“Part of my garden privacy fence blew down in a microburst.  So I rebuilt it, even stronger, with 4X6 posts.  Now I can get back to gardening nude.  I turned the soil in preparation for planting the second weekend of May to celebrate naked gardening day.  Unfortunately the rabbits ate what I planted, so I am working on raising the fence.  I have finished my .3 mile-path, and extended it down the hill for another ½ mile.  It always does my body good to freehike this path each day.  My minister walked it with me.  I’d love sharing it with others.  Anyone interested?” - Ken

QUOTES 7/31/2016

“My friends and I had a sleepover this weekend.  Kat, Maddie and Allie came over Saturday and we all had a good time.  It was too chilly to do anything outside, so we just stayed nude inside the house.” - http://nudisuzie.com/

“My son is 18 and still sees me naked.  From day one I have not hid my body.  I get naked in the laundry and walk through the house to have a shower.  As I said to him once when he questioned me . . . One day our children may have to look after us and there will be no modesty then.” – Sharon Vassallo, https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1098632346848256&id=1019711431407015&substory_index=0

“Of the handful of nudist hikes I have gone on the most important thing I found was to do them during weekdays and not on the weekends.  That was the first tip I was given about nude hiking and it's probably the best.  Even trails that are frequented heavily on the weekends are often bare (sometimes literally) on weekdays.” – Red Wolf, https://www.truenudists.com/groups/view.php?action=viewthread&id=132&idt=96449&page=last

“I did not know that when I shed my clothes that I would bare so much of my soul and story! . . . I have an urgent need to process and shed all of the unresolved issues and voices from my childhood. . . I was never taught to love this body! . . . I am unlearning many things as an adult.  It is not so much that I was taught self-hate but I was taught that being vain or prideful was not acceptable.  And though it was okay to be beautiful, you were not encouraged to admit it or heaven forbid own it. . . I internalized many messages when I was younger. . . I was taught modesty in a way that further enforced that being a female should not be celebrated or flaunted. . . society told me I needed to be an object of beauty so, I struggled with my uniqueness, trying to ignore it to fit into a box that was acceptable and commercial. . . The media affected me though I may not have been so aware of it at the time.  It was challenging to be in an adversely patriarchal over sexualized world and that was very much colored by a rather prudish puritanical view.  Nudity is taboo.  The human body has become perverse by a culture of mixed messages of how imperfect our bodies are and what we should do to be deemed acceptable.  The human body has taken on a rather lurid, twisted view rather than be embraced for its natural wonder.  I was filled with turmoil and felt not okay to be me. I was very confused and still am to some degree as I am defining the truth of me now. . . I am Crystal, woman, mother, wife, goddess, beauty, and humanness embodied.  I am parting ways with conformity and finding me in the vessel that houses my soul.” - http://www.nothingbutlight.io/crystal/?platform=hootsuite

“For some time I've been open about being a nudist, its enabled me to be myself, it doesn't matter who knows I'm a nudist.  There are no worries about anyone finding out from the internet through reading this or seeing me nude in my own or other nudists photos.  I'm comfortable with people knowing I'm a nudist, I'll talk to people about why living naked is my preference. . . I'd suggest nudists be open about this way of life, it removes any fear of being outed, it also opens up more opportunities to be nude from my experience.  Once people know about and accept my nudism there are more times I can be nude socially.” – Nik Nudist, https://www.truenudists.com/groups/view.php?action=viewthread&id=2925&idt=52720&vpage=1

QUOTES 7/29/16

“Via Bavarica Nudensis Per Pedes 10” (Video) - https://vimeo.com/29136069

“I have experienced that the body-focus and gender-fixation of textile beaches is nonexistent on naturist beaches.  Bikinis and bathing suits create more sex-focus than when everyone is naked. . . After having seen several thousand men and women without clothes I have learned that very few have the kind of ideal bodies we encounter in digitally-manipulated advertising images.  They are fat, thin, short or tall – not to mention young and old.  And it’s quite difficult to say that one body type trumps all the others.  People are different and it is the variety that is beautiful.” - Lars Egeland, https://youngnaturistsamerica.com/natural-nudity-lars-egeland-naturist/

“I can mow the backyard without any problem of being seen nude but it literally takes just a minute so why bother to disrobe for that.  I have done some trimming in the front yard before naked.  That portion is mostly blocked from anyone by some hedges.” – Silversurfer, https://www.truenudists.com/groups/view.php?action=viewthread&id=92&idt=103008&page=last

“Given its perfect climate, there are amazingly few sanctioned naked places in Greece, though the one that has emerged as our personal favorite is Vritomartis on the southern coast of Crete. . . A fabulous bonus is that they organize amazing day trips including naturist boat excursions and even a naturist trek through a remote gorge.  This year, we hope to take the day trip to Gavdos – the most southerly point in Europe – a small island that has long been a safe haven for hippie types and other naked folk.” - https://meanderingnaturist.wordpress.com/2016/06/11/naked-oddessy-ii-naturist-europe-2016/

“In the hypothetical world permitting licensed or registered ‘Permanent Nudity’ individuals voluntarily sign-up for a period of nudity and are legally bound and required to appear everywhere nude . . . As a government protected lifestyle, participants may not be harassed, arrested, discriminated against or denied opportunities to work in any position for which they are otherwise qualified.  Permanently nude women now occupy a variety of retail and governmental positions and Human Resources departments have struggled to update policy sheets, websites, bulletin boards and new hire orientation briefings.  Terms of voluntary Permanent Nudity can last as briefly as two weeks, a month . . . This is undoubtedly the most sensational social development of the twenty-first century!  Impact to clothing and fashion industries has so far been described as negligible.  [Is this real – No]” – Centauri4, http://outgoingnudist.tumblr.com/post/115846906642/centauri4-naturism-in-the-hypothetical-world

CARNUDING  7/25/16

Amy and I traveled to northern Utah the weekend of July 24^, 2016 for a family reunion.  We carnuded most of the way from Prescott Valley, AZ to Springville, Utah and back – a wonderfully natural and relaxing way to travel.  (Clothes just feel so restricting any time.)  The first evening we stayed at a KOA in Cannonville, Utah, and visited Kodachrome State Park near Bryce Canyon, where I took the chance to flash the Chimney Rock (see photo).  On our way back home we camped at East Canyon Reservoir near Morgan, Utah.  We skinny dipped (see photo), and in the morning I took a wonderful freehike (photos).  After carnuding south, we camped that evening at Jacob’s Lake where I had a chance to again freehike an enjoyable trail through the woods (photo).  We ended the trip by planting a trumpet vine on our trail in Dewey, Arizona, and freehiking the trail to ensure everything was maintained.  It was a wonderful trip, carnuding, visiting family, and enjoying nature as God intended.

Nude Gardening Day

Amy and I celebrated Nude Gardening Day on May 7, 2016 by planting two of the raised garden areas I’d created on our land in Dewey, AZ.  Gardening is one of those natural activities that is better done naked.  Gardening naked provides a unique feeling of being close to nature, of enjoying deeply our connection to the earth and to the air.  Spending a day naked taking care of your garden is healing for your body, soul, and mind.  Unfortunately, the rabbits got the plants a few days later, so I’ve been raising the fence to hopefully keep them out in the future.  And it’s all good because working nude in the sun feels great!

Our Nude Trail

For nearly nine months I’ve worked, much of the time naked, building a Nature and Meditation Trail on our land in Dewey, Arizona.  The shrub oak and mountain mahogany mostly provide cover from people who may see you from the few houses below the trail.  It is now so wonderfully refreshing to freehike the 1/3^rd mile trail.  We walk it nearly every day.  All are invited to join us for a meditative naked walk.

Nude Wedding

On Thanksgiving Day, November 26, 2015, Amy and I were married (nude of course) in a ceremony with a few naturist friends at the Magic Circle near Quartzite, Arizona.  It was a special ceremony.  Amy was beautiful in only her white veil and slippers.  I sang her a song I’d written for the occasion.  This occasion marks my full acceptance of the naturist lifestyle; I will never live a textile life again.

QUOTES 7/25/16

“The future of social nudity may not be in holding on to precious nudist beaches that remain beacons of desperate freedom that we cling to.  It may be in spreading it everywhere.” – Glenn Donnelly, https://www.facebook.com/groups/PromotingNudism/

“I’ve found that the more I go bare-chested, the easier it is to act like it’s the most normal thing in the world, which honestly it is beginning to feel like to me.  As a direct result, fewer and fewer people react to me.  And when they do react, I’m able to stay that much more calm, which communicates more effectively than anything else I can say or do that this is perfectly okay and all will be well.  If I don’t believe it’s normal and healthy, others won’t either.” - https://breastsarehealthy.wordpress.com/2016/06/19/how-to-go-bare-chested-without-creating-a-stir/

“. . . being nude, especially outside in sunshine, adds a physiological dimension to the act of healing.  Learning to be comfortable with one’s outer self, the physical self, goes a long way to enabling one to learn to trust and accept the inner self.  In my opinion as a therapist, and my experience in doing the work of healing the self, naturism is a powerful and positive component of therapy.” - http://rglongpre.ca/naturistlens/2015/03/08/naturism-as-therapy-coming-clean-through-honesty/

“Because Nobody is Perfect.” (Body Image Video) -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E8umFV69fNg

“Both in law and in general opinion, nudity is largely defined by a person’s genitals not being covered.  The reason behind this is that genitals are commonly considered to be ‘shameful’ and ‘embarrassing’.  But this is a very negative, harmful opinion, which seems to originate in religious and/or cultural traditions.  Yet genitals are a very important part of one’s body, and the prevalent disparagement of their appearance is not compatible with full acceptance of one’s body.  Becoming comfortable with full nudity leads to replacement of feeling shame and embarrassment of one’s genitals (as well as other body parts) with respect and appreciation.” - https://naturistphilosopher.wordpress.com/2016/06/07/is-there-a-human-need-for-being-naked/

“. . . who wants to sauna in a swimsuit?” – Lizzy Acher, http://www.wweek.com/culture/2016/05/17/should-you-be-spending-more-time-naked-in-public/