Me, the Atlantic Ocean, and a Drag Queen

This weekend Ken and I visited my parents on Cape Cod, and since it was supposed to be the first gorgeous weekend of the season (and year), my parents and I decided to open Ken's mind a little bit more and take him to Provincetown.

Provincetown, if you're not familiar, is not only the farthest point east in Massachusetts, but it could be the rainbow capital east of the Mississippi. The San Francisco of the East Coast, if you will. And you can not leave Provincetown without having seen a drag queen. No matter what time of year. And I love it.

We began our journey at the beginning of Commercial Street, which is like Main Street USA in Disney World - it's the center of town, where everything exists. And mind you, that is where the comparison to Disney ends. We're walking down the street when I hear Frank Sinatra on someone's radio. I love Frank. As I turn the corner to follow the sound, I see a woman lip-synching into a microphone. As I get closer, I notice that the woman is actually singing, not lip-synching. And I think that she has a pretty deep voice. And there is a sign at her feet with her name. Ellie. But then I notice, Ellie is not a woman. This man is wearing a skirt the size of a scarf and I am jealous because he has better legs than I do. And a better singing voice, but I'm much more focused on his legs. We all stopped to watch, which people were doing from ten feet away. Ken kept repeating, "Ohmigawd" as we continued walking. I don't think it's what he expected. I wanted to take a picture to add to my Ramblings, but photos of Ellie were not allowed. I was a little bummed.

We then went into one of many art galleries. Every other storefront is an art gallery in Provincetown. Art ranges from the gorgeous Cape backdrops to the racy alternative lifestyle themed prints only suitable for adults. In this particular gallery, we got the best of both worlds. There were many sections where I saw some paintings that I would have loved to hang over my living room couch... and then there was the one section that made Ken turn around and walk away. When I caught up to him later, he asked, "Was he sucking what I think he was sucking?" Ah yes, you gotta love Provincetown.

I was raised to be completely open-minded. Be compassionate. Don't judge. Don't discriminate. And so I don't. I went to college in the city and when I graduated, I rented an apartment with two other girls and I experienced life. I took risks and it made me more aware of how to be. Ken was raised a little differently. So this weekend opened his eyes to people who I don't give a second thought to. I do give a second glance, because seeing a man in drag or two men holding hands as they walk down the street together is not what I'm used to in my every day life. But I love it. And it's still a little shock to Ken but he mostly laughs it off.

Don't get me wrong. Commercial Street is not all about this. That is just a piece of what it has to offer. One side of Provincetown is Commercial Street. Art galleries and shopping and museums and cafes right along the water. Freedom of expression and the freedom to be - no matter who you are. The other side of Provincetown is home to the most beautiful beach - Race Point Beach, home to Race Point Lighthouse. We stopped at the beach and walked the dunes and walked into the water, just to say that unless someone was on a boat, we were farthest east than anyone in Massachusetts.

If you're not offended by any of this, then I recommend a visit to the Cape and a few hours in Provincetown. It is such a great place to sit and people watch, which I love to do. It is the only place I have ever been to where anyone can walk down the street and not be judged by what they look like, what they're wearing, who they're with, or what they're doing. Everything is accepted in Provincetown. Because chances are, if you see something that is weird, you'll see something weirder in a moment.