Women In Nude Recreation
ImPerfect Tour
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Mountaindale Sun Resort
North Plains, OR
Andee: It was an absolute pleasure to visit Mountaindale Sun Resort again. It’s been many years since we have been there, which is a shame because it’s only a few hours away from SMR. The road in is an easy drive with a small hill to climb. No worries, just make sure you have ample giddy up
It also happened to be the AANR NW fall board meeting so there were lots of folks on the grounds Friday-Sunday. It was my first meeting as the NW President and I was a tiny bit nervous, but we all got a lot accomplished and always have a great time doing it.
After lunch on Sunday, thirteen women joined me for the ImPerfect presentation. It’s been a few months since my last one and I was a little nervous I’d forget key details. Looking around at all the beautiful women at the table though, I felt more like I was standing in the presence of people I’d known forever. Isn’t it amazing how the nudist community is like that. You can strike up a conversation with someone you’ve never met but it feels like family.
One of the ladies has been following me on this podcast and we got to meet beforehand. She is such a wonderful soul and again, it feels like we’ve known each other always.
As I began my usual talk, I shared about my tormenter and his tactics for my daily doses of his cruelty. For the first time though, as I explained that after I told my mom about him, our relationship became what was most likely “normal” sibling rivalry. Having never experienced normal, I can’t be sure. But it was a decent relationship the rest of my years at home. What was different was that I found myself missing that time in my life. It felt good to look back fondly on it after all the years of difficulty and pain. It feels like a good place to be as I continue to heal and grow. I attribute this growth to the many amazing women I’ve told about my childhood and they tell me they went through much the same. We strengthen each other when we tell what has happened. It’s releasing it into the universe and letting go. True freedom.
My biggest emphasis was on how we need to build each other up as women. Go deeper in conversations and get to know each other on a completely different level. These intimate conversations together are what create lasting bonds. I asked if they might want to start a WINR group at MSR and told them there were lots of ideas on the website to get them started. I wanted to share how one of my close girlfriends hides encouraging cards in my home. We’ve been doing this back and forth for years. It’s usually 6 cards but this time around she hid just four. I have found #1 and #2 and opened them. I found card #4 but can’t open it until I find #3. Which is maddening because I have searched and searched. But that is part of the joy. Card #1 reads: Simply Grateful-Grateful because you are beautiful, you are loving, you are giving, you are a good friend, you are MY FRIEND! And I’m grateful I know you and you know me!
How amazing and powerful are those words!
I encouraged the women to leave cards or a simple note for their friends and/or just a woman they would like to encourage and build up. Doesn’t have to be anything big. Even a word that tells them the positive things you see in them. As women, we don’t always see what others can see clearly in us. I also challenged them to choose their own word and write it down. Put it on the mirror to see in the morning and evening. Continually seeing the word or words that we’ve finally chosen for ourselves will change the narrative in our head from the words we come up with that are not so nice.
Tom:It was a fantastic day so we met out on the upper deck of the lodge. We started our discussion by introducing ourselves and each of us shared how we got into the nude way of life. There were some very similar stories, and most everybody had a part of this in their life for many years before discovering clubs that they could openly embrace the feeling of being nude in nature.
We had discussions about younger and new people coming to the clubs and how to welcome them. Especially single women. I once again gave them advice of introducing themselves and telling her where you would be, then leave them alone. Everybody thought that sounded reasonable. Then of course we talked about how some clubs I had visited didn’t know much about AANR so we talked about how important it is to belong to AANR and supporting the GAT team who is looking out for our rites to be nude.
Andee: We spent an extra night at Mountaindale and enjoyed time around the pool with some of the women who joined me and continued our discussions about encouraging each other, spending time together, and how to make friendships if you aren’t always at a club. One great resource is the Meet and Greets AANR sponsors twice a month. There is a WINR breakout room in which women can get together and talk about any issue they have or just spend time getting to know each other.
We will be with you next year when we visit other amazing clubs like Green Haven and Helios in Canada as well as Tiger Mountain and Bare Mountain in the Northwest. Until then, we’ll see you down the road.
Serenity Mountain Retreat
Estacada, OR
Serenity Mountain Retreat is our home club so we both were thrilled to finally bring the tour home to our family at SMR. I advertised the day as a Woman’s Day and put fliers all around Estacada hoping to get newcomers up to the club to take part in the ImPerfect presentation but to also visit the club that has been here so long. I also made a video to post on the community Facebook page along with SMR’s public Facebook page.
SMR had a Women’s Day planned back in 2020, but of course that went by the wayside. However, we did have some great swag for all the ladies who were going to attend: water bottle, journal, WINR coaster, reusable grocery bag, handmade earrings and bracelets, and more. We were prepared to make the day memorable for all the women who took the time to spend the day at SMR.
Tom opened our gate at 10:00 am and we looked forward to having our guests arrive. I did know of two women, sisters actually, that were coming up for the day but was hoping for more to just show up and tour the grounds and see what SMR is all about. Many women of SMR were also ready to welcome all and we had a wonderful morning together touring the grounds, shopping at our boutique, and getting to know each other. There were in total 15 women that sat around the tables when I started my presentation. For three of those ladies, it was their first time at a nudist community. What a privilege to have them here.
As I talked through my story, I couldn’t wait to get to the part where Tom and I visited SMR for the first time. The people of this club made us feel so welcome. It felt like home. This is where I began my life-changing journey of acceptance. I felt safe and comfortable. I wore my sarong around my waist for a few years because I was very self-conscious about my belly and bottom. It was the camaraderie and connection with the women of SMR that helped me to finally see the strength and beauty inside of me and I was able to take off that sarong and walk confidently fully nude.
I asked SMR member’s Diane and Bunny to share about the words they chose when they participated in the WOW 2023 campaign. Bunny’s word was Worthy. That feeling also came as a result of being part of the nudist community. Bunny told us that as a little girl she would often run naked and free on her family’s property. It was a feeling she remembered throughout her life. When that property was sold, she lost that freedom, and it wasn’t until coming up to SMR that she was able to get that feeling back.
Diane’s word is imperfect, as she feels she is imperfectly perfect. She had a revelation to capitalize the I and the P changing the word to ImPerfect. We all have imperfections that make us who we are. Those imperfections are exactly what make us who we are and we need to embrace them. She told us that her stretch marks and belly remind her of her children, her legs can still dance. Her silver hair is her crown. Diane also has many great methods to quiet the moments when the negative voice plays in our head telling us we are ugly or not good enough. She keeps a journal and writes down at least three things about her day that were positive. Diane also keeps a picture of herself as a little girl in the front of the journal. When negative, cruel thoughts creep up and she has ugly thoughts about herself, she asks herself, “Would I think that way about that little girl? Would I talk to her and say these awful things to her? Of course I would not. So why do I do that to myself?” It’s a powerful method to change our thought process.
As we finished our time together, I asked if anyone would like to be a live art model. Darlin’s hand went immediately up. We all wrote words of affirmation and encouragement on her body: bold, charming, beautiful, creative, you are strong, grateful, generous, belonging, awesome, helpful, and rad. As I took the photos to share, I asked her what it felt like to have women writing these powerful words about her. She was overwhelmed with the words and the feeling it gave her. She told me she felt very empowered and humbled by what the women wrote.
We took a group picture with those who wanted to join in and then headed to the hot tub where we all continued the conversations of the day. Our next activity was to watch the movie Calendar Girls together. This movie is one of my very favorites and I watch it every year. It’s also the inspiration for the WOW (Women One Word) campaign. The movie is based on the idea that just because women are older does not mean that they lose their beauty. In fact, the last stage of life is the most glorious. The women who joined in the 2023 campaign and those who are participating in the 2024 campaign take that one step further by adding a word or words to describe what nudism has done for them, where they are at in this stage of their life, or what grounds them as a woman.
Once the movie was finished, dinner was ready. The men of SMR cooked us a fantastic dinner of smoked chicken, potatoes, salads and fabulous desserts. Conversations and connections continued through dinner and it was great to not have to clean up afterwards. It was such an incredible day to experience together. As our guests were leaving we asked them to come back soon. They said they would definitely be back and they enjoyed the day completely.
Tom: Finally, at last we’re at our home club. Andee hasn’t done her presentation here yet, so it’s our turn to talk with our members about what our trip was all about. I met with nine guys, one who was a guest. The main topic for the hour was how we can make our club more appealing to younger people, the 30-50 year olds, to visit our club, not necessarily be members. We all felt that our focus should be on getting younger people up here to experience what we do, but we understand we have to have an attraction more than just the beauty of a club for them to want to come.
So we talked about building elevated platforms at the edge of our property that would be similar to a treehouse.. And of course we talked about a zip line to the lake, but of course that’s never going to happen. We all love our club, but we feel if we don’t start getting younger people interested, we’re not sure where it will be in 20 years. To take the words of Joe, who spoke at last week’s meeting, “Young people do not want to come to grandma’s trailer park.” All our clubs need to think about how we can update our clubs so we can attract people in and get them interested in experiencing nudism at our clubs so down the road we hope they will be the members taking over for us when we can’t take care of them anymore.
Lake Bronson Club Family Nudist Park
Sultan, WA
Lake Bronson Family Nudist Club, near Sultan, Wa., is one of our home clubs so we were both very excited to be here and share with our friends, many who have become family. We have our own spot here which is where our RV lives when we are not taking it out on tour. But we wanted to be highly visible to guests and members alike, so we moved down to the RV lot for the weekend. Tom got our usual flags set up and an AANR table full of fliers and swag would hopefully draw attention to passersby. We did get to talk to a few folks which was great.
Andee: The women of Lake Bronson prepared for the ImPerfect workshop with beautiful flower arrangements for the walls and tables as well. They also provided a bounty of charcuterie for both the women’s and men’s time together. I was beyond excited to talk with this group of women because many of them are the reason I have grown so much in my confidence since becoming a nudist. Nearly 30 women joined me for the afternoon.
One of the main points I wanted to get across was how profoundly the women of this club have helped me in my acceptance of self. Time spent down on the dock or at the beach in conversation, they would tell me the strength they saw in me. Strength I certainly did not think I had. Many encouraging times were spent at someone's home playing games, sharing meals, and just spending time together lifting each other up, laughing together, crying together, and being there for each other.
One of the ladies said we need to do this more often. And by “this” she meant just the women getting together. I wholeheartedly agreed with her and mentioned that I’ve been asking each club to start a WINR group for two reasons. The first being it’s essential for us to get together to learn from each other and to build each other up. Spending time together also gives us a chance to hear each other’s stories and make connections we never knew about. The other reason is for the club to be listed on the WINR registry for places that single women can go to and have another woman they can connect with for a first time visit.
I shared things we can do to help with that negative voice that creeps in.
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Let go of society's expectations.
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Give yourself time to unlearn a lifetime of negative words and hate.
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Journaling
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Write down at least three good things about your day.
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Keep a picture of yourself as a young girl in the front and write like you would be talking to your younger self.
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Name the voice and talk to it whether that is just in your head or outloud.
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Encourage each other.
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One fun thing I do with one of my besties is to hide cards, usually 6-8, around her house. I find cards that are fun and then write words of encouragement or just plain fun things to her. We take turns hiding them in each other’s houses. This was extra meaningful since this friend is a member here. 🙂
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Tom: WOW! What a turnout. We had a total of 26 guys that were very interested in our trip we had just taken and wanted to know what was the main questions from the other clubs. The main question was how do we get younger people in our club. That was asked everywhere we went. So we talked about having lives and how the younger generation just simply does not belong to clubs. We talked about when younger women come to the clubs, do you leave them alone so that they don’t feel uncomfortable?
Then we talked about AANR since this is a 100% club. I asked if everyone understood what AANR does for its members here. One question that was brought up was, “Does AANR regulate or oversee the 100% clubs?” I told them no, they do have guidelines, but every club is governed and ran on it’s own. We had a guest who has a club in Hawaii along with his family, Hawaiian Naturist Park, and was very interested in how this club was run. They really enjoyed Lake Bronson because of the number of young people with families that come to LB. He has been to a lot of clubs stateside and the feeling is like going to grandma’s trailer park. LB does not have that feel. He explained that when young people come to a nudist place, if it looks like a trailer park they are not going to return. He remarked that LB is updating their facilities for guests so they are fresh and new looking.
It was a great discussion that lasted for 2 hours. This club has everything going for it. I’m a little biased living in the Pacific Northwest and knowing that this is the club to go to for young families.
Later that evening we hosted a Castaways themed dance. Tom and I dressed as Gilligan and Ginger from Gilligan’s Island. We danced well into the night and got to sleep around 2:00 am. The following day was Lake Bronson’s traditional Memorial Weekend Progressive dinner. It was cold so the turnout wasn’t as big as what is the norm, but still lots of people braved the weather to spend time with each other and enjoy some great food and drink. We started at 4:00 pm with cocktail hour and then progressed to the appetizer section which was not too far down the road. Next up was the main course, which we helped with, of hot dogs and all the trimmings. Last stop was further still down the road and at the end of the RV lot with all kinds of amazing desserts and a large fire for all to gather around to get warmed up.
It was an incredible weekend all the way around with the support from this club to make our events the huge success that they were. The women of Lake Bronson continued to talk with me all weekend long and express their appreciation for sharing my story with them. One woman took notes as I spoke and shared them with me. They had so many points that mirrored my journey as well. Many of us have connections that we will never find out about until we start sharing on a deeper level with each other. Those connections bind us together and help us to know that we are not alone in the journey.
Camaraderie
Connection
Community
Kaniksu, home visit, Loon Lake, WA.
We rolled on through Spokane, WA., and up to Deer Park, just 35 miles North to stay with friends we haven’t seen for over 15 years. It was beyond great to see their beautiful home and spend some time with them.
Brian, president of Kaniksu Ranch, and his beautiful wife, Michelle, picked us up Wednesday afternoon to give us a ride. Since we were in the area, we wanted to be sure and connect with the Kaniksu family even though it wasn’t going to be on their club grounds. Kaniksu officially opens on Memorial Day. One of their epic events is the Bare Buns Fun Run which has around 500 people attending from ages 5-80. Wow. This year’s BBFR is Saturday, July 27th. I suggest you make arrangements early if you want to get in on the fun.
We met at a clubhouse they use for Christmas parties since there’s no way to get into their club during the winter months. We all met together, women and men, as there was just a single room to meet in. I didn’t give the full presentation I usually do for women since that is reserved for a woman only audience. But together Tom and I talked about how we got into the nudist community and what it has done for me personally. Tom is a self-proclaimed nudist and has been his entire life. For me, as many of you know, it took several years to become completely comfortable as a nudist.
After buying a cabin at Serenity Mountain Retreat and then getting involved with the day to day running of the club. Tom as the ground's chair and me as the president. The man who was our director for SMR asked if we would be interested as he was stepping down from that position. Here in the Northwest, each club sends a director to the board meetings to represent their club. They bring back all the information discussed which keeps their clubs informed about what’s going on in their region but also nationally as well. It keeps us all connected. We decided we wanted to do that so we could visit other clubs. Bonus! That really helped us understand what AANR is all about and how vital it is to our rights as nudists.
I became the WINR chair for the NW and eventually on a national basis. Several of the women already purchased one of the WOW calendars which was wonderful. I went through and talked about some of the ladies who participated in the campaign and just how much impact those photos, words and stories were helping other women. We finished our time together sharing how long we’ve all been involved in the nudist community. Some as early as five years and others since the 1990s. We chatted for quite a bit afterwards but since it was the middle of the week, they needed to get home as most had work in the morning.
One of the ladies has a booth at an upcoming event, The Blooms Day Race, in Spokane. She took a good amount of information and tchotchkes to hand out at that local event. We were happy to have her take what she needed. I gave her a fair amount of ImPerfect stickers, WINR fliers, AANR fliers and such. Hopefully, she gets to hand them all out and talk to people about what the nudist community offers to people. What a great use of the resources we had that we were happy to pass along.
Tom: Being involved with Andee’s meeting this time really opened my eyes on how the women in the group really reacted to her story. I know this was not her complete story, but it was obvious how it was impacting them and the men as well. I spoke out a few times about what we as men normally talk about with questions normally about AANR or how to get younger people to join the club. I strongly believe that it has a lot to do with how a person, man or woman, is greeted on their first trip in. With men it's usually, “Hi how are you doing,” but with women men should be cautious to not overwhelm them. If you're a man, say hi and ask if there is anything you can do for them. Then stop. If she wants to continue the conversation, she will. OK, I will get off my soapbox now. Loved meeting together, but still, I could sense the reservation from the women to talk. We will be meeting with them again this summer when Andee gives her whole story and I'm sure it will be a great time for both men and women.
Our next tour stop is on May 25th at Lake Bronson near Sultan WA. So a little bit of a break for us but many more clubs to visit and updates to come this summer.
BBFR-One of the best 5K runs on the circuit.
Sun Meadow Sun Seekers, Worley, Idaho
We had a pretty great drive from Ontario, OR., to Worley, Idaho, just a mere 6 hour drive which in an RV means 8-10. There was a road sign about halfway there that said Yakima, WA., and let me tell you it was hard not to get on that exit. Yakima is one of our hometowns and where most of our family is. But we stayed on course and thought we’d found a pretty good route to Worley. Well, Google wanted us to drive underneath a train trestle, which I’m sure we wouldn’t have cleared, and onto a narrow dirt road. Um, nope, that wasn’t happening, so we opted for a wider gravel road that finally connected us with pavement. An hour later than we expected we arrived just outside of Worley where the non-landed club of Sun Meadow Sun Seekers are. You may remember Sun Meadow Resort that was just a fantastic nudist destination here in Idaho. After it was sold the club members decided to form a non-landed club. We were there for the Northwest’s AANR Spring board meeting and to also give a presentation for WINR on Friday night.
Friday afternoon we pulled into our spot for the weekend and the hosts, Bill and Kathy, welcomed us and invited us into their beautiful home. We got to know their dog, Grace, who is just as sweet as she can be. It was a welcome surprise when they said, “Hey we’ve got these steaks for dinner if you want to join us.” Heck yes, we do. And it was fantastic. We enjoyed our evening with them immensely and taught them some new games. You may remember the one from Lake Havasu called “Will the Bell Ring.” They loved it and it was fun getting to share a game we just learned with others.
Andee: Since this was a meeting weekend, we decided to have the ImPerfect presentation on Friday night as Saturday and Sunday were filled with meetings. Six ladies joined me at one of the homes on property. I was so excited about this presentation because I knew most of the women who would join me. Two of these women were co-owners of Sun Meadow Resort, Terri and Margie, and incredibly strong, confident women. And then of course Gypsie, who is the Northwest’s treasurer, participant of the WOW campaign, and a dear friend.
We shared our experiences about how we became nudists. I always love to hear other people’s stories on how they discovered this way of life and what it has done for them. My life changed entirely when I became a nudist. I went from having an incredibly low self-esteem to being confident and sassy. I shared how I was told that I was ugly and homely the first 18 years of my life, to which one of the women said, “How can that be, you are a beautiful woman?!?” To which I replied, “I know!!!” That is a statement I would not have been able to make even four years ago. For nearly 50 years I have felt uncomfortable with my body and my looks. Always feeling like I don’t even like how I smile. But after taking many, many pictures at each stop along the way, I’ve looked back and found that I am learning to love my smile, especially when it’s big and bright. Being a part of the nudist family and having such incredible friendships with the women of the community has been a crucial part of that journey to feeling ImPerfect. I handed out calendars to any who didn’t have one yet and we took our photo together to finish out the evening.
Tom: The guys all got together and sat around the table and chatted a bit about what we loved to do. How retirement was treating everybody well. We all decided to play the new card game we introduced them to. There was lots of laughter, and everybody really enjoyed the time together.
The rest of the weekend we enjoyed the company of many of the SMSS as they provided breakfast, lunch and dinner for us. Saturday night there was a DJ dance for all, board members and club members alike. Sunday after our official board meeting concluded, Terry and Mike got out their Mölkky set and we spent hours playing in the gorgeous sunshine. If you’ve never played, it’s a fantastic game to involve multiple players. In a nutshell, you have twelve wooden pins of similar dimensions, marked from 1 to 12 and one bigger throwing pin called the Mölkky. The numbered pins are placed in a tight formation. A throwing line is drawn a few feet away from the pin formation. All players take turns knocking down numbered pins with the Mölkky. The first player to reach exactly 50 points wins the game. There’s a lot of other details to it, but it’s a ton of fun.
Tom and I wandered back to our host's home and spent the rest of the afternoon playing “Will the Bell Ring," and also a few other card games we taught them: Nines and 3 Blind Mice, all fun games where you can just keep adding decks of cards as more people join in. They taught us a new version of Hand and Foot we hadn’t learned before. This version you throw in a Knee. It’s another card game that involves 6-8 decks of cards. Super fun and a great way to spend time together while conversation flows. This group, as I was told, spend a lot of time playing games together.
Sun Meadow Sun Seekers is a unique group because it feels more like your hometown neighborhood. They are a great community of people supporting each other and doing the best they can to take care of each other. They get together at least once a month for potluck and in the summer a pool party when the weather is good. But on any given evening you will find many neighbors together playing cards in someone’s home.
We hated to say goodbye, but it was only for a while since we know we will be back for a board meeting. We also encouraged them to come our way for Serenity Mountain Retreats’ music festival in August.
Wasatch Sun Club, Salt Lake City, Utah
No high mountain passes on our drive from Denver to Salt Lake City, just a few “hills” in comparison. We drove through most of Wyoming on highway 80, which was probably the best road we’ve driven on this entire trip. So far we have logged about 3,500 miles on this trip with another 1,000 to go.
This stop was with the Wasatch Sun Club, I advertised it as the Wasatch Naturist group, which is an entirely different group. So very sorry Wasatch Sun Club. They were established in 2017 and have 50-75 members; however, when Mike sends out emails, they go out to approximately 200 people. And they are growing.
Mike along with his girlfriend Ginette have been running an Airbnb since 2021. It’s a beautiful and comfy home with an absolutely adorable dog named Blue who is ready to show you affection when you step in the door. Check it out @ wasatchsunclub.com
Since it was a mid-week meeting, the turnout was smaller than if we would have been able to make it on the weekend. But we were happy to be able to get together on our way through. People started arriving around 5:30 and we enjoyed dinner together while getting to know each other. At 7:00 we split up into our groups.
With six ladies in attendance, we had an intimate discussion together. I always begin with the statement that words are powerful. They agreed that words absolutely have a huge impact on us and follow us through our lives. For me, and I believe many women, it’s the negative words that seem to echo in our minds. We are also very critical of our bodies. My entire life I’ve never been happy with my body, even when I weighed 115 pounds in high school. I hated it. Then I was 140 pounds after babies, and I hated it. Now at 200 pounds I finally accept my body for all it’s done for me. My friend Diane put it best in her story for the WOW 2023 campaign which I shared. Diane says, “I am grateful for what my body does for me. My legs dance, my arms hug, my stretch marks remind me of my beautiful children, my wrinkles are laughter, gray hair my sparkles.” I read more of Diane’s words from the Body Positivity flier I always hand out to each woman. "After years of battling with our body image, we must learn to forgive negative feelings. Acknowledge them and realize they don’t have to identify us. LET THEM GO. Replace them with positive images not of what we wish we could be, but of where we are right now-this moment. Know that it’s absolutely okay to be who we are.
Tom: We started the meeting out talking about our lives and how we got involved with naturism and then AANR. I talked about our first visit and how SMR became our home club. The question was asked, “Do you have visitors come to your club?” I told them we have lodging and camping. The next question was, “Do you have single women come to your clubs?” I said that women returning to the club is up to the men and how they treat women at the club. At our home clubs, when a single woman visits, we try to make sure the women are their main contact to make them feel comfortable. I said it’s okay to say, “Hi, how are you doing?” 1 or 2 questions are fine but then move on. You don’t want to overwhelm them. Don't follow them around. If she wants to continue the conversation, she will. If we see men at the clubs bothering a woman and making her uncomfortable, we ask him to stop and give him a warning. In the clubs, people watch out for each other. I told them about a flier Andee created that is up in many of the club bathrooms on what a woman can do if someone is bothering her and who she can talk to. We had quite a conversation about that.
Then we talked about Andee's workshop which focuses on mental well-being and being strong. If she has 1 person out of that group that was helped, and 1 lady feels better about themselves, then it was a success. What she is trying to do is instill confidence in women.
Another question was why the groups have to separate. They felt men needed to hear what Andee was talking about. I explained that’s why I’m talking about it to them. Women need time to get together without men there because if a man is in the room, some women will not talk.
Men need to be together as men to build each other up. Women need to edify each other and make deeper meaningful connections. These separated times together make us stronger when we are all together.
We tried to keep it to an hour as many of the members had to work in the morning and still had a long drive ahead to get home. We did enjoy another hour of chatting together and sharing our stories. Tom and I talked to several people about joining us up North at either one of our home clubs. Serenity Mountain Retreat for our music festival in August, which is 4 days with 8 bands, and a ton of fun. Or at Lake Bronson for one of its memorable weekends. They have fabulous, themed dances and gorgeous grounds for hiking. One man in particular said he will definitely be vacationing in the NW.
Fun fact, you just never know when you’re going to meet someone who knows someone you know. That 7 degrees of separation was narrowed down to 1 when we found out Mike and Ginette knew friends from Lake Bronson. It’s such a small world. They met them at the Portland WNBR and that is something because that event usually has 10,000 people at it.
If you are passing through Salt Lake City and need a comfortable, naturist place to stay, Mike and Ginette’s home is a must. Maybe you will get in on one of their events as well. While there, you have to check out the movie collection in the basement. It is an entire wall full of fabulous films and series. Mike is also a Star Trek fan, as are Tom and I, with his favorite being the original series. Ours is Voyager which seems very appropriate since we are out on a Trek of our own.
Until next time, hope to see you down the road.
Mountain Air Ranch, Littleton, CO
Through rain, snow, sleet and hail … well not sleet and hail, but oh hail, was there ever wind. Projections were for 40-50 mile an hour winds with gusts up to 90-100. Tommy was masterful in his driving and got us to MAR before the really strong winds hit. We drove over Vail pass on highway 70 from Grand Junction to MAR and hit 10,666 Feet and we thought, holy cow that's a high pass. But we weren’t done yet. We still had another 1000 feet to go to Loveland pass at 11,992 feet. Our RV did great even though she was only going 20 MPH on that last 1000 ft. But she made it.
MAR is roughly 30 minutes from Denver, so not very far outside of the city for day trips and/or spending the weekend. They have some really beautiful rooms to rent and plenty of camping available as well. Once we got to the club entrance, Chris came out to meet us with a huge smile on her face and a very welcoming howdy and welcome to MAR. All the ladies in the office made us feel welcome and so glad we had made it to their club.
Our friend, Fred, from both of our home clubs surprised us with a “MANR” banner as soon as we got set up. You can check out the photo on the website, but his acronym means Men Ad-dress-ing Nudism Respectfully-in essence mind your manners. He is a big champion of what we are doing on this tour and wanted to show his support. What a great surprise to have someone from home greet us after a long day's journey. He insisted on cooking us dinner of which happily took him up on. It was delicious, as was the company.
Jeff from the Rocky Mountain Naturist Club, a non-landed AANR naturist club near Denver, Colorado, came up to meet Tom and I. It was so great to put a face to the name. He encouraged several of the women in his group to attend. Unfortunately, he couldn’t join in because he had one of their many events to go to that evening. Check them out on X if you are in the Denver area. It was great to meet you Jeff and thanks so much for going out of your way to meet us.
Andee: The resilient women of MAR showed up in spite of the high wind warning and we had an incredible experience together. I encouraged open conversation which is exactly what I got because they absolutely needed to share as well. One of the standout discussions was about our scars. Scars can be seen and many, of course, are unseen. As I was going through the calendar I came to Eileen and told them what she explained to me. Her mother has always told her she was ugly and most recently because she was going to let her hair go gray. I cannot even fathom a mother who would say such things to her child, at any age. One lovely woman in our group has a scar on her head from an accident many years previous. She has always colored her hair to help hide the scar. After our discussion about acceptance and the beauty we all have in our scars, she would like to stop dying her hair and embrace that scar.
I asked for a volunteer to be a live art model. Two ladies decided they would like to participate together. The words their friends chose for them were: resilient, kind, strong, courage, fun, growth, love, gratitude, and bubbly to name a few. The women of MAR exemplify these powerful words and so much more.
It was also really great to see Kathy W. at her home club of MAR and get to spend time with her on a different level that we usually do.
Tom: When we finally arrived at the club, we were both ready to relax. The roads getting there were very challenging. Being in the foothills there were still spots of snow around, but not on their driveway. When Andee and I trekked up the hill to set up the workshop, we were both out of breath and realized that being at 7200 ft elevation was the reason. This men’s meet and greet was very different from the others. A lot of the men wanted to know our take on other clubs we’d visited. Our discussion started out on the difference between clothing optional and nude clubs. Then we discussed the difference between 100% AANR clubs and other clubs that are not. The most important talk was about the “feel” of the clubs. So I talked about which clubs we would go back to and the reason was the members and not the amenities. A lot of clubs have great amenities, but we found the clubs we enjoyed most had to do with the members. So, we concluded our meeting and joined the women after theirs for some social time and ended the evening with karaoke and we had a great time at this club.
I want to say a huge thank you to Mountain Air Ranch, MAR, for their amazing publicity for the ImPerfect tour stop. They created a webpage to highlight our tour stop as well as their new endeavor of a women’s group named the Queen Bees. During May - September each Sunday afternoon women will be getting together to spend time with each other, get to know one another on a deeper level, and learn/share their talents. They have lots of fun activities lined up so go to their website and check it out.
Some changes around the club are a new hot tub that can fit approximately 8-10 as well as an update to the pool for this summer’s club goers to enjoy. We had an absolutely wonderful time with the folks there and look forward to coming again.
Until next time, we hope to see you down the road.
Shangri La Ranch, New River, AZ
Shangri La - A faraway haven or hideaway of idyllic beauty and tranquility.
That was the intent of Jerry and Eddie Shaw, founders of the club. Jerry was a POW and vowed to Eddie when he returned, that he would build her a Shangri La. In 1959 that vow was to become reality. Current owners, the Kraus family, continue the original intent by offering a great deal of beauty and tranquility for the traveling nudist. I love that they continue to honor POWs by flying POW flags and a corner in the clubhouse reserved for the POW/MIA Missing Man Table.
Shangri La is a haven in a gorgeous mix of cacti, trees, and a myriad of desert plants for those who are lucky enough to call it home. For the rest of us, it’s an awesome hideaway from the norm. Cyndi, AANR West President and part owner of Shangri La, welcomed us as we checked in at the office. We were also introduced to her mom, Patty. I noted that the freezer was full of ice cream bars and ice for the upcoming warm weather. There’s also a nice selection of nudist necessities to buy: towels, robes, sarongs, sunscreen, etc., you know, everything the nudist needs.
After we got situated in our spot for the weekend, Tom got our AANR flags up and we immediately had people stop by curious about what we were doing. Lots of great conversations all weekend long. One of special importance to me was a woman who stopped by on Friday. This was her very first visit to a nudist club, and I was so impressed with her because she was fully nude and absolutely loving it. I thought how I wished I could have been as courageous as she was during my first visit to a club. Her friend, who was with her, has been trying to get her to come to the club for a long time. She told me she was going through a difficult time in her life and this was exactly what she needed. I shared a WOW calendar with her and talked about what social nudism can do for mind, body, and soul. She left feeling very uplifted and heard.
Andee: As I was setting up for the day, in walked Cyndi and Patty with armloads of snacks of all kinds, including some delicious homemade strawberry, lemon cupcakes. Yummmm. I had way too many, but who's counting. One of the women who was able to join me was Freddie. We have been chatting in the WINR breakout room on the AANR Meet and Greets for over a year. What an absolute joy to finally get to meet her in person. She is a beautiful soul!
As you may or may not know, one of my focal points is to get together, as women, to tell our stories. To dive in deeper with each other and create stronger connections. And this is exactly what we did after my talk was completed. After we took a group picture together, most of us remained to talk and share more stories together. The camaraderie around the room was just what I needed to fill my heart up. Some stories made us laugh, others brought tears that flowed freely and thankfully down my face. Healing tears and appreciation for the women who opened up to me and shared some of their stories as well. I think it was around 4:00 when we all decided we should call it a day, though no one was really anxious to go. Thank you ladies for filling up my heart, mind, and soul. Later that evening several of the women came up to me to thank me for sharing and that they appreciated me as well.
Tom: With our trek down here through Arizona, I haven’t been able to find the traditional 2-armed cactus. Well, Shangri La has a large one here on their grounds, so I know they do exist. What a great place. People here are so friendly and inviting. Our meet and greet was a group of very chatty men that all love this place. They are working hard to maintain it to keep the people coming into this wonderful place. We spent some time talking about the AANR GAT team, which is working so hard so we can enjoy this wonderful way of life. After downing a few beers and snacks, generously provided by Shangri La, we all said how much fun it was to get together and chat which we did for another hour or so.
There was a DJ dance Saturday night which we both had a wonderful time at. The place was packed out with many dancers wearing bunny ears and tails to be festivitas. (Yes, this is my own spelling; I didn’t spell it wrong. Try it out sometime.) The dance floor was always full. I loved just sitting back and watching this community enjoying time together dancing, talking, laughing. The smell of popcorn drew my attention as Jeff and Cyndi made popcorn all night for everyone. If you don’t know, popcorn is a food group for me. I LOVE IT!!!
Shangri La has a uniqueness to it that can only compare to a huge family reunion. Patty told me, Ëveryone here is treated like family,” and I would have to agree that is what it felt like for us. We were just pulling in through the gate and folks were already saying howdy. It’s like my family reunion when each person pulls up in their RV or camper and we all rush to help and greet them. Chances are when you’re in the area, they will have room for you. They have over 200 spots on property, many of which are for permanent residents. And who can blame them for making this their home. There are many RV/trailer sites and lots of tent camping spots. Also 20 rental units if you’re not the camping type. I also indulged in the on-site massage therapy available. What a treat.
At Shangri La we got to spend quality time with new friends and will absolutely be back. We even talked about maybe snow birding here next winter. Who knows, anything is possible. Our stay was completely covered by Shangri La and we would like to thank them for their incredible hospitality and generosity during our stay.
Mira Vista Resort, Tucson, AZ
Mira Vista is an absolutely gorgeous resort. Several things that stand out as we are driving in: all the buildings are southwest style giving the entire resort a formulaic feel which is very appealing. And then there is the cacti. Oh my goodness. I am falling in love with these incredible plants. The towering Saguaro are my favorite, and fun fact. I just found out that they don’t actually grow arms until they are at least 50 years old.
Andee: I met with some incredible ladies today including Suzanne, owner of Mira Vista. Two of the ladies just arrived at the resort and came to my workshop. This was their first visit. I feel very privileged indeed that they started their visit with me. Another was on her second visit to the club and as a brand new nudist. I welcomed the women to ask me questions during my presentation which gave it a much more conversational feel. My main points were to make sure to emphasize what being a nudist can do for your mental well-being. Community-never have I felt as welcome and accepted than by the people in the nudist community. Connection-it was when I connected with other women on a deeply personal level that I began to accept myself because of their words of empowerment: worthy, confident, beautiful, and many more. That changed the voice in my head from negative to positive. Camaraderie-as relationships deepen over the years, the time we spend together doing everyday things, visiting on the deck or around the pool, and welcoming newcomers to this freeing way of life.
Several of the ladies said they’d love to be a part of this year’s WOW campaign which,of course, means they will be in next year’s calendar. One woman in particular wanted to be sure and get her picture in before leaving. We walked around the club and found just the perfect setting. The word she chose was YES. At this point in her life where she wants to say YES to new adventures. It was an absolute privilege to be able to be a part of those first steps on her journey with her.
Tom: We were set up in the overflow in the parking lot which is the walking path for many of the members and guests around the club. Think of it like a Nascar track going around the whole club. So we had our AANR banner in front of the motorhome so people could see as they were walking by. Many stopped and asked about it and chatted just for a bit before they continued their laps around the Nascar track.
Lounging around the pool and listening to the lively games of water volleyball was a great way to unwind and enjoy the Arizona weather. That evening we enjoyed a few cocktails in the lounge. The bartender served Maitais which were based on the Tie themed dance later in the evening. We had a fabulous dinner in the restaurant which has incredible views of the mountain and sunset while you’re dining.
Though they are a clothing optional resort, nearly everyone here was happy to be nude. The grounds are immaculately maintained and so filled with a variety of gorgeous cactus plants. Most are very old due to their size making a walk around the club magical. Mira Vista is absolutely a destination resort for the nudist. The people are so welcoming, the views beyond incredible, and the sunsets more vibrant than any I’ve ever seen before.
See you down the road!
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Mohave Sun Club, Lake Havasu City, AZ
How fun it has been for us to get to visit our fellow Serenity Mountain Retreat members at their home in Lake Havasu City, AZ. Here they belong to the Mohave Sun Club, an active non-landed club with approximately 40 members. They rotate who is hosting each month and we just happened to get in on their St. Patrick’s Day party. One of my favorite holidays.
Andee: All decked out in green “nude” attire, the ladies joined me in the sunroom and we chatted like old friends. To get the conversation started, we all shared how we became a nudist. I was the newby amongst them with only eight years in the community. As I shared my story, some of the ladies pointed out that I could be sharing their story as well. It’s heartbreaking to hear, but it is something that connects us together. By sharing these often-difficult stories to hear, it unites us in a bond as survivors.
During the afternoon we talked back and forth so freely. I shared my story while listening to theirs, and remarking on how we should sit down and talk with each other in this way more often. We need to take the time to get to know each other more deeply. I then talked about the WOW (Women One Word) campaign. The women who participated shared their word about what nudism has done for them. Many also wrote stories to go along with their word which you can see on the womeninnuderecreation.com website. I took those photos and created a 2024 calendar and as we were looking through the calendar. I shared what it meant to many of the women who participated and how it is still impacting women, and men, across the U.S. Sharron, Miss February, read a small portion of her story. I invited any women that would like to be a part of this year’s campaign, and 2025 calendar to join in.
We then shared the traditional Irish meal of corned beef and cabbage, potatoes, and soda bread. Talk about delicious. We toasted the evening with a glass of champagne. Mohave Sun Club members made us feel right at home and like we were a part of the club.
Tom: This is a great non-landed club in Lake Havasu with many active members. Had such a great time with these folks. We started our meet and greet just talking about lives and adventures. Many of these men have been AANR members for 20-30 years so we didn’t spend much time on that. Just a bunch of ol’ farts talking about the good ol’ days and enjoying living this wonderful nude lifestyle. Thanks for having us, it was a great place to visit.
We have had so much fun with Terry and Sharron in their home this week. We learned a new game called Will The Bell Ring which they think was created by Terry’s dad. It’s a variation of poker hands with six of us playing and each starting with 50 chips. I came in 3rd which I didn’t think was too bad. Definitely will be playing this game again.
We rode a ten-minute ferry to the casino across the lake and lost $40, but I always know I’m going to lose. It was fun and that’s the point. We joined them for dinner and karaoke at the local Elks club which was packed out. Very active group of Elks in this town. We also got to see our sister-in-law who was in town for the day, and I enjoyed my first flaming margarita. What a special added bonus to see her on this leg of the trip.
We will be sorry to leave on Tuesday but will look forward to coming back down this way and visiting everyone sometime in the near future. Thanks Mohave Sun Club and especially Sharron and Terry for your warm hospitality and jovial spirit.
Glen Eden Sun Club, Temescal Valley, CA
Glen Eden Sun Club was an absolute surprise for both Tom and I. This was our first visit here and we knew it was a resort with lots of amenities, however, we didn’t realize to what extent the amenities would be. Yes, there’s lots of pools, pickleball courts, and tennis courts, but also there is something happening nearly every day of the week bringing people together in this community. Karaoke, poker, water aerobics, meditation, Zumba, dance lessons and much more. Something for everyone.
When we arrived, we got a 1st time visitor welcome bag. On top of the information for the club was the flier for my workshop on Saturday. They have done just an incredible job advertising for this event which is likely why so many women came out Saturday afternoon.
Andee: The room was set up so beautifully with bright colored tablecloths. Glen Eden provided a gorgeous sarong, drink cup, and nail file for all women who attended. I was thrilled to also have in the audience Linda Weber from AANR West. You may know her from her social media accounts and as a strong advocate for women’s empowerment. It was great to finally meet her in person. My talk begins with how much power words have on us. I listened to people, young and old alike, tell me I was ugly, stupid, unwanted, homely, worthless. These words stuck with me throughout my childhood and followed me into adulthood. While sharing about the abuse I went through as a little girl, I saw many heads nodding and tears being wiped away. This always makes me sad because I know there are abuses that connect us together.
I shared many of my less than stellar moments as a mom and how my frustration with myself came out in anger. I was never a truly happy person. I thought before I could be happy, I needed to attain perfection in body, soul, and spirit. I never did get there. That is not until I became a nudist. It was a multiple step process and one that took years to achieve. The women in my new nudist communities were instrumental in helping me see myself as a worthy, incredible, strong, woman.
I asked for my “Living Art” model and Karen gladly raised her hand. By the time everyone had a chance to write their word of encouragement or empowerment on her, she was completely covered with words: Dynamic, Happy, Strength, Knowledge, Amazing, Freedom, Confidence, Being A Friend, Believe, Beautiful, Embrace, Smile!, Self Love, Divine Light, Power, Green Thumb, Intelligent, Friends, Independant, Love, Joyful, Blessed, Grateful, Self-Reliant, Adventurous, Abundance, Strong, Brave, Embrace. WOW! That’s a positive, powerful use of words.
Afterwards, I had women coming up to me telling me that I was telling their story. The circumstances are different, of course, but what they have been through, felt, heard, experienced throughout their life. They thanked me for being willing to share and for being a voice that they could not be.
Tom: Well again, a great club. This club of 1500 is definitely a resort for people that love being nude. We started our meeting with introductions of all ten of us. Each talked about how we became nudists, most of us at a young age. And our first experience at a club and how we became involved with our community. This was a very active group of men, and I loved chatting with them. They were very aware of AANR. They all were very thankful for Andee putting on her ImPerfect workshop here. For the women getting a chance to just sit and talk about what we all love to do. Be Naked!
We enjoyed karaoke, which is a favorite, and spending time getting to know the people here at Glen Eden. As I'm writing, I hear the crack of the pickleball paddle which is a hugely enjoyed sport by many here. Which explains the four pickleball courts with more being built. Each person that passed by during our stay said hello or stopped to talk about the banners we set up during our visit. We look forward to being back in Southern California so we can come back and spend more time with this incredible community of people.
We want to extend a HUGE thank you to Glen Eden for comping entire stay while there. That really helps our budget go a long way.
Olive Dell Ranch, Colton, CA
The royal treatment is the only way to describe our stay at Olive Dell Ranch. The people here are so welcoming you feel like you’ve been a part of the community your entire life. We enjoyed a home cooked dinner Friday night along with about 20 others who came out. Then came karaoke. Oh my goodness so many great entertainers and I sang my usual favs of Hit Me With Your Best Shot and Pontoon among others. In between songs we talked and effortlessly made so many new friends. As the night progressed, I noticed so many young people joining in for the evening. So great to see. The night wound down about midnight and we went to bed talking about how much this club feels like home.
Andee: Saturday brought with it a downpour and why wouldn’t it because it seems to be a thing with this tour. I appreciated the wonderful women came out to join me for the ImPerfect presentation despite the deluge. Before I started, I asked how long they’ve been a nudist. Some as long as 30 years, others relatively a short amount of time. My own entrance into the nudist community starting in 2015. During my story I welcomed the ladies to interject anytime they had thoughts or questions, and they did many times. It became a meaningful conversation between us all, learning from each other as sharing personal experiences.
One of my most difficult experiences to share was that of the abuse I endured as a little girl-physical, sexual, and emotional. One of the ladies simply asked, “Why didn’t you leave.” Well, I replied, Ï was only10 years old; I didn’t know that was even an option.`` As we talked through the options a little girl would have under those circumstances, we noted that back in the 70s abuse was not talked about like it is today. I felt trapped in my painful world with no way out. This is when I decided to take my life which thankfully didn’t work, but it brought to the attention of my parents that something was terribly wrong. We are all so thankful that abuse is widely talked about today and the awareness is so much more evident giving at least some education of choices that can be made.
As I continued with my story my emphasis was on how much women need to edify women. The strength we gain from each other is crucial to our mental well-being. They loved the ImPerfect concept and its duality. Of course, we all have scare whether they are physically seen or not but taking that word and reclaiming it empowers us to embrace our imperfections and turn that from a negative to a positive thing.
With that in mind, I asked for a ‘living art model' that we could encourage. Nikki volunteered and we all wrote our words of affirmation on her body: goddess, queen, courageous, blessed, nice, free & confident.
As we wrapped up the afternoon, I shared a bit about AANR and specifically the Education Foundation that offers scholarships for students to apply for. I invited them to take any of the AANR swag that I brought: keychains, pop-sockets, pins, patches, brochures, and much more.
Tom: To mimic the song by the late Toby Keith, I Love This Bar, I love this club. Everybody we ran into here was great. They were just a blast to be around. Once we reached the area where the club is, we saw wild burros everywhere. It was like it was a reserve. On Saturday, we started our men’s meet and greet with questions about AANR. I’m getting very surprised by how little club members know about AANR. We talk about how AANR is securing our rights to be nude with our GAT (Government Affairs Team). How the AANR affiliation gives us a family minded, safe place to come and enjoy being nude. And always the question on how do we get more people to come to our club? The first thing I say is get involved with your region by sending a delegate to the region's board meetings to talk about topics that other clubs are doing. Use AANR publications and social media to “Get plugged in.” Offer events that will attract people. I was amazed at how the age of many members here is lower, like 30, 40, 50s. A great group of members taking care of their club. Again, I just want to say I LOVE THIS CLUB!
Saturday evening, we joined in playing Bingo and I won one game. Hooray! That doesn’t usually happen, so chalk that up to guests being lucky. There was a scheduled power outage, and the lights went off promptly at 9:00 pm. Not to worry because they fired up their generator and we all enjoyed another evening together and more karaoke fun. Tom joined in singing this time and everyone enjoyed listening to him sing. I know I did! Another evening that ended around midnight.
I want to thank Chevy especially for her incredible communication with me setting up our event and the multiple email and phone calls that made that happen. We would like to thank Chet too who was there at a moment's notice for anything we needed. And finally thank you to Olive Dell Ranch for waiving all of our fees. They wouldn’t take a dime for our stay since we brought so much information and encouragement to them. That was given back to us tenfold with this awesome group of people. We fell so in love with this club, and if we lived closer, we would definitely join this amazing community. When we are back in the area, Olive Dell Ranch will be a must to come back to.
Dragonfly Ladies, Altadena, CA
I was incredibly excited to visit the Dragonfly Ladies, an already established WINR group, at the incredible home of Cynthia in Altadena, CA. Her home was built by Franklin Lloyd Wright Jr. in the 40’s and gives a view of the Arroyo Seco Canyon. The group has been getting together approximately four years and have three to four events a year. They gather to allow women to try naturism and meet other women in naturism. Doing so has bonded them together in a special way. There is that connection, community, and camaraderie that WINR is all about.
Check out the full story @ ImPerfect Tour | WINR (womeninnuderecreation.com)
Cynthia explained to me that they got their name because one day while sitting in the pool at her home a dragonfly landed on the finger of one of the women. It then visited each of the other six women in the pool that day and spent a few minutes with each woman. They thought Dragonfly Ladies was a very fitting name after that experience.
Eleven women joined in for the ImPerfect presentation. We gathered poolside and spent a great social hour before I began. There are stables beside the property and occasionally the smell of barnyard wafted over to us. “Smells like home,” I said, explaining that I grew up on a farm. Oh, and, my last name was McDonald. Kids took great delight in teasing me about that. Words were the focus of my talk as they are a powerful tool but most times they have a negative effect on us. Unkind words followed me a great deal of my life and many of the women told me that resonated with their experiences as well.
The negative changed to positive when I became a nudist. The women I connected with only had positive things to say and shared with me the strength they saw in me. It took that community of women to finally help me see myself in a fully positive light. I shared about the WOW campaign and how much that helped not only the women who participated in it, but over half a million people who have seen the submissions over the last year. And that number keeps growing. If you don’t know what the WOW campaign is, head over to the website and check it out on the 2023 WOW blog.
I asked for a living art participant, and I was pleasantly surprised by three women who wanted to participate. We wrote words of empowerment and encouragement on their bodies which include: inspirational, accomplished, joyful, self-love, WOW! rebel, ImPossible, and more.
We spent the rest of the evening together enjoying the hot tub, sauna, and ended by sharing a meal together. Lots of conversations on topics of all kinds and a piano serenade on the baby grand made for a truly memorable time together. No one wanted to leave and see the day end. Thank you, Dragonfly Ladies, for your hospitality, sharing your own stories, and welcoming me with open arms.
Many of the ladies belong to the SCNA, Southern California Nudist Association, which has over 155 members. One woman was there for the first time and another was fairly new to the group. Everyone had an enriching experience and will continue to enjoy the naturist community. If you live in the area and would like to join the Dragonfly Ladies, send a message through the website. SCNA - Home (socalnaturist.org) For events in Southern California head to the website to sign up or find what other naturists in your area are doing.
Cynthia is an incredible host, along with her husband, and their home is an Airbnb, so if you’re in the area and need a place to stay, this is the premier place for the naturist. Clothing Optional Home Network - Pasadena/Altadena
Lupin Lodge, Los Gatos, CA
The drive into Lupin Lodge was a slow-going endeavor as the roads are windy and narrow. We missed the turn-off which meant meandering farther up the ravine to find a place big enough to turn this 32 foot boat around. Totally the navigator's fault which just happens to be me. Oops. Not an easy task on these back roads. We got to the main entrance and were warmly greeted by the office staff. Once set up for the weekend, we quickly made friends and shared the evening, and a few shots of whiskey, together. We walked around the grounds a bit before the rains came. There are a lot of great places to sit and either be alone or to enjoy the company of friends.
George Oberle, who has been instrumental in web design for Lupin and also for the AANR website, came out to meet us. It is always great to put a face to a name and I want to thank him for taking the time to do so. Thanks George.
There were flood warnings in the area so there were not many people who ventured out to the park during our visit. But as they say, the show must go on and we don’t mind a little bit of rain.
Andee: Saturday’s workshop had four women join in for an intimate time around the fire in the dining room. One connection that seemed to resonate with us all was that of unkind words and how big of an impact that can have on us. Those words continue to follow throughout our life until we figure out a way to change that narrative. This is what I’ve accomplished in my life and one of the points I share with the women who attend the workshop. Changing the narrative sometimes means changing your way of life. That is not always an easy task to accomplish. At the end of the session Curt volunteered to be our live model and we all joined in to write words of encouragement on her body. These included: Courage, Love, Talented, Acceptance, and Lovely. I gave everyone a ImPerfect sticker and encouraged them to take one to share.
Tom: I had one great conversation with a gentleman from Lupin on how to make our parks more appealing to young people. We also talked about AANR, which he did not know about, and how important it is to have AANR which continues to advocate for our freedom to be nude.
Lori Kay Stout, the owner of Lupin Lodge, visited us in our RV Sunday afternoon. She brought a bottle of wine from Paso Robles as a gift. If you don’t know me yet, that is a very nice gift indeed. Thank you Lori Kay. We talked about the future of Lupin Lodge and what that might look like. Many of you may know that Lupin is up for sale currently. Lori Kay said there is some interest from a non-textile party. A group is also trying to look into creating a co-op of interested members and perhaps getting a piece of property not far from the current location creating Lupin Two. For now though, Lupin Lodge is open for business and wants to welcome all to come visit and stay. As always there are discounts for AANR and TNS members. Visit their website for events this summer: Lupin Lodge Naturist Resort | Los Gatos Nudist Resort
The Sequoians, Castro Valley, CA
We arrived at the Sequoians Clothes-Free Club with a very warm welcome, people here are fantastic. The paved road was a little scary with a 32 foot motorhome. But there’s no problem if you just take it slow. Every person that wandered by stopped to say hello as we set up our campsite for the weekend. They have beautiful grounds among the trees with deer and fox wandering about. Recently there’s been wild pigs that have been tearing up their grounds and wreaking havoc for them.
Andee: Saturday morning ten ladies joined in for the ImPerfect workshop. Before we even started one woman asked me what my “Why” was. “Why are you doing this?” I assured her she would know by the time I was done with my presentation. As I began, I invited anyone who wanted to grab a marker and posterboard to write down words that spoke to them. Words are powerful and have the ability to build us up, sometimes in surprising ways. As I spoke, the ladies would write down words that were meaningful to them. At the end of the presentation, I ask for someone to be a living art piece. The woman who asked me what my why was volunteered. We wrote words of encouragement on her body: Strong, Confident, Great Singer, Brave, & Friendly were the words chosen for her. Her smile was infectious as she glowed from the encouraging words printed on her body. For hours afterwards we just sat and had an amazing time connecting with each other and finding out more about each other. he Alonzo Stevens GAT Award after) We talked about the club, AANR, expectations, and
Tom: Our meeting started today at 11 am with nine of us. They had a lot of questions about AANR. One question was why AANR is not more visible with 100% clubs. We talked about why we are traveling to clubs being AANR self-proclaimed ambassadors. About AANR being a volunteer-based organization and that you have to put into it to get anything out of it. One thing you can do is send a director to AANR Regional meetings to get your voice heard. Meeting with other directors from the other clubs is very important to hear how things work or don’t work. Of course, we went over the standard question, “How do we get young people in?” You need to think about what the attraction is at your club to get them here? What are you offering them? We had a great time with conversation going on for three hours with some snacks and beer.
Andee spent several hours with Bill, club’s president, and Debra Sue Stevens. (Her late husband was Alonzo Stevens-whom the Alonzo Stevens GAT Award is named after. I was absolutely thrilled to meet her and get to talk with her. Bill and I also spent quality time going over what it is like to be a club president and all the responsibilities that go along with that position. He shared his concerns with me and I documented those for my report at the end of this tour.
Spending time with the amazing people at The Sequoians felt like I’d come home after a long time away. Lots of camaraderie and connection on many different levels. We will definitely be back to this gem of a club.
A huge thank you to the Sequoians members for their hospitality and generosity. They did not charge us for our stay. We left feeling very refreshed and like we'd added to our family.
Laguna Del Sol, Wilton, CA
Andee: There were three incredible women who braved the rainstorm to get to the rec center here at Laguna Del Sol. It may have been the wet, dreary weather that kept many women away from joining in the ImPerfect workshop.
We all moved to a table underneath the heat and huddled up together as it has been cold, cold, cold. Usually I stand before the women nude, but that just wasn’t an option today. As we talked, it felt very much like a lovely conversation between life-long friends as we chatted about our own experiences as I shared mine. The intimacy of a small group lends for a very rich experience indeed.
One reason for doing this tour was to inspire women to start a WINR group at each club. The community and camaraderie that develops in these groups is crucial for the journey to a better mental wellbeing. These ladies said they would take on that challenge. The other is to have a WINR representative available at every club to be a liaison and greet single women traveling alone. This is a concern I’ve heard on multiple occasions. Perhaps having that contact will make traveling alone not as daunting.
Tom: I had one gentleman join me who traveled from the Sequoians, two hours away. It was a great conversation on life in the nudist community and what led us to choose it. We both agreed how easy it is to make meaningful relationships in the nudist community.
We would like to thank Laguna Del Sol for waiving our day use fees. Much appreciated. Andee and Tom
The Willamettans, Springfield, OR
Andee: As I was preparing a charcuterie board to share with the women today, I wondered how many would venture out. While setting up the display tables with family photos, the ImPerfect swag, and AANR information, I was thrilled when woman after woman entered the lodge. All in all, twenty women came out to be a part of the first ImPerfect presentation. I learned that one young woman that was visiting for the first time decided she wanted to join in. What a privilege to be the first woman she heard from during her initial nudist experience.
I spoke for just over an hour. At the end of the talk, I asked for a volunteer to be a living art piece. I got two. We wrote words of encouragement on their bodies such as: precious, beautiful, brave, inspiring, valuable, worthy, beautiful soul, and many others. Kari, who is also Miss December in the WOW calendar, said it was a very empowering act to remove her clothing and have people write words of encouragement about you on your body. She left those words on her for the remainder of the night, and still had them on when we went for coffee and homemade muffins the next morning.
Tom: Sixteen men joined me for the guys meet and greet. We had a great talk on how we can help with new men coming to clubs, understanding club life, and how everybody needs to be a representative for nudity in their club.
I talked about AANR and why we are personally involved with the organization that promotes family values. I explained what AANR does because many don’t know. They belong to a 100% club but don’t really understand what AANR does for them. One huge benefit is they advocate and search for legislation that can affect our right to be nude.
We discussed what we can do to help: volunteer at beaches that allow public nudity. One man said that if you see something that's not right, and there is an AANR sign out front, we need to do something about it. One man saw a sexual act happening and he asked a few more men to join him to approach the offenders. They explained that it was not an acceptable thing to do at this beach.
One topic was why there are not younger people involved in the governing part of AANR. Tom explained that younger folks are still working in their professional careers which makes it difficult to commit to helping out at this point. All in all, a great time of discussion with more than half the men joining in the conversation.
Many people came up to us that night and thanked us for being here. They said they felt empowered and enriched with the words we shared with them. One man was so inspired by the talk with Tom and said he would love to get involved in some way. Two lovely women said they would be interested in starting a WINR group at the Willamettans. How incredible is that! I'd like to thank Jim, President of the club, for taking time out of his weekend for an interview with me about AANR participation at the club and primarily women's events in existence.
Andee and Tom would like to especially thank The Willamettans community for hosting us and paying our fees for our stay with them. That will make our tour budget stretch so much farther. Thank you! They were an absolutely phenomenal first stop on this tour. Please check out this wonderful club @ willamettans.wildapricot.org
