Walls Are Up

After several years of sneaking,
wondering: are neighbors peeking?
The walls are up around our yard,
At last--we can lower our guard!

See, I'm the type with solar gears
that start to turn when the sun appears.
When morning sun rays light things up,
I stand and drain my coffee cup.

Then I wander out the door;
Clothes? Don't need those any more!
Shoes of course, but that is all.
(I treasure toes when objects fall.)

During winter when I can't get going
I blame the dark, and cold winds blowing.
When it's time to get work done
it's much easier now--almost fun!

Now I don't mind when I go;
out for chores or lawn to mow.
It's just so nice to wander about;
but not with clothing--definitely without.

Outdoor Clean

Now I know the convenience of having an outdoor shower.

There have been many times I have wished for an outdoor shower of some kind--Times I've been so covered with various grimes and substances after doing a chore that I didn't dare go in the house in that condition.

Recently, I finally got my act together and bought some shower parts. The shower I built is pretty simple, really--only cold water off the nearby hose faucet. (Boy, wouldn't hot water be nice...) It's just a standard shower head, angle pipe, PVC pipe, and a few fittings. The only problem I had was trying to find the right fitting to use for a hose connection but I finally found it at Lowes.

After finally getting it together and trying it out, I put some paint on it to disguise it a little, and viola!--Shower time!

Reflections of a Blogger

 Ha, you probably thought I was going to lead you into some sort of deep, philosophical discussion of some kind didn't you? Nah, I'm talking about literal reflections. I take pictures when I'm doing things, and one of the things I check for is mirror reflections in anything shiny. Not that I'm collecting them--I just want to make sure I don't post a picture with "added content" and offend somebody. I do, however, keep shots that have some artistic value.

Here are a couple recents:

I also posted a couple way back in 2019 you can see here.

Taking The Bed Off My Truck

Having things finally fall into place with weather and new property fencing, it's nice to be able to actually exist outside naked. We're both getting used to being able to do all the regular things that people do now, but without regard for clothing!

This past week I took the bed off my truck. Being a 40-year-old truck, there were lots of items on my to-do list--many of which were underneath the rear half of the truck. For example, it had (likely) original equipment 40-year-old hoses connecting everything between the two fuel tanks and switching valve, and they were all on the verge of failure. As I said, there were other things I wanted good access to work on as well, so I decided taking the bed off would be the best thing.

I don't spend too much time thinking about pictures when I'm working on things, so I rarely take shots unless I'm specifically documenting something. For that reason, it's good that we have security cameras to draw from. It's easy to review footage and grab a shot or video to use later. Trouble is, they can get boring fast, all being taken from the same exact vantage point. Yawn. I'll try to limit them a bit.

Here are a few I grabbed during the first day I was out working on it:

Finally Able to Mow the Lawn the Right Way

After many years of wanting but not doing, hoping to but not getting it, and wishing for back yard security we finally have a fence around our back yard! You can read all about it and see lots of pictures in my The Edgewood Years blog. The fence has given us the ability to be nude while living life!

We recently had our first decent heat wave of the summer, and it was so nice and refreshing to be able to be nude in our whole back yard. It just feels so normal to walk out the door while wearing nothing but flipflops and walk outside. Now that there is a gate between my shop and my driveway I can be nude while working on my truck, puttering in the shop with the door rolled up, and even washing a car! I have yet to wash the cars nude, but believe me--it's on my nudie bucket list now that the ability to mow the lawn nude has finally been satisfied. I have had those two items on my nude "bucket list" for years and years. Both items are normal, everyday things that everybody does, only I just wanted the simple ability to do them bare. Well, I got one of them crossed off the virtual list yesterday! Here are a few of pics I gleaned from security footage:

 

Another interesting thing that happened was that we had Brenda's daughter and her girlfriend over all weekend. That itself isn't so interesting, but the fact that I managed to exist almost the whole weekend in the nude was. While being naked in front of friends or family has never been a goal, it was sort of a relief to put it behind me as a "see? nothing to worry about" item. I thought if we started off with a morning hot tub it would feel totally natural to stayed naked when the outside temperature was already in the mid 70's when we got out of the hot tub. I was just happy to be outside in the nude, as well as going in and out of the house without regard for clothing. Brenda was nude for a short time after but she spends most of her time out of the sun or in the house, so she ended up putting clothes on. It was first for me being the only one naked. I'd say it was awkward for everyone involved, but for me only briefly. There was some awkwardness on their end because nobody knows where to look or what to look at. They don't know if they should ignore it, glance, look, stare, or otherwise. Haha. The Elephant in the Room. While it didn't quite work out that way I hoped, it was all a step in the right direction to get the two of them to finally let their guard down and relax at our home. We hope they'll attend Nudestock with us this year, so it's time they got acclimated!

Update: Here are a few shots from a more recent mow:

Catching Up

I've been struggling with blogging lately, also due to the arrival winter happening soon--most nudists' enemy. Several things have derailed my state of mental positivity. At the top of that list would be the passing of my brother, Don. He died a few weeks ago, only a couple of weeks after his wife died. Neither of them were in great health, so it probably wasn't much of a stretch for COVID to claim them both. It's unfortunate that he lived so far away. He was the only sibling of 5 that didn't live nearby. As adults we were never very close, but us living so far apart still fucked things up.

I've also been busy with chores that have to be done to get everything ready for winter weather. I think we're lucky to live where we do because the western half of Washington State has nicely mild winters, and our summers usually don't get really hot. Hot--yes, but not really hot. We also have very few bugs to bother us. Sure, you'll find mosquitoes in various places, but nothing like you'll find in other states. We also have fairly long daylight hours being this far north.

But I digressed.

Our motorhome has commanded its fair share of attention lately. Having the weather starting to change and having no place to actually store it meant I needed to figure out what to do to it for the winter. At first I wanted something I could just drive under and park--basically, a roof on stilts. Instead, I opted to just go with a quality tarp that is made for motorhomes. First, I needed to get the roof all clean and dried before I could cover it, though, and that also meant I needed to do some tree grooming on the stuff that droops over the driveway where the motorhome sits. The more of that shit I can clean up the less there will be falling on top of the shop roof or motorhome. The downside to tarping (besides just being a pain in the ass) is, when you tarp up your motorhome you're finished driving it. Even if I want to go down and fill up the gas or propane I would need to untarp it again. Consequently, I went through all the preliminaries before putting the tarp on top, washing it, and topping off the gas and propane.

Motorhomes are a love/hate thing.

I had a fence project that was in the works, and that fell apart. I had us all set up for an 8-foot fence between us and the neighbors (tall because the ground slopes up toward their direction), but that got shot down by the city permit folks. After calling the wood supplier and canceling the $1400 worth of lumber I had already paid for, the project is back to square one.

Now the weather is turning crappy. Time to turn back to pleasant thoughts.

Another Poem for Nudists

Working From Home

by Rick Williams

I've been working here for months
from this "office" in my home,
and in-between my daily tasks
cobbled together this poem.

I get to sit here all day long
and do my work while nude!
All my needs are close at hand
like bathroom, drink, and food.

My wife will sometimes wander through;
sometimes naked--sometimes not,
or if she's already here and dressed
might strip from flashes, hot.

We have online meetings all the time
but naked doesn't show.
Our laptops haven't webcams,
so no one's in the know.

Coworkers know that we embrace
the lifestyle of the bare.
Hell, I wear t-shirts all the time
that tout nudity without a care.

They like to joke from time to time
about my lack of clothes.
When topics arise that they can use
hell, anything funny goes.

There's talk that this scenario
might be the way things stay.
No longer will I drive to work;
I'll stay clear of the commuting fray!

Disqualified?

I don't really like purists, zealots, or similar types of people. The fact that they seem to always have a set of preconceived notions about how someone should be, or how they should look, or how they should act is just something I can't deal with. I've seen several instances of people online holding argumentative verbal exchanges over whether or not someone is a "true" nudist or naturist. Imagine arguing over whether or not you are a "true" naturist just because you're wearing shoes!

We all know that nudism is all about feeling and enjoying the pure air, sunshine, exercise, sunlight, and all the things that go hand-in-hand with baring your body to the elements. It was about people peacefully coexisting with nature whenever they could. I'm totally about that. I love nature, I love animals, I love weather, I love so many things about our world.

Brenda and I both drink and we both smoke pot. Does that mean we are disqualified from being nudists? We consider ourselves to be very much into a healthy eating and appreciating the world we live in. We hardly ever even eat fast food. We recycle, we buy wisely whenever possible, and Brenda even makes our own soaps and skin care products.  It's only fitting that we grow our own pot as well. It's a natural product! Should drinking beer or smoking weed make you less of a naturist or nudist? Of course not.

For the longest time most clubs refused to allow alcohol. It's no wonder considering the bad P.R. that drinking has gotten throughout the world. There has been drunkenness causing problems since the dawn of mankind. Does that mean everyone that drinks is a drunk? Of course not. All nudist parks, without exception, should be family-friendly but that doesn't necessarily mean banning everything right up front. Moderation and discretion.

But why partake in things that are not good for us anyway? Simple: We like them. We're human. Neither of us like to be drunk, but we both like to be pleasantly buzzed. For us, drinking beer and/or smoking weed are just another couple of the many things in life that give us pleasure. It provides us with a certain amount of relaxation, creativity, and enjoyment. We are smart enough to also know not to overdo things. No matter what you partake in, use moderation.

While we were at Nudestock last year I had the opportunity to ask a member of the staff about smoking weed. "We know people are going to do it," she said, "we just ask that you use some discretion. Sit in your car, take a walk--whichever works for you."

There was no incident or issue that caused me to write about this. It was just something that comes to mind from time to time. Brenda and I consider ourselves to be very much nudists, and I don't think we're any less of one because of what we eat, drink, or smoke.

The End of Vacation

It sure seems weird to take a week off these days. It used to be that a person earned a vacation. We felt such a sense of excitement we couldn't wait for vacation to start. But, when you've had nothing but "off" since the virus took over our world it doesn't seem right to take a vacation. It almost felt like I was cheating.

I chose this week off for a reason: Nudestock. I always take a week off at the end of August because Nudestock always falls in that week of vacation. Not this year though. Too bad.

But it was a good week off nevertheless.

A couple cool things showed up for the motorhome this week: The first was a new sticker for the back. Anyone that has ever traveled in Europe knows that these oval stickers used to be required by those living there to identify their country of origin. Since the license plates over there started putting the country on the left side of the plates these stickers are no longer required. That doesn't stop people from romancing them though. I just thought it was a cool thing.

The other thing is a new AC/DC flat screen TV. The poor old motorhome still contained the 1999 technology, and that meant a 12-volt CRT television, and a 12-volt VCR. After I took the whole TV and cabinet out I figure I probably saved close to 50 pounds, considering the weight of the electronics and the particle board cabinet they were in. I'm still waiting for the new bracket to mount it to the wall though. The new power cord showed up already, so I was able to see how well it worked on 12 volts. I believe the new bracket will be here tomorrow.

I think my favorite thing about this "stay-cation" was being able to go anywhere I wanted to go during the middle of the day. For example, one day I found an ad for a good deal on a band saw, so we were able to drive up to the University district of Seattle and pick it up easily with regard to traffic and travel times. I could really get used to that. Now I can't wait to retire!

Wednesday of this week found us down in the middle of the state, in the area of Chehalis, where we went to visit my cousin Melinda and her husband, Danny. Brenda has had never met Danny, nor had she ever been to their ranch. We had a great time visiting and seeing all the critters. Ruby had her fill of big dogs after that visit too, having been surrounded by their overzealous Greyhounds, Whippets, and Border Collies all day long. Their dogs just couldn't get enough of "the new kid" and pestered her to death for most of the time we were there.

Back to work today. Well, if you can call walking into a different bedroom and spending the day in there "working." Pretty convenient though!

Nude Complacency

Brenda commented this past week on how she just takes clothes off 'without thinking about it' when hot flashes hit. She said she was just sitting there painting with her watercolors, and--without blinking an eye--just started sliding her pants off when a hot flash hit. It occurred to her that she might have become so comfortable that she might just automatically start disrobing when it's not quite clear sailing! It's so automatic and commonplace to be naked around here (especially in August) that we don't even think about it. I only have to get dressed when I take the garbage out, or go check the mail generally. Basically, any time we have to wander past the security boundaries of our patio sun shades or hot tub fencing. If I decide to go outside to check the mail or to putter in the shop, first the shoes go on, then I look around for some shorts or something else to put on. I think I do that because I'm putting off getting dressed for as long as I can, like I'm postponing the inevitable.

So, I wonder if nude complacency is even a proper term? Complacency is basically doing things on autopilot, without concern of the outcome. Blissfully unaware. I'd wager that the term nude complacency could be correct in this instance. I say could because I'm always bastardizing the English language anyway (although I just do it for fun.)

I have always struggled with clothing fitting me to begin with. I have never been able to buy clothes off the rack that would fit me worth a shit because of my lanky frame and long arms. I have always gravitated towards short-sleeved t-shirts for that reason. I don't like to have to think about what I'm doing with regard to dressing properly to suit the instance or expectation. The only time I think about clothes I'm putting on are whether or not the top color "works" with the bottom color. That's probably why the only time I'm ever comfortable while dressed is when I'm wearing jeans and a t-shirt. I have thanked my lucky stars on more than one occasion over the years because I was able to enjoy jobs that had little or no specific dress code for the most part. Except for a few instances where I managed to pull off a barely adequate job of tying a tie for some wedding or something I have been able to avoid wearing suits and ties almost my whole life. Nowadays, I'm either nude or not, and that depends on whether I'm cold or not.

 

The Allure of Twister

When I was a kid I got caught up in the hype. TV ads bombarded us with all kinds of toys--especially in the Christmas season. Being the frustrated adolescent I was I was particularly fascinated by all the ads that showed boy/girl interaction, and none drew me in like Twister did.

Being the oldest of 5 kids meant I had to learn everything on my own. Having no older brothers or sisters meant I was the only one responsible for monitoring the media to make sure I was as normal as I was supposed to be. I had to make sure I wasn't missing out on something new and exciting that every other kid in the country was enjoying.

That was the way Twister was portrayed.

I asked Santa for a Twister game that year. I was pretty excited when I actually got it! I couldn't wait to have all the fun the TV ads promised me. You know what though? I didn't consider not having anyone else to play it with except for my brothers and sisters. It was fun at first, but it wasn't like the ads, and was quickly forgotten, relegated to that cobweb-riddled shelf down in the basement where things are mothballed.

Recently, I saw a picture of nudists enjoying a game of Twister. At first I re-lived the whole adolescent story in my mind, and I thought it would be fun like I thought years earlier. But then that cursed adult common sense jumped up on my shoulder like one of those little imps in the movies.

"Do you really want somebody's tender areas that close to your face?" the good side asked.
"What if somebody farts while we're all twisted up!" he continued.
"Someone is going to see something your doctor should have told you about!" he screamed in my ear, desperately.

Totally different than my thoughts of yore.

When I got the idea for this post I thought, thanks to the power of the internet, there would be a multitude of fun pictures of naked people happily enjoying a game of Twister. I was right--partially. When you search Twister attached to any term related to nudism, probably 99.9% of what comes up is just porn--pictures where the whole object of the shot was to display your goods.

I have a few usable shots, but the pickings are slim when your goal is to keep smut out of your blog as I am. Enjoy.

 

 How about a record-setting mass-Twister-thon?

Crack a Grin

I never said I was going to have strictly nudist funnies. Well, it would be nice really, but truth is there just aren't many out there! I'd bet that the ratio of non-nudist comics to nudist comics isn't any different than the ratio of non-nudists to nudists.

I do have lots of other comics (I love oddball comics!) that I'd like to share, so I'll likely do that sort of thing from now on. I just love the wacky shit!