foxy

Now at the Metropolitan Museum in NYC. The ancient Greeks and Romans lived in a much more colorful world than people realized. Thanks to scientific research on ancient statues we now know that all those white marble statues and even the bronze ones were painted in bright realistic colors. 

Happy Birthday Cooper!

How ironic that all the things most of us wish for, beauty, youth, fame and fortune led him to years of depression. Happily he recovered and eventually accepted Wally. Reruns of Leave It To Beaver keep his image alive….ironically. 

Somehow I must have missed the coat made of salmon skin. 

This afternoon I spent a few hours on the campus of the University of British Columbia to visit the Museum of Anthropology. The big draw is the large hall of totem poles on display. However the hall is being reconstructed to make it earth quake proof. The totem poles are stil on display only horizontally. It was interesting to watch the video of workers wrapping and moving these enormous objects. 

I do recommend the Fire Island book in my opening post. The early history and all the famous people who went there is really fascinating. I think sometime this summer/fall I’d love to go back and see what the scene is now . 

I also spent time in Cherry Grove usually when I was by myself and didn’t have a house rental. Cherry Grove was a friendlier environment. In the Pines if you were looking for sex you had to have a few things going for you. 

You had to be young, you had to be beautiful, you had to have a perfect body and with luck a big dick. 

Without these you would be mostly ignored and invisible. However for me what worked was I didn’t care. Every morning while taking a stroll on the boardwalk, usually to shop at the Pantry, I’d give everyone I passed a big cheery good morning. It was rarely returned. While that would infuriate most people I thought it was funny. Especially after you’ve walked passed the same person several times and they’d begrudgingly say good morning back. I win ha ha. 

When I was with my husband and friends I didn’t really care about hooking up. Or the lack of it. It was all about the beach.

A few times when I was by myself I’d stay at the Belvedere Guest House. It’s still there under new management. It’s about as over the top as you can get and often the guys who stayed there had a sense of humor and were friendlier. Not sure about now. 

Thank you for posting your blog. I enjoyed reading it. It captured a lot of what the Pines and Provincetown have to offer. Personally I prefer Fire Island because it’s closer but not having cars is really wonderful. It’s not an easy place for day trippers as there are few hotel accommodations and house renting is incredibly expensive which is why many people don’t get to visit. But that makes it less crowded. The fact that it became a sexual paradise became more important for a while that it’s a natural paradise. To spend some time there can be life changing. I need to go back. 
 

49 minutes ago, Tygerscent said:

Gosh… you’re pining fire island… the irony there. 

I started going to Fire Island before the AIDS epidemic hit. I would rent a house with my husband and we’d invite a few good friends. Unlike many of the people who went there we were not there for the sex but for the magnificent beach. I was usually having a cup of coffee walking on the beach at dawn when many others were staggering back to their houses. Most of the time we never left the house after dinner and would enjoy sunset from our deck and mostly be in bed before midnight when most people were getting ready to go out. We did always go to the afternoon tea dance which was great fun. Fire Island may be one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. I do pine for it. 

My post about drag queens has been taken much more seriously than I intended. As a bit of an explanation the other night I was looking for a movie to watch on the various streaming services I subscribe to. It seemed every movie I found with gay characters, drag queens seemed a big part of the story. So I thought as I scrolled “I’m getting so tired of drag queens”. That’s it folks. Nothing more, nothing less. 

I started renting a house at the Pines over 45 years ago. I went mostly for the beautiful beach which was of course filled with beautiful men. A lot went on. I haven’t been back in several years. Curious to know if anyone here spends time out there and what things are like these days?
I’ve been reading this book which brings back a lot of memories both good and sad. 

5 hours ago, savantsav said:

Yikes.

Drag is no different than being a mime or a clown, the only difference is that they wear "opposite gender" clothes (clothes are genderless). If you don't like them because "I don't like that kind of entertainment" is one thing, but not liking them because "as a gay man I don't want to dress up as a woman" it's like, "then don't? nobody is asking you to". Hating on drag queens for no real reason screams of internal homophobia. Figure out what about a man dressing as a woman triggers you so badly, especially when it's not you doing it, it's someone else. Drag shows aren't my cup of tea, but I don't care enough to make a post about it complain about it, that's the difference.

I would suggest you reread my post and you might see I never said I didn’t like drag queens. There was no expressed or implied hatred towards drag queens because I don’t hate them. I simply said I was tired of them. There’s a very big difference. I regret you misunderstood my post. 

I have nothing against drag queens. I respect the amount of work that goes into it. I realize there are many talented people who perform as drag queens. I’ve seen my share of Drag Race. But it’s just not who I am as a gay man. I really have no desire to dress up and impersonate a woman. If someone wants to do that it’s fine. Go ahead. I just feel like it gets too much press but I suppose that’s because it’s so obvious. I think gay men are so much more than putting on a dress. Do we always have to be clowns to get attention? 
Yes, yes I realize there’s more out there but honestly I’m just so tired of drag queens  

Today I saw the ABT production of this ballet at the Lincoln Center Metropolitan Opera House. Choreography by Alexi Ratmansky and music by Aram Khachaturian it made for a fun and quite sexy production. 

At the Met Museum today I saw the second part of the new fashion exhibit. Men’s and women’s dress from the 18th century to the present installed in period rooms of the American Wing. History buffs might enjoy seeing clothes owned and worn by Abraham and Mary Todd Lincoln. 

This may sound silly but rocks and minerals are often valued (like so many things) by how pretty they are. Of course there are minerals that are valued by their rarity but most amateur collectors just go for eye appeal. You might find a local club or rock hound who can help you out. 

If you were a Michael Jackson fan you’ll love this show. I was never a real fan myself but this show changed my mind. Myles Frost who plays the adult Michael is astonishing. The dance numbers are breathtaking. There are some incredible bodies on stage. 

Two new films I really enjoyed. They couldn’t be more different but both compelling. Drive My Car is 3 hours and is not a fast paced film but worth the time if you just settle into it. It won lots of awards and deservedly so I think. 

Beautiful show of many paintings by Winslow Homer both oils and some superb watercolors. Known primarily as a marine painter but this show has many early works painted after the Civil War. 

City Center has announced that it’s acclaimed production of Into The Woods is moving to the St. James Theater June 28 for an 8 week run. Good news! There are a few changes to the cast but the new actors are equally as talented. I look forward to seeing this a second time. 

The Palm Springs Art Museum is a gem of a museum. I’ve always enjoyed their exhibits and that it does a little of everything. Art, science and just fun stuff. It’s a great way to spend a day. 

OK

I didn’t see Ethel Merman in Gypsy but I did see Angela Lansbury in the  role in 1974. When she did the number Together Wherever You Go the audience went wild and literally stopped the show. It was, I think, the only time I ever saw that happen. The cast just stood there while the audience kept screaming. It was strange since it’s not exactly a major number. After a few minutes the audience calmed down and to everyone’s surprise they did the whole number all over again. The audience went ballistic. Angela Lansbury just stood there laughing. It was one of those crazy theater moments. 

I saw the show today. I’m happy to report that Beanie was much better than expected. Is she Barbra? No. But no one is. Still she brought a sweetness to the role and she ended both acts with a pretty rousing version of Don’t Rain On My Parade. She’s got a good voice and perhaps is growing into the role. It’s not a great show but that’s more a problem of the book. I’d recommend it if you just keep your expectations at medium. 

It’s on my to do list of shows to see.