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Midsummer Festival '2000   Originally, I did not intend going to the Midsummer Festival, but when the thirst of needing to get femmed up hit me (due to the drought over the summer months), I realised that this would be my best opportunity to get out and strut my stuff. Furthermore, I would be furthering the cause of transgendered people by supporting the club at The Seahorse Club stand.   I have been watching the weather report the few days prior to Sunday, and initially it looked grim. The few heavy downpours we had 2 or 3 days before prompted me to think twice about going to the festival. So, when I heard that the weather would be fine for Sunday, I was relieved, and happy that I could wear my Laura Ashley sun dress that I had planned for the day.   I got up early on the day to get my makeup and dress on. Since I knew I would be doing some walking, I decided to have on my low heeled shoes with beige stockings and suspender belt. I was so nervous about getting out again after such a long break. Added to that, I had to step out of the house in broad daylight, on a Sunday morning. Anticipating that I would probably see one of my neighbours (or them seeing me from inside their homes), I decided to leave the house via the quickest route to my car, which in my case was the back door. When my wife was all ready, she stepped out via the back door to scout around before signalling to me tha the coast was clear. I quickly closed the door behind me and locked the doors before making a quick dash for the car. It is very important that I am very careful about this because I do not want any problems from my neighbours. If the occasion should arise that I am seen, then I will have to alight them of my condition.   After dropping my wife off at her mum's, I headed off towards the Melbourne Art Center where I would be parking my car. The weather had turned out to be exceptionally fine, any warmer and I would be too warm under all that hair and makeup. I found a quiet spot to park the car, away from the main exit. As I walked towards the main exit, I was a bit unsure about where the exit would lead up to. I could hear the bustle of traffic flow along St. Kilda Road, and headed in that direction. As I cleared the little carpark walkway, I found myself walking along a row of side stalls to my left selling little souveneirs and craft type wares along St Kilda Road. There were many people having a sunny morning stroll around the Art Center, and thankfully, did not notice little old me wading my way through. After a quick glance around to get my bearings right, I crossed St Kilda Road, and walked along a side walk towards the festival where all the music was coming from. In the distance, I could hear the sound of music thumping and loads of other people heading in the same direction as I was.   I was lost amidst all the crowd that had come to celebrate such a diversity in lifestyle in Melbourne. The organisers of the event must have gone through a lot work putting the whole event together. There was so many stands from such a varied number of clubs and societies, that my head started to spin. I tried in vain to locate the Seahorse stand, or perhaps find a familiar face among the crowd, but in vain. I came across an information booth and the persons there were very helpful to me in trying to locate the Seahorse stand. With the map in hand, I walked across a large open field, surrounded by stalls for even more clubs and societies. There was a large stage positioned right in the middle of the park, which had some shows being previewed at certain times. I was relieved to finally get there, to be greeted by Paula, our President and the other members of the club who had come to promote our cause. After a few minutes rest in the stand, I joined some of the girls handing out pamphlets of The Seahorse Club and what we're about. As the throngs of people walked past, we greeted them, and though some just walked past our stand, others actually stopped and asked general questions about the club and crossdressing. It was an interesting experience, watching people's expressions as they walked past. Some smiled as they walked past, while others just ignored us, and pretended like we did not exist. I found that most women were quite accepting of us, while most guys looked suspiciously at us and kept their distance.   It felt really good to be amongst the general public with the rest of my sisters of the club. For once, I felt at peace with myself, to be able to match up how I felt inside with how I looked on the outside. It was a very liberating experience, and I was glad that I had made the effort to go to the festival.   After a couple of hours there, I decided it was time to head home. I had promised my wife that I would not be gone all day and in keeping with that promise, it was time for me to make my exit. I bid farewell to the girls, and headed back to my car. As I approached the Art Center, I suddenly forgot where the entrace was to the car park. There were just so many little paths and doorways outside the Art Center/State Theatre complex that I suddenly froze. How was I to ask a total stranger where the car park was, when they may not even know which car park I was referring to. I was also unsure what sort of reaction I would get, being wary that I was a trangendered person seeking some help. I decided to try finding the entrance to the car park by myself first, and fortunately, after the second try (the first led to the State Theatre) I found the familiar walkway which led to the carpark. I had to queue up to pay for the parking and there was quite a queue there already. Fortunately, it was uneventful, and I did not get any strange reaction from the people ahead or behind me. I drove home in total bliss knowing that it has been another day well spent.