a whole new world

wow.

that is all that i can say after spending a friday evening in downtown brattleboro.

and yes, "downtown brattleboro" looks exactly like it sounds.

are you picturing a main street?

good, because we have one.

i love main street. it's lined with fun or old or quirky or junky stores, all with something unique to offer. the people are smiley and really nice, and the traffic is more than anyone would ever imagine on a main street in a small town. and on the first friday of every month, there is a gallery walk. all the art galleries are open, there's free food, and supposedly everyone in the town comes out.

i bet the picture of downtown brattleboro created by your mind's eye didn't include hippies.

yes, hippies.

as we walked down the hill towards main, we were attracted to the photography display on the side of the road. as we looked at the photos, i saw a unique pair coming towards us. one was a man with long, knappy hair wearing a gunnysack dress. i prepared myself to smile and walk by, reminding myself that "you're in granola vermont. you're in granola vermont." when i made eye contact, he complimented me on my pearls. i thanked him and replied with a comment about them, he replied, and we moved on. my very first conversation with a real drag/cross dresser/transvestite...i'm not entirely sure which category he falls into - i'm kind of new at this :)

as we continued through the gallery walk, we experienced some incredible art. photography. paintings. smelled some new smells....body odor, dreadlocks, and marijuana. we got to know our town and saw a whole lot of new people. as i made my way through the throngs of people on the street (where did they all come from?!? this is only a town of 12,000) i became thoroughly and completely overwhelmed...and extremely conscious of the aforementioned pearls. as usual, i was all j.crew'd out. chino shorts, cardigan, pearl necklace and earrings. coach wristlet. never before have i felt like such a city girl. i was experiencing just a little bit of culture shock; it was a good thing i was wearing my gladiators...literally :)