The Nude Life

It was a perfect summer day at Mazo Beach. Warm and sunny, a few fluffy clouds decorating a flawless blue sky, the Wisconsin River sparkling on it’s way to join the Mississippi, then on to New Orleans and the Gulf of Mexico.

A full complement of beachgoers were frolicking in the water, sunning, playing volleyball. You know, all the things that happy naked people do when they’re happily naked!

Along came a half dozen or so fully clothed men and women who set up lawn chairs in a row and sat down. And stayed that way. Hmm.

Well, nudity isn’t required at the beach but is certainly the norm, and gawkers are definitely not welcome, but they didn’t seem to be gawking. Just sitting there fully clothed on a beach. Hmm again.

Quite some time later, as we were leaving, we stopped and said howdy to them. Told them (nicely) that we were curious as to why they’d be sitting on a beach on a beautiful day dressed from head to toe. I mean, it’s a mile walk from the parking lot and there are a lot of handier beaches.

Finally one of them sheepishly said they were waiting for someone to go first! After a moment or so he said, “I guess I will.” And did.

The rest promptly jumped up and began following suit and as we left them they were busily shedding a lifetime of inhibitions and misconceptions. We can hope and assume that they proceeded to have one of the best afternoons of their lives. Certainly the most memorable!

Welcome to the Family, folks!

Looking at the photos posted below, you would be correct in thinking that these are pictures of a quiet residential street in a well-kept, middle-class neighborhood anywhere in the United States. Some might think that this neighborhood looks more attractive than most, and some (including your editor), would state that there are no prettier streets anywhere in America.

The only thing the least bit unusual about these neighborhoods is that they are part of one of the oldest and most mature full-scale nudist resorts in the country. These are some of the beautiful residential neighborhoods of Cypress Cove Nudist Resort in Kissimmee, FL, where we hope soon to make our home. The homes here are obviously well-cared for, by people who love living here, and the beautiful landscaping, lush foliage and sunny weather make these streets part of an idyllic nudist community of about 250 full-time residents in over 120 permanent single-family homes.

Like any other neighborhood in Central Florida, the FedEx man, the UPS man, the bottled-water man and the other neighborhood service people make their rounds, delivering and fixing and installing things for the residents of Cypress Cove, just like anywhere else. The USPS delivers mail here, the local cable company provides TV and Internet service here, and the gas man comes around to refill your propane tanks. Everything is exactly, perfectly normal in every way — except the residents are all full-time nudists. You’re as likely to see a couple pedaling by on their bicycles — both nude from head to toe — as seeing the same sight with clothed cyclists anywhere else.

What is a lot different about touring the neighborhoods of Cypress Cove is that you will get a wave and a “Hello!” from everyone you pass, with nice smiles and happy faces to greet you at every turn. Everyone is a fellow nudist here, so it’s easy to exchange smiles and greetings quite liberally with everyone you encounter.

We have spent the last three days looking at homes to buy here at Cypress Cove, and there are some lovely ones from which to choose. It will be a tough decision which one to select and buy as our first all-nude home inside this lovely park, but we hope to do so in the next few months and be moved in and living here full-time by the end of summer.

Hello!

Whether you’re just curious as to what this nude stuff is all about, or maybe you’ve tried it and have some questions, we hope we can help. If you’re like most of us your introduction to this strange idea of ‘nudism’ came from grainy black and white photos of bare people playing volleyball. Or perhaps from the internet with pics of beautiful models basking ‘naturally’ on a page full of ads for porno sites. Let’s explore a bit and see what we find.

The first thing to keep in mind is that, other than being naked, nudists are people just like everyone else with the same feelings and interests, differences and personalities. We do tend to be a bit more open minded, probably because we know what it’s like to be judged unfairly based on stereotypes. That said, we also tend to be rather prudish in some ways. You will find little ‘improper’ behaviour in a socially nude situation. As they say; Be nude, not rude.

Enough of all that, time to move on. Shall we do this in a Q&A format? Ok, lets.

Q: What’s the difference between a nudist and a naturist?

A: Not much, though some would argue. A naturist is generally more into nudity in an outdoorsy setting while a nudist is happy to be nude just about anywhere. That’s simplified but good enough for now. The term ‘clothes free’ is gaining in popularity recently since some people don’t care to be labled ‘nudist’, along with the percieved negative ideas related to the word.

Q: What does ‘Textile” mean?

A: ‘Textile’ is a term referring to the community of those who cover their bodies with clothing most of the time, as opposed to ‘nudists/naturists’ who prefer not to. It is convenient, descriptive, and non-derogatory.

Q: What’s the difference between ‘nudist’ and ‘clothing optional’?

A: Used in descriptions of campgrounds or resorts, ‘nudist’ usually means that full nudity is expected most of the time. ‘Clothing optional’ indicates that nudity is allowed but not required, and may be restricted as to times and places. When booking into a resort be very sure about what you’re getting. It would be a shame to travel a great distance only to find out that you can be nude only at the pool, after 11:00 pm.

Q: Why do people want to be naked?

A: Why not? It’s fun! The breeze, the water, the sand. Grass under your feet (or whatever), it simply feels good! Our skin is a sensory organ, capable of discerning subtle nuances of feeling ranging from temperature to texture. We cover ourselves with clothing and smother most of this ability to percieve and enjoy that which Nature offers for our pleasure. Everything is different nude. Our bodies move and wiggle and bounce differently, our whole world feels brand new. It has to be experienced to be understood.

Q: I was raised to keep my ‘privates’ covered, how could I possibly let someone see me?

A: Nudists don’t view the body as a thing of shame. We all learned body shame from somewhere, you know where you learned yours. Nudists are simply folks that have realized that we learned wrong. Our society equates skin with sex, sex with sin, and sin with evil. Nudists are better able to separate skin from sex. Isn’t it ironic that by covering only ‘private’ parts that those parts become the focus of attention, creating sexual (evil) thoughts. Even more ironic is that by uncovering those parts they lose their mystery and become just another part of a body.

Q: I’m easily aroused, what if I have a ‘physical’ reaction to all those naked bodies?

A: Don’t worry, you probably won’t. It’s an extremely rare sight but if it happens, just wrap in a towel or something. As long as you don’t deliberately create the situation or run around waving it in peoples faces (so to speak) it’s no big thing. Ah, bad choice of words; change that to ‘it just isn’t important’…

Q: It’s beginning to sound like naturists are a bunch of sexless zombies, it that true?

A: Hardly. It’s just that there is a time and a place for everything and a social gathering of nudists is not bar time at a meet-market. Picture it more like a community picnic and behave accordingly.

Q: My body is less than perfect, will I be embarassed to be seen?

A: Maybe, for a few minutes. You may be concious of every wiggle, jiggle, wart and wrinkle. Until you are comfortable enough to look around a bit and realize that (1) no one is paying any attention to you and (2) most of them are nothing special to look at either (from a Textile point of view) and (3) nobody cares. They’re just folks, out for some sun and a nice day. After a little while you may feel at ease enough to move around a bit, maybe even talk to people (Hmm, what do I do with my eyes? What do I look at while talking to them?) and have some perceptions shattered. Why, these are just people like you, who enjoy being naked and nobody cares a lick about appearances! This will cause serious damage to your Textile view of the world. Imagine that: basing your opinion of someone on who they are, not how they look…

Q: I am young and buff, will I feel out place?

A: Nah. All sorts of people are attracted to the nude lifestyle. Some groups or locations may cater more to a particular clientele, but generally speaking we’re a pretty mixed lot. Fat, skinny, old, young, kids, and, yes, Beautiful People. It’s fair to say that nudists pay less attention to bodies than to the person inside them, but that’s not to say that we’re totally unaware of the standard forms of beauty when we see them. So yeah, pretty’s still pretty, but it’s just not particularly important. If part of your nudist experience is the feeling of being admired, go for it. Just understand that you’re the frosting on the brownie, and most of us are here because we love the brownie. But yeah, frosting’s nice too. You are welcome.

Q: Speaking of kids, how do they fit in?

A: Good question. Kids are natural nudists, it’s we parents who put clothes on them. That said, how a particular kid reacts to social nudity depends on their background, age and personality. Generally speaking, the younger they are the easier it is for them. Elementary school age through high school is tougher if they’ve not been raised with nudity. Ideas and attitudes become fixed, insecurities, hormones and sexuality, what a mess. Personal experience with our kids and friends’ kids, ages 12 through 18 at first exposure was just fine. A little bit of oh-my-god-everybody’s-naked at first, quickly becoming just fine to them. A lot of kids don’t mind being around nudity but prefer to remain clothed. No problem. Don’t push it.

Q: What about women and nudity, the body thing?

A: That’s a whole separate issue. Women have been taught that their physical image is a huge part of who they are. Generally speaking, it seems that most women, once having experienced the nudist lifestyle, find a sense of freedom and comfort they couldn’t have imagined. I’ll leave that to my wife, Angie, to go into more detail later. She’s been there, done it.

Q: What about legality? Can I be accused of being a sex offender or something?

A: You can look up local statutes and ask questions wherever you may be going, but you’ll have a hard time getting a solid answer. And you sure aren’t going to get one here! Different localities interept and enforce laws in a lot of different ways. For the most part you shoudn’t have a problem in public places where nudity is traditional, but no promises. A lot of laws tie nudity to specific body parts or behaviour. One state law I know of prohibits exposure of the female breast below the nipple! Go figure. Private establishments have these things covered, and you pay for it. Fair enough. So, be careful, ask ahead, and mostly try not to offend those poor souls who just don’t get it! Internet around and you’ll find all sorts of sites giving this kind of advice. Explore and adventure, you’ll never regret it!

- Steve

We arrived at Cypress Cove mid-day on Thursday, with bright sun and temperatures warm enough to allow comfortable nudity outside through the evening. After relaxing and enjoying dinner at the Lakeside Restaurant (on ‘Nude Night’ — dine in the nude and get a free glass of house wine!), we visited Cheeks for a few drinks and then hot tubbed until it was time for bed.

Friday we had appointments with two Realtors who showed us some of the many homes for sale here in Cypress Cove. We were impressed by the variety and the great condition the homes here are kept in by their owners. It is obvious that the residents of Cypress Cove love the resort and they love living here.

Our big problem will really be choosing from among three outstanding homes available for sale. My top choice is a spectacular home that has had only one owner since it was built 21 years ago, and which has had extensive and elaborate upgrades done on it continuously. It is priced at the top of our price range, but we think we can negotiate and I think if we don’t buy this home, we will regret it forever. It is a unique home within Cypress Cove, and would be perfect for doing the kind of frequent entertaining we are planning. Plus, it’s just a block from the pools, clubhouse, Cheeks, and other park amenities.

Today (Saturday) was much cooler, cloudy and raining, so we drove out of Cypress Cove to explore Orlando a little more. We made it to both of the big malls, ate lunch at Buca di Beppo, and got the ‘lay of the land’ in our new home town.

Now we’re back at Cypress Cove and enjoying a brief hour of sun before the clouds return. Sitting poolside in the nude at a beautiful resort, typing up a blog post using a wireless Internet connection, and with a frosty cold beer in hand — life doesn’t get much better!

We managed to get out of Dallas/Ft. Worth before the season’s first ice storm hit, so we are warm, dry and nude in Orlando now at Cypress Cove. After checking in, getting our clothes off (of course!), getting unpacked, and renting our golf cart for the week, we toured the residential community to survey the many homes for sale right now. There are a lot to choose from, and by the time we meet with the general manager for our prospective resident screening interview, we should have a good list of possible future home sites to select from.

Our first visit to Cypress Cove was probably more than a decade ago. Back then, the resort was way, way outside the boundaries of development of Kissimmee, far, far into the country. We remember driving past the edge of town, into the black darkness of moonless Florida summer night without a single street light to shed any light — and then finally, Cypress Cove’s entrance was there in the darkness. We can only imagine how remote and “past the end of the world” it was 44 years ago when Cypress Cove first opened — before Disney ever heard of Orlando, and before there was anything like commercial air service to the region.

Now, of course, the huge growth of Orlando has spread all the way to Cypress Cove and beyond. There’s a brand-new Lowe’s home center opening up in a few months, directly across the highway from Cypress Cove’s entrance. There’s a Publix, a Wal-Mart, a Home Depot, and everything else you can think of from a typical suburban American city, right outside the gates of this beautiful retreat. So, we won’t lack for convenience or shopping choices once we move here.

The goal of the week is to get a good offer ready on a home to buy here, and to go through what we think will be a formality of a resident interview. The criminal and credit background check will take about 30 days, and then the Cove’s Executive Board will vote on whether to approve us for residency. We’re certain all of that will go well.

Tomorrow, some sightseeing in the area, some sunning by the pool if the weather cooperates, and then Friday night’s activities at the Cheeks Bar and Lakeside Restaurant and Lounge. We hope to get to know some of our soon-to-be-future neighbors. And we are very glad to be far, far away from the ice and cold of Dallas this week, able to enjoy mild, sunny, nude days at Cypress Cove.