Naturist New Hampshire • www.natnh.com • nude@natnh.com • 603-524-5805

Summer 2010

Cape Cod Beach Cleanup

Naturist New Hampshire has signed on to support the 14th annual Cape Cod Beach Cleanup, scheduled Saturday, June 12, beginning at 9 a.m.

Over the past 13 years, more than 500 volunteers from all over New England have participated in the annual cleanup to make the beaches of the Cape Cod National Seashore cleaner and safer and to maintain a positive relationship with the National Park Service Rangers. The event has been recognized and honored by the US Department of the Interior as part of its “Take Pride in America” program.

The motivation for the cleanup dates back to 1975 when a National Park Service regulation banning skinnydipping and nude sunbathing on the Cape Cod National Seashore was implemented. Users of the traditionally nude beaches resolved to work constructively with Seashore officials and rangers in the hope that, one day, those areas long known for clothing-optional use will be officially allowed and clearly marked to reduce conflicts and complaints from other beach users. CCNS Rangers have repeatedly expressed their belief that there is room for a clothing-optional zone on the 40-plus miles shoreline; however, they currently are bound by the 1975 regulation.

This year’s cleanup will begin with registration in the main parking lot of Herring Cove Beach in Provincetown MA at 9 a.m. Beach volunteers will fan out over Herring Cove and Race Point beaches with trash bags and gloves to pick up trash and other debris in preparation for the summer season. There will be a thank-you barbecue at the end of the event in the Herring Cove Beach parking lot, followed by a chance to relax on the traditional nude beach at Truro.

In addition to NNH, sponsoring organizations include Sunchasers Travel Club, the American Association for Nude Recreation, AANR-East Region, Sandy Terraces, Bare Bottom Beach Club, and J&J Seafoods.

To ensure there is enough food for all the volunteers, pre-registration is encouraged. Contact Bill Falconer at mrcapp@netzero.net or call him at 413-583-6877.

Unlikely Partnership

In the naturist world, it is not uncommon to hear of nude dining experiences or nude events at art galleries. But, out of the blue, the event coordinator of the Enfield Shaker Museum contacted us with a proposal to do a naked tour of that facility.

The Shakers formed utopian religious communities in the 1800s and were numerous despite their strict policies on celibacy that meant, for the congregation to survive, it must have a constant influx of new converts. The attraction of a society where men and women were equals, food was plentiful, and skills and innovation were revered succeeded for many years; but today, only a few Shakers remain, in Maine. In New Hampshire, Canterbury Shaker Village maintains the community as a living history exhibit while the Enfield Shaker Museum is seeking to preserve the buildings and artifacts of that community.

Our tour served as an introduction to the Shakers and a chance to see how their unique buildings might be suited to naturist activities.

Among the innovations the Shakers developed was a system of shutters that allows the bottom of the windows to be blocked while permitting light in at the top — perfect for nude activities where it is important not to cause an affront to those on the street.

Additionally, the museum offers a large kitchen that could be used for preparing our own food or having a caterer come in to serve meals. There are several function rooms of various sizes suited to activities ranging from meals to movies to talent shows. And, upstairs, there are large guest rooms available for overnight stays.

The museum has indicated a willingness to set up a tent and screening to allow for a hot tub and outdoor activities; and there are hiking trails where nude use might be arranged.

The small group that took the tour was impressed enough to want to discuss further, larger-scale events in the future.

As for this tour, there was a great deal of fascination in the details of the Shakers’ work, how the community functioned, and in particular how the society could be so successful with its strict rules that forbid men and women to even touch in passing — men and women had separate entrances and kept to their own sides of the rooms, and even during dances had to keep their distances from the opposite sex. Yet leadership had a member of each sex making the decisions and supervising specific aspects of life at the village.

There is much to learn from the Shakers’ efforts to create a society that valued innovation and labor-saving inventions, crafts that were as perfect as one could make them, and a life devoted to a higher purpose. And, perhaps, we can learn where they went wrong.

Interestingly, it may not have been anything they did that caused their society to wither. A large part of their work involved maintaining an orphanage from which they drew many of their new members. However, the strict separation of the sexes and the requirement that children be separated from their parents when families joined the Shaker community prompted the government to refuse to license the Shaker orphanages.

With one museum tour having been so successful, NNH is now looking at other such tours and has made preliminary contact with the Wright Museum in Wolfeboro, a World War II museum that has unique exhibits from that period of history. We’ll keep you posted.

Join Us at Phil's Forest

With the arrival of good weather, NNH again holds monthly cookouts at Phil’s Forest in southern New Hampshire.

Cookouts are scheduled June 26, July 17, Aug. 14, and Sept. 18. The events run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the private, wooded area which has cabins to provide shelter and warmth in case of inclement weather.

Participants bring food to share and there is a grill for cooking meats. There also will be games available and an opportunity for hiking if the weather permits. One of the cabins has a hot tub for soaking, and there is the opportunity for visiting and relaxation in a casual setting.

Contact us at nude@natnh.com for directions. Reservations may be made online at www.natnh.com or checks may be mailed to: NNH, PO Box 969, Winnisquam NH 03289. Drop-ins also are welcome, and the donation ($10 for members, $20 for non-members) may be made upon arrival.

Unwind Mid-Week

NNH joined with the Maine Coast Solar Bares in holding swims at a spa on Massachusetts’ North Shore and they were such great successes that we are now holding mid-week swims on the last Wednesday of each month. Currently scheduled through August, the mid-week “European Spa Nights” may be continued into the fall if there is enough interest.

The spa has a large pool, heated to 92 degrees and purified with ozone and ionization. There also is a hot tub and a masseur-in-training offering relaxing massages. The owner also offers Watsu water therapy.

The Wednesday night events run from 8 to 10:30 p.m. NNH members are admitted at $15; non-members at $25. Bring your own towel and a snack to share.

Camping Weekend

To help celebrate National Nude Recreation Week, NNH is arranging for a weekend camporee on Friday - Sunday, July 9 - 11, at A Sacred Place in Canaan.

The private property has extensive acreage with a grassy area for tenting and plenty of room to explore. We are still working out details of the visit, but have in mind making a day trip or two as well as enjoying the quiet, reflective spot in central New Hampshire.

As with all of our activities, keep up with what’s happening by checking our website at: http://www.natnh.com/nu/events.html.

Dues Structure Provides Choice

Naturist New Hampshire does not require that people participating in our events also become members. People are free to attend as non-members (albeit at a higher fee) if they prefer not to belong to an organization, or if they’re unsure about naturism and wish to give it a try before formally committing. (We’re also clothing-optional so no one is required to be naked; everyone can maintain their own comfort level and remain clothed until they’re ready to enjoy clothes-free living with us.)

However, membership dues help us to continue providing activities and opportunities for nude recreation. Members attend events at cost and help to support Internet access and website fees, mailings, and other expenses.

Membership is offered with a "cafeteria" approach: Choose only a club membership, only a subscription to the e-zine Living Free: Naturism and Our World, only a membership in the Naturist Society; or some combination of the three.

We're continuing to hold our basic membership fee at $25 per household, giving everyone in the family the member rate when attending events.

To accommodate those who would like enhanced benefits, we offer a discount if you want to add Living Free and/or TNS. There is an enhanced membership at $45 which includes the online version of Living Free, or at $55 which provides the CD version of the magazine. Or, go all the way with a Granite Membership for $95 which includes Living Free online and TNS with N magazine.

Also see:

Rules and Etiquette

Continuing call for submissions

Your Stories Wanted

Living Free: Naturism & Our World is more than a naturist magazine; it reflects a philosophy that nudity is but one element of how we live and should be viewed in a larger context of healthy eating and exercise, spirituality, and the arts.

We are looking for your stories on how you became a naturist, your naturist experiences, and your tips on travel, making your home naked-friendly, and raising a naturist family.

Because Living Free goes beyond naturism itself, we’re also looking for discussions on books, politics, the environment, and everyday living.

We need poems, sketches, short stories, and tall tales. We need personal accounts of things you have encountered as a naturist, or as a homeowner, worker, commuter, or observer of human life.

We also have a need for photographs and artwork. These can be photos of yourself to illustrate your articles, photos of friends in naturist settings, and especially photos of naturists in everyday situations. Nude cooking, nude around the house, naked gardening, naked hiking, fishing ‘au naturel’ or making house repairs are some examples of the material we are looking for.

Simply sending in a letter to the editor will help with providing a well-rounded product for our readers.

The idea is to make the magazine as dynamic and interesting as possible.

While the main focus is naturism, we don’t confine Living Free to accounts of naturist resorts and planned activities — although those are welcome. We want articles reflecting philosophical issues, whimsical observations, and outrages We want opinions that are honest, whether or not they are “politically correct” or agree with what we say.

Living Free also welcomes your opinions on the stories. Take exception with an article, or agree with it. Offer further illustration of the points made, or suggest other interpretations.

Accompanying every article in Living Free is an opportunity to download articles so they can be printed out. When compiled on CD, the entire magazine is provided in PDF format so those who favor printed documents will be able to print out the entire magazine. Or, choose individual articles in Word format.

Keep in mind, when contributing to Living Free, that we need a release form for any photo we publish. Information on submitting stories and photos, and a release form, are available at Submit Stories.

Except for cover photos, no photo used in Living Free will appear in any public place on our website; they are available only to subscribers with password access, and they appear only as copyrighted, low-resolution photos to prevent their being used elsewhere on the web.

The photo release form allows you to place restrictions of any kind on the photos you submit, including that they not be used as cover photos to prevent their appearing in any public or promotional manner. We also will withhold your name or use a pseudonym, if you prefer. Thus, you control how your image is used.

The important thing is to contribute to make Living Free a diverse and interesting publication.

Your suggestions for improving Living Free are always welcome. Have an idea? Pitch it to us and you may find it adopted.

For further information, or to have your questions answered, feel free to contact us at free@natnh.com or write to: Living Free, PO Box 969, Winnisquam NH 03289.