During this past summer (2001), I was fortunate enough to get to go to the nudist campground to which my friends belong not once but twice! (I’ve already written about the first time this summer.) This second time, I was the guest of Ann and Jim, the people who introduced me to nude camping last summer. Ann was way far along in her pregnancy and they debated whether or not they should even try camping this year, but they had never missed a summer yet so they decided to go for it and (lucky for me) they invited me to go along. I knew that Amanda, my friend from previous visits would not be there this time, so I was expecting a fairly low-key weekend. Well, it was – and it wasn’t. Read on to see what I mean.

As already mentioned, Ann and Jim had not been to the nudist campground thus far this summer due to his extensive travel schedule with his work. But as Ann was entering her eighth month of pregnancy with their third child, he brought his business travel to an end. They had almost talked themselves out of trying to do a weekend camping trip for the summer due to the possible discomforts that Ann might experience. Ann was healthy and the baby was not expected early, but Jim was simply concerned for her well being due to the heat and the less than plush camping equipment and facilities. However, Ann had other ideas. She loves the outdoors and she knew that the children (as well as Jim) love to camp so she insisted that they go for it. Her take on it was that if it proved to be too much for her, they could always bail out and come home. That’s just the way Ann’s positive attitude toward everything works and that’s how the decision to go was reached.

I arrived early at their place on Friday afternoon to help get things ready and loaded. The kids were so wired with excitement about going camping. They were fun to watch at first, but they began to get in the way after a while. Finally, we had the trailer hooked up and everything loaded and we were on our way. We had been on the road only about half an hour when Ann began to get very uncomfortable from sitting in one position for so long. We pulled into a gas station and stopped. Ann used the restroom and then climbed in the very back seat of the mini van so that she could have a little more variety in sitting and stretching positions and could therefore move around as needed. I then took the passenger seat up front with Jim and spent most of my time turned around talking with the kids and entertaining them so that they wouldn’t get too restless and annoying. Between that and talking with Jim while he drove, the time flew by and soon we were pulling into the campground and stopping to check in. Jim quickly took care of that and soon we were in the camping area backing in to a shady campsite.

It was now about 4:00 in the afternoon and the temperature was pretty warm as we piled out of the air-conditioned van. Ann was the last one out as Jim took her by the hand to steady her as she stepped down. Everyone was glad to be there and to be out of the van, but none more so than Ann. She already had her top unbuttoned when she got out of the van and she immediately slipped it off and continued undressing as she stretched and walked around the campsite slowly to loosen up. We all followed her lead and soon we were all dressed quite appropriately for the time and place. As I folded and put away the kids’ and my clothes, she walked around a bit more and exchanged greetings with some of the camping neighbors. Jim and I then unloaded things and arranged the campsite and the camper.

While all this was going on, a few people were stopping by to say hello. Ann and Jim had not been to the campground since the time I came with them last fall so most everyone here was unaware that Ann was pregnant and there were lots of comments of surprise and congratulations being offered. Ann of course was quite happy about being pregnant and her joy clearly shone through as she greeted and talked to everyone stopping by. That’s not to say she wasn’t without discomfort some of the time, for she certainly had some of that, but her overall attitude was radiant.

One thing I noticed about all these exchanges was that though there was much light-heartedness in discussing Ann’s pregnancy, there were never any kind of comments that degraded her appearance or condition in any way as often happens in the regular world. It is clear to me that nudists in general honor the miracle of pregnancy and birth and have the highest respect for pregnant women.

When it came to bantering jokes back and forth with those who stopped by, Ann could hold her own with any of them. One boisterous older gentleman along with his wife that Ann and Jim seemed to know very well stopped by, looked at Ann, and jokingly asked what’s been going on around here. She immediately fired back, "You know what - now that you mention it I might be a little late. Maybe I’ll do a test one of these days. Whad’ya think!" Her retort was immediately followed by howls of laughter from all around.

All the while we were setting up camp, the kids were asking if we could go swimming, so when things were under control in the campsite, I offered to take them on down to the pool. As we took off, I told Ann and Jim that I’d be back in time to help get supper ready. The three of us had a great time at the pool and as we were heading back up the path to the camping area, the kids asked to stop by the playground to play. I allowed them some playtime there after which we returned to the campsite by way of the restrooms to clean up.

I guess all of our playing took a little longer than I had planned because Ann and Jim (mostly Jim) were already preparing supper when we got back. I apologized for being late and then jumped right in to help. Keeping track of time is something that’s just not very important at the campground – that’s part of what makes it so special – and I never wear a watch when I’m there or anything else for that matter. It wasn’t long before we were all sitting around our picnic table enjoying an evening meal. Afterward, I took charge of cleaning up and putting away while Ann and Jim along with Sarah visited with more of our neighbors. Mark went back to the playground with another boy about his age. Now that Mark is five, he is being allowed to do more and more things on his own in the campground. This place is a much safer kid-friendly place than most and everyone sort of keeps an eye on the children regardless of whose they are.

As I was finishing up putting things away, I heard somebody say, "Sunny!" in greeting. I looked around and it was Angie, a girl I’d met last time I was here.

"Angie!" I said in a similar greeting. "Good to see ya again, girl!"

"Good to see you, too! I’m glad you made it back. We’ve been here a couple of times since you were last here and I kept hoping you’d be here and now you are!"

"It’s great being back," I said. "And I wondered if you’d be here, too!"

"Do you think maybe we can hang out?" she asked.

"Oh yeah," I said. "I’d like that."

"Cool," she replied.

"Let me finish up here. Be done in a minute," I said. "So tell me what you’ve been up to this summer!"

Angie had lots to say – just like last time. When I finished, I sat down to talk with her, but then I noticed that Sarah, being the impetuous three year old that she is, was getting obnoxiously impatient with standing around with her parents while they visited with others.

I said to Angie, "Why don’t we grab Sarah and go to the playground or something."

"OK," she answered. "She’s so cute."

I laughed and said, "Her parents probably don’t think so right now. Come on."

We walked down the line of campers to where Ann and Jim were talking and offered to take Sarah off their hands. No argument about that. Angie said hi and I was introduced to a few more people that I hadn’t met before. Then Angie and I took Sarah and headed back down the road and then down the path with Sarah walking between us holding our hands. She loved the extra attention. As we walked down the path towards the setting sun, we waved at Angie’s family including her older brother, Jason as they looked over our way from their campsite.

The three of us first went to the pool where we played for a good long while before moving on to the playground to play there. It was fun watching the lightning bugs out across the acres of grass as they began rise up after the sun set. Then Angie had to go back to their campsite and Sarah and I started back up the path toward our campsite as she chattered away about this and that. Being a three-year old, everything is still totally new and wondrous to her.

Ann, Jim, and Mark were all back at the campsite when we arrived. Ann had tired of standing earlier and was now sitting down resting. We talked for a while, but soon it was bedtime for the kids. As we were getting them ready, Ann decided that she was too tired to stay up any longer and that it was her bedtime, too. At that point, we decided that we would all turn in. I usually never get enough sleep, so extra sleep is always welcome with me. We arranged ourselves in the camper much like we did last fall and settled down for the night. The difference between this time and last fall was that Jim had put us in the section of the campground with electrical hook-ups so that we could run fans and hopefully help Ann to be more comfortable. The downside of that was instead of hearing the typical summer night sounds of insects and whippoorwills, we heard the whirring of not only our fans positioned outside the pop-up camper blowing through the screens, but also the sound of the air conditioners on top of the other solid campers around us. But I didn’t notice it for very long before I was out.

The next morning, the kids woke us early as usual. We got up and around and while they all had breakfast, I slipped on my shoes and went for a run on the trails. It was still early, so the temperature wasn’t very hot yet and I had a great run across the spacious property.

Later that morning while Jim had the kids somewhere and Ann was visiting with people, I decided to wander down and see what Angie was doing. She and Jason and her parents were all four in their campsite, so we visited a few minutes. Then I asked if they had brought their Frisbee with them this time. Angie jumped up to get it and then she, Jason, and I went out into the open to play some three-way catch. As you may recall from the write-up of my previous trip, Jason was 14 (soon to be 15) and Angie was 12 (soon to be 13). Angie had obviously been practicing. Her throws were pretty much always right on the mark now. And she was a lot more aggressive now in both her throwing and her catching. I threw several to her in such a way that really challenged her to stretch to catch them. When she figured out that I was doing it on purpose, she in turn did the same thing to me. We had a lot of fun and played hard out there.

Pretty soon Angie said, "Hey, I think it’s pool time."

"Sounds good to me!" I said. "How ‘bout it, Jason?"

"No, thanks," he replied. "I think I’ll just head on back."

My guess was that he probably had the same concern about going to the pool as last time – that you are required to be nude in the pool and he was wearing shorts this time as before. I thought I could sense that he wanted to talk to me, but without his little sister hanging around. I made a mental note to be sure to look for him sometime when just the two of us could talk, if that’s what he wanted. He took the Frisbee and headed back while Angie and I went on down to the pool to cool off.

Another time during the afternoon, I had taken both of the kids to the playground. I was actively keeping an eye on them meaning that I was playing with them and pushing them on the swings and things like that. There were a few other kids there, too and everyone was playing together nicely. But then Sarah, the youngest one there at the time found that she could stir up some excitement by pulling up grass and throwing it on another child. I told her in no uncertain terms not to do that, but it was no time until she was doing it again. I immediately picked her up (very much against her wishes), carried her to the nearest bench, and sat her down. I began to patiently explain to her why she shouldn’t do what she had been doing, but she was cranky and stubborn and tried to ignore me. She’s not a bad kid - she was just overdue for her nap. Anyway, when she continued to ignore me, I got down on my knees right in front of her so that we were on the same eye-level and I had my hands planted on either side of her on the bench so that there was no way she could ignore me. I then proceeded to explain more firmly to her why she couldn’t do what she had been doing and then I explained to her that we were going to sit on the bench for a while until she could settle down and be nice again. This of course wasn’t taken without some tears, so I then sat back down beside her and held her next to me.

While this was going on, there was another person sitting near by who was apparently there watching over some children, too. She was an elderly lady, dressed, and up to that point she hadn’t said a word.

As Sarah’s crying began to subside, I heard someone say, "You’re very good with children."

I looked over to see that it was the woman sitting near by that was speaking to me. I smiled and said, "Oh, thank you."

Then she asked, "So how do you two fit together, if you don’t mind my asking? You seem too young to be her mother and too old to be her sister."

I answered, "Oh, I’m just a friend of her family. I’m here as a guest of her mom and dad. That’s her brother over there." I pointed to Mark.

"I see," the woman said. She then pointed out two of the kids that we had been playing with that were her grandchildren.

"Do you know Ann and Jim?" I asked "They’re long-time members here."

"No," she said. "This is my first time here. I came with my daughter and her family. I’m a guest, too – sort of a reluctant one, I guess."

"Oh," I responded not knowing for sure what she meant by reluctant and not knowing whether or not I should pursue it. "Well, this is my third visit. I’m not a member, but I’ll offer you a welcome anyway. I hope you enjoy your stay. I love it here."

"It’s a very nice campground," she said and then added, "all things considered."

By now I was concluding that this must be her first experience with social nudism. I could certainly sense her reservations, but at the same time I had to assume that she knew what she was getting into before she came here.

Just to keep our conversation going, I said, "Everyone is very friendly here, don’t you think?"

"Yes, my daughter and her husband have been introducing me to their friends and everyone is very nice," she said.

The conversation lagged for a minute. I didn’t know what else to say, but then she said, "The pregnant lady – is that the family you’re here with?"

"Yes," I answered. "That’s Ann. That’s her mom," I added meaning Sarah as I kissed her on top of her hot, sweaty head. Sarah had settled down and as she looked up at me, I told her that if she would be good she could go play for a little longer before naptime. She scooted off the bench and joined some other kids playing.

As we watched her go, the woman said, "I can see how this is nice for the youngsters – not having to wear clothes, I mean. They’re so innocent at this age."

"Yes, it’s the perfect environment for them – so natural."

"I’m not so sure about for the bigger kids and on up, though. I mean, I guess I’m starting to get used to everyone being naked. But it’s certainly not what I’m used to."

"Well, maybe if you give it a little more time," I suggested.

"If you’re suggesting that I’m going to take my clothes off out here eventually, I don’t think so – not this old woman."

"Oh no, I wasn’t trying to tell you what to do and I apologize if that’s how it sounded. Please forgive me. I really just meant that maybe you’d get to be OK with being here. You know, get to the point where you could enjoy your stay here. I never meant to imply that you should go nude. That’s totally your decision."

"No dear, I didn’t take it that way at all. I was just saying that even if I was of a notion, I’ve got no business letting anyone else see this poor, decrepit old body."

I thought hard trying to come up with some way to respond to her negative view of herself and a way to explain that that’s not what nudism is all about, but I didn’t want to seem argumentative or disrespectful and for sure not pushy.

Before I could speak, she continued with, "I have to admire your friend though for her courage. In my day, being pregnant was almost something to be ashamed of. You played it down every way you could. You concealed it as long as possible, and then after that you didn’t go out too much or do much socializing – at least not out in public. But your friend – what’s her name again? – Ann you say? – is just so…open about it. I’m glad she can be that way."

"Yeah, Ann is the greatest. She and Jim are both so happy and exited about her pregnancy, even though it’s her third."

"Her happiness certainly shows. She seems so…full of joy, I guess you’d say. Oh, I know I’m just babbling, but she’s such a beautiful example of what maternity ought to be like. I mean, things are a lot better now than they were back when, but still, it’s just so refreshing to see her like that."

"Oh, I don’t think you’re babbling at all. That’s what I see, too. And she truly is joyous even though sometimes she’s kind of uncomfortable. Only a few more weeks to go."

"Well, that’s to be expected at this stage. I hope things continue to go well for her. Please give her my best wishes."

"Why don’t you stop by and tell her yourself? She’d love to meet you. There are no strangers with Ann and I know she’d love to hear your encouraging words."

"Well, I might just do that, if you don’t think she’d mind."

"Oh no, she wouldn’t mind at all. I know you’ll like her. Maybe you can get some of her perspective on all this."

"I don’t how much more perspective on all this I can take," she replied laughing.

I laughed too and then said, "Stop by anytime. If I’m not there, just introduce yourself. She’ll be glad to meet you. I know she will."

"OK, dear," she said. "Speaking of introductions, I’m Glenda."

"I’m Sunny," I said in turn and moved the short distance over to the bench she was on. We shook hands.

We visited only a little more when Sarah started getting into trouble again. We both noticed that and I said, "I’ve got to take her back for a nap. I promise you she’s usually a good kid, but she’s way overdue."

"Oh, I think we all get like that sometimes," she said laughing. "I really enjoyed meeting you, Sunny."

"I enjoyed meeting you, too, Glenda," I replied. "Hope to see you stop by our campsite."

"OK, we’ll see," she replied.

I went over to get Sarah and then as I came back past the benches where Glenda was sitting, she said to me, "Enjoy this time while you’re young and in the prime of your life, dear."

Her words took me by surprise and I didn’t know how to respond. Finally, I smiled and said simply, "OK." (That must have sounded really dumb.) Then Sarah and I continued on back to camp.

Later in the afternoon, Ann and I were hanging out there in the campsite. Jim had taken both kids to the pool or someplace. Ann was sitting in the shade with a fan blowing on her, relaxing and trying to keep cool. She was in good spirits, but feeling a certain amount of discomfort from all the heat and humidity and not feeling like being up and around very much. But she joked around about it saying things like "I’m getting too old for this!" (she’s only 31) and "I wouldn’t get any exercise at all if I didn’t have to get up and go to the bathroom every two minutes!" We both laughed about it and talked about that and a lot of things; however, I don’t remember what we were talking about when I noticed Glenda walking into our campsite.

"Glenda, hi," I said standing up. "Come sit down. I was hoping you’d stop by."

She said, "Well, I could hardly resist your invitation."

Then I said, "Ann, this is Glenda. She’s the person I was telling you about that I met at the playground this afternoon."

"Hi," Ann said as she started to get up. "It’s very nice to meet…"

Glenda interrupted her to say, "Oh, don’t get up, dear."

Ann replied laughing, "OK, you talked me out of it."

Glenda said, "And it’s very nice to meet you, too. Sunny suggested I stop by and say hello."

"Well, I’m glad you did," Ann said, "because I haven’t been out making my usual rounds this time. I haven’t had a chance to visit with your daughter and son-in-law yet. I’ve known them for quite a while. They’re very nice people."

"Thank you," Glenda replied. "Are you getting along all right?"

Ann replied, "Oh, yeah. I’m doing fine. I just don’t have any energy. I think it’s just the heat, but I feel like I weigh a ton. Come to think of it, maybe I do!" We all laughed.

"Oh, no, it’s just the extra blood-supply that you’re having to try to cool," Glenda said. "That’s most likely all it is."

"I’m sure you’re right," Ann said. Then she added, "So this is your first time here. What do you think so far?"

With a little hesitation, Glenda replied, "It’s…a nice campground. Nice grounds. Nice facilities."

Ann sensing that there was more to it than that coaxed her along with a leading question, "But…?"

"Well, this all takes some getting used to," she answered.

"Did your daughter prepare you for what to expect?" Ann asked.

"Oh, yes, she told me what to expect," Glenda said. "I knew pretty much what I was getting into. Still, this is just so foreign to me. I mean, my daughter told me a number of years ago that she and her husband were nudists. It was his idea. I thought they were both crazy – running around with a bunch of people all naked. And I told her so. Why I just couldn’t believe it. Neither could my husband. And then when my grandchildren were born, I couldn’t believe they would expose them to this kind of thing. My husband never said too much about it, but I’d discuss it with my daughter whenever they would say that they’d been camping or something. I tried to argue with her that it was wrong for all of them, but especially the children. She would just tell me that I didn’t understand, which was true – I didn’t understand why they would ever do such a thing even once let alone keep doing it over and over."

Ann said, "Well, at least you kept the lines of communication open. That’s a good thing."

Glenda said, "They never kept it a secret even though they knew they were going to get an ear full from me every time the subject came up."

Then Ann asked, "So feeling the way you did, how did you happen to actually wind up coming here?"

"I’m still not sure," Glenda answered laughing. Then getting serious again, she said, "I lost my husband a little over a year ago now and…"

"Oh, I’m so sorry," Ann said sympathetically.

"Thank you," she said. "And anyway, when my daughter mentioned that they were coming here this weekend, my son-in-law asked me if I wanted to come along. Of course, they were just being polite - they never dreamed I’d accept. And for the life of me I don’t know what possessed me, but I said OK. Guess I didn’t feel like spending the weekend alone. But anyway, when I said that, they just looked at each other like they were thinking ‘uh-oh, now what’!"

We laughed at that, but I could just imagine the awkwardness.

"They asked me if I was serious and I said I was as serious as they were. Anyway, to make a long story short, yeah, I knew pretty much what I was getting into – at least for the most part."

And then Ann asked the leading question again, "But…?" (Ann is so good about sensing when someone has something on their mind that’s bothering them and then coaxing it out of them. She can read me like a book in that regard.)

Glenda continued. "Well, I wasn’t surprised to see naked people everywhere as we pulled in. I was ready for that. I guess what I hadn’t thought about was how awkward it would be for us – my family and me, I mean. My daughter and husband really didn’t know quite how to handle the situation when we first got here - nor did I. We just sort of wandered around our campsite for a little bit not saying much. I could see them looking at each other trying to decide what to do. Finally, my daughter said to me, ‘Mama, it’s time for us to get undressed now.’ And she started taking off her clothes. Then my son-in-law did, too. I didn’t know what to do. I felt so…out of place. I just sort of tried to look busy and looked around the area – anything but look at them. Well, we finally got past all that. I saw them and they saw me see them and that was pretty much that."

"Wow," Ann said. "I see what you mean about awkward. It took a lot of courage for your daughter and husband to go through with that, didn’t it?"

"Why yes, I suppose it did," she said. "I hadn’t really thought about it like that."

"And it showed a certain level of trust that they have in you, too, I believe," Ann added.

"Hadn’t thought about that either," Glenda replied.

"Maybe you’ll want to visit with your daughter about that sometime. It sounds like you always keep the lines of communication open even when you disagree on something."

"Yes, we can always talk – even when we disagree."

"That’s good. And now, see, you have some first hand knowledge of what this is all about to speak from, don’t you."

"Oh yes. That I do. And I have to admit that after being here for 24 hours, I’m getting a little more used to it. I mean, at least now ‘They’re naked!’ is not the first thing I think every time I see someone," Glenda said laughing.

We laughed, too.

Then she went on with, "But one of the surprising things that happened yesterday…and I know this will sound real funny to you both. But when I first saw my daughter - you know, naked - the thought crossed my mind that I was looking at a total stranger. I hope I didn’t appear to her to be staring or shocked or anything, but I hadn’t seen her without clothes since she was a little girl – probably nine or ten maybe. You see, I was raised to be modest and I guess I just carried that over into my own family. I taught my children all to be modest at an early age. We just never went around the house without being fully dressed. That’s just how it was. So yesterday when I saw her naked – I guess you folks always say nude – well, these strange thoughts ran through my mind. It was like here was this adult woman who happens to be my daughter – I’m guessing you and she are about the same age, Ann – and I felt like I didn’t really know her; sort of like we were being reunited after many, many years. And at the same time I was also thinking that I was seeing a kind of reflection of myself from many years ago. Oh, I know it sounds like I’m clear off my rocker – I don’t really know quite how to explain it."

"Well, I can understand how you might feel like that – under the circumstances," Ann said. "It’s just a matter of getting more familiar with the situation, it seems to me, and it sounds like that’s what you’re doing."

"Yes, I suppose it’s getting somewhat more familiar."

"Perhaps if you reach a point to where the nudism around you seems normal enough, you’ll then start to pick up on the calmness and tranquility of the setting. That’s one of the things we love about it."

"Yes, I do kind of sense that around me. One more thing I want to say before I wear out my welcome completely is that Ann, I think it’s so wonderful that you’re so open about your pregnancy."

"Oh, well, thank you," Ann replied sincerely.

"As I was telling Sunny earlier, in my day, pregnancy was something almost to be ashamed of. We played it down every way we could. We were so concerned about – I don’t know what, that I think we missed most of the happiness that should have been a part of it. But when I first saw you yesterday – nude – I was immediately struck by – well the beauty of pregnancy. Seeing you over here with your young children about you – well, it was just such a beautiful and perfect example of the ideals of motherhood. I’ll just never forget it. Oh, I confess – I did stare – a bit. But it was in admiration, I assure you."

"Glenda, thank you," Ann replied again in sincerity. "That’s so kind of you to say that. I do agree with you – pregnancy should be a time of joy and anticipation and happiness. And I truly do feel that way – well, I probably don’t look like it now with this heat stifling me, but really I do."

"Oh yes, even now I can see your joy. Sunny, when your time comes, look no further than this beautiful lady right here for a role model."

"Believe me, I already do!" I said.

"Now stop it, you two," Ann said. "You’re giving me way too much credit here."

"Oh, I don’t think so," Glenda replied. "Anyway, that’s enough out of this old woman. I’d better get back. It’s been nice talking with you."

"I’ve enjoyed it, too," Ann said. "We’ll talk again before the weekend is over, OK?"

"I’d like that," Glenda answered.

After she was gone, Ann said to me, "She’s a very nice lady. It was nice of you to befriend her earlier."

"Actually, she’s the one who started the conversation," I explained.

"You know when you stop to think about it, first of all it’s pretty amazing that she’s even here considering how she’s felt about nudism ever since her daughter first told her. And second, it’s pretty amazing that she would come out of her shell and open up and talk with people like us that she doesn’t even know, especially given the fact that we’re all nude."

"That’s true. But the fact that most of us are nude probably gives it some semblance of being normal to her," I said. "You know, there was something she said to me earlier that I’ve been thinking about and wondering what she meant. She told me to enjoy these years while I’m in the prime of life. I’ve received a lot of advice, but no one has ever told me anything like that before."

"Well, the years have a way of flying by faster and faster the older you get" Ann explained. "I think that was probably her way of saying that you should appreciate and enjoy life every step of the way. Don’t put things off or procrastinate or let opportunities pass by and then have regrets later about what you might have missed out on."

"I see. Well, I feel like I’m enjoying life now. I think I’m doing all the right things – big and small. And I have every intention of being active and involved in the things going on in the world around me all my life. I guess I just hadn’t thought about myself as being in the prime of my life. Sometimes I still think of myself as a kid. But then I have to stop and remember that many of my friends are married already and some of them even have kids. So I guess it could be me."

I was being contemplative and serious, but Ann, deciding to take the conversation to a lighter level, with a twinkle in her eye said, "Yeah, you know Jim and I were married before we were your age. We didn’t have kids yet, but hey, we were practicing really hard. I couldn’t have stood it to have to wait until I was your age."

Laughing even though it was a cruel but friendly joke, I said, "Hey, stop reminding me!"

Fortunately, Jim and the kids returned about then, so I was spared from any further teasing.

After supper that evening as we were hanging out in our campsite, Jason stopped by to say hi. There were other people there, too, and Ann and Jim were deep in conversation with them and the kids were playing nicely. Jason and I talked for a few minutes. Then remembering from earlier today that he might want to talk to me in private, I suggested we go for a walk. He thought that was a good idea so we took off walking along the row of campsites.

"So what’s up since last time we were both here?" I asked.

He told me about some of the things he’d been doing this summer – mowing lawns and hanging out with friends and things like that. Then he said, "Hey, remember last time when you were here and we were playing Frisbee – just you and me – and you were telling me that I shouldn’t be afraid to talk to girls."

"Yeah, I remember. Did you try it?"

"Yeah."

"So, like…what happened?"

"It worked out pretty well. I was kinda nervous at first, but I did it."

"Well, what happened?"

"Well, there’s been several girls that I always thought would never want to hang out with me. Your idea about starting off a conversation by asking questions really works though. I was afraid they’d ignore me or laugh at me or treat me like a loser or something, but they didn’t."

Well, I would hope not – not a cool guy like you."

"Thanks. Anyway, we just sorta hang out whenever we see each other. And hey, I met this one girl. She is so hot. She’s from another state and she’s staying with her grandparents for a month. They live pretty close to us, so I go over there and hang out sometimes and she comes over sometimes. I really like her. I think she like me, too."

"That’s so awesome! So when does she have to go back?"

"Not for a couple more weeks."

"Oh, that’s good. I’m glad you’ll have more time together."

"Yeah. But anyway, just before that happened, we were here for a weekend. Turned out Amanda was, too. She and Angie were hanging out some and I sort of hung out with them, too, a couple times. It went pretty well – Amanda talked to me some – not a lot. But it was cool."

"I’m glad to hear that," I said. Hearing that Amanda had spent time with both Angie and Jason gave me hope that maybe Amanda was starting to get away from her snobby attitude and be generally more open and friendly with those around her.

Jason continued with, "Then later that evening, I was bored so I went for a walk. When I went by her place, she was sitting there listening to her Discman. I said what’s up and she said she was bored. So I asked her if she wanted to go for a walk and she said yes, believe it or not."

"Wow, that’s cool. So what happened?"

"We just went for a walk out this way and talked about all kinds of stuff. She talked about her boyfriend and stuff. And about music and movies and cars and – I don’t remember what all. Anyhow, I was so totally surprised that she did that. We stopped by the playground and just sat in the swings and talked for a long time. Can you believe that - after the way I was so chicken to talk to her before?"

I was thinking, ‘I can’t believe you’d still want to after the way she treated you so badly before’, but I kept that thought to myself. Instead I said, "Yeah, I can believe it. I knew you had it in you. Just goes to show you." Maybe Amanda was coming around. Maybe she was beginning to have more self-confidence and didn’t feel that she had to put up such a harsh front between herself and all but her closest friends. Encouraging.

Then changing the subject, Jason said, "Hey, another thing. Remember when we first sorta met and you asked Angie and me if we wanted to go swim with you and Amanda?"

"Yeah," I answered remembering how Angie had embarrassed him so terribly.

"Well, when I said I didn’t want to go with you because I wasn’t a good swimmer, I wasn’t lying. I mean, I was using it as an excuse, but it is true."

"That’s OK," I said. "It’s no big deal. I felt for you when Angie started in. She didn’t mean any harm, but I could tell that it was pretty embarrassing."

"Well, I guess that’s what kid sisters are good for," he answered. "Anyway, you offered to show me how to swim, remember?"

"Yeah?" I answered although it sounded more like a question because I couldn’t figure out where he was going with all this.

"Well, I was wondering if you’d still be willing to do that. I mean, I’ve had swimming lessons before – when I was a kid – and I can sort of swim, but just not very good. And when I hang out with my friends at the pool or the lake, I just can’t do some of the things they do. And sometimes they make fun of me. It’s kind of embarrassing."

"Sure," I answered. "I’d be glad to help. When?"

"How about now?" he answered and then added, "if you have time."

"Sure, now is a great time," I answered. "Doesn’t look like much going on at the pool right now anyway. Let’s go."

We weren’t far from the pool and things were pretty quiet there at the moment probably because it was evening and everyone was back at their campsites. As we walked to the pool, I wondered how Jason was going to handle the rule requiring everyone at the pool to be nude. My guess was that he was just going to blow it off and swim with his shorts on, but that was up to him – it made no difference to me either way.

When we reached the pool, I went down to the deep end and dove in. The water felt great this evening. As I came up, I saw that Jason had gone around to the far side of the pool. Still facing away, he slipped off his shorts, dropped them on a chair, and then came over to the edge of the pool and slipped into the water. I was glad that he proved me wrong and was swimming nude – I hated to break any of the rules here. The water was a little more than waist deep where he was – deep enough for swimming but still shallow enough to stand on the bottom if need be. I swam over to him.

"OK, why don’t you swim across to the other side and I’ll watch you," I suggested.

"OK, here goes," he said, "but don’t expect much."

As he took off swimming free-style, it was readily apparent what needed to be changed in order for him to swim better. I didn’t wait for him to reach the other side before I caught up to him and had him stop. We first worked on keeping his face in the water so that his body would float more evenly on the surface of the water and therefore create less drag. Then I had him stop flailing his arms and instead deliberately thrust them forward and then into the water. I also had him pull his arms down through the water and follow through with his stroke rather than just pulling them back to himself. Finally, we worked on his kick and got that going pretty well. After not too long, he was swimming a lot more efficiently and enjoying himself in the process. He had made great strides toward improvement, but he had worn himself out in the process. He did a good job of listening to what I had to say and then applying it and I gave him a lot of praise and encouragement for his efforts.

When he felt like he’d had enough swimming, we decided to continue on with our walk. We swam to the shallow end and got out of the pool via the steps. He went back to pick up his shorts while I began my way toward the gate. He caught up to me and we headed back up the path. Just like the previous night, I couldn’t help but notice all the lightning bugs floating and blinking all across the open grassy area. I know – I’ve written about this a number of times before, but it’s such a totally beautiful, awesome sight. It just blows me away every time!

"Jason, look out there! That is so awesome!"

"It’s just lightning bugs," he said.

"Yeah, but it’s so beautiful – so peaceful. I love it!"

"Whatever," he said.

"Whatever, my foot!" I said. "Come on. Let’s go out there! I want to stand right in the middle of it!" I immediately crossed the trail right in front of him so that he almost ran into me and headed out into the grass to be out in the open among the lightning bugs. When we were way out there, I said, "Stop. Listen."

"Listen to what? I don’t hear anything," Jason said.

"I know!" I said. "Isn’t it great?"

"Whatever."

"This is so awesome! Just look at the flashes of light all around us. Look at the gazillions of stars above us. Hear the silence. Feel the breeze – the grass under our feet. I love this!"

"Sunny, are you OK? You’re sounding a little weird…and fanatical."

"Oh, I’m way better than OK. This is so awesome. To be so…one with nature like this. It’s just indescribable. It’s…like…magical!"

"Yeah, well…"

"I think being a nudist helps to sensitize us to be more aware of the nature around us. You’re nude now. Don’t you think so?"

"I don’t know – I’m nude and all, but I don’t know that I’m really a nudist. And even if I was, I don’t think I’d ever go ga-ga over lightning bugs."

"Hey, are you making fun of me?" I asked laughing, knowing that he was kidding me. Then I went on with, "But I know what you mean – being nude doesn’t make you a nudist – not automatically. It’s the attitude."

"And I don’t know if I have the attitude or not. I mean, I like being nude…sometimes. But sometimes it seems weird – like around my parents. I don’t know why, but it does."

"Well, if that’s the way you feel then it’s OK. I’ve heard that before, so you’re not alone in feeling like that. And listen, if it bothers you to be nude with me, then get dressed if you want. You surely know I don’t care either way. Honest."

"No, this is fine. I’m OK with you. But, around adults, I don’t know - it just bugs me."

"Well, you might want to think about that and see if you can figure out maybe why you feel that way. I’m not saying you shouldn’t feel that way, but maybe you can understand yourself better if you have some idea why. And when you stop to think about it, you say you’re comfortable with me, but actually I am an adult."

"I guess that’s true. Maybe I don’t think of you as an adult. Maybe I’m just thinking of you as someone like me only who’s older."

"That’s interesting. Is that how you think of Amanda?"

"Maybe a little, but I guess mostly I think of her as my own age."

"Does it bug you to be nude with others your own age?"

"Yeah, I guess maybe it does – a little. I mean, I wasn’t nude with Amanda, but I guess I could have been and it would have been OK."

"Was she nude with you?"

"Yeah, I haven’t noticed her wearing clothes for a long time. But I can remember when she did for a while. Guess she must have felt like me."

"Well, that wasn’t exactly it," I said. "But listen, I’ll let you in on a little secret that sort of ties in with that. Last time we were all here together, she said that it really bothered her when people were around who were wearing clothes. She said that made it seem like they had something to hide. I mean, not strictly in a physical way, but just in general and that they therefore couldn’t be trusted. And it just made it worse when the person was sort of hanging around at a distance but never talking or anything. That’s a lot of why she was so stand-offish with you then." And I could have added, ‘to put it mildly,’ but didn’t.

"Yeah, she was kind of that way this time, too, - at least starting out. Like she sat with her arms crossed and wouldn’t look at me at first. I just kept talking and asking questions…like you said. After a while, she was talking a little bit more and it was kind of like we were hanging out. So then when I asked if she wanted to go for a walk, I was surprised that she said yes. But she did. Whoa - I didn’t realize that was the reason she was so…that way at first."

I said, "I’m just assuming that was the reason based on what happened last time. But whatever the reason, I’m glad she went with you. That shows that maybe she’s starting to gain more confidence in herself. Whatever the reason, I’m glad you two are on speaking terms."

"Yeah, me too. She’s pretty cool," Jason said. Then changing the direction of the discussion, he asked, "So what about you – like when you were my age? Were you always like you are now?"

"Depends on what you mean by ‘like I am now’. I wasn’t a nudist when I was your age, if that’s what you mean. But I was never ashamed or afraid to be nude like when showering at school or in front of my mom at home or anything. I’m sure that was because my mom always taught me never to feel ashamed of my body. She said that we are each created miraculously unique and that we should be happy about that and take joy in it. She wasn’t a nudist – at least not that I know of - but she had no problems with being nude with me or my dad around nor did she have any problem with me being nude around her. I’m talking about when I was older – not as a little kid. Then I got started with real social nudism when I was seventeen on a nude beach in the Caribbean. I’m pretty sure I was the youngest one there, but I didn’t have any hesitation about being around everyone else that was there once I got started. And…it’s been pretty hard to keep clothes on ever since."

"I’ve never even seen you in clothes," Jason said.

"See what I mean," I replied jokingly. "But anyway, getting back to feeling weird around adults, those who have been nudists all their lives most likely know what you’re feeling and they probably just don’t say anything because it proved to be just a temporary thing for them and they figure it will be for you, too. I don’t know for sure, but that’s my guess. But for sure, you need to do whatever makes you most comfortable."

"Yeah, I will."

By now we had walked clear around behind the hill opposite of the camping area. There was absolutely no light to disrupt the glimmering stars filling the night sky. As much as I hated leaving this setting, I knew I needed to get back to camp to see if I could help out with getting the kids ready for bed or anything. We walked back up the hill and at the top we turned back to look out across the valley we had just been in. It was so beautiful – so magical – so tranquil. As we turned to go on back into the camping area, Jason said to wait a minute and he stopped to slip back into his shorts. Then we returned.

The next morning early, Sarah awakened us to let us know that she needed to use the restroom and there could be no waiting. Ann started to get up, but I said, "No. Stay put. I’ll take her."

As Sarah and I came out of the restroom to return to the camper, there was Ann coming toward us.

"Me, too," she said jokingly. "These days I have about the same bladder capacity as she does – maybe less."

About that time we heard, "Good morning!" We looked to see Glenda coming toward us.

"Good morning," Ann and I each said in turn. Then Ann added, "You’re up early."

Glenda replied, "Oh, I always get up early. I’m going for my walk. Going to be the heat today."

"That’s smart," Ann said.

"Anybody want to join me?" Glenda asked. "I may not be fast, but I’m steady."

Ann replied, "Not me. I’m neither fast nor steady right now. Don’t know about Sunny – she usually runs."

But I said, "Yeah, I’ll go with you. Sounds like fun. I can run later if I want to."

"OK. I’ll keep Sarah with me. You two go on and enjoy the morning," Ann said and then added jokingly, "Maybe I’ll join you later – like in next year!"

We laughed. Then Glenda asked me, "Do you need to get some shoes or anything, dear?"

"Nope," I answered. "I’m good to go – got everything I need." I always wear shoes when I run, but for walking – even brisk walking – in daylight my bare feet are generally tough enough.

Glenda chuckled and said, "Well, you certainly don’t have to worry about losing anything!"

And with that the two of us took off down the trail toward the woods and the creek. The temperature was plenty warm, but still so much cooler than it was going to be later. Glenda was a brisk walker and it quickly became obvious that this was a regular habit of hers. Even at this quick pace she could still carry on a conversation as we covered a lot of ground.

"You’re quite a power walker," I said.

Glenda laughed and said, "Oh, I wouldn’t go that far. But I love to walk. Do it everyday. Have for years. Only really bad weather in the winter will keep from it."

"I know what you mean. I’m pretty much addicted to exercise, myself. It makes me tense if I have to miss more than a day or two."

"That’s good, dear. Take good care of yourself now while you’re young and you’ll be healthier all your life for it."

"Sounds like good advice. Thanks," I said. "You know you seem a lot more relaxed today. Are you getting more used to all this?"

"Yes, I suppose I am. It doesn’t seem quite as strange now that I’ve been in the middle of it for – what – a couple of days now? And now that I’ve seen it all for myself."

"So my being nude doesn’t bother you at all then?" I asked.

"Oh no, not at all. In fact now that I think about it, that’s the only way I’ve known you, isn’t it?"

"True," I answered. "Unless you just happen to catch me right when I get here or right when I leave, this is it."

A little farther on, Glenda said, "I’ve noticed that some of the ladies here wear jewelry – some a lot. And some of them have those chains around their waists. I’ve never seen or heard of anything quite like that before."

"Jewelry is a pretty common thing," I said trying to explain. "It looks nice, but I’m really not much into it for myself. I prefer to be completely free of everything – as plain, simple, and boring as that may look."

"Oh, you’re very lovely, dear. I’m sure that all the boys back home are standing in line to ask you out on dates."

"Thanks," I replied laughing. "I don’t know about any lines, but there is one guy I’m particularly interested in. We’ve been dating for a little while now." I went on to tell her about him and all that was going on with us.

"Well, you’re so lucky, Sunny," she said. "Being young and you seem to have your head on straight. You know, I would think it takes a lot of courage and confidence in yourself to be nude like you are around so many people – most of them being older than you. Especially in the case of you and I – you know, me not only older, but being dressed, too. I would have thought that might make you feel – I don’t know – inferior or apprehensive or something. And also with that teenage boy – he always wears clothes, too, and yet you seem at ease being around him."

"Oh, you mean Jason? He’s a good kid. I met him and his sister the last time I was here. But no, it doesn’t bother me at all to be like this around you or him or anybody else really who’s wearing clothes. I’ve found that when I’m here or some place like this where nude is the norm, then I’m perfectly fine with me being like this and everyone else being however they want to be. Fact is, anymore, I’m scarcely aware of when someone else is dressed."

"I can’t imagine that. It must be all in what you get used to."

"I think it is. In fact, one day right before school was out, my best friend and her boyfriend stopped by my apartment. I didn’t know they were coming and I’m always nude at home. They’re both nudists, too – I got them started. But anyway, she knocked and then called out that it was her so I said to come on in. I was surprised for a second when I saw he was with her, but since he and I are friends, too, I just sort of forgot about it. They were only going to stay for a minute so I never even considered getting dressed. As it turned out we started talking and they wound up staying a lot longer, but I never did get dressed and we were all OK with it. It was just real casual and normal, you know?"

"Oh my, I could never be like that – not with this wreck of an old woman’s body."

I paused for a minute before responding trying to decide whether or not to go ahead and address her negative comment about her appearance. I didn’t want to be disrespectful, but I felt it needed to be discussed for her own good. I decided to proceed, but as gently and respectful as possible. "Glenda, listen, I don’t mean to be disrespectful, but I think you’re making too big of an issue about age and appearance. I mean, being a nudist is way more about attitude than it is about appearance. It’s about how you want to feel and be – it has little to do with how you appear physically in the eyes of anybody else.

"And it’s about wanting to experience the freedom and liberation of being more in oneness with nature. It’s about being open and honest and even a little vulnerable among like-minded people. When I say like-minded, I’m talking about how virtually everyone here is a nudist and the ones who aren’t are at least favorable toward those of us that are, but yet at the same time, we’re all so totally unique – unique not only in our personalities but also our physical characteristics. Think about all the different people here that you’ve met this weekend – such a wide range of differences. Personalities, ages, and yeah, even physical characteristics – each one totally unique and yet we all get along – we all accept each other and we’re all respectful of each other. Nudists I’ve found are so much more accepting of others than the general population is. Even though I’m an outsider, I’ve always been made to feel welcome here. And I know you have, too."

"Oh yes, everyone here has been very nice," she responded contemplating the things I’d said.

"And I’m sure you’ve noticed there is a wide range of ages here and I’m equally sure that you’re not the oldest one here and yet everyone accepts everyone else as they are. No one is expecting perfection from anyone else because no one can themselves claim perfection. Kids look the way they’re supposed to look at their various ages and adults look the way they’re supposed to look at their various ages. Sure, some people take better care of themselves than others, but that’s a personal choice and we need to accept that right along with everything else."

Glenda said, "I hadn’t thought about a lot of that."

"Well, again, no disrespect. I just wanted to share my thoughts with you. Maybe I’m naïve – I don’t know – but that’s just me," I said in a less serious tone trying to lighten things up a little.

"Oh, don’t worry about being disrespectful – you weren’t – not at all," Glenda said. "And you can always shoot straight with me. What you say makes a lot of sense – having been here a couple of days now. But I might not have believed it otherwise."

"There are a lot of misconceptions about nudism – a lot. People automatically assume the worst without having any real facts at all to base it on. It’s frustrating."

"Well, dear, you have a beautiful outlook on life. I hope it never changes and I thank you for sharing it with me."

"You’re welcome," I said feeling relieved that she wasn’t upset with me.

We talked some more and walked some more and covered a lot of subjects and a lot of ground. We had made it out to the farthest point on the property and had turned back. We were still a long ways out from the campground and enjoying the peaceful solitude of the morning time. We commented to each other on that and then Glenda said, "We’re still a long way from the camping area and all the others, aren’t we?"

"Yes, it’s still quite a ways back," I answered. Then I panicked for a second and hastily asked, "Why? Are you OK? Is something wrong?"

"Oh, no," she said. "Everything’s fine. But for the last little ways I’ve been thinking about…well, I don’t know – it’s still pretty early and all. Do people around here mostly sleep in later on Sundays?"

"Well, yeah," I answered. "Sunday gets off to a slower start than Saturday. I don’t know about any of the other days, though. Why do you ask?" I was curious to know where this series of questions was leading.

Then Glenda continued. "Sunny, I was just thinking that – well, I’ve been thinking about trying this – you know – nudism. Maybe for just a few minutes."

"Well, OK," I replied in surprise. Then I added, "But don’t feel like you have to. Nobody expects you to do anything you don’t want to. I mean, you’re not feeling any pressure from your family or anyone, are you?"

"No, no, no," she answered. "I came up this half-wit idea all on my own. But it just seems like that…well…with it being so early and being out here away from everybody like we are, wouldn’t this be the best time and place to try it if I’m ever going to try it?"

"Hey – go for it!" I said. "I think you’re right about all that."

Then she started looking around. "Just wondering where to do this crazy thing," she said and then added as she pointed to a spot back off the trail, "Looks like maybe that would be a good out-of-the way spot over there a little ways."

"I think that’d be perfect," I said. Wondering what she expected of me, I asked, "So, do you want me to wait for you here or do you want me to go on back or do you want me to leave and come back for you in a little while?"

"Oh, no, stay with me, please," she said. "If you’re thinking I’m worried about my modesty, well, put that out of you mind, dear and let me worry about that. I’m just going to do this. Then no one can ever accuse me of not trying it. Besides, at my age, if I’m going to try something, I shouldn’t be putting it off too long."

"OK," I said.

We walked through the grass back behind some trees not too far off the trail. There she slipped off her walking shoes and socks and then after one more quick look around she slipped out of her clothes. When that was done, she said laughing, "Well, here I am – nude - in a nudist campground! I never would have dreamed that anything like this would happen to me!"

"Hey, we all need to break out and try new things once I while," I said laughing with her and then with enthusiasm, I added, "And see, you did it! You’re doing great! Welcome aboard!"

"Well, I hope the sight of this broken down old woman doesn’t send you running for the hills!" she said still laughing.

"Glenda, I wish you’d stop running yourself down like that," I said. "You’re not old and you look fine – you look just like you’re supposed to look. Fact is, you look very fit – like a power walker who takes care of herself."

"Thank you, dear," she said, "but you don’t need to go on like that."

"I’m just telling you how it is," I replied. "And I think you know I’m right."

"Oh, I don’t know."

"Well, I do. After all who’s the most experienced nudist here – me or you?"

"OK – I’ll have to give you that one," she said still laughing. I felt that she was enjoying this more and more with each passing moment.

"So what do you want to do now?" I asked her thinking that she would just want to hang around the area where we were.

"What do you say we go back and walk the trail?" she suggested. "Maybe just for a little ways."

"OK," I answered a bit surprised at her lack of fear. "Do you want to slip your shoes back on or anything?"

"Oh, no, dear," she answered emphatically. "I want to do this just like you do – I want to see for myself just what it feels like to be as open and free as you and my daughter say it feels."

"Cool," I said. "Let’s go then. I’ll follow your lead – we’ll do whatever you want to do."

"Do you think my clothes will be OK if I leave them here?" she asked.

I answered jokingly, "I don’t think there’s anybody here that’s too interested in your clothes."

She laughed as she realized the humor in her own question and said, "No, I don’t suppose so."

We made our way back out to the trail and then started walking in the same direction we had been going before - back toward the camping area. We were walking at a slower pace now that Glenda was also barefoot.

As we walked, Glenda freely spoke her mind about how she was feeling about this brand new experience. I couldn’t call her fearful nor fearless – she was somewhere in between; however, she displayed no hesitation about continuing on along the trail, leaving her clothes farther behind with each step. I couldn’t help admiring her courage – not just about trying nudism, but just for trying something so new and so different from anything she’d ever done before.

One of the things she said during this time of exploration was, "I don’t know how many times in the past I’ve said to my daughter, ‘I just don’t see what’s the big deal about running around with your clothes off,’ and she’d say, ‘It’s not a big deal, Mama. You’re the one making a big deal out of it.’ Well I think now I’m starting to see what she was trying to say."

"I’m glad you decided to try it," I said. "This is really the best way to find out what it’s like. Then – whether you love it or hate it – you know for sure from first hand experience."

We walked a few more minutes. Then Glenda said, "Well, I suppose we should go back now. I don’t want to get too close to camp like this."

"We can do that if you want," I replied. "But, you know, we’re so close to this beautiful spot in the woods that I’d like to show you. The creek runs through there and it’s so peaceful. I wish you could experience it like this. That’d be so perfect – but only if you want to, that is. It’s not much farther."

"Well, you’ve been a pretty good guide and teacher so far," she said. "Lead the way."

"OK," I said and then went on to explain, "Just a little farther on down the trail and then we’ll take another little path into the woods and…" But that was as far as I got, because at that moment coming around a curve in the trail ahead we suddenly saw a man and woman walking toward us. We and they all saw each other right away so there could be no hiding or turning back.

"Oh my," Glenda said softly and with dread. "Now what?"

My only cause for alarm was for her sake. I said, "Let’s just keep walking. It’ll be OK. You’ll be fine. Just keep walking." I hoped I was right.

The couple was walking fast – they were out for their morning exercise, too, and closed the distance between us in no time. As we approached each other, they both said, "Good morning," and smiled. I returned the greeting and then so did Glenda although there was a certain hesitation in her voice. Neither they nor we stopped or even slowed down as we met and passed. It was all very cordial, but brief.

As soon as the couple had passed, the first thing Glenda said was again, "Oh my."

I felt bad that it was my idea that caused us to get into the very situation that she had wanted to avoid, but at the same time it all seemed totally harmless. I said, "Glenda, I’m very sorry that happened. I didn’t mean for us to run into anybody else – I know how you didn’t want that, but it wasn’t so bad was it? I mean, nothing bad happened."

She replied, "Oh, no, I lived through it." And then she added laughing, "At least they didn’t turn and run for the hills when they saw me."

I laughed with her and said, "Of course not. You saw their reaction – or lack of reaction, I should say. What does that tell you?"

"I guess it just means it’s no big deal," she said. "And you’re right – it wasn’t so bad. It turned out like any ordinary encounter."

"It was," I said and went on, "very ordinary, very normal. See – you’re readily accepted here for who you are – not what you look like. And as for what you look like – well, you look like me and them and everybody else. You’re one of us and we’re one of you."

"That seems to be true although I suppose it’s easier to accept me without clothes than with. I guess I blend in better like this, don’t I?"

"You’re definitely more a part of the crowd, but you’re still a unique individual, too," I said and then went on, "You’re just disguised as a nudist right now."

"Yes, I suppose I am," she said laughing.

Soon we reached the path that led into the woods. I led Glenda down it and we strolled among the trees and on down to the creek – even wading into it in places and crossing to the other side just because we could. Glenda seemed to be enjoying herself and the surroundings. It was indeed beautiful here in the early morning hours, although it was not nearly as early now. Apparently we were both starting to think that maybe we had been gone long enough and that people might start to worry about us if we didn’t return soon.

Then I had an idea. I said, "Glenda, there’s no need for both of us to backtrack to get your stuff. How about I run back and get it. That’ll give you some time alone here in the woods to really experience nature naturally."

"Well, if you don’t mind, I think I’d like that," she said without hesitation.

I left and headed back to the trail. I ran back to our starting place and picked up her things, but coming back it was too awkward to run carrying her things, so I just walked fast.

Just about the time I reached the path leading back into the woods, I saw Glenda’s daughter walking toward me at a fairly brisk pace. She saw that I was carrying Glenda’s things and as we approached each other she asked rather anxiously, "What’s going on? Is Mama all right?"

"Don’t worry," I quickly answered to alleviate her fears. "Everything is fine. But you’re probably not going to believe what we’ve been up to." I then went on to explain in detail what had been going on. The daughter was taken completely off guard by my account of how her mother was trying nudism. In her astonishment, she asked a few more questions and even laughed about the part where we had met the other couple on the trail.

She said, "Well if there was ever going to be a time when Mama was speechless, that would have to be it!"

"Well, I’d better get back to her with her stuff so that she doesn’t start wondering whether I’m coming back or not," I said. "Do you want to come with me?"

"Oh – I don’t know," she answered hesitantly. "Do you think I should? I mean, will it unnerve her if I show up unexpectedly like this and all?"

"Hey, she’s your mom," I answered "You’ve known her way longer than me, but I’m thinking she’ll be OK with it. It’s up to you, though."

"You know," she answered, "the more I think about it, this may be a golden opportunity."

"That’s kind of what I was thinking," I said. So with that we headed down the path into the woods to join back up with Glenda.

We saw her from a distance through the trees before she saw us. She was casually walking among the trees down by the creek. We stopped as her daughter said to me, "I never would have imagined anything like this. Look at her there. It’s almost like it’s somebody else." At that moment I remembered how Glenda had said practically the same thing of her daughter the day before.

We continued on our way down to the creek where Glenda was. She was visibly surprised when she saw that her daughter was with me. As we came to within speaking distance, the daughter spoke first with a certain hesitation in her voice. "Mama, I hope you don’t mind that I’m here."

"Oh – no, dear, I don’t mind if you don’t," Glenda said in reply and with a certain amount of reservation of her own.

Then the daughter said, "I was starting to worry so I came down the trail looking for you. I met Sunny. She told me what you two were up to. Hope that’s OK."

"Oh, of course it is. I was going to tell you about this silly little experiment of mine anyway. You probably think your poor old mom has completely lost her mind, but it just seemed like a good time and place to try this – if I was ever going to. And Sunny was with me so I thought, why not? Why not see what all this is about? Then I’ll know more what it is you’re talking about."

The daughter then walked up to her mom and took her mom’s hands in each of hers and said sincerely, "Oh Mama, I’m happy you came with us this weekend and I’m happy you’re trying this, but I hope you’re not forcing yourself to do it just for my sake or anything. You don’t have to– not for me or anybody else – nobody expects you to do anything you’re not comfortable with. Honest."

Glenda replied, "I know, dear. But actually, I’m kind of liking this. I didn’t really expect to, but being out here in the peaceful, quiet of nature like this – you know, nude – is well, it gives me this sense of calmness and peace that I’ve rarely if ever known before. That must be what you’ve been trying to tell me about, isn’t it."

"That’s a lot of it, Mama," she answered. "I’m really proud of you for giving this a try. I know it must have been uncomfortable for you."

"Oh, it wasn’t bad once I finally just made up my mind to do it," she said and then continued, "You know, when we first got here, I think it took a lot of courage for you and your husband to get undressed with me there. It seemed awkward anyway, but you did it and got through it. I figured if you could do that, then I could at least do this much."

"Yeah, it felt pretty awkward, but like you said – we got through it – all of us. You’ve done great, Mama. I’m real proud of you."

"I guess I’m just trying to say that back when you first started all this, even though you knew I wouldn’t be any too happy about it, you never kept it a secret behind my back. I appreciate that even though I’m sure there were probably times when you wished you’d never told me."

"Oh, Mama, you always taught us that honesty is the best policy."

"True."

"And you always taught us to think for ourselves – don’t just follow the crowd – figure out for ourselves what’s best."

"I guess you were listening after all," Glenda said laughing.

"Of course we were, Mama," she said. "You and Daddy have been the biggest influence in our lives."

"Well, that’s good to know," Glenda said seriously and then on a lighter note she added, "Of all the kids, you always were the most independent thinker of the bunch. Sometimes I couldn’t believe the things you came up with!"

"Guess I’ll take that as a compliment," her daughter said laughing. "That probably explains how I wound up here in the first place."

"But listen now, don’t be getting the idea that I’m all of a sudden a die-hard nudist like you," Glenda declared. "I’m not going near the camping area like this and that’s final."

"Mama, I’ve said all along – you do whatever you’re most comfortable with," the daughter said. "You just be yourself and that’ll be fine. I’m still amazed that we’re standing here together like this."

"Not half as much as I am," Glenda said laughing. "But I’m glad we are."

"Me, too," her daughter said.

Then Glenda said, "I suppose we should get on back, but with this heat, I’m really not in any hurry to have to put those clothes back on."

"Then don’t," her daughter said. "Not just yet. Let’s walk back part of the way like this. We’ll stop for you to get dressed before we get too close to camp. How about that?"

"All right," Glenda said. Then to me, she said referring to her clothes that I was holding, "Here, Sunny, I’ll take those off your hands."

"No, let me carry them," I said. "You two enjoy your walk together. This is special."

And so we began our way back along the path through the woods with Glenda and her daughter walking together and actually holding hands part of the time. Glenda was talking a lot about things that had happened this morning as her daughter listened attentively. At one point Glenda remarked excitedly, "And you know, we had a little surprise out there on the trail!"

"I know, I heard!" her daughter said laughing.

It was a joyous sight to watch the two of them interacting together. To see them now, you would never have guessed that there was any kind of strain in their relationship over nudism in the past. I must confess that I felt some envy of Glenda’s daughter for getting to be with her mother like this and I couldn’t help having a feeling of longing for it to be possible for me to be with my mom, too.

We returned to the main trail and started on our way back toward the camping area. After not too long of a time, we stopped so that Glenda could get dressed. During that short time on the trail we were met and passed by a few more hikers; however, this time Glenda didn’t even flinch although she did comment that already this morning she had been seen nude more times than in her entire life. While she was dressing, it reminded me of how Jason had stopped to put on shorts before returning to camp during our walk the previous night. What an interesting similarity, I thought.

The rest of the day was much the same as the day before - equally as joyous and every bit as much fun. I spent lots of enjoyable time with the kids entertaining them and playing with them. Angie joined me off and on throughout the day and that was a lot of fun, too. I talked with Jason again and then later, he, Angie, and I tossed the Frisbee around some more.

Before we knew it, mid-afternoon had arrived and Jim declared that we needed to start loading up. He wanted to get Ann home early so that she could rest and recuperate from the weekend. She was doing OK, but was pretty tired from all the heat. Although disappointed to have to leave a little early, I certainly understood the situation and wanted to do all I could for Ann’s comfort and well being, too. After all, getting to come here not just once, but twice this summer was a totally unexpected surprise. Jim and I did most of the picking up and loading and getting the camper ready to go. As others noticed we were preparing to leave, they stopped by to say good-bye and to wish Ann well. That included Glenda and her family, as well. Everyone was so kind and thoughtful and expressed their best wishes for Ann and Jim with the birth of the baby. People are so nice. I love this place and I always hate to leave.

It’s a good thing that people stopped by when they did, because we wasted no time in leaving once we had everything ready to go. I helped Sarah finish dressing and then got her into the van. Ann was already dressed and inside with the air conditioner running and reclining in one of the back seats. I quickly slipped into my clothes and got into the van at about the same time as Jim. After a quick check to make sure the kids were buckled up we pulled out onto the road through the camping area, waving at our fellow campers as we drove slowly by. We made a short stop to check out and then we were on our way home.

By the time we were back on the main highway, the kids had settled back and were asleep or nearly so and Ann had found herself a comfortable position and was feeling better.

I said to Jim and Ann, "Thank you both so much for including me again this weekend. I had a wonderful time. I always do."

"You’re very welcome," Jim replied. "Thank you for helping us out with the kids so much. It wasn’t our intention to bring you along just to baby sit, but it sure seems like that’s how it turned out."

"Oh, no," I said. "I didn’t see it that way at all. I enjoy your kids and I always want to do whatever I can to help out. These camping trips are so cool. I love that place."

Ann said, "We can see that. It’s been fun watching you in your discovery of all that nudism is about. We’ve always been nudists, so it’s refreshing to us to now sort of see it anew through your eyes."

I laughed and said, "Well, I’m just doing what you guys do. That’s all. And hey, it works for me!"

They both laughed and Ann said, "Us, too!"

I sighed and said, "So, does it ever get any easier to leave?"

"Nope, I don’t think so," Ann answered. "At some point you’ve got to put these pesky clothes back on and join the real world again."

"I guess maybe that makes us appreciate it more when we can get away to a place like that," I said and then reflecting I added, "But you know, it seems to me that the real world is back there – not out here. Back there is where people are real – where everyone is more of who they really are – you know – no pretenses. I mean, I try to be just me all the time wherever I am and with whoever I’m with, but I just feel more like me when I’m there. I wonder if others feel that way. And now that I think about it, I wonder what it would be like to meet up with some of those people out here – I wonder if we’d notice much difference from how we are back there."

"Interesting thoughts," Ann said.

And then unexpectedly, Jim said matter-of-factly, "Sunny, you’re becoming quite the philosopher in your old age."

His statement took me totally by surprise. He’d never said anything like that to me before and he said it so seriously. But before I’d had a chance to figure out that he was joking, I heard Ann burst out laughing behind me. Then Jim looked at me and laughed, too, and that’s when I knew he was kidding. Ann told me later that I looked so funny when my jaw dropped and I appeared completely dumbfounded. Once I knew what was going on, I laughed with them. Having Jim joke around with me makes me feel that maybe now I’m on the inside of his circle of close friends. At least I hope so. He and Ann are both great people and I’m so grateful that they’ve "taken me in" so to speak. I love spending time with them. What great friends! What a great weekend!

Epilog

About the only good thing that can come from being so late in getting this camping trip written up and published is that now I can happily report that Ann has had her baby girl. Both mother and baby came through the birth just fine and both continue to be healthy and happy. Jim and Ann are such great parents and it’s so cute to watch Mark and Sarah dote on their baby sister. And of course, I love to hold her anytime that I’m visiting them. She’s such a sweet little bundle of joy and a special addition to a beautiful family.