Chances are, if you've looked at a nudist magazine from the very late 1950's or early 1960's, you would have read about, or most likely seen pictures of my family.
We are the ones holding the trophies. We're in the pool, around the picnic tables or campfires, shaking hands, or making small talk. And of course, we're naked all the time.
That's me and my sister Katy (16) in the middle, with mom and dad at our sides, and my younger brother Ryan (8) and sister Maggie (5) at the end.
There are lots of photos of our family in nudist magazines from that era.
You would know them if you've ever looked at a real nudist magazine, not the phony ones with staged pictures of four or five naked grownups posing around a backyard pool (most of them wearing sunglasses), or in a living room.
Here she is with my grandfather and my cousins Sara (16) and Frank (19), with Ryan and Maggie in the front. I'll show you other pictures of my trailblazing grandmother later.
But as you can see, we've always been nudists. We've been nudists since we were born. I didn't even know what a bathing suit was until I was six, and was invited to a friend's pool party. Mom gave me the bathing suit before I went, and she told me I would have to wear it in the pool, because that's how other people swim. Katy also learned about bathing suits much the same way. Both of us hated wearing them, and felt weird the times we had to.
Each weekend and all summer, our entire family makes our home at Sunny Bares, where we have cottages, or large trailers. That means mom, and the other moms there, rarely have to wash clothes!
Some of my older cousins like Fern (20), Steve (21) and Angela (20), who like I said, have been nudists since they were born, even bring their friends to the club.
In several cases, where they were in their mid-teens, some even brought their boyfriends or girlfriends.
Angela, with her glasses, is probably the last person people would think of as being a nudist. As our oldest cousins in age and distance from our house, we always looked up, and were close to Angela, Fern and Steve. We also knew their pictures were used in the club nudist magazine, and Katy and I wondered when it would ever be our turn. We didn't realize that day was approaching soon.
My four grandparents helped start Sunny Bares. The two families, and five other founding families bought what was then a just a large secluded piece of land with a small pond and not much else. Mom says she always remembered as a kid when the pool was under construction. She says every day they drove to the club she would ask "is the swimming pool finished?"
Mom said back then when she was my age the family had to keep their nudist activities a strict secret from even their closest friends. Now, she says with times changing, she's not as fearful about others knowing they are nudists.
Just like us, she and her brother and three sisters have never known not being a nudist.
None of my friends at school know we are nudists. Ditto for Katy, and especially my younger brother and sister, Ryan and Maggie, although I don't think their friends would care. At least, that was the way it was when I was their age.
I imagine many of the people I hang out with at school would pee in their pants if they discovered Katy and I spend our entire weekends and summers naked with our family and friends, both men and women. I could just image what they would think. Katy felt the same way.
Mom says she felt that way too when she was my age, especially with nudists clubs being taboo.
While we both have great friends at school and in the community, our best and nearest friends are at the club. Sometimes we even get together with our nudist friends at their homes during the week. If we're indoors, we take our clothes off, but if we go to the backyard to BBQ, we'll wear clothes, unless the yard has a privacy wall to block the neighbors. Fortunately, our house has such a wall, and so do two of our aunts, so we're in the nude in our backyards, or have parties at their homes during the week.
We are the ones holding the trophies. We're in the pool, around the picnic tables or campfires, shaking hands, or making small talk. And of course, we're naked all the time.
There are lots of photos of our family in nudist magazines from that era.
You would know them if you've ever looked at a real nudist magazine, not the phony ones with staged pictures of four or five naked grownups posing around a backyard pool (most of them wearing sunglasses), or in a living room.
Many of the pictures in the real nudist magazines from that era were taken at the Sunny Bares Nudist Club.
Of course, it wasn't just the six of us who are in the pictures. For the most part, it was a good portion of our family, aunts, uncles, cousins, and long-time club members who are indeed like family.
All of my grandparents were members since day one. They were among the founders of the Sunny Bares Nudist Club. That's where my dad and mom obviously first met, as little kids. So most of my aunts, uncles and cousins are nudists as well. In fact, all my aunts and uncles practically grew up at the club, just like my generation.
My last remaining grandmother is in a lot of the pictures you'll see in magazines.
But as you can see, we've always been nudists. We've been nudists since we were born. I didn't even know what a bathing suit was until I was six, and was invited to a friend's pool party. Mom gave me the bathing suit before I went, and she told me I would have to wear it in the pool, because that's how other people swim. Katy also learned about bathing suits much the same way. Both of us hated wearing them, and felt weird the times we had to.
Each weekend and all summer, our entire family makes our home at Sunny Bares, where we have cottages, or large trailers. That means mom, and the other moms there, rarely have to wash clothes!
Some of my older cousins like Fern (20), Steve (21) and Angela (20), who like I said, have been nudists since they were born, even bring their friends to the club.
Angela, with her glasses, is probably the last person people would think of as being a nudist. As our oldest cousins in age and distance from our house, we always looked up, and were close to Angela, Fern and Steve. We also knew their pictures were used in the club nudist magazine, and Katy and I wondered when it would ever be our turn. We didn't realize that day was approaching soon.
My four grandparents helped start Sunny Bares. The two families, and five other founding families bought what was then a just a large secluded piece of land with a small pond and not much else. Mom says she always remembered as a kid when the pool was under construction. She says every day they drove to the club she would ask "is the swimming pool finished?"
Mom said back then when she was my age the family had to keep their nudist activities a strict secret from even their closest friends. Now, she says with times changing, she's not as fearful about others knowing they are nudists.
Just like us, she and her brother and three sisters have never known not being a nudist.
None of my friends at school know we are nudists. Ditto for Katy, and especially my younger brother and sister, Ryan and Maggie, although I don't think their friends would care. At least, that was the way it was when I was their age.
I imagine many of the people I hang out with at school would pee in their pants if they discovered Katy and I spend our entire weekends and summers naked with our family and friends, both men and women. I could just image what they would think. Katy felt the same way.
Mom says she felt that way too when she was my age, especially with nudists clubs being taboo.
While we both have great friends at school and in the community, our best and nearest friends are at the club. Sometimes we even get together with our nudist friends at their homes during the week. If we're indoors, we take our clothes off, but if we go to the backyard to BBQ, we'll wear clothes, unless the yard has a privacy wall to block the neighbors. Fortunately, our house has such a wall, and so do two of our aunts, so we're in the nude in our backyards, or have parties at their homes during the week.
Often it's hard to explain to our friends outside the club why we're never around on the weekend. I know it sounds like a lie, but we always get together with our cousins on the weekend.
No one has ever asked us if we are nudists, but I'm sure it won't be long before me and my sister will be forced to admit it. That's because this summer, mom and dad asked us if we would like to be included in some of the pictures taken for the nudist magazine that our club owns and produces.
After a second or two Katy and I decided "why not." Mom, dad, my grandparents and aunts and uncles all had their photos in the magazine at various times. Of course, lots of my cousins pictures were used as well. My little cousin Jeff was even pictured in a magazine photo sitting on Aunt Elizabeth, with Uncle Matt and Aunt Melanie looking on.
But Jeff was quite young, and you could only see the side of him. Mom and dad decided the photos would be sort of our public coming out party as nudists. It would be the same for Ryan and Maggie.
Mom was getting tired of answering why we are so tanned. And, she was tired of hiding our secret and making up plausible stories of why we're never around on the weekends or the summer. Dad, likewise figured that sooner or later someone would find out we are nudists, and there is no reason to keep hiding it. In a way Katy and I were actually relieved by all this.
Dad told us that somehow, after the pictures appear in one of several nudist magazines that our club owns and produces, someone would eventually find out, although probably not right away. And he said it would be the people who would swear they would never look at such a magazine who would find our pictures and know we are nudists. But for Katy and I, it was sort of relief, with no more hiding the fact that we are nudists.
Both mom and dad told us we shouldn't be afraid if our friends find out. They said any name calling or snickering would shortly disappear.
If anything, we both thought our friends would be envious of our nudist lifestyle and want to join us at the club!
We all agreed that we would not announce to the world that we are nudists, but there's no reason to our good friends about why we're not around, and that if the situation arose, we could explain it to our close friends.
Saturday was picture day.
With mom and dad looking on, Katy and I both signed release papers for the pictures, then they signed them. Then signed several forms for Ryan and Maggie, and then we were off.
Just about all the members of our family had their pictures taken for the magazine. Most were obviously staged, like the family contests, or receiving awards. One would think from reading a nudist magazine that all we do on the weekends at nudist clubs is shake hands with one another, have contests and hand out awards. In truth, that rarely happens. But the staging is often necessary in case someone who doesn't want to be photographed shows up in the background, or off to side.
In fact, the only time we do have such contests is if we need more pictures for the magazine, and then we haul out the old trophy collection from the storeroom.
Uncle Jeff is normally the most secretive about being a nudist, but this time he relented and had his photo taken for the magazine with Aunt Ruth.
Aunt Ruth (dad's sister) never had a problem about being tagged as a nudist, but Uncle Jeff always was (that's why there's no walled fence around their backyard).
But I know they loved the idea of posing with some phony trophy they had won. Another photo that was repeated in several issues had my grandmother and Aunts Elizabeth and Melanie posing with six other women from the club.
Aunt Melanie is in front, right in the middle, and my grandmother, wearing the big smile, is to the right of her. Aunt Elizabeth is just behind and to the left of Melanie. My Aunt Dee is to the very left of the group.
Often when Katy or I are at school and change for gym or are in the showers we always wonder when someone might notice that we are tanned all over. I suspect it's something the girls would notice first, but Katy says she's never been asked.
Mom often tells us that was a problem she often had to deal with while growing up. Her sister, our Aunt Elizabeth always had a ready answer when she was growing up to any inquisitive friends who asked about her lack of tan lines. If anyone asked why she was tanned all over, she would answer, "it's not a tan, that's my skin, and I'm dark just like my mom and dad and the rest of my family." I don't know if anyone believed her, but she says if anyone asked, they never asked again, and nobody ever asked if she was a nudist.
Katy would just love to bring her good friend Barbara up to the club with us. Same goes for me. I'd like to bring Gord, my best friend from school who also lives down the street. He often wonders why we're never home on the weekends, and I'd love to tell him. But while some of mom and dad's friends know we are nudists, none of our school friends know. Fortunately, we have such good friends at the club. No one has ever asked us if we are nudists, but I'm sure it won't be long before me and my sister will be forced to admit it. That's because this summer, mom and dad asked us if we would like to be included in some of the pictures taken for the nudist magazine that our club owns and produces.
After a second or two Katy and I decided "why not." Mom, dad, my grandparents and aunts and uncles all had their photos in the magazine at various times. Of course, lots of my cousins pictures were used as well. My little cousin Jeff was even pictured in a magazine photo sitting on Aunt Elizabeth, with Uncle Matt and Aunt Melanie looking on.
But Jeff was quite young, and you could only see the side of him. Mom and dad decided the photos would be sort of our public coming out party as nudists. It would be the same for Ryan and Maggie.
Mom was getting tired of answering why we are so tanned. And, she was tired of hiding our secret and making up plausible stories of why we're never around on the weekends or the summer. Dad, likewise figured that sooner or later someone would find out we are nudists, and there is no reason to keep hiding it. In a way Katy and I were actually relieved by all this.
Dad told us that somehow, after the pictures appear in one of several nudist magazines that our club owns and produces, someone would eventually find out, although probably not right away. And he said it would be the people who would swear they would never look at such a magazine who would find our pictures and know we are nudists. But for Katy and I, it was sort of relief, with no more hiding the fact that we are nudists.
Both mom and dad told us we shouldn't be afraid if our friends find out. They said any name calling or snickering would shortly disappear.
If anything, we both thought our friends would be envious of our nudist lifestyle and want to join us at the club!
We all agreed that we would not announce to the world that we are nudists, but there's no reason to our good friends about why we're not around, and that if the situation arose, we could explain it to our close friends.
Saturday was picture day.
With mom and dad looking on, Katy and I both signed release papers for the pictures, then they signed them. Then signed several forms for Ryan and Maggie, and then we were off.
Just about all the members of our family had their pictures taken for the magazine. Most were obviously staged, like the family contests, or receiving awards. One would think from reading a nudist magazine that all we do on the weekends at nudist clubs is shake hands with one another, have contests and hand out awards. In truth, that rarely happens. But the staging is often necessary in case someone who doesn't want to be photographed shows up in the background, or off to side.
In fact, the only time we do have such contests is if we need more pictures for the magazine, and then we haul out the old trophy collection from the storeroom.
Uncle Jeff is normally the most secretive about being a nudist, but this time he relented and had his photo taken for the magazine with Aunt Ruth. Aunt Ruth (dad's sister) never had a problem about being tagged as a nudist, but Uncle Jeff always was (that's why there's no walled fence around their backyard).
But I know they loved the idea of posing with some phony trophy they had won. Another photo that was repeated in several issues had my grandmother and Aunts Elizabeth and Melanie posing with six other women from the club.
Aunt Melanie is in front, right in the middle, and my grandmother, wearing the big smile, is to the right of her. Aunt Elizabeth is just behind and to the left of Melanie. My Aunt Dee is to the very left of the group.
The other women are all longtime members of Sunny Bares.
It's a beautiful photo of nine nudist women, all just regular people who love to spend their time naked in the outdoors. Some of them could be your neighbors. Still, I often wondered how many of my friends or classmates who saw that picture in a magazine and realize we all spend our weekends and summer all naked together would wind up peeing in their pants.
Another popular picture seen in many nudist magazines had my Aunt Mary and Uncle Jeff, and cousins Cindy, Sharon, Mark and Jason wearing farmer hats standing front of hay bales at a barn. It's not a real barn, just a front we have on the stage when we do sing-a-longs on the weekends.
While it's a beautiful picture of a group a nudists without a care in the world, this just wouldn't happen under normal circumstances at a nudist club, unless it was a magazine photo shoot. As my aunt told me, she'd never wear a kerchief like that except for a photo shoot.
On the way home that Sunday night, mom told Katy and I that we could each invite one friend up to the club next weekend, but that she would clear it first with their parents. Obviously, mom knew I wanted to bring Gord, and that Katy wanted Barb to come.
The funny thing was, after all was said and done, when Katy and I did tell our friends that we are nudists, none of them laughed.
Gord was quite envious, and kept showing up at our house to ask mom if we were putting him on about us being nudists, and bringing him along next weekend. Mom kept telling him we are nudists, and that he would be joining us at the club this weekend. Barb also couldn't wait to join us. She told Katy she was envious of her tan, and never thought about it being an allover tan or that she was nudist when they changed after gym class.
Barb and Gord loved their day at the club.
Gord came up to the club with us several times that summer, but then had to break it to us that his family was moving to another city. Barb started coming up with us every weekend. In fact, she even took out a membership, and spent all her free time with us.
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