I was on vacation last week and while I'm on vacation, I like to dress as girlie as the occasion will permit. At home, or when we aren't going any where, that means the full Monty, anything goes. The same goes when I'm out and about alone. However, because my wife is uncomfortable with people (even strangers) knowing her husband is cross-dressing, I have to tone it down to a point where I can present as male. Just where that point is has relaxed over the years.

So last Thursday, we headed out for a day at the beach. This include brunch at a restaurant on the way and a stop at the Tillamook Cheese factory and a stop to buy some new tops for the wife at the Tillamook Fred Meyer store. Don't ask me why we had to go all the way to Tillamook to go to a Fred Meyer, but while we were there we went.

Anyway, I was, as usual, wearing all women's clothes. My shoes were women's loafers. Not the usual penny loafers that I wear to church, but some that were without a doubt women's if anyone cared to look, but not really girlie-girl. my shirt was plain, but a woman's shirt, one that I've worn to church and my pants were micro-knit pull up with no pocket. But most feminine of all was my hair. My hair is past my shoulders and I usually wear it in a high ponytail when out. However in the last year, my wife has grown accustom to seeing the sides pulled back and up secured by a turquoise barrette that she bought me for my birthday a number of years ago. It's to the point that it doesn't register as feminine to her. That's how I was wearing my hair that day.

Since my wife wouldn't put up with me carrying a purse, I have to get creative as to what I do with my wallet and keys. It was warm that day so a jacket was out. I such cases, I simply fold my wallet over the waistband of the pants and let my shirt hang over it. For my keys, I've devised a hook that I clip to the waistband. As we went into the Fred Meyer store, I was slipping my keys over the hook and missed. As they dropped, a woman who was passing by called out, "Ma'am, you've dropped your keys." :o)

How cool is that. I'm dress masculine enough for my wife to not feel self-conscious and still feminine enough the strangers assume I'm a woman. To further the idea that people saw me as a woman... while my wife was looking at tops to buy, I helped and saw one that I really wanted to buy. Though I know my size, I also know that the clothes that Fred Meyer stocks don't always run true to size so I knew that I needed to try on. So I waited until my wife had gone into the fitting room and asked the attendant if I could try on the top I wanted. She simply smiled and said, "Sure," and let me into a fitting room. Good thing I tried on because I needed another size larger that I thought.