Another of the early outdoor photography by Thomas Eakins, the second I’ve posted from this photoshoot featuring his art students bathing (the first can be found here) - I wonder have you all also seen the 1885 oil painting he used these as reference for? http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Swimming_hole.jpg
Skinny dipping and a little light exhibitionism with a confidently struck pose on the rocks while his friends all build up the courage to leap into the cold.
These boys were taking advantage of the beautiful, hot summer day and going for a dip at the creek. It was an impromptu trip, so none of them brought swim trunks. No matter - they could skinny-dip and dry out in the sun.
All went well until they climbed out of the water to get dressed, only to find their clothes were gone. Apparently their little swimming spot wasn’t as secluded as they thought.
Now the boys are coming to the horrible realization that they’ll have to walk all the way home naked. And while the creek may have been quiet, the road they’d walked down to get there certainly wasn’t…
His eyes darted towards the bushes at the sound of laughter. He thought he’d found himself a nice, secluded spot to take a refreshing dip. With no one around, he stripped off and slipped into the stream. Now whoever was laughing was between him and his clothes.
His long had they been there? How much had they seen? He’d never know. He just prayed his clothes would still be by the bushes where he left them when he finally worked up the courage to walk over there naked…
Alex was out on his morning kayaking trip, when all of a sudden he hit white water. His kayak flipped over and as he slid out his trunks got snagged on a rock. He managed to fix his boat, but his trunks were gone. He waited all day for the boat launch to be clear so he could leave without anyone seeing him. It was starting to get dark when he saw the last truck pull out. He headed towards the boat launch hopped out of his boat and started walking it to the shore. Just then two buses full of college students pulled up for a boat party. Alex dove for cover, sacrificing his boat. He watched as it floated farther and farther away, with the keys to his car.
Alan was swimming in the pool, enjoying the sunshine, when he decided to slip off his speedo to skinny-dip. It was all going well until his visiting family arrived with their dog. Fido ran out of the car towards the pool to greet Alan, while Alan swam to the pool’s edge to hurriedly grab his swimsuit.
Unfortunately, frisky Fido got to the suit first. What followed was a very embarrassing, very naked game of tug-of-war, with Alan struggling in vain to prise the speedo from the dog’s teeth. After a few minutes, Fido won and ran off to join his family, leaving a blushing Alan standing naked before his shocked guests.
This young diver just nailed the most difficult dive of his career. He knew he’d crushed it as soon as he hit the water, and he was so excited that he raced to the pool’s edge to see the judges’ scores.
The only problem is that when the diver hit the water, his speedo slipped down his legs and clear off his body. It was currently floating around in the water behind him as he emerged from the pool completely naked.
It will take him a few moments to realize why the audience is laughing uproariously. Only when he looks down and sees his shrunken manhood staring back at him will it dawn on him that he’s naked in front of all these spectators. He’ll run for the safety of the locker room, but it’ll be too late.
He may get a perfect score on his dive, but the news will only cover his little show…
Cenote Azul is nothing less than an amazing body of water – azure, clear water that goes immediately into abyss, right off the edge of its shore. We’ve already described quite a few cenotes in the vicinity of Tulum and Merida, Yucatan. Each cenote is different, but this one is very special. For once, it’s really huge, for a sinkhole, which it essentially is, and it’s right next the world famous…
By coincidence, as I was preparing yesterday this blogpost about an outing with the group of Nudismo Ecuador a year ago, they went to the same place; so I am starting with a few photos from their recent trip
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… and continue with the story of my visit: A few years ago I got an idea to travel to either Ecuador or Peru and of course looked up options for naturism; Ecuador seemed to have a much more vibrant naturist community with a few active groups. I had to cancel and postpone my trip a couple of times, but a year ago I finally went there and indeed found a good bunch of local naturists. There is a couple of groups in Quito, with weekly gatherings at a pool with sauna and less frequent outings to thermal pools outside the city. Even though Ecuador is situated (you’ve guessed it!) at the equator, the capital and a few other major cities have pretty cool or even chilly climate being high up in the mountains (Quito is the second highest capital city in the world), so hot springs is a natural choice if you want to hang out naked. I had been in touch with one of the local naturist groups – Nudismo Ecuador – for a while, so when my plans solidified, I made sure to coordinate to meet up with them. So a dozen of us went to the thermal pools of Papallacta east of Quito.
There are no officially designated clothing-optional pools, but some admit naturist groups with prior arrangements. This one is called ‘El Tambo’. If you want to enjoy it sans clothes, coordinate with Nudismo Ecuador bye-mail. After parking, there is a short pebble walkway (quite slippery from the mist),
on which we stripped off right away, as from then on only sheep could see us. They seemed a bit a amused,
as at this altitude of 3.5km asl, even some plants prefer to have a wooly cover.
So, yes, it was quite chilly, especially in the mountain mist, so we quickly proceeded to the pool,
although some preferred to gain some body heat from running around the pool first.
But once we were in, it was pure relaxation… until more group member arrived and we decided to play a ball game. The invented it on their own, so I was curious to try!
While water volleyball is common at naturist resorts,
this one is more reminiscent of rugby: you score by touching the “gate” area of the opponent team.
Due to having to run in water, passes are more common in this game,
and less chance of injuries from tackling.
We did take it seriously, so the victory was well celebrated =)
After the game, we were certainly warm enough to venture out for a brief hike, even though it was drizzling.
Some of the mountain peaks around are covered in snow – it would have been even more amazing to see them while hiking naked or enjoying the pool, but there was a thick cloud blocking the view (typical for the area).
We went down to a small river,
and on its bank there was a natural thermal spring
with contrasting, almost neon, colors.
All that moist results in dense vegetation.
Some plants were blooming,
and tree trunks were covered in ferns, moss and lichens.
After the hike, it was already time to go back to Quito, but that hot shower felt amazing!
So even though there is not much official recognition of naturism in Ecuador, local naturists are certainly very active, and my further travel proved that there is plenty of opportunities for naturism!
As much as I hate to admit it, autumn does offer a colorful and delightful landscape. Summer remains my favorite season of the year with unlimited opportunities for outdoor nudity. However, autumn does have its own moments…early, the freedom of being naked-in-nature is comfortably possible and the vista can be amazing. Too bad it’s so short-lived. The temperatures plunge and the foliage…
With only one weekend remaining of the officialsummer, 2014, time is running out for a chance to skinny-dip (swim naked) this year. If you haven’t indulged in this traditional seasonal ritual yet, it’s now or never before it becomes an opportunity lost, forever. Grab your camera, join in the fun and avoid any regrets later. To view my post on skinny-dipping from last summer, click the title: Q…
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We are building a collection of Images that will exist online and as part of a touring exhibition. The images readdress the balance, to inspire and empower. We want to create beautiful images of real women feeling free and fully expressed in all their glorious forms.
