Years have passed since San Francisco area photographer Jack Gescheidt started TreeSpirit, a project designed to generate public interest in protecting rare old growth trees in the United States. Gescheidt takes stunning photographs of nudes among the giant trees that are being threatened by human development. His next shoot will take in the Carolinas in May, where a forest is to be cut down for a housing development.
Gescheidt’s previous installation was in September, 2010, in Humboldt county, California, where he photographed 50 nude volunteers posing among thousand year old redwoods which CalTrans wanted to cut down to widen highway 101. He also brought along a film crew to document the event. Here’s an ABC News clip about this situation, that includes coverage of the photo shoot. You can watch a preview of the documentary, called “Out on a Limb”, here.
Redwoods in Humboldt
As Gescheidt points out, the USA has already lost 96% of its old growth trees to development. You can help stem this destruction by buying prints of the project’s photos or making a donation on its web site, or even by volunteering as a nude model for the May installation, which will also be featured in a documentary film. One hundred volunteers are needed to bring this one to life!
For more information, visit the TreeSpirit project web site here.
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Tags: Jack Gescheidt, Out on a Limb, photography, treespirit project
John Ordover of Clothing Optional Dinners in NYC invites everyone to a Sneak Preview of the orginal nudist feature film ACT NATURALLY. See below for details!
On March 22nd, 2011 at 7pm The SoHo Gallery for Digital Art, 138 Sullivan St., New York, NY 10012 will present a clothing-optional sneak preview of the Letterblue Productions feature film Act Naturally (www.actnaturallymovie.com)
Directed by J.P. Riley.Starring Liz Lytle – Susan May Pratt (Mad Men, Private Practice) – Katie L. Hall – Courtney Abbott Josh McVaney (Friday Night Lig hts) – Sadie Alexandru (Gamer) and Rob Roy Fitzgerald (Zoey 101, Saving Grace, Thelma & Louise)
“When two estranged step-sisters learn of their father’s untimely death on a business trip, they must travel cross-country to claim his remains. Upon arriving at their father’s final destination, the girls are shocked to discover he had been leading a double life as the proprietor of a nudist resort. To top it off… this is their inheritance.”
Story and character driven, Act Naturally presents nudity on screen in a manner that is neither pornographic nor exploitative. In keeping with the setting and theme of the film, this preview will be Clothing-optional. You don’t have to be nude to attend but please be aware that others will be. No one under 18 admitted. Please join us after the film for a wine-and-cheese Reception and a Feedback Session with the Director, Writer and Stars of the Film.
Tickets are $25.00 at the door or $22.50 at www.tinyurl.com/sgdatickets.
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Tags: Act Naturally, CO Dinners, John Ordover, movie
Pasco Naturally and Nusa Sun, are two full color monthly publications from Florida that are distributed free in resorts. Both are slick productions that contain a fair number of articles and ads that will interest nudists, but mixed into the lot are questionable items that may have these same nudists asking which version of nudism are they promoting?
In Naturally’s December, 2010 issue, the back cover sports an ad for Paradise Lakes, featuring a photo of a nubile young woman clad in sexy lingerie. Page 17 features a half page ad for Eyz Wide Shut, a swingers club. The magazine’s cover claims “serving the largest nudist community in North America”. Well, apparently, they’re not just serving the nudist community. I understand that magazines need advertising revenue to survive, but you won’t see swinger ads in Newsweek, so why in Naturally? Swinging and nudism, same thing?
The December edition of Nusa Sun doesn’t have any racy ads, but it does have a regular feature, the Ask Eve column. Eve, they claim, is one of the oldest nudists in America. That’s great, therefore she has a lot of experience to draw on to answer questions about nudism? Maybe, but her speciality is sex, as every question she publishes revolves around that topic, sometimes rather explicitly. Yes, nudists do have sex, but is this Cosmopolitan magazine or a nudist magazine?
I don’t think anybody will die from shock after reading these publications, but I do worry about the image of nudism they’re projecting to the uninitiated, If we (they) keep lumping lifestyles together, how can we then turn around and portray nudism as a wholesome, family-oriented way of life? Maybe idealism is for the naive, but if this trend persists, we’ll have to re-brand nudism-naturism as an “adult” activity.
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Tags: magazine, nusa sun, pasco naturally, swingers
You’ve probably heard a number of other nudists tell you that Caliente Resort, in the Tampa, Florida area, has gone “swingy” and that’s why they’re no longer members of the AANR. Does this mean that if you’re a true-blue nudist that you should never set foot in Caliente?
The answer is a resounding NO. You can, in fact, visit Caliente and, as a nudist, have a perfectly swell time. Last November, I unintentionally wound-up visiting Caliente for a first hand look. Unintentionally because i was actually looking for Lake Como and somehow shot way past it driving north on US highway 41 and there loomed the big sign for Caliente. Rather than go back on my tracks, I decided to take a peek. As it was a Sunday, the fee was just twenty dollars (cheap), paid right at the gate, and the club has no stated restrictions on single males. Well, I’m actually not a single male, but I was travelling alone that day, and I’m definitely male!
The first thing that hits you is how luxurious the main building is. The vast lobby is impressive, reminiscent of 5 star hotels, except that in this one you can walk-in completely naked, as I did, having stripped at my car in the parking lot! This edifice hosts the hotel, restaurants, gift shop, as well as a quite complete gym, among other things. Use of the gym is actually included in your grounds fee, which to me is excellent! I made good use of the gym, and although I was the only nude person there, I was well within my rights as you can be naked everywhere at Caliente. As with most clothing optional resorts, the tendency is to be clothed except when in the required nudity area, typically the spa area. Personally, I think it’s silly to not be nude when you have that option, but unfortunately most people are sheep and if the majority in attendance are dressed, they’ll stay clothed as well, but I reckon that’s a topic for a different article!
At the back of the main building you enter the outdoor spa area set on two levels, which is ample and features several pools, hot tubs, a small beach lake, and several bars. Note that the bars won’t accept cash, so if you’re just visiting for the day, make sure you tuck a credit card in your hat or fanny pack! Similar to what you would find at Paradise Lakes, the music is constantly blaring in the spa area, and waitresses clad only in tiny shorts are at your beck and call. Smoking is allowed only in certain areas.
Beyond the central public area are several residential areas, which you can walk through if you’re so inclined. To me, there’s nothing quite as freeing as going for a stroll through town wearing nothing but a pair of sandals! The neighbourhood closest to the hotel is the most luxurious, featuring several blocks of large homes currently valued at upwards of 700 thousand dollars despite the collapse in Florida real estate prices. Beyond, you enter the apartment block zone, and further on you’ll encounter several streets with single wide mobile homes. The latter seem to be identical, but freshly painted and well maintained, indicating that Caliente is serious about the upkeep of its image.
Getting back to the topic of “swinginess”, let me first point out that swingers are an important component of the nudist community, some placing them around 40 percent. What consenting adults do in private is none of my business. Most swingers know better than to misbehave in a nudist club, which could result in their banishment, and keep their sexual activities for their visits to swingers clubs, of which there are plenty. During my visit I didn’t see anybody behave any differently that at any other nudist club, and the only hint that Caliente might be a tad open minded is via the occasional suggestive sculpture and nighttime themed parties, such as lingerie night. Simply, if you don’t agree with such things, don’t visit Caliente, or Paradise Lakes, for that matter, during the night. Neither resort allows public sexual activity at any time, as this would put them squarely in conflict with local law enforcement. Maybe if I had gone accompanied by my wife we would have had some indecent proposals, but this can happen anywhere, even at family oriented club, as I can personally attest. The usual response to such unwanted invitations is a curt “no thank you” and that ends it right there – if it doesn’t, then you have the option of reporting the offender(s) and I can assure you any club will take the matter seriously.
Yes, you can go to Caliente and have a perfectly nudist experience! If you’d like to share your own experience at Caliente in Florida or its other property in the Dominican Republic, just post a comment on this article.
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Tags: caliente, paradise lakes, swingers
For many of us, Florida’s Cypress Cove is the most enjoyable and relaxing of nudist resorts. Recently, on an extended stay in the Kissimmee area, I discovered a way to have full access to all the facilities of this great club, day after day, without paying the regular grounds fee.
This isn’t something the resort’s staff readily proffers, but it is listed on the club’s web site under special offers: For 50 dollars per person, you can get unlimited access during two consecutive weeks, even during special events, which works out to $3.57 per day, a rather huge savings over the regular daily grounds fee of $25 (20 for AANR members). Ideally, renting a hotel room inside the resort is the best way to get the most out of Cypress Cove, but with room rates that can sneak well past $100 per night during the high season, staying off site is the alternative in these hard economic times. If you drive along highway 192 (Irlo Bronson) a few miles north, you’ll find countless hotels offering weekly deals well under $200, tax included. Not that any of those could compare in quality to what the Cove offers. The $50 deal is also the most sensible solution for anybody living in the area seasonally, such as the “snow birds”. If you want year round access, however, then maybe you should consider full membership: It may sound hefty at $768 a year for a family, or $458 for a single, but they allow you to pay it in monthly installments, of just 63 and 47 dollars, respectively.
Other deals that might interest you at the Cove: You can use their spotless, fully equipped gym for just 5 dollars plus tax per day. Also, if you stay 2 weeks in the hotel, you’ll get a third week free. Lastly, completely new visitors can download and print a coupon that allows them to enter the club free for one day.
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Tags: cypress cove, florida, resort
The Lifetime Network is pleased to announce the development of a brand new series entitled “I’m Getting Married…” The series will feature 12 couples as they prepare for their wedding and finally, their “big day.” Specifically, Lifetime is interested in finding couples and brides living a lifestyle that is strikingly compelling or unique. One of the priority topics is “I’m Getting Married And…A Nudist” or “I’m Getting Married To…A Nudist”. The most ideal couple would be one that is planning to wed anytime between October 2010 and March 2011. Exceptions can be made for couples who have compelling or unique stories. The couple chosen to participate will be compensated in the amount of $1000.
If you are a practicing nudist or naturist planning to wed, we’d love to hear your wonderful story of love and soon to be marriage. If you are interested in more information, feel free to send an email to:
igm@sirensmedia.com
or
aposey@sirensmedia.com
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Tags: casting, I'm getting married, lifetime
- Spain is the country with the most nudist beaches in the world, and not surprisingly a large number of Spaniards have visited one. A recent poll by MuchoViaje.com revealed that 30 percent of Spanish women regularly visit nude beaches, while 42 percent have been to one at some point. Of the remaining 58 percent, 22 percent of them expressed a desire to visit a nude beach soon, while 45 percent of all women polled said that they would never consider going. In sharp contrast, only 29 percent of men surveyed said they would never go to a nudist beach.
- Diego Maradona, football (soccer) legend and manager of the Argentinean team at the upcoming World Cup, has said that he’ll run naked around the base of Buenos Aires’ famous obelisk should his team win. Many others have pledged they’ll join him in this endeavor!
- The first nudist hotel to open in a predominantly Muslim country is now closed after barely a month in operation. The hotel, located in increasingly conservative Turkey, was forced to shut its doors to undergo improvements ordered by municipal inspectors. Despite obeying the law, the owner doubts he’ll be allowed to reopen and plans to relocate to either Cyprus or Croatia as a worst case scenario. Only foreigners are permitted to stay at the hotel, as Turks are prohibited from entering.
- Al Natural is a stage play in Spanish about naturism where all actors are nude during the entire performance. The play by Venezuelan Jose Vicente Diez Rojas, had its premiere in Caracas in November of last year. A version of the show is currently running in Bogota, Colombia, where it opened May 28th.
- A Canadian nudist has been ordered to cover up in his own home! The 63 year old gent had thought that it was well within his rights to be nude anywhere on his property in Repentigny, Quebec, but neighbors thought otherwise and called the police. A county judge ordered him to not be nude in or out of his home and handed him a two year suspended sentence.
- Meanwhile, notch one for nudists in Switzerland, where a man regularly hiked on mountain trails near the town of Herisau in his simplest attire, that is until he crossed the path of a woman who placed a complaint with local authorities, who fined him 200 Swiss Francs. The nudist refused to pay and brought the matter to a higher court, where the judge handling the case vindicated the nudist, saying he did nothing wrong, and ordered the municipality must pay his court costs.
- In Peru, Alex Gonzales Castillo, a candidate for the mayoralty of Lima for the Humanist party, has included the creation of nudist parks in the city as part of his platform.
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Tags: Al Natural, canada, colombia, Maradona, Peru, spain, switzerland, Venzuela
MANCHESTER, UK – Five hundred people got naked in the frigid air of an early Manchester morning this past Sunday. They posed for the lens of celebrated nude photographer Spencer Tunick. Four thousand had applied to participate originally, but this wasn’t about quantity as in many of Tunick’s past shoots which sometimes involved over ten thousand nude volunteer models.
Tunick was commissioned by the Lowry art museum in Salford, near Manchester, which is named after the famous local artist L. S. Lowry, in an effort to raise funds for the non-profit institution. The project called for Tunick to snap photos whose composition would be reminiscent of Lowry’s trademark work, which portrayed ordinary people going about about their ordinary lives. In this case, the subjects weren’t so ordinary for their nakedness, not a typical situation in Manchester!
One rule in a Tunick shoot is that volunteers must not have visible tattoos or they must be placed far in the back of the scene. Eyeglasses must be removed as well, the photographer wanting his subjects to appear as natural as possible. Tunick had wanted to use the Manchester United football stadium as a backdrop for one of the four installments of this shoot, but the team refused to permit it, citing fears that so many people would damage the field.
Sample photos of the shoot here.
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Tags: Manchester, photography, Spencer Tunick, UK
- German supermodel Heidi Klum recently revealed that she loves being nude. She claims that this predilection probably originated from her childhood years. Her parents, Günther and Ema, liked to walk around nude around the family household. Klum didn’t specify if she only gets naked at home, which she shares with singer Seal.
- In Spain, a man originally sentenced to prison on counts of public lewdness for bicycling and walking nude in public in the town of Guipuzcoana (Bilbao area), had his conviction overturned on appeal. Public nudity isn’t a crime in Spain if it does not involve sexual behavior, and the court took the view that there was no evidence to support his original conviction.
- Meanwhile, in New Zealand, Nick Lowe, a man recently fined for cycling nude in a town north of Wellington, has launched an appeal to the country’s supreme court to make nude cycling legal. Some nudist events are tolerated in New Zealand, such as international nudism day and the world naked bike ride, Lowe reminded the lawmakers.
- Paradise Gardens, the nudist club near Cincinnati, Ohio, is for sale. The club first opened in 1972 and the current owners decided to call it quits after 25 years.
- The FBI charges that David A. Diehl, of Jacksonville, Florida, took pornographic pictures and movies of himself with a minor while at the Star Ranch nudist club in Texas in 2000. Diehl was living in Austin at the time of the crime.
- It’s nudist season again in the northern hemisphere, where cold climate nudist clubs are gearing-up to launch the 2010 this month or next.
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Tags: heidi klum, new zealand, paradise gardens, spain, star ranch
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