Thursday, March 29, 2007

Tongue in Bare Cheek



Nudist always wear one-button suits (but sometimes double-breasted)

Nudists are people with nothing to hide

Depressed - maybe all you need is a brand nude attitude

If God had meant us to be nude, we would have been born that way

Naturism is entirely natural - no artificial ingredients added

Nudist's wives really do have nothing to wear

The only problem with nudism is ---
you wear the same thing day after day after day

Nudists bare more than their soles

He who sleeps in the raw is in for a nude awakening

An Alaskan nudist is a polar bare

Nude beaches are free, but textile beaches have a cover charge

Scottish nudists are off-kilter

Nude is just barefoot all over

Silk - invented so women could go naked in clothes

A nudist friend would give you the shirt off his back

Nudists have no dirty laundry to air

Just wear a smile, or wear nothing at all -- or wear both!!

You'll never catch a nudist with his pants down

Every nudist is born in the same state ----- NUDE

Nudist investor pray for a bare market

Was Yogi Bare a Buddist Nudist

A nudist fears no pickpocket

A harp is a naked piano

You never outgrow your birthday suit

Does a nudist resort clothes for the winter??

Naked is as naked does
(Forrest Gump didn't say that, but he should have)

When nudist go dancing, things really start to swing

and the man and his wife were both naked, and were not ashamed -
genesis 2:25

That's a No-No


Wisconsin nude beach cracks down on sex

March 28, 2007

MADISON, Wis. -- Willow trees lining the Mazomanie nude beach on the Wisconsin River have been removed to reduce alleged sexual activity and provide more sun for nesting turtles.

''These willows just became a cruising area for people looking for sexual activity out there,'' Steve Colden, the Lower Wisconsin State Riverway's property manager, said this week.

The nude beach has been used by naturists for more than 50 years.

Bob Morton of the Naturist Action Committee said his group approved of the attempts to control the beach.

''If there is overt sexual activity in public, it jeopardizes the beach,'' he said. ''Naturists do know the difference between nudity and sex.''

AP

Copyright 2007 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

You Can Pack Light at Sea




Published: March 25, 2007 at 10:41 PM


LONDON, March 25 (UPI) -- Britain has seen a surge in sales for nude cruises from the Croatian coast to Alaska, The Times of London says.

Travel companies reported that in the past five years, the number of vacationers choosing to go on nudist, or "naturist," cruises has doubled.

While many vacationers opt for the warmer waters of the Caribbean, an Alaskan nude cruise line has also reported a dramatic jump in sales. The July cruise offers a chance to "hike through the massive Juneau ice field."

Britons are reportedly one of the fastest growing groups of nude cruise ship travelers. Most vacationers are between the ages of 45 and 55.

Friday, March 23, 2007

UK Naturist Club to Have Children Present Again




Nudist club calls on families for support
Cambs Times
March 23, 2007

UNITED KINGDOM -- A short-lived ban on children going along to a nudist swimming club almost led to its closure. Organisers are now hoping families will once again support the venture.


Numbers plummeted at Club Soleil when children were banned due to concerns over child protection issues.


Norman and June Calvert had already been running the sessions at Whittlesey's Manor Pool for eight years when the ban was imposed.


Mr Calvert said: "There was never anything remotely suspicious about the club and the children were looked after in a proper way. We had loads of nasty and abusive phone calls but nothing had ever happened. "It caused us a lot of trouble and distress but in fact the children were better supervised than at ordinary swimming sessions."


After a three-month battle costing thousands of pounds, the ban was lifted but families failed to return to the club.


With numbers dropping and soaring hire charges, the couple were tempted to call it a day and close the club. Now with more people supporting the Saturday evening swims, they have decided to give it another go but are hoping families will go along.


Mr Calvert said: "If you are a naturist you are very welcome or if you would like to give naturism a chance then this is a good way to do it."


A View of Nudity from South Asia




From Sri Lanka we read this admittedly muddle-minded editorial:



NUDITY: From the time Eve ate and tempted Adam to eat the forbidden fruit from the tree of knowledge and found that they were naked and covered themselves with figs to hide their frame which was created in the likeness of God, the introduction of clothes made man engrossed about nudity and the genitals has overwhelmed him.


The nudity has been the subject of controversy so much so that worshippers of Satan and the cult of Anti Christ has proclaimed that nudity is the concept of God and Anti nudity and knowledge is the concept of Satan.

When the Church commissioned, Michael Angelo to carve out from a single stone of Marble the statue of David exposing his genitals, it created so much controversy that some Popes ordered that the sexual organs be covered by fig leaves.

This appeased the puritans and moralists who considered the naked exhibition of genitals was not keeping with the teaching of Christ. Throughout the ages nudity has created controversy.
When the British conquered India and found the most wonderful piece of architectural monument in Khajuraho the imperialist who believed that they were the ultimate authority in culture or civilisation thought that the sculptures of statues and the carvings were the product of a barbaric tribe.

The officers of the imperialist army were shocked beyond belief when they saw the most fascinating erotic sculptures.

Being brought up in the Victorian prudery where even a lady exhibiting her ankle was considered vulgar decided to destroy these temples.

Thus some of the most wonderful architectural masterpieces ever created by man was partly destroyed by the imperialists who at that time was brought up in a tradition that nudity, sex and erotic art were considered barbaric.

Mulk Raj Ananda said that the mental and the cultural imperialism of the British was a greatest evil perpetrated on the Indian people than their conquest of the land.

The ancient liberal approach to sex which was believed to be divinely inspired by the Hindus were muted by the British when the Victorian concepts of morality were introduced.

In India one of the largest religions is known as Jainism. The followers of sage Mahavira Jains believe that nakedness is an essential element of the road to liberation. Mahavira himself, whose life shows Jains the way to liberation, set an example of total nudity amongst its followers.
But Jainism also decreed that as the women cannot be permitted to be in the nude, they will have to be re-born men so that they can shed their clothes and find liberation.

Even today In India especially in the State of Maharashtra the Jaina monks walk in the nude and accept alms from men and women. No one raised an eyebrow or throws stones at the holy pious monks for being in the nude.

A few days ago controversy about nudity raged again in London. The hero of our times Master Harry Potter, the child wizard, who made its creator Mrs. J.K.Rawlings the richest writer in history and further the movie a box office hit.

Mrs J.K. Rawlings has been writing from the age of six the stories which became the best sellers, shows that mental age of the readers of Harry Potter has not developed beyond the age in which the author started writing which is six.

Millions of people revels in fantasy in dreams the fact that the book was originally published in England and translated in to sixty three languages shows that mental age of the reader whether he lives in sophisticated surroundings in London or in the remote hamlets of Indonesia the mental remains the same.

Douglas Amarasekara termed this phenomenon as the rise of the lower classes. If one has to survive in the 21st century as a writer or an artist one has to cater to the lower classes and the vulgar tastes that these masses cherish.

The writings of Rawlings were just the piece of cake that was gobbled up by masses fascinated by wizards, witches and sorcerers. When the people were getting bored of Dinosaurs the wizards were recreated.

The movies of Harry Potter were equally popular as the book. Young actor Daniel Radcliff gave life to Harry Potter and conjured all the tricks of the trade and made Harry Potter come to life.
Daniel Radcliff as Harry Potter was able to instil in the spectators the mythical concepts that haunted the English public from time immemorial. They were molly coddled by the nightmares they had as children.

Advances made in the Science field from the composition of the Atom to the exploration of the Universe or theory of relativity has made a profound impact on mankind.

But these innovations and discoveries have made the fertile and imaginative mind to create a creature of Science like the cloning of dinosaurs or mythical dragons and other things that haunted men from the beginning.

Once the spectators and readers got bored of science fiction stuff, the creatures from fairy tales the wizards and witches were given a new lease of life.

Our infantile mind with limited imagination is fertile ground to sow the seed of ignorance. The entertainment industry has used these traits to their advantage.

With the advent of sophisticated computer animations Master Daniel Radcliff as Harry Potter became icon among teenagers. The delusions spread through the systems that not only the children but also the parents began to love the wonder of Harry Potter and began to re-live their adolescence.

Once a famed Indian director was asked by me why do Indian films feast on the same formula of songs dances and fights, the Hero ultimately triumphing over evil. He answered my question in the most calm and assured manner. What will a child grab, a plate of rice or chocolates?”

Why do the Indian directors feel that Sri Lankan adults are children? The box-office collection show that the spectators whether Indian or Sri Lanka are not different. The success of Harry Potter clearly shows that the Indian film director was right and I was wrong.

Master Radcliff might have undergone the same that went through the mind of Sean Connery when he refused to be type caste as James Bond. He turned out be one of the great actors of modern era.

The time comes that one is bored by the kind of cheap success one enjoys. David Radcliff at the age of 17 decided to shed his own clothes, and the image of Harry Potter, and perform in the nude before audience spell-bound by that action alone.

They came to see in thousands not to behold the spectacle of a young boy, blinding six horses which was liken to that of an act of a Serial Killer, but to see Master Radcliff shedding his fig leaves and exposing his genitals.

Many may have come to the hall buying expensive tickets to be titillated by the exposure. Voyeurists may have had the pleasure of seeing one of the most popular and sought after actors shedding his clothes. The peeping toms are the product of Victorian prudery and sexual oppression that went with it.

Only a few may have understood the deep penetrating portrayal of cruelty of child exposed to the major dilemmas of the 20th century; its industrialisation, commercial culture and its acute sexual repression, and its attitude towards human relationship measured in money and success.
Peter Sahffer’s Equus was brilliant play and moving theatre which made inroads into child psychology and the ability of psychiatrist to understand the reason of the Child blinding six horses.

But the crowds who may have been oblivious to the deep penetrative analysis of the mind of a child who is exposed to cruelty around him, would have been shocked by their hero shedding the clothes and exposing his nudity to the audience.

So whether we live in exclusive plush suburbs of London or in Wanathamulla, the degree of obsession to nudity is the same.

Sexual suppression has driven men around the world and has caused mental sicknesses and the fantasies they develop around sexuality is the same as their child hood fantasies of wizards witches and dragons.

When Master Radcliff decided to shed all his clothes and perform in front of a discerning audience, it was proved that he cannot be oppressed by stringent puritanical Victorian beliefs about nudity and morality.

He showed to the world, that nudity is an important aspect of Human Anatomy and no one should be ashamed of the human body, which has been, according the majority of the population who believes in Christianity and the Bible, created by God, in image ad the likeness of him. Only worshippers of Satan, would condemn Nudity.

Monday, March 19, 2007

My Country Tis of Thee...


An interesting look back on attitudes toward the depiction of nudity in the early 1900s...

The Bare-Breasted Liberty Quarter - 1916 & 1917 Standing Liberty Type (EXCERPT)

By Susan Headley in About.com

World War I was raging in Europe, and at home industrial technology continued to advance at breakneck pace. A style of artistic construction called Art Nouveau, characterized by elegant, flowing lines, and new freedoms of expression, reached its peak of popularity in America, as the musty old conservative ethic of the long Victorian Era finally breathed its last gasps. Surely placing a topless Miss Liberty on our coinage would be okay; we're an enlightened nation, right?

A competition was held, and several top sculptors were invited to submit designs to be considered for use on the coinage. The design selected for the quarter dollar was Hermon A. MacNeil's, which depicts Miss Liberty standing between two large pedestals, holding an olive branch in her right hand, and a shield in her left. She wears a flowing garment that slips off her right shoulder to expose her breast.

The dies for the 1916 Standing Liberty Quarter were ready for production by July of 1916. But production didn't begin until the last half of December that same year.

The 1916 production run of Standing Liberty Quarters consisted of 52,000 pieces, all of which were produced at the Philadelphia facility, and all of which left the mint by December 29, 1916. This small mintage made its way through the Treasury distribution system in early January of 1917, and awaited release into circulation. In the meantime, Philadelphia, San Francisco, and Denver began striking the 1917 Standing Liberty Quarters, and sent them out for distribution as well.

On January 17 of 1917, the bare-breasted Standing Liberty Quarter finally entered circulation, and the outcry was immediate and loud. Religious leaders used words like "obscene" and "filthy" to describe the visage of our beautiful Miss Liberty with her breast exposed. Citizens' groups rallied their memberships to lobby Congress to have the disgusting coin recalled.

Congress had little choice but to submit to the clamor. The bare-breasted Liberty Quarters began disappearing from circulation. MacNeil was obliged to modify his design. Miss Liberty would need to be properly covered, according to the citizens of our enlightened nation. It is easy to imagine that MacNeil might have been a little resentful about the modification chore he had to undertake. Rather than simply rearrange the drapery on Liberty's shoulder to cover the offending breast, he crafted a suit of armor instead, and chastely clothed Miss Liberty nearly to the neck in chain mail.

The Three Types of Standing Liberty Quarters: The Standing Liberty Quarter needed a third design change starting in 1925 because the date was wearing off too quickly. The design was re-cut so that the date was recessed, rather than raised. A summary of the Standing Liberty Quarter types:

Type I - Liberty's breast exposed (1916-1917)

Type II - Liberty clothed, 3 stars below eagle on reverse (1917-1924)

Type III - Same as II, but date is recessed (1925-1930)

Source: http://coins. about.com/ od/famousrarecoi nprofiles/ p/breastedlibert y.htm


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The Rain in Spain Falls Mainly Upon...

The Nudes is Out: Bare Vacations are In

Friday, March 16, 2007

Good Nudes for UK Club




A NUDIST swimming club threatened with closure has been saved – thanks to growing interest in naturism.

Norman and June Calvert had planned to close their Club Soleil nudist swimming evening in December due to plummeting membership numbers and the soaring cost of hiring Manor Pool, in Whittlesey, each month.But in a last-ditch attempt to save the club, they decided to keep it going for three more months.And they were delighted to see some new faces at the club, which had almost 45 people at its March meeting.Heartened by the upturn in the club’s fortune, the couple have decided to keep it running until the end of the year.Norman, who has run the club for the past 11 years, said: “Attendance was pretty good last time, which was very encouraging to see.“At one point, we only had 18 people at the evening, so it’s good to see old faces coming back and a few new people too.“It’s an ideal place for the club as it has a sauna, showers and a terrific swimming pool. If we lost it, the nearest place would be either Sleaford or Northampton, both of which are more than 40 miles away.“Some of these pools also close at 5pm on Saturdays, which is no good for us either.

”Norman has been forced to raise the admission prices by 50p, up to £5.50 for members and £6.50 for non-members, to keep the loss-making club in the black.He said: “We were hit really hard by last year’s increase in hiring the pool. The 60 per cent increase made it very hard for us to cope.“We were also hit really hard by the child protection rules. It was a silly thing as anyone who’s visited the club knows it’s absolutely fine.“The message is simple: use it or lose it. We’re relying on people to support the club and keep it open.”The meetings take place on the first Saturday of the month at 7pm, but the club will not run during the summer months of June, July and August.n For more information, call Norman on 01733 270270.

Last Updated: 15 March 2007

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Skinny-Dipping Memories from Oregon




The naked truth
By Lance Pugh – Ashland Daily Tidings Columnist
March 15, 2007

Ashland, Oregon

I dropped by Bluebird Park the other afternoon and sat on a bench, listening to the bubbling and murmuring of Ashland Creek as it descended from the watershed by way of Reeder Reservoir and the confinement of Hosler Dam.

My mind raced back to the mid '70s and a special place that evoked all the beauty of a well-choreographed Maxfield Parrish fantasy. It was a deep and clear swimming hole downstream from Cook and Green and Copper. The spot disappeared due to the demands of the Applegate Dam and now is only accessible by way of memory and imagination.

We would go out to the remote and secluded swimming hole a couple of times a month during the heat of the summer. The sun baked and the cool waters refreshed the two van loads of us; two men and the balance consisting of the most beautiful "hippie" women from Ashland. We brought a picnic basket full of goodies from Lithia Grocery and made camp around the deep, refreshing, pocket in the stream.

As part of this summer submergence rite, we all shed our loose-fitting clothes in favor of a raw display of skin, which was seen draped over toweled rocks and shimmering in the depths of the deep blue diving hole.

We had done this many times and encountered no voyeurs or other interlopers. Those few who happened upon us usually waved hello, then rambled down the road in search of their own private paradise. It seemed a matter of common courtesy that sightseers do just that, then leave.

One afternoon, while splashing in the water with a flotilla of mermaids, I caught a flash of light out of the corner of my eye. I drew focus and spotted two members of the law enforcement community looking our way with binoculars. Never one to be shy about confronting things errant, I bounded up the embankment to greet our onlookers. I was in such a rush that I overlooked putting on my clothes, preferring to pop up au natural, which in hindsight, was unadvised.

They say that clothes make the man. While I take reasonable objection to this assertion, there is palpable proof that the two, pistol-packing officers with their palms resting on their pistol grips trump a naked, long-haired hippie who is attempting to skillfully encourage their departure. Every time I eased in upon the timid topic of privacy I was reminded, by a few words or a finger tapping on a holster, that they had guns and I was, well, completely naked and defenseless.

They continued to focus on the playfully bare mermaids, laughing and elbowing each other as they zoomed in, all the while answering my attempts at conversations with either a "yup" or abject silence. This was back in a time when "hippies" were considered by the establishment to be a blight on the doily of an otherwise perfectly acceptable Sunday afternoon social. We were considered amusement and subject to the same ground rules as animals in a zoo. Neither of them acknowledged my presence to a meaningful degree and only looked in my direction after putting on their mirror-finished sunglasses. After another 15 minutes they had saturated their visual memory banks and, reluctantly, left their perch in a roar of horsepower and dust.

I scrambled my dusty buns back down to the swimming hole, while the assembled awaited my version of events. Before I could utter a single word my swimmingly beautiful wife, Annette, asked what took me so long to get the binocular boys to mosey on down the road.

"They did not think that I was of their caliber," I shot back.

Lance was last seen inflating a small swimming pool in his side yard, wearing shorts, a tee shirt and mirrored glasses. Though he might feel drained, you may splash him at http://us.f582.mail.yahoo.com/ym/Compose?To=lance@journalist.com

Source: http://www.dailytidings.com/2007/0315/stories/0315_col_pugh.php

Wednesday, March 14, 2007

These People are Mainiacs




Winters a trial for Maine's nudists
By Jenna Russell – The Boston Globe
March 5, 2007

BANGOR, MAINE -- They say they like being naked because it feels free, uncomplicated. But for members of the Dirigo Naturist Association, a nude recreation club known until this month as Bare Nekkid Mainers, finding places to take it all off has been anything but easy.

When they tried to plan a dance for New Year's Eve, three function halls turned them away. When they scheduled a Labor Day lobster feed, a campground accepted their reservation, but canceled it later.

The Bangor nudists were thrust into the spotlight in January, when police were called to a bowling alley they had rented for one of their popular nude bowling parties. Summoned by a man who walked into the business with his son despite a "private party" sign outside, police found no laws had been broken. Still, the incident made news all over the country. Some New Englanders seemed stunned to learn of nudist activity in Maine in January.

Eric Soderberg , a club member from Hermon, suspects that nude recreation is more common than most people realize.

"I think there's a lot of it that we don't know about, in people's homes, at their camps, in their hot tubs," he said.

For decades, a small number of resourceful New England nudists have quietly shed their clothing at resorts, beaches, and campgrounds with tolerant owners or "clothing optional" policies. There are nude resorts in the Berkshires and on Cape Cod; a clothing-optional bed-and-breakfast near Maine's capital, Augusta; and nude recreation clubs around the region, including one based in Ludlow that hosts an annual beach clean up on the Cape.

Venues for nudity abound in the summer, when backyards, beaches, and campgrounds beckon, nudists say. The winters, however, test their dedication, especially in such places as Bangor, where winters are long, club members live hundreds of miles apart, and host establishments are hard to find.

"Those who have more money go off to the Caribbean, and us working folks are just trying to keep together," said one of the leaders of the Maine club, a Bangor woman who asked to be identified by only her first name, Hessa , because she fears harassment. "It really is truly a challenge."

Reports of nudity in northern climes are not unknown. Students at Bowdoin College in Brunswick hold an annual nude party, the college newspaper reported recently. In Vermont last summer, a group of teenagers took to hanging out naked in a parking lot in downtown Brattleboro , provoking complaints.

Despite its winters, New England is considered an important region by the American Association for Nude Recreation.

"Our members tend to be college-educated and politically moderate, with incomes above $50,000, like a lot of people in parts of New England, and that makes it very fertile ground," said Erich Schuttauf , executive director of the Florida-based group.

The naked Mainers started bowling as cold weather set in last fall. Hessa -- "a little old lady on crutches," as she describes herself -- walked into a bowling alley in Old Town, north of Bangor, and asked the owner if he would host the club. She was thrilled when he said yes.

The nudists held several successful outings at the 12-lane candlepin venue, where they bowled, played pool and pinball, and ate pizza, after taping paper over the windows and draping towels over the molded aqua seats. Then, in January, police were called to their party, and the club was besieged by reporters.

"There's something about nudity that grabs everyone's attention," said Chip Carson , the owner of the Old Town Bowling Center. "I don't understand why [ nudists] do it, and I would get nothing out of it, but nude people have to have a place to go also."

New England has two kinds of nude recreation groups: "landed" clubs, which have a lodge or campsite to call home, and "travel clubs" like the one in Maine, which rent space for their events. In the winter, when most landed clubs close down, travel clubs draw participants from afar, Maine club leaders said.

The Maine club, which changed its name to resolve an internal dispute about the ownership of the old name, had about 60 households listed as members last month. Members include a lobsterman, an artist, a truck driver, a lawyer, and a heating and air conditioning repairman.

In Western Massachusetts, the Sunchasers Travel Club holds a nude bowling party every fall, group leader Bill Falconer said. The 92-member club also hosts a January Thaw Party, where members skate, sled, and make snow angels; a Valentine's Day party, and a St. Patrick's dinner dance.

The naked Mainers kept a low profile last month. But they are planning their return to the bowling alley, and have scheduled a potluck dinner in April.

The bowling alley's owner will welcome back the club members, who were clean, polite, and well behaved, he said. No one asked him to crank the heat up to 80 for the nudists, but he did. "I wouldn't want to be naked in that place at 65 degrees," he said.

Source: http://www.boston.com/news/local/maine/articles/2007/03/05/winters_a_trial_for_maines_nudists/

Wednesday, March 07, 2007

More on the Closing of Historic Mystic Oaks/McConlville




L.A. THEN AND NOW



Mystic Oaks survived raids, Peeping Toms and fires, but changing lifestyles closed the Orange County haven.

By Cecilia Rasmussen, Times Staff Writer


March 4, 2007

Never in her 80 years has Flora "Flo" Nilson felt so exposed.


After spending most of her adult life buffing up the image of nudists, the owner of Orange County's only nudist resort and one of the longest-running such refuges in the West is calling it quits.


"It's time to move on," Nilson said. "For 53 years, it was quite a religious experience, chasing sunshine and health. Now it's over, and it's not easy."


For nearly three-quarters of a century, Mystic Oaks, formerly known as McConville, has nestled among towering oak, sycamore and pine trees off winding Ortega Highway between San Juan Capistrano and Lake Elsinore. Accessible only by an unmarked dirt road behind a padlocked gate, it is 2,500 feet up in the Cleveland National Forest.


For generations, nudists have gathered here year-round, playing tennis, shuffleboard and volleyball; hiking; sunning and lounging around the pool. Hundreds have roughed it overnight in tiny, rustic cabins with no electricity.


The nudist camp, a peaceful, uninhibited setting, enabled the few hundred dues-paying members to relax with nature au naturel. Nudists paid annual fees of $400 to $600.


But lately things have changed, Nilson said. "Most members were happy with our rustic retreat, but newer members wanted to change it into a country club-type setting. People don't enjoy camping out like they used to. They want all the amenities."


But after a long-drawn-out divorce, Nilson had no deep pockets with which to upgrade the site. Declining financial circumstances, coupled with dropping membership, caused her to give up the 129-acre property. The sale is pending.

In 1933, nudist camps were becoming popular in the United States. Psychotherapist Hobart Glassey, his wife, Lura, and a former New York grocer, Peter Joseph McConville, leased a piece of forested land they called Elysia. The next year, they bought 330 acres three miles uphill from the initial site and named it Olympic Fields.


Here, astride the border of Riverside and Orange counties, the founders battled neighbors and county officials. Peeping Toms and trespassers climbed the gate. Sometimes, 100 members fought off raids by sheriff's deputies bent on breaking up their naked volleyball games and barbecues, according to Times articles of the era.


A 1934, a 35-minute movie called "Elysia, Valley of the Nudes," was filmed in the naturists' paradise. Hobart Glassey appeared in it and was listed as a producer. The film was about a reporter named Mac who was sent to cover the habits of "primitive" people. Mac came to understand the camp and its benefits when he disrobed and joined in activities including baseball, leap-frog and horseshoes.


By 1935, a financial rift had destroyed the partnership. The Glasseys, considered by some to be the founders of Western nudism, moved to Los Angeles County, creating a new nudist club in La Tuna Canyon in Sun Valley called Fraternity Elysia.


McConville stayed at Olympic Fields. He built a modest brick recreation hall in 1938, where members enjoyed community dances, potlucks, dominoes and card games."Their dream," according to a camp newsletter charting the early days of the nudist camp, "was to assist people by providing a place where the pressures of our artificial civilization might be removed."In 1938, McConville allowed Hollywood to use the resort for a second film, "Unashamed," starring Rae Kidd and Robert Stanley. The heroine entices her workaholic boss to a nudist camp in hopes of winning his heart, while members of the resort cavort in the buff. McConville plays the gatekeeper."


Both 1930s movies are packed away now," Nilson said. "But we often showed them to members in the recreation hall."


In April 1945, McConville helped to fight a bill by state Assemblyman Ralph Dills (D-Gardena) that would have outlawed public nudism. McConville and other members — fully dressed — drove to Sacramento to show the Assembly Crime and Corrections Committee they were just like other people. "Their faces aren't marked by debauchery or depravity," The Times reported.


Dills' bill was defeated in committee, 7 to 2.

In 1952, Nilson's husband, Wally, a printer, made an intriguing proposal. "My husband had come home with a nudist magazine, tossed it down and said, 'How would you like to try something different?' " she said.


They went for a weekend visit.


"I was nervous at first but found it so uplifting, the most natural thing in the world," Nilson said. "My mother, who was from Sweden, always said: 'If you haven't seen what God has shaped, let them stand and gape.' "


In 1954, McConville, then 74 and ailing, sold the retreat to the Nilsons. They paid $7 an acre and renamed it in his honor."


Naming it McConville made it sound like a little village, which it was," Nilson said. "McConville was a single man who [still] lived in a trailer on the grounds. I made him three meals a day, with spinach, which doctors said would help cure his cancer."


It didn't. He died in 1959 at 78.


After the Nilsons purchased the property, they boosted membership by putting in a pool, a bathhouse and tennis courts.


But sometimes nature seemed to conspire against them. Their first year, Nilson recalls, fire left the surrounding area as bare as the nudists. Women had to duck for cover when firetrucks rumbled through the property."


One firefighter stared so hard, he almost fell from the back of the truck," Nilson recalled with a laugh.


The mountain hamlet was a getaway for about 100 families, along with some couples and singles looking to escape from the pressures of urban life. "The park attracted a variety of people, from construction workers to attorneys," Nilson said.


Some members had attended as children, she said. Others visited with friends and liked it so much that they joined. "There were rarely ever more than 200 people here at a time," she said.


People liked to keep their membership a secret, knowing that their way of life could make colleagues or clients squirm. By shedding their clothing, Nilson said, they also shed such traits as pretense and fear.


The Nilsons managed the camp and reared three children there, driving them up and down the mountain to school in Lake Elsinore, seven miles each way.


But life in paradise wasn't idyllic.


Wally and Flo Nilson divorced in 1981, and she ran the club herself. In 1996, McConville was divided in the property settlement."


I got about 129 acres … and spent years fighting off developers," Nilson said. Her former husband's portion is covered with houses today.


In 2000, Nilson renamed her land Mystic Oaks, changing it from a traditional all-nude park to "optional clothing" to attract younger families. "We wanted to make people feel more at ease in the beginning," she said.


But, over the last several years, fun- and sun-seekers stopped attending weekend events because they were too busy or were unwilling to drive on the twisting mountain road.


Nilson blames the club's demise on "lazy people who want to be waited on." She acknowledged that people changed but the club didn't: It remained a simple, no-frills outdoor camp.


Last week, Nilson — still a veteran nudist, weather permitting — was bundled up in a sweater and slacks as she hiked around her property for the last time. She recently moved to Sun City in Riverside County. Mystic Oaks is closed — as is the biggest chapter in her life.

Monday, March 05, 2007

Japanese Commerical Uses Innocent Nudity

In Japan, the custom of communal bathing has created a rather casual attitude toward nudity as illustrated in this commercial. It is refreshingly relaxed about nakedness.

Body Positive Image Reinforced in Dove Ad

Sunday, March 04, 2007

Mystic Oaks (Formerly McConnelville) Closes




This didn't exactly come as a shock. Mystic Oaks is--was--hard to find and overshadowed by nearby Glen Eden.


Decades-old nudist camp closes

March 5, 2007, 03:03 AM

LOS ANGELES, March 4 (UPI) — Mystic Oaks, a nudist camp in Orange County, Calif., is closing its doors after more than 50 years in operation.

The camp was settled serenely among oak, sycamore and pine trees 2,500 feet up in the Cleveland National Forest, the Los Angeles Times reported.

Flora Flo Nilson, 80, who founded and ran the camp with her late ex-husband, blamed a changing culture in which people want all the amenities and conveniences.

At Mystic Oaks, guests often camped out in rustic cottages with no electricity. The camp also offered year-round tennis, volleyball, sunning and swimming to members who paid $400 to

$500 annually.

Nilson, who called the camp quite a religious experience, said that closing Mystic Oaks is not easy, but it is time to move on.

After a divorce that left her with little money, Nilson told the Times that lower membership and less frequent visits by members had, over time, persuaded her to close the refuge.

Copyright © 2007 by United Press International

Saturday, March 03, 2007

Hawaiian Nude Beach (from Youtube)

Can't wait to get back to Little Beach, Maui...

Friday, March 02, 2007

The Two Dollar Statement


Nudists show their clout behind blanket of $2 bills

By ANDREW SKERRITT – St. Petersburg Times
March 2, 2007

PASCO COUNTY, FL -- The best way for nudists to show off just what they mean to central Pasco isn't by baring their suntanned bods.

There will be no Lady Godivas parading down Land O'Lakes Boulevard, no nudist billboards. They plan to paint the area green - as in the color of money - $2 bills to be exact.

Beginning March 15, they're launching a month-long campaign to spend $2 bills to remind local businesses that nudists are here in greater numbers than ever.

For those who aren't familiar with our currency, the $2 bill is a note graced with the face of Thomas Jefferson, America's third president.

Jefferson is an apt icon for this nudist promotion. He was open minded enough to probably have gone skinny dipping when he was U.S minister to France. We all know about the French's laissez-faire attitude toward nudity.

I can hear the jokes already. Since nudists don't have pockets, where do they keep the dollar bills before they spend them?

Laugh all you want, but this is serious business. This is about economic impact.

Pasco County is a major destination for people who want to live, play tennis, swim and sunbathe in the buff.

The Pasco tourism office's Web site promotes four major naturist destinations - Caliente, Lake Como, Paradise Lakes and Gulf Coast Resort Hudson.

About 150,000 people pass through the gates of Paradise Lakes in Land O'Lakes every year. It's the second largest generator of bed tax revenues in the county - behind Saddlebrook Resort.

Paradise Lakes, Lake Como and Caliente, all in central Pasco, generate more than $2-million in annual property tax revenues. That's one million $2 bills.

"We want to be recognized," said Paradise Lakes president Joe Lettelleir.

He was speaking in a fiscal, not physical sense, of course.

I'm not sure why local nudists would feel neglected or under-appreciated. Like manatees and bald eagles, they've got protected status. There's not even a hint about curbing clothing-optional resorts. Even conservative Republican politicians are supportive.

For these resorts, though, this is a busy time of year with snow birds from up north and sun-starved visitors from Europe. A perfect time to show off their clout. Clothing sellers might not see many $2 bills, but waiters in local restaurants should be prepared to make change from $2 bills.

The SunTrust Bank branch in Land O'Lakes has ordered 1,000 $2 bills. Other banks are expected to follow suit.

A similar promotion turned more than a few heads when Paradise Lakes tried it during the mid 1980s, recalled longtime Paradise Lakes resident Jack Gibson. He suggested reviving the idea this time around.

"It was interesting to hear the reaction when people tried to use the $2 bills," he said. "It was a real hoot."

Gibson is now 58. He's still zealous about his clothing-optional lifestyle. It's family friendly and healthy, he said. He wants me to come visit his resort. That can wait. Meanwhile, Gibson is eager to start spreading around his crisp new $2 bills. The reaction he gets from local store clerks should be revealing.

Source: http://www.sptimes. com/2007/ 03/02/Pasco/ Nudists_show_ their_cl. shtml

How Common is Nude Recreation?



Nude Recreation is booming as more people try it for the first time. USAnudist.com is a newly opened website filling their information needs via the Internet.

Tampa, FL, February 10, 2007 --(PR.COM)-- Nudists and naturists make up a large share of the American population. In a 2006 Roper Poll, 24% of the population have gone "skinny dipping" or nude sunbathing. For the under 35 group, the number is 32%. That's one out of four in the general population and almost 1/3 of the under 35 market.

The American Association for Nude Recreation (AANR) reports nude recreation and tourism has grown into a multi-million dollar business, more than doubling in size in the last 10 years, according to travel industry estimates. It now includes several nude cruises, nude flights to Mexico,and clothing-optional condos and luxury resorts in nearly every tourist destination.

High-end nudist resorts are springing up in Florida, California, Mexico, the Caribbean, with luxury condos, villas, hotels, and high-end RV parks, equipped with WiFi Internet access.

With the variety of locations and many new participants in Nude Recreation, there is a need for currently updated nudist information, and nudist websites help fill that need.

Activated on January 1st, USAnudist.com is a new nudist & naturist information site, with news updates, commentary, trip reports, and more, with over 17,000 hits in its first month of operation. USAnudist is derived from Tropical Resort, one of the first nudist websites, created in 1993.

Webmaster Dan Inmon has been involved in providing online information since the 80's via BBS systems, and since 1991, has been active on the Internet. He created & operated the Nudism Webring and was the first System Operator for the Nudist Matchmaker.

Florida Nudist Resorts Pitch Joys of Naturism


Posted by the Asbury Park Press on 02/18/07

BY PHIL DAVIS
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS

THE PHOTO OF THE attractive brunette is strategically cropped, but the ad makes it clear she's wearing nothing but a smile. The pitch: She swims nude at Paradise Lakes Resort in Land O' Lakes, Fla., and so can you.

Lake Como, Paradise's across-the-lake neighbor, promises a more rustic family-style retreat, including naked camping and karaoke on its 210-acre grounds.

Just up the road, brash newcomer Caliente Resort and Spa entices nudists with conspicuous consumerism — flashy facilities, lavish homes and a medical spa featuring laser hair removal.

Three of Pasco County's six nudist resorts are taking off the gloves and everything else as they attempt to attract more of the worldwide clothing-optional market, which has tripled in size since 1992.

"Pasco is becoming the mecca of North American nudism," said Richard Mason, an activist who helped open a stretch of Miami-Dade County's Haulover Beach to nudists in 1991.

"A lot of people think nudists live in a colony like hippies. Then, you see a place like Caliente. It's like a country club," he adds.

Modesty is not an issue

Pasco's nudist tussle began in the late 1990s when Paradise manager Chuck Foster broke away and began planning the 120-acre Caliente facility.

Through the years, he has brought over several Paradise employees, most recently Deb Bowen, who is now Caliente's marketing director.

"They took the best of our ideas," said Joe Lettelleir, president of the 72-acre Paradise Lakes resort.

"They didn't create their own identity. The bottom line is there were some growing pains. We certainly wish them well," he adds.

Modesty is not a nudist's strong point. That's certainly true at Caliente.

The resort's $300-a-night Mediterranean-themed waterfront villas and expansive pools featuring waterfall grottoes have knocked Paradise Lakes from the pinnacle of the nudist resort pyramid.

Now, Caliente is circulating plans to add an RV section that could threaten some of the smaller resorts that cater to motoring nudists.

"There is nothing like this in the nudist world," Bowen said of the resort.

"I felt we could do it better, which, obviously, we have," Foster said. "Como is rustic. Paradise is Motel 6. This is the Ritz Carlton."

Doug and Adele Butler, a Virginia couple, chose Caliente over a nudist resort in Palm Springs, Calif.

"We love the freedom of being nude. And look at our view," said Adele Butler, pointing to the lily-covered lakes behind her $500,000 Caliente home. "We come home to a resort."

But Caliente left Illinois retirees Denny and Arlene Reed a little cold.

"We had considered it, but Lake Como seemed more friendly to us," said Denny Reed, sitting pool side wearing only a baseball cap and a deep tan.

"Competition is a good thing. They all look at each other and learn. Each one offers a different experience," he added.

"Remember the mom and pops"

Cheri Alexander, founder of the Travelites nudist club in South Carolina, said the larger resorts such as Paradise and Caliente tend to capture most of the attention of the American Association of Nude Recreation.

"I don't think the mom-and-pop operations are being pushed out, but I think marketing is being focused on the larger clubs instead of the smaller ones like Lake Como," Alexander said.

"I sometimes have to remind the powers-that-be in our organization to remember the mom and pops," she added.

A low profile

The American Association of Nude Recreation estimates that nudists pump about $400 million into the global tourism economy, up from $120 million in 1992.

The association says its ranks have grown 75 percent to 50,000 members in that time. Nudists can choose from 270 clubs, resorts and campgrounds in the United States.

And a lot of that business comes to Pasco County, where the six resorts are concentrated along a six-mile stretch of U.S. 41 in Land O' Lakes, about 20 miles north of Tampa.

County officials say it's impossible to put a tax value on the dozens of condos, homes and hundreds of acres of land owned by nudists.

"They're good neighbors," Pasco County Commissioner Pat Mulieri said. "They provide a wide tax base. It's great. We get people from all over the world."

Nudist resorts brought in a sizable chunk of the $807,000 in tourist tax revenue collected in the county last year, good money in an area with no major tourist attractions. Pasco has reserved a spot on its tourism board for a nudist.

Florida's collection of nudist resorts are barely acknowledged by state and local tourism officials who stick to safer terrain such as Disney, the mermaids of Weeki Wachee springs or Busch Gardens, all major attractions that flank Pasco's nudist resorts in all directions.

Still, Lettelleir likes to think Pasco's "It's only natural" ad campaign is a cheeky nod to the nudist economy.

"We thought that was great," Lettelleir said. "We call it our joint slogan. They don't see it that way. They're not willing to carry that as their theme, but the county and city governments aren't ashamed of us."

Reaching out to the young party crowd

All three major resorts aim to keep the money train rolling, with additional condos and RV space. Paradise and Caliente are opening new locations in other states and the Dominican Republic.

They are also marketing to college-age kids.

Caliente wants to capture part of the young party crowd in Tampa's Ybor City. Paradise joined forces with a 21-year-old University of South Florida public relations student to market free admission, cheap beer and reverse strip poker — you lose, you put clothes on.

Lettelleir acknowledges it's a hard sell. Contrary to Paradise's alluring ad, most of the bare bodies pool side are decidedly middle-aged.

"I think the industry will continue to grow, but it will not grow through the college ranks," Lettelleir said. "The younger generation doesn't have a problem with the nudity; they just don't particularly go and belong to things."

UK Vaseline Uses Non-Sexual Nudity in Ad

Pressing the Flesh?


Town Council Candidate to Skip Forum at Nudist Resort

LOXAHATCHEE GROVES, FL (AP) -- A forum at a nudist resort is more than one South Florida town council candidate can bare. Sunsport Gardens Family Naturist Resort in Loxahatchee Groves is hosting a public candidate forum Thursday for an upcoming local election. Resort owner Morley Schloss says nine of the ten candidates have confirmed they'll attend.

Candidate Toni Vorsteg has declined the invitation. She says she's worried about bringing her 18-year-old daughter and ten-year-old son to the resort. She says she's also concerned about violating a moral oath she signed with her church when she started teaching catechism.

Schloss says he doesn't think Vorsteg has to worry about bringing her children. The resort focuses on family activities, forbids overtly sexual behavior and doesn't serve alcohol. http://www.firstcoastnews.com/news/strange/news-article.aspx?storyid=76796

NOT a Naturist

Dear Abby: Neighbors get eyeful of nudist


Dear Abby: We have a male neighbor I’ll call “Flash” who walks out to get his newspaper – or the mail, or to retrieve something from his car – while he’s naked. (He’s in his late 50s and divorced.) Some of the women in the neighborhood know not to look toward Flash’s home if they’re out for a walk. He is most likely in the buff standing at his glass door or sitting at his computer with the door open.

Flash is otherwise a likable and helpful neighbor. We do not want to say anything that might destroy that relationship. It’s not against the law to be a nudist, or for a woman to go topless in public in this city. However, to see a fella streak to his car is a little surprising and unsettling. – Startled in Austin, Texas

Dear Startled: Yes, it’s something you should be concerned about. Your neighbor appears to be an exhibitionist – someone who gets his kicks from exposing himself. The difference between an exhibitionist and a naturist – someone who enjoys going to clothing-optional resorts – is the exhibitionist “flashes” to get sexual pleasure from shocking people. This is not true of the naturist.

The incidents of exposure that you have seen are not accidents. You would be doing your community a favor to photograph Flash in the act and forward the pictures to your local police station. A picture is worth a thousand words, and he may be breaking the laws against indecent exposure.

A Better Body Image



BRIDGES displays nude women for eating disorder awareness

Heather Mayer – The Daily Orange (Syracuse University)

February 23, 2007

Syracuse, NY -- Having suffered from an eating disorder throughout high school, Liz Collins came to college with a mission: to get involved with activities that would help young people view themselves positively through activities, discussion groups and events. In the spring of 2006 her mission was put into action with the creation of Body Related Issues Discussion Groups Education Support (BRIDGES).

Collins, a sophomore natural resource major at the State University of New York Environmental Science and Forestry, came into contact with Darya Rotblat, the assistant director of Off-Campus Student Affairs, after visiting Ophelia's Place, an eating disorder support group in Syracuse, N.Y. Originally Collins wanted to volunteer at Ophelia's Place, but at the time there weren't any opportunities available.

"Obviously (volunteering at Ophelia's Place) meant a lot to me because I had an eating disorder in high school," Collins said.

Collins then decided she would start her own organization that would offer support and education to students struggling with negative body image and eating disorders.

BRIDGES is holding its first event next week, sponsoring an art gallery, called the Century Project, to promote positive body image. The photographs feature nude women, ranging from thin to overweight and from rape victims to women who had mastectomies. Brief summaries of the women tell their stories and add backgrounds to the pictured women.

Photographer Frank Cordelle created the Project about 20 years ago after finding inspiration at a spa in Europe.

"About half the people there were running around with no clothes on," Cordelle said. "It wasn't a nudist camp; it was a regular place in town, and it was a hot summer day, and people were just comfortable doing that. It was so natural for them to behave that way. Nobody thought twice about it; it was perfectly accepting."

With this new understanding of how non-Americans view the human body, Cordelle wanted to display the beauty of women of all shapes and sizes in a nonsexual way. Many countries in Europe have a much healthier attitude toward the naked body, he said.

"I wanted to give American society perhaps a normal healthy opportunity to see things like this," Cordelle said. "We don't get that in this country. There's no such thing, except for nude beaches, as nonsexual nudity."

Cordelle had his doubts about the success of his exhibit because it was something so rare in the United States. His first public display was in New Hampshire. Viewers then volunteered themselves to be photographed to make the exhibit larger.

"If I were to walk down the sidewalk and just look at the women I pass on the sidewalk, I would not be able to identify someone as having had a mastectomy," Cordelle said. "I wouldn't be able to identify someone as having been raped last year. … The only way I learn about these things is if they decide they're interested and come up to me and volunteer to talk to me about that … ultimately, volunteerism has been the driving force behind this whole project."

Cordelle discovered no matter where he displayed his exhibit, the number of viewers hardly changes. He said on average, 1,000 people view the photographs per day over a course of the five-day exhibit, and that it doesn't matter where the Project is because the issues the gallery confronts don't know any boundaries.

"A lot of the issues that will really kick you in the gut, some of the extreme body image issues: rape, having had breast cancer, having been sexually abused as a child, those things don't know political or religious boundaries," Cordelle said. "I think this is what drives the fact that response is the same no matter where I go."

Rotblat and Michelle Gallant volunteered to be co-advisors for BRIDGES, which got its name from the former group at Ithaca College. The organization was officially declared a student group last spring.

The group currently meets sporadically with only five or six members, but Collins hopes it will branch out to recruit new members.

Gallant, who works regularly with eating disorder patients, is thrilled about the new organization because students are playing the main role in reaching out to other students.

"I knew that we needed to address body image issues here on this campus, and that that's often a good back-door way of addressing eating disorders," Gallant said. "It needed to be something that was headed up and led by students because coming from authorities and health services, it doesn't make the same sort of impact as it does coming from students. It's really something that other students are helping other students with."

Unlike the counseling center on campus, BRIDGES does not provide therapy to individuals. Rotblat said she hopes to eventually have a support group for anyone who is suffering from an eating disorder or is recovering from an eating disorder. Susan Pasco, the assistant director at the SU Counseling Center, though not playing a constant direct role with BRIDGES, is working to collaborate with the group to increase awareness and education about eating disorders and body image, including the eating disorder screening on March 5.

As an official student organization, BRIDGES now has a budget to use toward its goal of educating others about body image and eating disorders. The Century Project will be held during National Eating Disorder Awareness Week (Feb. 26-March 5).

Costing only $2,500, the Century Project is manageable for the BRIDGES budget, Collins said.

Working closely with BRIDGES, Gallant originally proposed the idea to bring Cordelle's gallery to SU. She felt it was a good first event for BRIDGES to sponsor.

"SU stands for diversity in many ways," Gallant said. "One of the areas about diversity that we haven't touched on in the past is body-size diversity, and this exhibit helps us do that. We can look at the human body in all its shapes, sizes and forms and appreciate the beauty that is every body."

Several professors are bringing their classes to view the exhibit as part of its curriculum. Kim Jaffee, a professor in the school of social work, plans to incorporate the Century Project to her class, Human Diversity in Social Context. Students in the class study how the inequalities in society for certain groups influence their lives, Jaffee said.

Upon hearing about BRIDGES hosting the Century Project, Jaffee said she thought it would be an educational way to examine how race, culture and gender influence people. The Project, which focuses on gender, more specifically a woman's body, seemed like a "logical fit," she said.

The students in the class will also read an essay by Jean Kilbourne, the creator of the '70s documentary, "Killing Us Softly," and relate the essay to the photographs in the Century Project. Jaffee's class will also have a discussion with Cordelle.

"I'm excited really, because (the Project) provides a venue to focus and talk about women's bodies and how society's portrayal has a big impact on women's physical and psychological health," Jaffee said.

As the first BRIDGES event, the Century Project is a big step because it shows the group is really doing things, Collins said.

"(Cordelle) really cares," Collins said of the Project. "He's showing his work but not for the point of making money. He really just wants people to see it and recognize how beautiful you can be as a woman, despite lacking conventional beauty."

Source: http://media. www.dailyorange. com/media/ storage/paper522 /news/2007/ 02/23/Feature/ Bridges.Displays .Nude.Women. For.Eating. Disorder. Awareness- 2738683.shtml