The late Stan Lee – forever my hero – didn’t co-create Spider-Man until the age of 40. It’s something I think about a lot as I age.
The character was first introduced in 1962’s “Amazing Fantasy” #15, which means that, despite his boyish looks, he’ll turn 60 this year. Marvel Comics will mark the milestone with “Amazing Fantasy” #1,000 in August, an anthology celebrating six decades of the world’s favorite wall-crawler.
Sony will subsequently release an extended cut of Marvel Studios’ “Spider-Man: No Way Home” in theaters this September, a film that’s already made $1.9 billion. While it’s certainly more to cross the $2 billion threshold than it is to honor Spider-Man’s 60th, I’ll still see it again. They didn’t include the film’s deleted scenes on Blu-Ray to make sure of it.
Fankind’s continued fascination with the character is proof that we can make our mark at any stage of our lives. With great power and great responsibility, Lee’s work at 40 and beyond has taught me that it’s never too late to make an impact on the world – or to experience all it has to offer.
That’s what I’ve been fortunate enough to do in the last month. After 37 years, with my husband and some of our closest friends, I left the country for the first time. I also took a cruise, two things I never expected to do before or after turning 40.
It was one of the most rewarding and exciting experiences of my life, and certainly the coolest. We saved and planned for months ahead of the trip, made possible in large part by another member of our chosen family who watched our dogs and the team here at Watermark, who worked diligently around my time off.
The entire vacation was lifechanging. It began in Venice, Italy before we boarded our Greek Isles cruise nearby. From there we experienced Kotor, Montenegro followed by Greece’s Corfu, Athens, Mykonos and Argostoli. After a full day at sea, we spent a final day in Venice.
I’m notoriously frugal, but the trip was worth every euro. In Venice we bumped into actress Emma Thompson, who was incredibly kind and offered hugs in lieu of photos; in Kotor, we learned about the town’s excessive stray cat population and how they’ve saved the city throughout history and in Corfu, explored ancient forts.
The Acropolis of Athens was as captivating as I’d always hoped. I’ll remember climbing to the Parthenon and staring down at the Theatre of Dionysus for the rest of my life. Mykonos was beautiful in other ways and included a trip to Delos, an island of the gods that’s largely untouched. Except for by the Mediterranean sun, which I got to know rather personally that day.
We explored Drogarati Cave in Argostoli, an ancient “cave of the dragon,” and a gondolier guided us through the underground Melissani Lake “once populated by nymphs.” I’ve never seen water so blue or felt history so palpable. I’ll never forget it.
Of everything I experienced that week, the fact that I felt so at home while being so far away from my own surprised me the most. Being immersed in so many cultures confirmed that we all have more in common than we usually admit – even if we can’t all get on board with ice in our drinks or indoor air conditioning. While hot, it was a beautiful thing to see.
More than a week after we returned my household experienced another first, testing positive for COVID-19. Not from living on a cruise ship for a week, visiting multiple countries or flying across the Atlantic Ocean twice, but from the I-4 corridor itself.
My husband and I are both fully vaccinated and boosted – please visit Vaccines.gov if you aren’t – so the experience mostly served as a reminder that COVID is still out there and that science matters. Our cases were mild and symptoms subsided quickly, which thankfully paved the way for us to enjoy the rest of Pride month.
As we celebrate our authenticity in and after June, we check in with some of our community’s fiercest ambassadors this issue. Local entertainers detail their love for drag and we present Watermark’s second annual Tampa Bay Living with Pride guide.
In news, we preview the opening of The Wet Spot and Mari-Jean Hotel in St. Petersburg, two incoming LGBTQ staples, and detail the history-making return of Pride at the Village. In Orlando, the Hispanic Federation announces a $1 million investment in Latinx LGBTQ organizations.
We chat with “Drag Race” finalist Rosé ahead of her St Pete Pride show and Werq the World stops in Tampa and Orlando in arts and entertainment. Writer and actor Julio Torres also talks his new picture book.
Watermark strives to bring you a variety of stories, your stories. Please stay safe, stay informed and enjoy this latest issue.
