agreed that it was a safety thing for herself… Due to the isolated location, anyone “could” have been in there waiting for a woman to enter.   There wasn’t, however.  And for me, it was quite an experience! 

While waiting in the women’s room for her to finish, I could see through the slightly-ajar opaque window, that three really grubby-dirty-looking, bearded and mustachioed, late teen or twenty-something males walked by – and went into the men’s room next door.  Now, you may say, and we’ll never know for sure, that they may have had perfectly honorable intentions.  Looks can obviously be deceiving. But it’s also within the realm of possibility that my own safety that day had been guaranteed, by virtue of my being in the ladies’ room. Life certainly has strange turns of events!

In walking around the cottages in Oak Bluffs (pictures above), we came across a gaggle of 50-something ladies in a commercial bus tour group.  As I was waiting for the better half to check some of the cottages,  I asked one of the ladies where the group was from (Alabama).  And that led to a few minutes discussion, in which we related as women.  There was no evidence that they thought I was other than what I seemed to be.

And in other interpersonal relations that day, I was addressed as female.  All in the presence of my better half.  With no comment from her, either way….   On the way home, I was addressed as “Miss” when checking the car on the ferry boat, capping my finest feminine day of the trip so far, if not the year!

Found this relic in town as we walked about. It wasn’t operating as it was the wrong season. But it’s in very good condition!

And another good find was:

The Tabernacle is the spiritual center of what was a large Methodist summer campground with open air Christian revivals. It was built in 1879 by John Hoyt of Springfield, MA. Currently, church services are held weekly in July and August. and a variety of cultural events are offered each summer. Definitely a warm weather thing…as it is open to the breeze. Great in the hot summer. Not so much in the winter.

But wait – there’s more! Stay tuned.

Mandy

Remember as you read this, that the vacation took place over 5 years ago!

The better half and I began our Cape Cod exploration day on a Monday.  It began with a run up the cape to Provincetown, which is the wonderful little place where US Route 6, and the land, both end.  Near the end, sand dunes became the predominant landscape, as might be expected.

P-town itself is full of  fascinating little shops just brimming wtth eclectic things to see, buy and do, as well as little restaurants and inns up and down the streets.  I hope to return someday soon…and be wearing a skirt instead of leggings!

Notice the Pilgrim Monument (the tower, above left) which was built between 1907 and 1919 to commemorate the first landing of the Mayflower Pilgrims in Provincetown on 11/11/1620. It is almost 253′ tall and rises 350 ft above sea level.

This is the last pic of me that I could convince the better half to take.  From here on, all the selfies are with the help of someone else, or my very convenient lightweight portable hand grip/tripod.  Not fancy, very old (was my father’s), but very functional, and it has served as a conversation starter many times.

Then an afternoon downstreet view…

And lastly, a typical sunset over Cape Cod Bay…

P-town was so relaxed and picturesque, that I think spending a couple of days there (during the spring or fall) might be fun…and a great way to become more used to presenting as a female and gaining more confidence in my femininity.  Though I still doubt that attending Fantasia Fair is in the picture, at least for the next year or two…as of 2019, hasn’t happened yet!

On a day which dawned sunny and chilly, the better half and I elected to start by visiting the Chatham Lighthouse, to get a morning view.  That is what you see here. 

From there we drove around town and came upon a striking example of Victorian-era architecture (also called Railroad Gothic), the railroad depot.  It was the stepping off – and on – point for riders of the old Chatham Railroad, which served the town on a seven-mile strip of railway from 1887-1937. Today the depot houses the Chatham Railroad Museum, including relics from the era, a 75-year-old caboose from the New York Central system, and a diorama of the Chatham train yards of 1915.   Being a ferroequinologist at heart, I couldn’t resist getting a picture beside their pretty caboose.

From there, the weather started a downhill turn, as the clouds moved in.  The closer we got to Falmouth, MA the cloudier it got.  Not to be deterred, we went on into Woods Hole, to locate the ferry embarcation point for tomorrow’s adventures, and explore a place new to us.

A centerpiece of the town and dock area is the Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory’s Office of Marine Operations (OMO)m which currently operates the research vessel Marcus G. Langseth that serves as the national seismic research facility for the United States academic research community. The R/V Marcus G. Langseth‘s unique seismic capability allows it to provide both 2D and 3D maps of the earth’s structure miles below the seafloor. Utilizing the vessel’s other capabilities, expeditions have collected sediment cores for understanding climate variations throughout the Earth’s history, sampled seawater for determining physical and chemical properties of the oceans, and deployed remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) for studying submarine volcanoes. Scientists and researchers from all over the world are encouraged to participate in research programs aboard the Langseth.

Another centerpiece of Woods Hole is the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, which is famous for its Human Occupied Vehicle named “Alvin.”  WHOI operates the U.S. Navy-owned Deep Submergence Vehicle Alvin for the national oceanographic community. Built in 1964 as one of the world’s first deep-ocean submersibles, Alvin has made more than 4,400 dives. It can reach nearly 63 percent of the global ocean floor.

The sub’s most famous exploits include locating a lost hydrogen bomb in the Mediterranean Sea in 1966, exploring the first known hydrothermal vent sites in the 1970s, and surveying the wreck of RMS Titanic in 1986. 

A mock-up of the cabin is shown below:  

Also we visited Nobska Light (seen below), which was nearby, and then ended the day with a delicious seafood dinner. 

Stand by…more to follow!

Mandy

To any readers of my old blog, following me to this site, thanks for checking out this new one. I hope you’ll follow my postings, as you did the at the previous blog.

Many thanks!

Mandy