Family Wedding - Beach Style

Posting has been reduced and will remain so for much of the weekend as the husband and I enjoy a beach wedding weekend out of state.  The ceremony (pictured above) was yesterday afternoon followed by a reception at a lovely B&B. Thankfully, the weather continues to be beautiful today and we will enjoy some R&R without the pets who are at home with a house sitter!  We love our dogs, but traveling is definitely easier and more relaxing without them. 

Faded Atlantic City Casino to Chase the Pink Dollar

With New York State poised to rake in perhaps $1 billion a year following the enactment of same sex marriage, one casino in Atlantic City, New Jersey seems to be likewise hoping to benefit from pink tourism dollars. Of course, the casino's cause would be helped significantly if the New Jersey legislature were to follow New York's lead and embrace marriage equality. While states like South Carolina and Virginia make themselves as unwelcoming as possible to LGBT citizens, other states and businesses realize that religious based bigotry and intolerance are not good for the bottom line. As I have noted before, when the boyfriend and I travel, we typical seek out gay excepting destinations such as New York City, Key West, Ft. Lauderdale and Washington, D.C. - all of which equates to a financial drain from Virginia. The New York Times looks at the Resorts Casino Hotel to encourage gay guests, including a full time gay bar and drag shows. It is interesting that the hotel operator believes that gays will also attract younger visitors. Here are some highlights:
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At the Resorts Casino Hotel, the somewhat faded Boardwalk grande dame that became this city’s first casino in 1978 after New Jersey legalized the business, you can find slots and blackjack, concert posters featuring performers like Paul Anka and Wayne Newton, the de rigueur all-you-can-eat buffet and the other familiar diversions of Casinoland. But there is also a rainbow flag flying above the entryway. There is Prohibition, a new nightclub that is believed to be the first full-time gay bar at any big American casino. Across the hall is a female impersonators’ show. On the hotel’s Web site, a menu tab reads “LGBT.”
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[T]he opening of Prohibition in May was a sign that just as the city has courted various markets over the years — Asians, families and others — it is now reaching out to gay customers as a way to cope with too much competition and too few gamblers.
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“I feel like I’m doing something that needs to be done, but it’s perfect because the right thing to do is the lucrative thing to do, too,” said Dennis C. Gomes, who in December became co-owner and chief executive of the faltering casino, which he says lost $20 million last year. So far the new club has been a big hit, drawing local customers and visitors from New York, Philadelphia and Washington.
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“As a gay person, the places you could go to were almost creepy, not chic at all,” said Francois Dagenais of Montreal, a singer and dancer who has appeared in Atlantic City shows for 10 years. “We’re looking for the same thing as everyone else. We have money to spend and want to have fun. I don’t know why this didn’t happen before.”
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The idea, part of the hotel’s ’20s-themed makeover, was not just that members of the gay community were a ripe market, but that they were something of a pop culture signifier whose support would also pull in a younger, hipper audience than Resorts had been attracting.
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[S]ome experts say that Atlantic City has particular potential for gay patrons because of its beach scene, period architecture, louche history, access to urban communities from New York to Washington and even the campy resonance of the Miss America Pageant.
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At Resorts, Mr. Gomes and Mr. Ballesteros, his marketing executive, discussed whether a gay presence would turn off a general audience. They agreed that in Atlantic City at least, that train had left the station. Instead, a bigger problem might be the opposite. At the drag show one recent night, the delighted audience was mostly heterosexual couples, average age hovering around 55. “It’s been great so far,” Mr. Diorio, the server, said. “But we did have one customer who came in, took a look around and said, ‘There went our gay bar.’ ”

A Family Wedding

My youngest sister's daughter is getting married today and the boyfriend and I will be attending. In fact, he is doing my niece's and sister's hair for the event since their normal stylist is out of town. The wedding and reception will be held at a large beach house - eight bedrooms and 9 bathrooms - in the Sandbridge area of Virginia Beach (the photo at right is a view from the area where the house is located and the one below is a sunrise scene). Virginia Beach borders North Carolina and Sandbridge is basically the northern most part of the Outer Banks of North Carolina where they attach to the mainland. My youngest daughter will also be going to the affair. Hopefully, the weather will cooperate so we can take full advantage of the beautiful setting.
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This is the first large family event since the psychodrama surrounding my late mother's death and funeral which led me to have a separate memorial service. All of my living siblings and just about all of their children will be there and, thus, it will be interesting to see how the day plays out. I'm not one to typically hold grudges and my issues were never with my youngest sister. I hope my niece has a magical day. Her husband to be is a cutie and seems like a truly sweet guy. I am facing the day with both excitement and apprehension.
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As for being at the beach, it should be wonderful. The one thing I miss living in Hampton as opposed to Norfolk or Virginia Beach is the distance from the beach and surfing. Having to drive an hour - as opposed to 10-15 minutes as when I lived in Virginia Beach - makes one think twice about getting out the surf board and paddling out. One of my resolutions is to get back in the water more regularly and restore my lost endurance. It's great therapy and tones the upper body too!

Rehoboth Beach Weekend Reflections

Overall, it was a whirlwind trip and the weather could have been much, much better. None the less, we had a great time and were also able to catch up with longtime friends of mine - who it turns out are getting married in Washington, D.C., this week for both romantic and pragmatic reasons. Their situation is a perfect example of why civil marriage rights for same sex couples is so necessary. Here's how the story goes:

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A's former employer provided domestic partner benefits so A had B - who has been his partner for 18 years - on his health coverage through his employer. A's company was bought out by another company which only gives such health coverage benefits to "married" couples married in either their home state or the state where they are employed. As a result of not being "married", B lost his coverage and had to go on COBRA for inferior coverage at a far higher premium. By getting legally married in DC, where A works, B can again be fully covered by A's company benefits.
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Getting back to the weekend, for a small historic resort area, Rehoboth has great restaurants and equally great gay and gay friendly clubs. Saturday night we went to three different bars/clubs and they were all in less than a 10 block radius. Besides being gay friendly - something that the Virginia Beach resort area is decidedly not, Rehoboth has so many fewer "tourist trap" stores that all sell the exact same junk that few refined travelers would want to buy. If Virginia Beach had any sense, a part of the resort strip would be set aside to cultivate gay travelers.
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In any event, we are going back to Rehoboth Beach for the July 4th weekend and looking forward to seeing the place in summer with the benefit of locals to show us around and give us a place to stay. It should be fun. Oh, did I mention that the place was originally founded in the 1800's to be a "Christian beach resort?" Things have certainly changed.

Rehoboth Weekend

Nearly a year ago the boyfriend bought a weekend package at a B&B (the Royal Rose Inn - pictured above) in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware at a silent auction at Equality Virginia's Commonwealth Dinner. Since the package is about to expire, we are driving up this morning for the weekend. The weather forecast sucks, but then it sucks here as well, so if one must endure a rainy weekend, we might as well have a change of scenery. I also have friends who now live in Rehoboth so it we also give us a chance to visit. It's been years since I was up there to visit them. With the traveling, blog posts will be perhaps irregular, but I will put up as many as time allows.

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We are a little slow on the uptake this morning because the boyfriend did something so typical of him that demonstrates what a sweet guy he is: an 86 year old friend's cat - which is like her child - was in distress last evening so he took her and the cat to a 24/7 animal hospital in Virginia Beach last night. He did not return home until after 1:30 AM. I am happy to report that the cat will recover thanks to receiving medical attention and the boyfriend is sleeping in a little later than usual. He does so much for others and is truly one of the sweetest, most loving guys I have ever known. I'm not sure at times what he sees in me, but I am so very lucky to have him in my life.

Random Thoughts

My 4th of July has been low key so far - some yard work and then an outing to the beach in Ocean View (there were no good waves for surfing) where I ran into some friends on the beach and proceeded to have a pleasant time, including trying a "Georgia martini" comprised of lime juice, vodka, peach schnapps and the juice of a fresh peach. One of the things that we discovered as we chatted for several hours is that one of my friends in the straight phase of her life was a friend of my youngest sister. Moreover, her children and my niece and nephew were friends through middle school. At one point we had a scare when the beach patrol came by and I thought that either (1) they suspected the "martinis" were not Gatorade or (2) that me wearing a speedo on the beach - which I can do again after losing a some weight - constituted public indecency (it probably would in Virginia Beach where it's like a police state in the resort area). Luckily, they were just handing out information sheets to beach goers.

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The rest of my holiday weekend will be relatively low key as well. I have a birthday party to attend tomorrow night (the same hosts as where I went to another one recently for a fellow HRBOR board member) , brunch with my youngest daughter on Sunday and then a pool party at the gorgeous home of a gay couple which backs up to a scenic lake and has a beautiful pool. My tan will definitely be a bit darker by the end of the weekend. In addition, I suspect at some point either tonight or tomorrow night I will go to The Wave for some aerobic exercise, a/k/a dancing.

Incredible Heat

While not record breaking (the record for June 8th was set in 1899), the Norfolk area is baking under unusually high temperatures - yesterday it was over 100 degrees and the forecast is for today, Monday and Tuesday to be equally hot combined with high humidity. Typically, we do not experience this kind of heat for another month or so. It has warmed up the waters of Chesapeake Bay and the Atlantic Ocean significantly from just two weekends ago. Since this weekend is Harbor Fest - a waterfront festival on the Norfolk's waterfront complete with tall ships, there's a risk of people being overcome by the heat.

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I went to the beach yesterday which was not too uncomfotable due to a pleasant longshore breeze. Inland, it was like a blast furnace. The water which two weeks ago was too cold for my taste was actually pleasant and I went in the Bay several times (I went to the Bay because there are once again there were no decent waves for surfing). Last evening, I went to Mixers first - a lesbian band, Wicked Vixens, which was very good - was playing and then I went to The Wave to dance. Even with the air-conditioning cranked up to the max, it was rather hot in both clubs since even into the evening it was still in the uper 80's. Nonetheless, I had a good time and got in plenty of aerobic exercise.

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I am debating on whether to go to the beach again today - I need to work on my tan - or opt for staying indoors. I need to do more painting on the front porch, but may wait for cooler temperatures.

Sunday Thoughts - Update

The beach was wonderful - cloudless sky, light breeze off the water to keep it comfortable, and plenty of open space between the beachgoers (I cannot understand going to a beach where your fellow beach goers are two to three feet away from you). The water is still about 60 F degrees, so it's not swimming temperature yet - at least by local standards. Later in the season, Chesapeake Bay gets up close to 80 degrees, while the ocean usually tops out at about 76 or so. There is always something so relaxing about the sound of the waves on the beach that makes thoughts and cares wade into the back ground.

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I will probably just chill tonight - I went dancing last night at The Wave with my straight friend, Vivian, and saw many of the usual crowd. I find dancing bot a great aerobic workout and a great stress reliever too. I am definitely lucky to have three clubs withing a 7 block radius of the house.

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Not sure what tomorrow will bring. Depending on the weather and whether I got over cooked in the sun today, it may be another day at the beach after putting a second coat of paint of the door and porch areas I painted today. Right now, I'm fixing black beans and rice with sausage New Orleans style. I hope all my readers are having a great weekend.

Sunday Thoughts

It is a gorgeous day today and after doing some painting on the front porch I am headed to the beach. Since the surf is non-existent, I'm going to the beach in Ocean View so that I can avoid the swarms of tourists at Oceanfront. The guy I've been seeing for the last two weeks is out of town at a family gathering, so I'm going to chill, get some rays and do some pleasure reading. I'll probably post more later today.

Fruitcake Cuccinelli Announces Run for Republican Candidate for Attorney General

Virginia state senator Kenneth T. Cuccinelli, who is at least as crazy as Sally Kern and just as much of a gay-hater, has announced he is running to be the GOP candidate for Virginia Attorney General. Having just barely won re-election last fall, in my view the man is delusional if he thinks he can win a statewide race. Moreover, should he get the GOP attorney general nomination and Bob "Taliban Bob" McDonnell be the GOP nominee for governor, the GOP would be putting forth the most anti-gay, reactionary ticket in recent memory. I can only hope that they both go down to resounding defeat and then perhaps the Republican Party of Virginia will get the message that Virginia's citizens are moving forward in the 21st century and are tired of the GOP's efforts to keep Virginia in the 1950's. Here are some story highlights (http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/V/VA_CUCCINELLI_ATTORNEY_GENERAL_VAOL-?SITE=VANOV&SECTION=STATE&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT):

Cuccinelli, 39, is among the Senate's most forceful opponents of abortion rights, gun control, gay rights and no-fault divorce, an advocate for classroom prayer in public schools and crackdowns on illegal or undocumented immigrants.

Cuccinelli's announcement follows by one week the announcement by Republican Lt. Gov. Bill Bolling to pass on a run for governor. His decision, along with former Gov. George Allen's choice to sit out the race, leaves Attorney General Bob McDonnell uncontested for the GOP nomination. Cuccinelli won the 39th District seat from western Fairfax County in a 2002 special election, succeeding Republican Sen. Warren E. Barry, who resigned to head the state Alcoholic Beverage Control Board.

Five years later, with Democrats resurgent statewide, Cuccinelli raised more than $1.2 million to defeat Democratic challenger Janet Oleszek. His re-election was affirmed only after a recount found that he won by 101 votes out of more than 37,000 cast. Two other Republican senators from Fairfax County - the state's most populous locality - lost their seats to Democrats, and Cuccinelli's narrow victory makes him the lone GOP senator from the immediate suburbs of Washington, D.C.

Cuccinelli's record of supporting legislation to substantially curb abortion access, crack down on illegal aliens and battle what he calls "the homosexual agenda" has made him a hero of religious and social conservatives, a following he has nurtured for years as a political base for his first statewide run. Most of the six anti-abortion bills he has sponsored in his 1 1/2 terms in the Senate went after clinics that perform abortions and would have put most of them out of business by requiring them to meet the same equipment and construction standards as hospitals.

Monday Musings

I did not post yesterday for the first time in weeks. After a lazy morning, we went to the beach in the Ocean View area of Norfolk (photos are posted above), arriving around noon. We went to the beach there because my Jeep is in the shop for repairs, so I had no way to get my surfboard to Oceanfront. In addition, Ocean View is not overrun by tourists, so we did not have strangers sitting almost on top of us.

It was very pleasant and relaxing and a treat to just do nothing. After the beach we ended up hanging out with friends and watching a crazy movie we find hysterical called "Sordid Lives," which has an all star cast and a serious message about coming out intermixed with the insanity. As a result, I never made it to the office where I do most of my Blogging because of better computer equipment and the files I have saved for the "Male Beauty" posts.

Saturday Male Beauty.

There are no nude beaches in Virginia, so this is as close as one can come to seeing a hot nude swimmer.

More Friday Male Beauty

For those in the USA, have a great Memorial Day Weekend. Hopefully, I will get a chance to surf over the weekend.

More Wednesday Male Beauty

This guy might make getting caught in a rip current not seem like such a bad idea.

Beach Weather Finally Arrives

We have had the most bizarre spring. One day it's fairly warm, the next you need to turn the heat back on. Today is going to be hot and the waves are so-so, but appear to be good enough to get some rides. The water temps are still in the low 50's, so it's definitely still wet suit conditions. I think the b/f and I will head to the beach and take my long board along, as well as a full wet suit and booties. The photos above are actual shots from Virginia Beach.

Surfer Guy Eye Candy

I am a surfer (I started surfing when my son was eleven and his mother did not want him surfing). I can testify to the fact that the eye candy one sees at the beach or out in the line up waiting for waves is very nice at times.