gymnostim's Posts at NudistClubhouse.com Groups

Posts by: gymnostim

Absolute Naturists A Paradox?
gymnostim Posted: May 19, 2013	I don't care what others are wearing or not wearing, as long as I have the freedom to not wear anything. The exception would be if they are doing or saying something to make me uncomfortable, which in a nudist/CO environment should be rather unacceptable. I have been in situations where I've been the only nude person and I'm generally quite at ease about that.
Nudist Individuals Landed Clubs-Are they worth it
gymnostim Posted: May 7, 2013	Just like we ask that each of us be treated and evaluated as individuals, you also have to do the same with landed clubs. Unfortunately what they tell you on their web site, etc, can differ from the reality once you get there. My preference is for 'free range' experiences (beaches, hiking, etc) but with a family I have to consider what's "safest" (will have the least potential of encountering someone who will put off other family members due to their behavior). I can go to a nude beach and shrug off rude behavior but not everyone can do that. That being said, I've been to AANR resorts that advertised as family-friendly and turned out to be anything but, so you just never know until you get there. Kind of like going on a date...you have your pre-knowledge but you don't really know the person until you spend time with them.
Absolute Naturists Is the Textile World more sexualized than the Nudist World?
gymnostim Posted: May 2, 2013	Since clothing draws attention to the body, and incites sexual curiosity via concealment, I think I'd have to say "definitely!" :)
Nudist Club Trip Reports Serendipity, Cleveland, GA - continues to be the best
gymnostim Posted: Apr 28, 2013	We always go as a family...just would be nice to meet other families for a change. :)
Nudist Club Trip Reports Serendipity, Cleveland, GA - continues to be the best
gymnostim Posted: Apr 28, 2013	Did you get the feeling that there were families there regularly? It would be nice when we camp if there were some other kids for my son to play with, but it's usually all older adults.
Absolute Naturists Clothes=Oppression?
gymnostim Posted: Apr 28, 2013	Clothes themselves are not oppressive, but laws requiring them to be worn certainly are. These laws essentially say "You are not permitted to present yourself to the world as you naturally are. You must lie, you must have a facade. Your natural self is bad and the mere view of it will hurt other people."
Absolute Naturists Nudists and their clothing choices
gymnostim Posted: Apr 27, 2013	I work from home, so it's shorts and t-shirts most of the year and jeans and sweatshirts in the colder months. I spend the most money on athletic clothing...running shorts and shirts. It's hard to find stuff that's comfortable and suitable for humid Florida summers. It would be so much better to be able to just run nude, but I don't have that luxury.
RV'ing/Camping Nudists Nude camping trips for 2013
gymnostim Posted: Apr 27, 2013	Trying to plan out my summer camping now. For sure going to go to the Outer Banks (NC) for some nude-ish beach time. Would also like to go to Avalon in WV again. It would be nice to have an RV/Camper...I don't mind tent camping but an RV would be more comfortable. A little out of my price range right now.
Absolute Naturists Do Nudist Venues Hinder the Growth of Public Social Nudity?
gymnostim Posted: Apr 25, 2013	I don't think they hinder. There is a place for both...my preference is for "free range" nudism, but when it comes to taking my family someplace I also have to take into account safety/legality. Wise club owners would support social nudity in all its manifestations, knowing that growing the number of participants overall will no doubt raise participation in all market segments.
Nudist Individuals Naturism and Feminism
gymnostim Posted: Apr 25, 2013	I think it's common for us to use things like race, gender, and appearance to make snap judgments about others. This makes some evolutionary sense, where these shortcuts would have helped our species make quick survival-important judgments. The way that our society works today though, where we have people from all over the globe with different backgrounds together into a level playing field and all get along, they get in the way...stereotypes hurt more than they help. Race equality, feminism, gay equality: these movements have all been caused by enough people standing up and saying "look, stereotypes based on X are bullshit now, we have to stop using them." The early promise of nudism was to break down class barriers: by dispensing with the trappings of wealth (clothing), we're all equal and your behavior determines your acceptance in our sub-society. That's good in theory but as we know, the single (male) vs. couple issue is still around, as is the "tattoos/piercings", and whatever else our ape brain parts latch onto as a reason to divide ourselves into "them" and "us". We have to have the presence of mind to tell the little vestigial voices in our evolutionary background to shut the heck up once in a while, for the good of moving forward. I'd like to think we're moving into a future where you get the respect from others that is in proportion to the respect that you give, and all the superficial stuff doesn't matter. I think nudism is a great tool in fostering better male-female friendships. So much of clothing is designed to trigger the conceal/reveal reaction in various ways, it stokes the male imagination and gets in the way. Simple, social and communal nudity helps us see each other as humans first so that we may then make decisions about people based on behavior and respect. Once learned, this view can carry over into the clothed parts of our social interactions as well...we've seen behind the curtain and know the facade for what it is.
Nudist Individuals Profiles and Friends
gymnostim Posted: Apr 25, 2013	I don't think it's insulting to block someone, if you're not interested in interacting with them until they have a full profile or have demonstrated good behavior elsewhere. They can always be unblocked later.
Nudist Club Trip Reports Suwannee Valley Resort, White Springs, Florida
gymnostim Posted: Apr 11, 2013	A shame that families aren't allowed...that would be a convenient place to camp/visit.
Absolute Naturists Male Crotch Shot Profile Pictures on NCH
gymnostim Posted: Aug 2, 2012	I kind of feel bad for these people...their whole body is nude but all they can focus on is one "little" part.
Absolute Naturists HOT SPRINGS
gymnostim Posted: Jul 16, 2012	I visited Deep Creek about 14 years ago and hiked nude the whole time, it was really wonderful!
Absolute Naturists Nude Recreation Week - Celebration Plans
gymnostim Posted: Jun 9, 2012	Hope the surgery goes well FireProf! I'll be camping again this year...not nudist-style :( but there should be ample opportunities for skinny-dipping at least.
Absolute Naturists Adult Only Nude Resort Policies. Is there an issue?
gymnostim Posted: Apr 2, 2012	I realize that this is not the topic of this thread, but I'm kind of shocked at all the hostility towards nudists with kids. Mine are well behaved, but I get the feeling it wouldn't matter. :(
Absolute Naturists Nudists and Body Image Hang Ups
gymnostim Posted: Mar 15, 2012	When I'm nude...I don't think I have any hangups. Happy to be nude in mixed (male/female and/or clothed/nude) company, don't think twice about it. Put clothes on me...totally different. I don't know why! I like to go for a run or walk every day...and I wish I felt comfortable doing so without a shirt on, but I need to lose another 10-15 pounds before that happens. I feel silly that I feel that way. :)
North Carolina Nudists Outer Banks
gymnostim Posted: Mar 11, 2012	That sounds really great Jim...we visited Ocracoke last July for the first time and can't wait to go back to the OBX again.
Absolute Naturists How Do You Sleep?
gymnostim Posted: Oct 5, 2011	Naked under covers always...out of the covers once in a while if it's hot. Snuggled up if it's cold. :)
Absolute Naturists If Nudity was Legal, Would it Become Commonplace?
gymnostim Posted: Sep 30, 2011	It would be nice to simply have the freedom to be nude and tolerated in logical settings (beach, park, your front yard, Disney World). Anything else would be the icing on the cake. Would it be common? Probably not any time soon but it would be nice to at least have it accepted.
Absolute Naturists Topless Equalty
gymnostim Posted: Sep 29, 2011	SunBunny, I know what you mean about the 'young perky women' dominating the popular photos list. I suppose that's too be expected...there's a certain segment of the membership that's here to see how many females they can put on their 'friends' list and collect photos, as if that means anything in real life. I'm happy that there are mature women (and men) such as yourself who are comfortable enough to appear here as well. I always imagine that the story of one's life is (partially) recorded on one's skin. The pretty young things may be easy on the eyes but they don't have much of a story to tell yet. ;)
Absolute Naturists How Do You View Clothing?
gymnostim Posted: Sep 29, 2011	It's a necessary evil most of the time, a form of expression or respect or protection. Something I put up with but try to avoid as much as possible. Especially since I'm the one who does most of the laundry in the house. :)
Runners Shoes or barefoot
gymnostim Posted: Sep 29, 2011	I actually started wearing VFF because I used to run on the beach a lot and the sand was wearing the skin off the bottom of my feet. :)
Just for fun Would you rather....
gymnostim Posted: Sep 27, 2011	Since I work from home, depending on what I'm wearing I'm often either the only person dressed or the only person nude at work. Nobody seems to give a damn either way. :) If I was in an office with co-workers that was clothing optional I would not mind being the only one nude but of course it would be better if there were others.
Absolute Naturists Topless Equalty
gymnostim Posted: Sep 27, 2011	I tried to touch on this earlier but I think my point got lost. :) I think a lot of women don't want to see topfree equality...think about it, in our twisted culture the nude (female especially) body has "commercial" value. At the crudest end of the scale, you have men paying to go to topless bars. More indirectly, a non-nudist woman can control how much exposure she gives in order to attract mates or signal availability...ultimately leading to some benefit (a mate, a good time, free drinks, not getting a speeding ticket :-) etc). So on one hand you have women who either consciously or simply through cultural indoctrination norms view control of breast exposure as some part of her personal value. When she sees other women who "give away" this value, hostility results. This hostility extends to even non-sexual exposure, such as breastfeeding in public or sunbathing. That's my theory anyway. :)
Runners Shoes or barefoot
gymnostim Posted: Sep 26, 2011	I wear Vibram Five Fingers when I run, but lately I've been doing more and more of my mileage totally barefoot. I used to have back and knee issues when standing, walking, or running for any length of time in shoes but that has pretty much evaporated with VFF or barefoot. My wife wears Vivobarefoot shoes and it has also helped her foot and knee problems from walking and she'll even run with me now.
Absolute Naturists Escaping the Closet
gymnostim Posted: Sep 26, 2011	If your family stops loving you because you're a nudist, then they may need to re-think what they think "love" means. If your friends stop being your friends because you're a nudist, then they weren't really your friends to begin with.
Absolute Naturists Topless Equalty
gymnostim Posted: Sep 15, 2011	I often hear the "men will act like neanderthals" argument given when this topic comes up, although outside of spring breakers, NASCAR races, and beach pervs, is this really the case? On the contrary, I see a LOT of venom coming from other women. Look what happens when there's some incident about a woman breastfeeding in public or something and there's an issue. "My kids/husband/boyfriend don't need to see that." "That's gross, she should put those away and breastfeed in the bathroom." And that's just when a woman is doing what her breasts are designed for: feeding her child. God help her if she takes her top off in the park...then she's accused of all kinds of things (at least here in the USA, the alleged home of the free).
Spiritual Nudists Nudity as a spiritual practice
gymnostim Posted: Sep 15, 2011	One man's ignorance is another man's enlightenment. Pretending to know what cannot be known is the ultimate in ignorance, to me.
Absolute Naturists Family Nudists
gymnostim Posted: Sep 15, 2011	We try to be that family when possible, and when I see others doing the same it's a happy feeling for sure. We're a family that does things together almost all the time, so it would be dishonest to exclude the kids from it, especially when it's healthy and natural. What I love is that when we were camping this summer at Avalon, quite a few people told me how great it was that we were there as a family. Some also said they had wished they'd been nudists when their kids were younger and been able to raise them with some "exposure" to it (forgive the pun). We did have one older male be a little grumpy about having my son around, but there's always one in the crowd it seems like.
Spiritual Nudists Nudity as a spiritual practice
gymnostim Posted: Sep 15, 2011	"Any claim to a spiritual relationship with any aspect of god is self deception and delusional at best and a lie of the first order." See, that's probably as offensive to you as your almost identical words were to me. I appreciate that you have 100% confidence in your beliefs (or maybe you don't, but you feel the need to overcompensate by posting to others how wrong they are...only you know for sure). Back on topic: :) My son and I drive by a small pond on the way to his school every day. Most days the pond is full of wild ducks: floating, splashing, diving for food...they look happy as heck, and it makes both of us happy to see it. Are they happy? Or are they just doing what ducks do? Is there a difference? Only to humans, since we have come up with words like "happy", and "spiritual" that we can't even agree on the meaning of. "Happy" to me might just be "ducky" to a duck. Ducks don't worry about anything except being ducks, and they have the divine gift of being at peace with being a part of a greater whole. Humans worry about the greater whole and have the divine gift of being made miserable about it. I prefer to shuck off my clothes and go skinny-dipping with the ducks, I'll leave the task of what to name and define things with those who seek misery.
Spiritual Nudists Nudity as a spiritual practice
gymnostim Posted: Sep 14, 2011	The god that can be talked about is not the real god. When god is experienced, words in books and "proofs" and coercion is not needed.
Absolute Naturists Bodypainting
gymnostim Posted: Aug 14, 2011	I think body painting is wonderful...it's a way of decorating the human form without resorting to clothes or tattoos. The person is still as naked as can be, and it makes people look/think about what clothing really is. Paint can totally cover someone, the skin is covered, but are they nude or clothed? I also remember the first time we took my daughter to a clothing optional resort: there was a teen counselor there and she was doing body painting with the kids. It helped her feel comfortable and focus on the neat artwork on her back/shoulder and not worry about all the other first-time jitters.
Absolute Naturists Are you an Absolute Naturist?
gymnostim Posted: Jul 20, 2011	Bare, sorry to hear about the incident. Depending on the circumstances and local laws, the neighbors may have been in the wrong and the police mis-informed (it happens a lot). Simple nudity on ones' own property in the absence of a sexual act is not always a crime. At any rate, you're still an AbNat in my book. :) Some day it will all seem silly when we look back and remember how our own natural bodies were criminalized when it was the small minds that needed to be locked up instead. :(
Nudist News Hilarious video from 1938
gymnostim Posted: Jul 15, 2011	I can honestly say that I've never played nude leap-frog. :)
Absolute Naturists What is an Absolute Naturist?
gymnostim Posted: Jul 15, 2011	The absolute naturist recognizes that nudity is more than just a recreational choice. We should all have the basic freedom to choose how we present ourselves to the world, be it clothed or nude, because there is nothing inherently offensive about the human body. Behaviors can be offensive, but bodies are not.
When your spouse is not a nudist Who's vacation is this?
gymnostim Posted: Jul 15, 2011	Absolutely, FP's advice is spot-on! There is some percentage of spouses who for various reasons will never be able to allow themselves to have a social nude experience, but for the rest I think that patience, trust, and communication can definitely give some hope.
Home Nudists What do you put on when get a knock at the door?
gymnostim Posted: Jul 12, 2011	I usually have a pair of shorts and a t-shirt handy.
Nude Hikers & Backpackers Nude geocaching
gymnostim Posted: Jul 12, 2011	Does anyone else here go hiking nude while geocaching? I've met a few geocachers who do it in the buff when they are in an appropriate place. It makes it a little more fun, and comfortable in the hot weather.
Absolute Naturists Social nudity and gender equality
gymnostim Posted: Jul 12, 2011	Thanks SB, I guess that's the topic I was getting at but was not very good at summarizing. :) I was thinking more about this last night, I would be interested to hear about this from a female perspective. I know I see women check their clothing to see if they are revealing too much, things are in place, etc...I imagine this is also a distraction that would go away when nude.
Nudist Club Trip Reports Carolina Foothills Resort in Chesnee SC
gymnostim Posted: Jul 11, 2011	I was looking for an overnight camping spot in the western NC/SC area on our way to Florida, so we reserved a campsite here. The pool area seemed really nice, although we did not get a chance to use it. The campsites were very nice, with sand pads for tents, good picnic tables, and located near the pool and bath house. The sites were packed in pretty tightly, though. There were a few things about the place that made my wife uncomfortable, and me slightly uncomfortable, so I was the only one nude in our family. I don't want to draw too many conclusions from one short visit, but here they are: The few people we met were friendly but there were a lot of them walking around fully clothed. This wasn't a "it's cold" kind of thing, it was extremely warm and humid. CFR is supposedly "nudity required everywhere" so this was unexpected. The bathhouse is outside (no walls) which is kind of ok, but the showers did not have curtains. My wife felt like it would have been exhibitionist to use them. I did use them but felt admittedly awkward. It's one thing to take a quick open-air shower at the poolside, but to do the morning shower "on display" felt odd. We also had the misfortune of there being a really loud and rowdy party going on at the pool from about 9:00PM to past 2:00AM. From the loud whooping it did not sound like a family-friendly environment, but I did not walk up to see for myself. None of us got much sleep, to say the least. I don't know if this was a one-off thing or if something like that happens often there. It really made me kind of angry the next day to have to pay the daily grounds fee when we were only there to sleep...we were all packed up and leaving at 8:45AM, and had been there less than 12 overnight hours. $50 is a lot to pay for a tent site and no sleep.
Nudist Club Trip Reports Avalon in West Virginia
gymnostim Posted: Jul 11, 2011	We recently camped 2 nights at Avalon, and had a great experience. I had last been there over a decade ago, so the facilities have changed a lot, for the better. We were there mid-week so it was pretty quiet, this was actually really good because it helped my wife's comfort level not to be elbow-to-elbow with a lot of other people. She was able to relax and enjoyed the time we spent there. The new indoor pool / hot tub facility was one of our favorite spots. It's sort of like being in a greenhouse with the glass all around and the tropical plants. The campsites were not bad, although not totally level. They all had a parking space and a fire ring, but almost none had a picnic table, which you really need when camping with a tent, IMO. The office staff was very helpful and let me switch to an empty site that did have a rickety old picnic table that held together for our visit. :) The bathhouse was close and was excellent...showers, sinks, stalls, even a laundry. We enjoyed hiking nude on the nature trail, I was very happy to see they had one. There weren't any kids around for my son to play with but it was mid-week. Other than that it seemed like there was a good range of ages present. Despite Avalon being officially clothing optional, there was hardly anyone around with clothes on unless they were on their way in or out of the property. All in all, a great visit and it's safe to say we'd happily spend time here again.
Absolute Naturists Naturism as a Philosphy - Nudism is Not
gymnostim Posted: Jul 11, 2011	The result may be the same (you are naked), but people may be interested in the labels because they want to understand someone's motivations.
Absolute Naturists Social nudity and gender equality
gymnostim Posted: Jul 11, 2011	One thing I noticed after visiting a resort is that the quality of my in-person conversations with women is better when nude. They seem more open and focused. I was wondering why this was, and then I thought about my feelings being back out in the textile world again and had some insights. One thing I noticed when talking to a woman who is clothed, that there is a persistent low-level distraction caused by her clothing. I don't think of it as a sexual thing, it's more a curiosity...what does she look like nude, what color is her underwear, I can see 1.5 inches of her cleavage, etc. It's always there at some level, whether it's my wife, a friend, a co-worker, or total stranger that I don't feel any attraction to. I guess it's just an automatic testosterone-driven thing, and it feels really silly when I become aware of it. On the other hand, if the woman is nude she becomes just another person to me. Any curiosity is gone in an instant and that whole part of my subconscious goes quiet and is no longer a distraction. I can focus 100% on the conversation we're having.
When your spouse is not a nudist Who's vacation is this?
gymnostim Posted: Jul 11, 2011	Your vacation style sounds like mine, too FireProf. My wife would be bored sitting around too much and wants to get out and see the sights. I don't mind a good mix of both. One way I made our camping plans more palatable to her was that we didn't have to be at the resort for more than sleeping and breakfast if she didn't want to be.
Absolute Naturists Naturism as a Philosphy - Nudism is Not
gymnostim Posted: Jul 10, 2011	I always tend to think "club nudists" are "nudists" and "beach / free-range nudists" are "naturists" but I know there's a lot of cross-over.
Absolute Naturists Are Clothing Optional Clubs/Resorts Hurting Nudists?
gymnostim Posted: Jul 10, 2011	We recently stayed at 1 club that is officially clothing optional, where the nudity rate was almost 100%. That actually made it easier for the rest of my family to join in and be nude the whole time. We also spent the night at a club that is officially nudity required where the nudity rate was closer to 50%. This made the rest of my family uncomfortable. So maybe it's not the club policy, it's the participation rate that is key. :) Although personally I'll be nude anywhere it's allowed, unless there's some other issue going on that's making me uncomfortable.
When your spouse is not a nudist Who's vacation is this?
gymnostim Posted: Jul 10, 2011	Our nudist camping went pretty well, overall. We spent 2 nights camping at Avalon and my wife and son got comfortable with it quickly and wound up having a really nice time. We also spent 1 night at Carolina Foothills, but there were some things there that made her very uncomfortable, so we left first thing in the morning after camping. I think she'd go back to Avalon in a heartbeat, so it was still positive, I just need to research the clubs a little more first. We originally were going to camp at Cherokee Lodge, but we had to alter our route partway through and Carolina Foothills was closer to where we were driving.
Absolute Naturists The Nudist Click Moment
gymnostim Posted: Jul 5, 2011	I got away from any nudist tendencies when I was a teen and didn't really come back to it until my 20's and I was in grad school. It was the early days of the internet (everybody was .edu/.gov/.mil pretty much) and there was a Usenet newsgroup called "rec.nude" that I came across that had trip reports and a FAQ and it reminded me of my days skinny dipping and hiking nude as a kid, and it seemed cool that other people had the same feelings about the naturalness of being clothes-free that I did. I started hiking again and sometimes would get nude for a few minutes or strip off and swim, but it seemed furtive and awkward. I got married a few years later and my wife was not really positive about nudity or open about things like that so while I continuted to read rec.nude I curtailed my nudist activities. I even stopped sleeping nude to make her happy. (I was young and stupid, I guess) Fast forward a few more years and I was going through a really painful divorce (predictably) and alone in our home a lot. It felt uncomfortable even being there and one hot summer night I went out to the deck to watch the stars for a while and for some reason I felt like being nude, so I stripped off and just laid there looking up. I had a really moving experience just watching the stars and feeling the earth turn beneath them and had a sort of epiphany of the small scale of my problems compared to the rest of creation. I instantly felt better. I started spending more time nude out on the deck, sometimes even out in the daytime, being careful that the neighbors could not see me. I experienced the joy of sitting outside in a thunderstorm and having the cool rain wash over me. I joined the Naturist society. I hiked and skinny-dipped as much as I could. I went to the Eastern Naturist Gathering. I never looked back. :)
Absolute Naturists What is an Absolute Naturist?
gymnostim Posted: Jul 4, 2011	That sounds great...you've "got it!" :)
Absolute Naturists Nude Recreation Week - Celebration Plans
gymnostim Posted: Jul 1, 2011	Going to be doing some nude camping! :)
Absolute Naturists TO BE OR NOT TO BE … NUDE
gymnostim Posted: Jun 24, 2011	There is a whole series of these naturist vs. textile photos here for those that enjoy them: http://nudiarist.blogspot.com/search/label/naturist%20vs.%20textile
Absolute Naturists Attract A Younger Crowd
gymnostim Posted: Jun 22, 2011	My daughter is in her 20's. She and I talked a little about this while she was over for Father's Day. She has quite a few friends who are open/casual about nudity and will be nude at home or even have nude pool parties. I don't think any of them would consider themselves nudists and they're probably not the type to join a club or group because it costs money and doesn't give them an immediate tangible benefit.
Absolute Naturists Are Clothing Optional Clubs/Resorts Hurting Nudists?
gymnostim Posted: Jun 22, 2011	I see what you are saying Fireprof, but does does CO "hurt" nudists, as the topic states? I don't think that it does, and I'd venture to say that it helps. A good example is that when my family goes to a resort. I'll be "absolute" and be nude the whole time. My wife will have something on or not according to her comfort level. My kids would generally be nude as well. So if a CO club allows 4 family members to have a positive nudist experience together, that sounds better than a nudity-required club that would probably not get our visit at all. A family visiting is 100% helpful to our movement as a whole, since that's where younger members will come from in the future. Now, if a club has more clothed members than nude members then there's some other issue, and that needs to be looked at from an admissions standpoint...they're not letting in people that are there for the right reasons.
Absolute Naturists When Did Nudist Clubs Die?
gymnostim Posted: Jun 22, 2011	Here's some food for thought: http://www.amazon.co.uk/FKK-Reiseführer-International-Naturisme-2009/dp/3930376636 I have an older version of this guidebook, but the 2009 one listed above contains 800 "naturist beaches, resorts, centres and clubs." Most of them are in Europe. Obviously we're doing something wrong here in the USA if our clubs are stagnant.
Absolute Naturists Are Clothing Optional Clubs/Resorts Hurting Nudists?
gymnostim Posted: Jun 22, 2011	Well, the original question was "does clothing optional hurt nudists?" and I don't see how it can. I'd argue that the growth of CO is more on the path to universal acceptance of the clothed/unclothed state than mandatory nudity would be. Mandatory dress and mandatory nakedness are two sides of the same coin; it seems to me that freedom of choice and general acceptance is a much better situation. My preference would be to be nude whenever practical, of course. :)
Absolute Naturists Nude In Public
gymnostim Posted: Jun 21, 2011	"I believe that the lawmakers need to consider this amount of people and redo the laws on nudism." Unfortunately, even if the average person thinks it's ok and a lawmaker is inclined to agree, there is a vocal minority that shouts "Oh no! Naked parts! Sinners! Think of the children!" and there goes your support.
Absolute Naturists Are Clothing Optional Clubs/Resorts Hurting Nudists?
gymnostim Posted: Jun 21, 2011	Very well said, Gaijin! Mandating total nudity at all times is pretty much the same as mandating total clothed-ness at all times.
Absolute Naturists When Did Nudist Clubs Die?
gymnostim Posted: Jun 18, 2011	Nobody has blamed it on Obama or the 60's yet? :) :) A lot of families are squeezed, both in time and money. I know we look pretty hard at where each dollar goes and if there's a free alternative we're there instead. Paying to go to a club would be a luxury compared to just stripping off in the back yard for free, although meeting other families there and doing things with a larger group would be a bonus. It depends on the age range of kids in the family too, but weekends tend to be "taken" by other activities like sports or scouting, and on top of that doing things outside is not as "entertaining" to a lot of kids: they want electronics involved. I look at the bigger FKK campgrounds in Europe where it's much more casual and the facilities are more developed (water park, anyone?), plenty of people of all ages visiting: that sounds a lot more attractive to me. Of course, with the average US citizen lucky to get even two weeks of paid vacation, we're less likely to have a desire for those multi-week camp-outs at the nudist resort. No critical mass of families...supply and demand.
When your spouse is not a nudist Who's vacation is this?
gymnostim Posted: Jun 16, 2011	My wife agreed to some camping at 2 different nudist locations on our upcoming trip, so I'm looking forward to that and hoping it is a good experience for her. We've done it together in the past, but it's been a long time. She actually suggested one of them, so that was encouraging.
Absolute Naturists Best youth friendly resort?
gymnostim Posted: Jun 16, 2011	I thought Chris was doing a good job of what a resort visit is like from his perspective, which is pretty valuable. Not sure why he got attacked for it. :(
Home Nudists Do you ever do backyard naturism?
gymnostim Posted: Jun 14, 2011	Don't worry about the aircraft, I'm sure they see all sorts of things. The Coast Guard aircraft have seen my nekkid ass on the beach or out in the Gulf plenty of times, and I don't think they care one way or another.
Nude Hikers & Backpackers To shoe or not to shoe?
gymnostim Posted: Jun 13, 2011	I've hiked barefoot a few times for short distances in rainy season where I was trying to keep my shoes and socks dry for later, but it wasn't that pleasant. I also hike on the beach a lot and have cut up my toes badly a few times from a sharp shell that was partially hidden. A few months ago I got a pair of Vibram Five Finger KSO's and now I'm a VFF junkie...I wear them everywhere. They're thin enough you can feel the surface you're walking on but there's some protection against sharp things.
Absolute Naturists Advertising Social Nudity
gymnostim Posted: Jun 11, 2011	Freedom of speech only applies if you own your own printing press. :)
Absolute Naturists Are Clothing Optional Clubs/Resorts Hurting Nudists?
gymnostim Posted: Jun 10, 2011	I've started to weigh in on this one about a dozen times but I had to do some real introspection on what my utopia would be versus what the reality can be. I don't really see how clothing-optional/nudity-preferred environments "hurt" our cause. We keep saying that we want to be accepted by society, to be seen as normal, and so on. Wouldn't the perfect world be where it doesn't matter what someone is wearing or not wearing, and each individual can choose and have that choice be accepted? Is a nudity-required environment just as freedom constraining as a clothing-required environment? My preference would be where everyone can be nude, and the majority would choose to do so. I'd have no problem with a nudity-required club, but if I wanted to bring family along I would want them to have the option to be nude or clothed as they choose since not everyone shares my absolute naturist comfort level. Hopefully the environment is encouraging and they join in, but if they don't we can still enjoy time together. - Tim
Absolute Naturists Advertising Social Nudity
gymnostim Posted: Jun 10, 2011	If I recall correctly, I remember reading that the Naturist Society was having problems getting ads accepted in mainstream travel publications for some time, maybe this was the early/mid 1990's?
Absolute Naturists Is there anyone you'd be embarrassed to have see you naked?
gymnostim Posted: Jun 10, 2011	Like BillyJoJimBob said, I might feel embarrassed for them if they were uncomfortable about it, but I don't have any embarrassment.
Nudist Club Trip Reports Cherokee Lodge & Resort, Crossville TN
gymnostim Posted: May 30, 2011	Has anyone camped there recently? We are thinking of stopping their on the way through for an overnight stay on the way to Avalon in WV. The website makes it look really nice!
RV'ing/Camping Nudists Outer Banks camping
gymnostim Posted: May 30, 2011	Can anyone suggest a good (tent) campground on the Outer Banks (NC)? Looking to spend a few days there next month and hopefully also find some secluded beach areas. I don't expect to find any nude-friendly campgrounds but if they're at least a bit off the main tourist areas and be laid back I hope.
Absolute Naturists Reach out and Tell a Friend
gymnostim Posted: May 25, 2011	Earlier this week the widow who lives next door stopped to tell me that she likes to pick up these things that fall from a few of the trees in our respective back yards, just wanted to make sure I didn't mind. I told her of course not and without taking the time to think about it much mentioned she might see some skinny dipping if she wandered all the way back into our yard. I didn't want her to be caught off-guard. She took a second, looked at me and said "that's OK hun, my eyesight is not so good anymore!" :)
Absolute Naturists Why Join a Nudist Club?
gymnostim Posted: May 25, 2011	I'm a TNS Lifetime member and keep up our AANR card every year. We get enough nude recreation in the backyard or out at the beach/forest so a club isn't really a necessity. I'd be tempted to get a couples membership to Lake Como @ $160, pretty reasonable if I thought we'd use it enough. I would like to do more social nude activities at a club if my wife was into it, but she's not really at this time.
Absolute Naturists Busy Schedules and Nudity
gymnostim Posted: May 15, 2011	If you step on any toes, it's probably because we're not wearing any shoes. :)
Absolute Naturists Busy Schedules and Nudity
gymnostim Posted: May 13, 2011	You're right, my answer was a bit cute, but I was trying to make a point by changing the question. I have to get dressed to take my kid to school, to go shopping, all those interactions with the 'real world'. Sometimes it really sticks in my craw, especially when I'm washing a pile of clothes or have to put something on to walk into my front yard and get the mail. It's especially annoying in Florida...clothes get sweaty fast in the summer time and it's icky to put something sweaty back on your body. Sometimes I might go thru more clothes because of this. :( Sometimes it's easier to stay dressed than to be getting nude/dressed/nude/dressed in a short period of time. I follow a "nude when sensible, clothed when necessary" prime directive. :) - Tim
Florida Nudists Safe places to hike nude.
gymnostim Posted: May 13, 2011	I've hiked nude there a few times without any problems. I'm usually more worried about running into meth labs than rangers. ;) I know of some other places but I don't like to post them publicly. There's a lot of state forest where you can park on one of the many jeep trails and take a trail off in the woods and never see another person, unless it's hunting season.
Absolute Naturists Busy Schedules and Nudity
gymnostim Posted: May 12, 2011	How do busy people fit clothes into their lives? :) Take out the time spent doing laundry, shopping for clothes, figuring out what to wear, changing clothes, etc...nudity should make you less busy!
Absolute Naturists Your Nudist Story
gymnostim Posted: May 10, 2011	I feel kind of guilty that I indirectly started this topic and have not posted my own story yet. I have two stories because I had a nudist side when I was young and then got away from it for a while and then came back to it (or more accurately, it came back to me). When I was around 10 years old we lived in a house that had around 5 acres of land and some other wooded area behind that. My summers were totally unstructured...when I was not up in a tree reading a book or taking care of the animals on the farm I was off playing in the woods or conducting science experiments in my room. I had a sort of distaste for clothes in the summer...I found myself getting out of sight of the house and playing in the woods nude from time to time. It seemed more natural and comfortable in the warm weather. One of my closest friends was a tomboy-ish girl who lived a few houses away, and kept a few of her animals at our place (we did 4-H together). She got curious about my solo adventures in the woods and eventually started to join me sometimes and we would explore the woods and stream naked together. It was a very innocent thing, at that age. Basic curiosities about male and female bodies were satisfied, but that was it. :) In winter I even went off into the snow nude and experienced some joyous freedom from heavy warm clothes for a while. About a year later some unpleasant stuff started happening in my life and we wound up drifting apart and I moved to a new city. I wish we had still been able to stay in touch as we got older. I also began to get really shy about my body and my nudist episodes ended, I didn't even sleep nude anymore. I "found" nudism again later in life, thankfully. I'll tell about that sometime.
Absolute Naturists Body Acceptance and Fat Unhealthy Nudists
gymnostim Posted: May 10, 2011	Thanks for that viewpoint Lobo, I think it's important to remember (especially for us nudists) that appearances can be deceptive. It's easy to say "Well, we're all naked, it's all out there..." but each of us still has our individual stories and histories and paths that we've traveled.
Nudist Communities Formation Nude or Clothing Optional, hmmmm
gymnostim Posted: May 10, 2011	It'd be nice if the term was 'nudity preferred' instead of 'clothing optional'. :)
Absolute Naturists Attract A Younger Crowd
gymnostim Posted: May 8, 2011	I think between the internet and 'sexting' and young celebs being nude for publicity and all that, today's college age people are pretty easy going about nudity, just due to sheer overexposure to it from so many sources. My daughter is in her mid 20's and her and her friends seem pretty open about things. I can't imagine them wanting to go to most nudist clubs though. They want to be with people who have a younger mindset, want to be fun, etc...and who can blame them. I want to do more than just sit around the pool and do a potluck dinner too. Not that there's anything wrong with that, but being active is fun and keeps you feeling young. 'sexting' is an unfortunately easy and catchy term...again falsely reinforcing nudity=sex. I wish we could use 'nudexting' or something that made the distinction, but they don't roll off the tongue or make good news soundbites.
Absolute Naturists Reach out and Tell a Friend
gymnostim Posted: May 7, 2011	I remember telling my best friend from college a while back (he was the best man at my 1st wedding) that we were nudists. He just took it in stride and asked jokingly if we put plastic slip covers on all the furniture. :)
When your spouse is not a nudist When your spouse is not a nudist...
gymnostim Posted: May 6, 2011	I feel your pain, Craig. When your spouse gives you some "hope" and then pulls back and changes her mind later, it's almost worse than not giving you any hope at all.
ASA Days HOME MOVIES: BLASTS FROM THE PAST
gymnostim Posted: Apr 28, 2011	Is that from this? www.samerivertwice.com
Absolute Naturists I like to use the term "naked" over nude..
gymnostim Posted: Apr 15, 2011	I've heard "nakie" used too, usually by little kids and it does have a nice innocent connotation about it. It's too bad we have to have so many words to describe the same thing...it's like Eskimos having a lot of words for 'snow' (although I understand that's not really true).
Absolute Naturists Tech Company Job Requirement: Nudity
gymnostim Posted: Apr 15, 2011	I think discussing a nude workplace would be totally cool here. Since you posted the link without any context I guess the discussion didn't turn that way, but was instead about the actual link in question. My workplace is clothing optional, but since I work from home I suppose that's not a big deal. :) Would I work in a nudist-clothing optional office? If I had to commute to an office I sure would prefer that. I'm sure it would be an HR Department nightmare for a typical company though...you'd need to have employees who wanted to work in that environment and were mature about it.
Absolute Naturists Tech Company Job Requirement: Nudity
gymnostim Posted: Apr 13, 2011	When I first read about that somewhere else, he said he just wanted to hire women, so it sounded kind of fishy. They didn't mention that in the video you posted though.
Absolute Naturists Facebook - Good or Bad for Nudists?
gymnostim Posted: Apr 7, 2011	In some ways I detest Facebook, because it has reduced opinion-sharing to a simple knee-jerk click of that stupid "Like" button, and doesn't leave any room for context or nuance or expressing shades of agreement. They also seem to have backwards policies on depicting breastfeeding, and so on. I think FB and Twitter do however provide people an avenue to express some everyday aspects of nude living in a way that other people can see that it's a natural thing. Not as a full-on nudist evangelism, but just mentions of "we went skinny-dipping" or "I didn't bother getting dressed to make coffee this morning" or things like that. Sometimes you'll get a "me too" or it will spark a discussion. People who already know you as a 'regular' person see these aspects of your life and can feel that if they have those experiences too it's pretty normal.
Absolute Naturists Outdoor Nudity
gymnostim Posted: Apr 6, 2011	I enjoyed your story Captinwillie, I always like to read about how people got started and their history with naturism. If there is a place for that on this site somewhere I will have to write mine up sometime. One thing about outdoor nudity for me, and this gets back to my 'wearing your house' comment, is that it really exposes you to the elements. You get a keen sense of how much sensory input your clothing "protects" you from. You don't get the same effect inside a climate-controlled house. Outside you're able to feel all those positive things directly, fresh air, the breeze, water, warm sunshine...but also more negative things: sharp plants, bugs, sweat, scary weather, cold rain, low flying airplanes, nosy neighbors. It gives you a heightened sense of vulnerability. When you give in to that vulnerability and overcome it...it's a wonderful feeling of letting go and being connected with all that the world has to offer.
Spiritual Nudists Favorite spiritual practices
gymnostim Posted: Apr 3, 2011	A naked walk in the woods or on a remote beach, not thinking about anything consciously, but just experiencing everything around and within me and being in the moment.
RV'ing/Camping Nudists Plans for 2011
gymnostim Posted: Mar 31, 2011	Heading north in June for a road trip and would like to camp at Avalon in WV and maybe somewhere near the outer banks of NC where we can enjoy the beach nude too. Any suggestions?
Absolute Naturists Appropriate Locations for Nudity
gymnostim Posted: Mar 31, 2011	I think most places where someone who doesn't want to see nudity doesn't have to look are appropriate: - on private property where someone has to look over a fence, etc. - at a beach or lake where someone can see nude people off in the distance and make a decision to continue in that direction or not In an ideal world, it would be "anywhere".
Home Nudists If at a regular beach is it ok to kind of be nude?
gymnostim Posted: Mar 30, 2011	I'll have to give that bobber trick a try! I've done the "remove the suit when you're in the water" thing a lot, but it's also soooo much better to be able to walk in and out of the water nude and feel the sun/air all over your body. Hard to believe such a simple, innocent pleasure is illegal all over the place! :(
Home Nudists If at a regular beach is it ok to kind of be nude?
gymnostim Posted: Mar 29, 2011	I skinnydip at the "regular" beach, but it helps to be an early bird and go to a beach that's usually pretty uncrowded anyway. The few people that might see me are regulars anyway and don't care or know that I'm just there to swim and not for anything rude.
Home Nudists Do you ever do backyard naturism?
gymnostim Posted: Mar 29, 2011	Lattice works good, and Home Depot / Lowes also sells rolls of 'bamboo' (reed) fencing that are 6 feet high and 8 feet long that make a great inexpensive privacy screen.
Nude Yoga Nude Yoga Classes
gymnostim Posted: Mar 28, 2011	I'd like to try a nude yoga class sometime. I do nude yoga using the instruction the Wii all the time but I realize that doesn't really "count". :) It's still relaxing, challenging and enjoyable though.
Absolute Naturists Life Long Home Nudists
gymnostim Posted: Mar 26, 2011	I don't think anyone's trying to say "I'm nudier than thou" :) just that if you never venture beyond your 4 walls and a computer screen it's quite possible that you're missing a huge part of the potential experience.
Florida Nudists Your Favorite
gymnostim Posted: Mar 25, 2011	I'd really like to go to Cypress Cove. We go to Disney a lot and it's not far away, right? Maybe for my birthday. :)
Absolute Naturists Life Long Home Nudists
gymnostim Posted: Mar 25, 2011	I hate to get into a situation where I'm saying "if you don't do X, then you're not a nudist." On the other hand, for me the outdoor component is huge. I suppose my attitudes are more towards the Freikörperkultur end of the spectrum as opposed to simply not wearing clothes.
Absolute Naturists Nudists Wearing Their House
gymnostim Posted: Mar 25, 2011	I was really just thinking inside vs. outside, doesn't really matter where outside. It could be your back yard. :)
Spiritual Nudists any other Budhists/Taoists
gymnostim Posted: Mar 24, 2011	I consider myself a taoist.
Absolute Naturists Nudists Wearing Their House
gymnostim Posted: Mar 24, 2011	While 'home nudist' can be a good 1st step, I don't think you get more than a fraction of the benefits available to you if that is the boundary of your nude world. And I don't mean skulking around your neighborhood naked at night when nobody can see you, etc... :) I firmly believe that exposing the whole body to fresh air and sunshine is very important for overall health. We didn't evolve to live in confined spaces, sit at computers and tv sets and video games, and rarely see the sun. You don't need to belong to a nudist club. Unless you live in the heart of a mega-metropolis, I would bet there is somewhere nearby you can be nude outside. Somewhere there is a park with a quiet corner, a stream with a fisherman's trail out of sight, a hiking trail that is off the beaten path, even a screened-off part of a back yard or patio deck. It can be done. I know, I practiced my naturism that way for years.
Absolute Naturists Preferred Nudist Environments
gymnostim Posted: Mar 23, 2011	A beach, a forest, a river...anywhere natural. Clubs/resorts are further down on the list. Being nude at home is ok, just being nude in your house is good for comfort but kind of missing the point...you may be nude but you're still wearing your house as clothing.
Home Nudists NUDE IN MOTEL
gymnostim Posted: Mar 22, 2011	I was in China back in the 90's and the college campus guest house we were staying at was very nice but they had odd ideas (by western standards) of housekeeping. A maid would pop her head in once a day and spray something vaguely smelling like green tea out of an aerosol can and then leave. Well, I did not actually find this out until one day after I'd eaten some dodgy street food and was not feeling well. While my wife was off at her conference I was just laying nude on the bed and hating life. :) In my brain haze I heard the door open (no knocking!) and the maid came in and walked around doing her little spray routine and walked out...a little wide-eyed...without saying anything. I was too sluggy and surprised to think to cover myself. I wonder what stories she told to her friends about the strange naked Americans. :)
Naturists Getting Healthy active nude lifestyle-in California
gymnostim Posted: Mar 22, 2011	I walk or run at the beach a lot of mornings, and if I time it right I can do part of it nude and skinny-dip before I turn around and walk back. Exercise is so much better in the fresh air!
Absolute Naturists Nudist Women
gymnostim Posted: Mar 22, 2011	Well, it sounds like she trusts you to a degree and is willing to try. She's also afraid of being "compared" nude to your past girlfriend, so humor her by doing this on her terms. If it goes well, she may feel confident about going to your usual club in the future.
Absolute Naturists Nudists Offended with Nudity... huh?
gymnostim Posted: Mar 22, 2011	Well, in that case Fireprof, I don't find anything offensive about it. It's offensive that other people find it offensive or are embarrassed about our natural state of being. :)
Absolute Naturists Nudists Offended with Nudity... huh?
gymnostim Posted: Mar 22, 2011	I like what dkk had to say, if I cover up it's out of courtesy or understanding the context. If you don't be yourself of out fear of offending someone, then you have given them a power over you. If you modify your behavior out of respect then you retain that power and are merely being polite.
Absolute Naturists Body Acceptance and Fat Unhealthy Nudists
gymnostim Posted: Mar 22, 2011	I think nudists are more excepting of all body types than the general population is, and we mostly also understand that "skinny" does not equal "healthy". My wife and I have struggled with weight issues over time, but I've never stopped thinking she was beautiful and also never stopped trying to be more healthy.
Absolute Naturists Body Acceptance and Fat Unhealthy Nudists
gymnostim Posted: Mar 22, 2011	Some people go to church for the social aspects of it, some go for the spiritual nourishment, some for both. Nudism is like that too...some are there for the social body freedom, some for spiritual purposes, some for health, and some a combination of the three. For me personally it's a little perplexing when someone is in this lifestyle and equates freedom from body shame with freedom from health concerns as well, but it does seem common.
Naturists Getting Healthy Getting Healthy
gymnostim Posted: Mar 21, 2011	That's something I found since I moved to Florida...I tend to get out of my "winter slug" phase a lot earlier in the year. :)
Absolute Naturists How To: Talk Nude Quietly
gymnostim Posted: Mar 16, 2011	I have the cojones :) and I have been doing this more often. I have some nudist resort t-shirts that would only be meaningful to anyone who knew of the resort, but I have been wearing some of my more obvious Naturist Society shirts out of the house lately.
Naturist Kayaking and Canoeing Tampa Bay
gymnostim Posted: Mar 16, 2011	Anyone here in west-central Florida? Curious if there's good nude kayaking spots I may not be familiar with.
Nudist Club Trip Reports Avalon in West Virginia
gymnostim Posted: Mar 16, 2011	Avalon is wonderful. Lovely scenery, great place to camp, and the people are friendly and accepting.
Absolute Naturists Nudist Women
gymnostim Posted: Mar 14, 2011	Thanks for your perspective oddbutterfly... I think what you said about trust and not pressuring things is key. I know a lot of times men get so enthusiastic and they want to share the experience with their partner "RIGHT AWAY!" and they try to move things along faster than the woman may be comfortable with.
Absolute Naturists Nude Cruises
gymnostim Posted: Mar 12, 2011	Cruises don't really appeal to us, although some day I'd like to take the family on a Disney cruise. I don't think there's any chance of Disney running clothing optional cruises any time soon. ;)
Absolute Naturists Ever been to one?
gymnostim Posted: Mar 11, 2011	Not sure if this is in the same category, but it's been a long dream of mine to be in a Spencer Tunick photo shoot where he has 1,000's of nudes taking over a public space. I think it would just be overwhelmingly transformational. I've seen both documentaries of his photo creation tours and they really inspire me.
Absolute Naturists Nudist Women
gymnostim Posted: Mar 11, 2011	My wife and stepmom have talked about this to me before. They've both been to a nudist resort and found it was much easier to be topfree than bottom-free. I thought this was really interesting...to my perspective the female genitals are more or less hidden when not wearing bottoms, so I'd almost expect the opposite. They really had a high discomfort level with that though.
Absolute Naturists The Absolute Naturist (Nudist) Mindset
gymnostim Posted: Mar 11, 2011	I think it's probably good to prune down the membership periodically if they are not active. I was kind of amazed that there are 470 members in this group when so few ever post!
Home Nudists Awkward Moments?
gymnostim Posted: Mar 11, 2011	It's a pretty nice time of year right now in Florida...the high heat and humidity have not kicked in yet. I'm often working on my back porch that opens to the screened pool. It's mostly private but there are a few random angles where a neighbor could see me sitting at the picnic table with my laptop, from a distance. I'm not doing anything lewd and the only time they'd actually "see anything" would be when I walk in and out of the house, so I'm not going to worry about it.
Absolute Naturists Nude In Public
gymnostim Posted: Mar 11, 2011	One time I was visiting Black's Beach for the first time late in the day, as the fog was starting to roll in. I went for a long naked walk towards the south and the visibility was getting worse. I guess I also didn't realize then that there is a rocky point that you go past and then it's a city beach or something and at the time I think nudity was still technically ok but not really done there? Anyway I kept walking and fully clothed people would appear out of the fog and either smile or ignore me...after a bit I realized I was the only person walking nude on this part of the beach and figured I should turn around. :) One time I was in a favorite hiking spot in Pennsylvania and thought I had the rocky chasm to myself so I stopped to skinny dip and sun myself on some rocks where the creek had formed a nice pool and waterfall. Some older hikers came along and my clothes were too far away to get back to, so I slid into the water but they'd already seen me. There were some giggles as I stood waist deep in the cool water but they were ok with my skinny dipping and a few joined in (both clothed and nude) since I had staked out a perfect place to take a break.
Naturists Getting Healthy Getting Healthy
gymnostim Posted: Mar 11, 2011	Lost about 5lbs in the past 3 weeks, I'd like to lose another 20. My wife and I were both down to good healthy BMI's 2 years ago, but we had some really stressful times and got into bad eating / exercise habits. We're walking as much as possible and cutting out certain foods and cutting back portion sizes on others. I try to get out for a jog or some other high intensity exercise in the morning 4x a week. Incorporating some weights is good too, muscle mass is good for the metabolism. :)
Absolute Naturists Most Fun Activites while Nude
gymnostim Posted: Mar 7, 2011	I hiked a few times at Mountain Air Ranch and that was spectacular. Swimming or canoing is fun too. I think a nudist water park would be superb...there must be one somewhere in the world.
New to Nudism apprehensive
gymnostim Posted: Mar 4, 2011	I agree that people should not be sending inappropriate messages regardless of someone's screen name, that's not what this place is for.
New to Nudism apprehensive
gymnostim Posted: Mar 3, 2011	Not to seem dense, but your user name is "Just a Lolita" and you're confused about getting inappropriate messages from guys? Allrightythen.
Absolute Naturists Nude Tolerant... Good or Not Good?
gymnostim Posted: Mar 2, 2011	Why not turn it around? You could say I'm "clothes tolerant"...I accept that some people may want to wear clothing, even if it's not for me.
Sports Talk Hockey Time
gymnostim Posted: Mar 2, 2011	I'm a Lightning fan too. :) I'll be happy if they win a playoff series this year; beyond that, anything can happen!
Nudist Dudes Reluctant Spouse/Partner....
gymnostim Posted: Mar 2, 2011	I think men are generally "problem solvers" when approaching things, so if our partner is reluctant our first inclination is to identify the source of her reluctance and try to neutralize it, actively. That usually does not work. :)
Sports Talk Hockey Time
gymnostim Posted: Mar 2, 2011	Hockey is getting (more) exciting now, the trade deadline is past and the playoffs are in sight!
Nature Lovers Nude Hiking AKA Freehiking
gymnostim Posted: Mar 1, 2011	I hike nude whenever I can. I like to go geocaching too, so any time I'm finding a cache that is in a remote spot and with nobody else in the parking lot when I start, the clothes can come off. I find that wildlife is less likely to be startled by a nude person, but maybe I'm just imagining things.
Anime Lovin' Nudists What's your favorite Anime show or movie?
gymnostim Posted: Mar 1, 2011	Does Pokemon count? :) Except for that I've only been watching anime for about a year but I'm starting to watch a lot of different ones as I branch out. I have been enjoying "Kore wa zombie desu ka" because the story line is good and the characters are interesting and funny at times. I adore Sora no Otoshimono. It's fanservice-y but the characters and story are always entertaining. I like how Tomoki is always going too far but at the core he's a decent guy and really cares about the people around him even though he says he just wants to be left alone. I also like Panty & Stocking because it's just so over the top and the graphic style is incredible. My son and I have been watching some of the Doraemon movies together and enjoying them. I haven't watched a lot of more classic anime, I need to get those on my to-do list!
Absolute Naturists Crossing the line
gymnostim Posted: Mar 1, 2011	Yes, there is always going to be that vocal minority that will go out of their way to be offended by anything. I could care less about them. The reasonable majority however deserves to be treated with respect so that they can form the correct impressions of nudists.
Florida Nudists Your Favorite
gymnostim Posted: Feb 28, 2011	My favorite place is Three Rooker Bar, an island off the coast of Dunedin, FL. You can kayak or boat out there and it's a large U-shaped island with beautiful beach all around.
Absolute Naturists Crossing the line
gymnostim Posted: Feb 27, 2011	The Libertarian in me says "no harm, no foul!", seeing simple nudity does not harm anyone, so if someone has an issue with that, then it's their issue...not mine. However, I do understand that not everyone is complacent about seeing someone nude and may be shocked or feel extremely uncomfortable. Some people when shocked will react negatively/offensively and that may cause other problems. My approach is to be nude where it is reasonable to do so and to manage those situations to give people an opportunity to not be put into discomforting positions. Reasonable compromise is polite. Answer my door nude? No, I do not, unless I know who's there and it's someone who knows me. The beach I go to frequently is not an official nude beach, however is is remote and people are unlikely to just wander there. I also find that the more exercise involved in getting to a location, the less likely you are to encounter self-loathing body-negative types...they won't make the effort to walk father than they can see their car. So this beach has "regulars" of various ages. Some are there to walk 4 miles, some are there to collect shells, some are there for a place they can wear less then is tolerated on the more populated beach. I'm always friendly to everyone, I'll share sand dollars I find, point out a hazard, say "Good morning." These people get to know me first as a decent guy. Some also may see me skinny dip off in the distance, but because they know me they're more accepting of this and know that I'm not there to flash them, I just like to swim after my long walk. If someone I don't know is walking by, I stay covered or in the water. Some of them will even come up and talk or comment about joining me. I'm sure if I just whipped off my suit in the middle of a crowd of strangers, I would not get a positive reaction because of the shock value. No doubt someone would call the rangers.
Absolute Naturists Would you prefer to be identified at a Naturist or a Nudist?
gymnostim Posted: Feb 25, 2011	I prefer to think of myself as a naturist, although I think for most people there's not much distinction and it doesn't really matter. Nudism to me is being nude for the sake of being nude, simply not wanting to wear clothes. Going to a club or camp with be with like-minded folks. Naturism is that, plus aspects of healthy living, spirituality, and being connected to nature. Going to natural places, beaches, forests...not just man-made places that are set aside for nudity.
Absolute Naturists Would you go to a nudist resort or club if...
gymnostim Posted: Feb 24, 2011	I'd love that! You'd have to drag me kicking and screaming back to the "real" world.
Home Nudists Fantasy stroll
gymnostim Posted: Feb 24, 2011	Besides the beach, I think the place I'd most love to be nude is the water parks at Disney World. I love going to Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon...I hate having to wear clothes while in the water. I'll usually compromise and wear a speedo or something...the lack of drag makes me go down the slides so much faster and I dry off quickly. Would be even better if I could skip the suit entirely!

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