My Blog

Hope for a better 2010

Pete — Wed, 03 Feb 2010 23:40:03 GMT

2009 turned out to be a tough year. It could have been worse if I had lost my job, but somehow that was avoided. It was also a very hard year in the garden. We had a second year of record drought and I'm surprised more of my garden didn't die. Toward the end of the year rain resumed and since then we've had some hard freezes that lasted more than a day. I think that actually might have done more damage than the heat. I won't know until March when things will come back to life. At the present it's all a grey dormant mess that needs to be cut to the ground to allow for new spring growth. The cold weather has had another side-effect. The house has been colder than usual and with conserving energy and whatnot it's been too cold to spend any time nude. Not even vigorous housework can raise enough body temperature to offset the chill, so I' really looking forward to some time enjoying freedom from clothes. I did have a warmer day and took the opportunity to play with the camera, but it was a short session and I was back in my clothes more quickly than I wished. If the rains persist it will warm up a bit and I'm looking forward to a lush spring garden. In the meantime I hope to learn some hooping moves. Yeah, you read it correctly. Another lunatic interest on my part, and of course it will be done nude. I began by building the hoop, which was not any challenge. And I appreciate the advice about size and weight. It's not some puny "hula hoop". You will see. But it really calls for some warmer weather because the open area in my house is just a bit tight for hooping.

First 2009 outing to Hippie Hollow

Pete — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 16:39:07 GMT

I had a day to myself and was able to spend it at the lake. Being a weekday it was almost deserted and I got some wonderful pictures. Sadly, we are into the second year of little to no rain and the lake is about 25 feet below normal. Consider that two years ago it covered the places I was climbing in and it provides a sense of scale to the lack of water. What we have now is the Colorado River - Lake Travis is essentially gone until we get about 20 inches of rain. And that is unlikely to happen. The good news is that despite my "pink" condition the SPF15 did it's job and there was no sunburn.

More ball play and first nude gardening day of 2009!

Pete — Sun, 11 Jan 2009 22:56:33 GMT

The strange weather that has vexed central Texas continued last week with some unusually warm weather. We had two days with afternoon temps of 80F, and I took the opportunity to get some sun, and transplant some Lantana. It was warm enough that digging got me well-sweated and it was good to be able to do without clothes. Only problem is that the foliage that usually preserves my privacy is bare and I had to be a bit more careful than during the warmer weather. But there is an area that has the wind broken by the fence and my shed and it provided a very nice opportunity for some relaxation when I was done. But, all good things must end, and so did the warm temps. We're back in the cold mode again and being stuck inside led me to another round of "ball play", and some floor exercise. I avoided any encounters with the wall this time and have come to appreciate the stability ball as an exercise accessory. My only problem is when I get fully "involved", the flow of perspiration gets the ball pretty messy, and there is a bit more cleanup required. If people find these balls do the trick as far as keeping them motivated to exercise, all the better.

Becoming better aquainted with my carpet.

Pete — Sun, 21 Dec 2008 13:57:29 GMT

The weather has turned cold and the garden is taking the winter off. Home alone and time to kill got me thinking about coming up with some exercise I could do when driving to my gym might not be possible. I have a few bits of exercise gear, two dumbbells, a stability ball and a Thighmaster. That's right, a genuine vintage Suzanne Sommers Thighmaster! It's hanging in the garage and I would never advise anyone to try and use one of these. Before you get any benefit you will damage your hip joints. Maybe I'll sell it on eBay someday. So that leaves the other stuff and at least the ball has directions and a poster of exercise movements. I've never been impressed with these balls. They seen to lack danger. With weights you can injure yourself; you sweat and get tired. The ball seems wimpy. But I'm bored and always game for some lunatic activity, so why the hell not? Well, they are actually a bit of a challenge! I discovered that they squirt out from under you pretty easily and was lucky not to damage the woodwork. It's pretty important to maintain two points of balance. But once you do that there are a range of movements that are as challenging as you want to make them by varying duration and angle of extension. And adding weights helped too. So despite preferring my usual routine, this ball will provide some utility.

Summer's end . . . hot sex in my garden!

Pete — Sun, 21 Sep 2008 17:04:36 GMT

I'm not ready for it to become dark and cold. Not yet. Despite the terrible heat and lack of rain these last six months the flowers bloomed and the garden was full of the "usual crowd". That crowd being butterflies, hummingbirds, bees, and a big clan of Cardinals. (The feathered ones - not the baseball players.) The summer was otherwise pretty quiet with really few human guests, which is too bad. So I'll be out here getting whatever hours of warmth remain and then have to wait hopefully. In the meantime the cooler temperatures will allow doing some heavy work much easier than now. I've got several trees to plant and need to dig some big holes in hard ground. Oh, about the "hot sex" part. We live in the flyway for Monarch butterflies. Every fall they migrate to Mexico, and the survivors fly north again in the spring. Pretty amazing. So I have planted flowers that provide food for these lovely creatures. The yard is full of plants preferred by butterflies, bees, and hummingbirds. These last weeks of warm weather the air has been filled with butterflies of all sorts. Taking the pics was a challenge since they are so small and keep flitting about. I sat in the middle of the flowers and held still. They were so intent on the flowers and each other that after awhile they were even landing on me, probably after the salt in my perspiration, which was flowing out of me like crazy! What a great experience. I will post some pics of these. I took many pictures, but many of them were not good enough to post. Not to mention the 1 meg limit works against me. So about the "hot sex"; it was butterflies mating like crazy. The females will lay eggs and hopefully the young will survive and mature.

Painting the house . . .

Pete — Wed, 02 Jul 2008 19:58:02 GMT

The back of my place is looking crappy. The pics may look great, but I'm not happy about a mildew problem under the eaves and a complete even coating of dirt. "Casa Blanca" may be the most popular house color in Texas, but it's a PITA! Since I don't intend to repaint the entire house I'm keeping the same color and just doing the north side. This time it's a full gloss to better resist the stuff that stuck so well to the previous coat. What I am covering is Sherwin-Williams, and I'm completely underwhelmed with how this paint stood up to what Texas dished-out. The replacement is Behr, so we'll see how this one lasts. Since I'm home alone and the weather is pretty intense I'm doing this job nude. At least the low work. Ladder work will require a compromise. Getting started at 6:30AM is the way to go. No way I'm going to be in the heat between 1 and 5PM!

naked weekend

Pete — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 03:09:11 GMT

Oh boy, what a lovely two days I've had. With the exception of some necessary errands, most of the past two days has been nude. In the garden, in the pool, at Hippie Hollow with the typical crowd there. Really lovely. Have a pic or two and will post when I get the chance, but nothing startling. I discovered the limits of digital photography - my camera does not take pictures in candlelight! Duh! At this very moment I'm on the patio, in the candlelight listening to the night noise, crickets mostly, and the wind in the trees. I feel the light warm breeze across my body. I really love this, and the night music. Don't you just love wireless? My gateway PC is sitting up there in my workshop quietly firewalling the badguys while I type away by the light of the LCD. Who would have ever imagined??? Meanwhile the Mars rover is doing something, and I'm bareass naked enjoying the moonlight and night air with a nice glass of red wine to keep me company. I love technology. Good night all.

Telecommuting

Pete — Fri, 11 Apr 2008 15:56:12 GMT

Recent upgrades to the IT system allow us to work from home and the need to be present for some repairs allowed a very pleasant day. And yes, I did put my clothes back on while the repair was taking place! The simple pleasure of spending most of the day nude was a real treat. Lunchtime allowed for some time in the sun, and by the afternoon I was done with "work" and began some outdoor chores. Everything has a nice coat of dirt from the recent weird weather. It sort of rained muddy since the storm picked up west Texas dust, and it's made a pretty big mess. Fortunately I've got a powerwasher and it made the task faster, easier and used less water. What more can you ask for in a tool? In all it was a wonderful day and I can hardly wait to repeat it. I also had a chance to try out some new swimwear I bought. It's a little too soon to work nude since the bushes aren't fully bushed-out yet, so the thong provided enough coverage and if anyone did see me there wasn't anything to complaint about.

40 pounds later . . .

Pete — Sat, 29 Mar 2008 18:34:04 GMT

In January of 2007 I decided to do something about my weight. I was up to 200 lbs or so and it had my blood pressure up. I had a sleep apnea problem and was beginning to have ED problems. I'd had it. So, I did the Nutri System plan and it worked very effectively. The hardest part was going on the wagon for two months. I began drinking again in the third month after the first 25 lbs were gone. By April I was at 165, which was still above my goal of 155. According to the tables, that's what I'm supposed to weigh. I had my annual physical scheduled for July, and began working with weights and exercising in June with the expectation it would put me down to the goal of 155lbs. I've been between 160 and 163 for almost ten months straight now and someone at wwork who is a serious weight lifter told me it's unlikely I'll ever see 155 because I'm replacing the fat with muscle, which is heavier. On his advice I've added a measuring tape to my scale for my weigh-ins. On a humorous note, I located a set of proportions from classic Greek sculpture for male bodies. Here is a comparison between me and some random god or hero: Measurements are in inches. Greek, wannabe hero waist: 28, 33 chest: 39, 42 thigh: 21, 22 hip: 33, 36 calf: 13.5, 14.5 bicep: 14, 13 neck: 14.5, 15 So bottom line is, I feel pretty good and think this isn't too bad for some nearly-over-the-hill guy.

Found the sun!

Pete — Fri, 21 Mar 2008 00:46:58 GMT

Finally the weather cleared and I had my day out. It was last Friday and it actually hit 94 in parts of Austin. Lake Travis was still at 65, so a swim to cool off wasn't too likely. I just enjoyed feeling the heat soak all the way to my bones. Attractive people of all persuasions were at Hippie Hollow and I think even the perverts were pleased by the number of sexy, nude, oiled bodies available for viewing. Yes, it was good, and I look forward to repeating the experience as soon as possible.

Desperate for the sun!

Pete — Sun, 17 Feb 2008 21:09:03 GMT

I feel like a mushroom. Haven't been free of clothing or felt the sun since October and it's making me crazy. It's almost warm enough today, but need some privacy and there is no time to get out to Hippie Hollow. I went to a Carnival celebration and had intended to get a spray tan so I didn't look like a cadaver, but didn't have time. The lights were low enough nobody noticed anything except the rings on my penis. A nice distraction I guess! With any luck there will be an opportunity in the next few weeks.

Exercise routine

Pete — Sun, 18 Nov 2007 23:56:04 GMT

Prior to May of 2007 I never exercised regularly in my life. Hell, I haven't really exercised since high school gym class! So I read that at 50 you begin to lose muscle tissue and need to do resistance exercise. Crap - I 'm years behind! I always figured I'd begin exercising when I needed to. Fortunately we have some equipment in a room at work and it's hardly used. The main facility is so much better equipped that the room in my building is not used much. That suits me fine since I prefer a minimal amount of clothing. So five times a week I go through pretty much the same routine. Some days I use the PreCore elliptical instead of the StairMaster, (the goal is 7.5 to 8.0 METS) but the free weight stuff is steady. I have a limited number of moves since I need to be careful with my hip joints. I'm considering using a bench for all the lifts, but the core benefits from keeping my torso stable. We'll see. Meanwhile I love pounding up the stairs at work to wait for my 20-something colleagues to catch up huffing and puffing. Most folks at work are not in very good shape, and it surprises the ones who are that I'm this fit. But the point is, if a near over-the-hill 55 year-old can do this so can you. And I guarantee you will feel better 'cause I do. So go for it!

A dream vacation . . .

Pete — Sat, 27 Oct 2007 01:13:18 GMT

During the first two weeks of October I had my dream trip: ten days on a sailboat in the Caribbean. Ever since I had my first sailing day trip, I have wanted to spend a vacation on the water and it finally happened. Since this was the first time, planning was not too complicated. A suitable boat was located and we reserved the time with a deposit. Not much analysis went into this trip since we did not know anyone who had taken a similar trip and we were happy that it worked out so well. The boat was a gem and the skipper and his wife were compatible. The food was very good and the alcohol was more than adequate. I think they were surprised at how little alcohol was actually consumed, but understood the explanation that I am very careful when it is hot, humid, and I’m in the water. From their stories, the boat crowd sounds like a very hard-drinking bunch. Our trip began in St. Thomas, USVI. From there we sailed in and around the beautiful blue waters surrounding the US territories. It’s worth mentioning that due to the “new reality” of international terrorism, you just can’t “pop over” to the British Virgin Islands anymore. You must exit via US immigration and enter via British immigration. This is very wasteful of time, inconvenient, and involves some cost, so we decided that the Brits would not be included in our visits. Prior to 9/11, folks just sailed around and pretty much moored wherever and whenever they pleased without regard to the invisible national boundaries. Our skipper was very careful to stay away from British waters since recently a US boat “over the line” had been seized. The boat was impounded and everyone jailed. One passenger was sentenced to a year and a day in the Roadtown lockup since he had been so unfortunate to be caught with a fishing rod in hand when arrested. You need a license to fish in British waters. The places we visited were virtually empty. If you want to be alone in the USVI, go in early October. It’s so soon after the end of hurricane season people are still afraid to schedule a trip. The benefit to this was incredible peace and serenity. The only sound was the wind in the rigging, or the slap of water against the hull. At night, the only illumination was starlight, which was surprisingly bright. The Milky Way looked like a broad band of white spatter across the night sky. It was simply amazing, and a joy to sleep on deck under such beauty. Morning began early with the sunrise and usually a sweet little rain shower. The days were filled with time in the water. I had been looking forward to swimming nude in the Caribbean and had plenty of time in the water, and on the beaches. The island of St. John is mostly National Park, and there are no prohibitions against nudity. The water was so smooth that we swam into a number of beaches. What was odd that the few people on them seemed heavily clothed considering how warm and humid it was. It’s very sad that someone would not take the opportunity to strip and run naked in such a beautiful place. The temperature and humidity make clothing needless except during the time spent in town. Thankfully the few people who were there acted normally. We had one funny thing happen when we went inland on one island to look at a lagoon. Being barefoot and no longer in soft beach sand, we were picking our way carefully down the path through the jungle when we literally bumped into another couple. It was funny to me since we’re nude, and they’re looking like a Mount Everest expedition with heavy boots and thick shirts. It appeared they might even be experiencing some heat stroke. We had a brief pleasant chat and they asked us to take their camera for a picture of them with the lagoon. Then we walked together back down to the beach and they watched us wade into the water and swim back to the boat. The trip was fantastic. Ten days in one of the most beautiful places on earth; in the water, and on the beach, with the joy of being nude for almost the entire time. What more could you ask for?

Texas weather back to normal, more or less

Pete — Thu, 09 Aug 2007 18:20:17 GMT

This region has a rep for unpredictable, deadly weather and the last three months of torrential rain bear this out. But it looks like the tide has turned and those of us who crave the sunshine, and esecially nudity in the sun have something to be pleased about. I posted a series of pics from a lovely day in my garden. It might have been 95, but the water and a bit of breeze were all it took to create an oasis. A few weeks ago I had my first extended nude experience. Four days wearing nothing but flip-flops, and it was a wonderfully relaxing experience. No luggage, no soiled clothes, only a few toiletries, towells, and plenty of sunscreen. It was great and I can hardly wait to do it again. The pic attached to the commentary was the only compromise to clothing when we were told the ice delivery was imminent and they were not nudist-friendly. But then again, those shorts don't leave anything to the imagination.

Naked Gardening Day

Pete — Sat, 12 May 2007 18:50:14 GMT

The official observance of this was a week ago, but I think it's still worth a mention because it is so worthwhile. Having the means to garden is an incredible luxury. I don't think anyone will give me much of an argument when I say that many of us are very spoiled in comparison to the rest of the world. Being able to sink a spade into the earth and plant things that grow and look pretty and smell good is a real treat to me. I'd rather dig all day than spend any time at my job. Unfortunately, I need to work for a living (sigh), and I'm pretty lucky in that regard, but the garden is my personal retreat. Nobody in my family has any interest in it. They appreciate that it looks nice, but would never bend over to pull a weed or water something. Every plant, rock, and feature has been sprinkled with my sweat. It gives me bragging rights to have done this solo and it's really done great things for myself. I've always enjoyed nudity; the relaxation and freedom is wonderful. However being nude in the garden is something I discovered by accident. I was doing some work stripped down to a pair of light swim shorts, and while in the flowers something flew up the leg and stung me right on the butt. It burned like hell for awhile and provided great laughs for the family, but I realized than if I'd been nude, that bug would never have become trapped and stung me. Since then, whether trimmimg or digging or whatever, I've never been stung again while nude. My garden gets pretty overgrown and I need to "wade into" the flowers sometimes and despite lots of bees, just moving carefully and taking things slowly has worked great. It's also cooler. Having the perspiration run freely on my body is cooler than being wrapped in some sticky sweaty clothes. So working nude in the garden is the best way to clear my mind I've ever experienced. The unfortunate aspect is that working nude in the garden must be my little secret. Only whoever reads this and a few other friends know how much I enjoy this. But I willingly share this little secret with any other fellow lunatic. Sometimes the best things in life are crazy . . .

Hippie Hollow Park

Pete — Mon, 30 Apr 2007 13:24:26 GMT

The recent pics were taken at a public park managed by the Lower Colorado River Authority and Travis County Park system in central Texas. To control flooding and provide a dependable source of water for farming, several dams were constructed and this resulted in a chain of lakes extending about 100 miles into the hill country. Lake Travis is the largest lake and provides a wonderful resource for boating, swimming and fishing. The land for Hippie Hollow was donated to the LCRA by the McGregor family, but the possesion of the land is conditional on it's use as a nude facility. During the 70-80's it was a pretty wild place (Sodom and Gomorrah on the Colorado!) and attracted the ire and lawsuits of people who wanted it controlled. Travis County found itself in the unusual position of being the defendant, and due to the amount of cash the park generated from parking fees, fought to keep the park as a "clothing optional", adults-only park. The area of the park was reduced to reduce contact with irate neighbors and the park closes at sunset to eliminate the all-night revelry that created ill-will. The rest pretty much still goes on, although perhaps more discreetly. On most warm-weather weekends the park is full of people and it features an anchorage that attracts dozens of boat-loads of libertines of all sexual persuasions. There is police oversight, but on the water it is focused on alcohol abuse and safety. On the land, the park is periodically patrolled by Rangers who will arrest people observed in overt sexual behavior. However, there is still quite a bit going on, since the line of sight is irregular and there is simply too much to patrol. So the park is mostly self-policed, with the focus on reporting aggressive "peepers" or those engaged in harassing behavior with women.

patio cover almost done . . .ref recent photo

Pete — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 01:29:42 GMT

Well, all I need now is a bit of wiring and this project is done. It wasn't too difficult; more tedious than anything. This sucker is going to be strong. My main supports are 4x6 and the horizontals are all 2x6. Everything is screwed together with galvanized brackets. The building inspector came by to check on a water heater replacement job and I had him check out the patio cover too. He expected it to carry a full roof and said it was over-spec. That's good, because I'm too lazy to do this job again!

First 2007 nudie day!

Pete — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 16:09:56 GMT

Finally - weather that encourages outdoor nudity. Yesterday was glorious - my only regret is that it wasn't longer and I couldn't work in the yard au naturel. The bushes are all cut back and it's a bit too open. I have a spot that is shielded from view that is typicaly too hot, but yesterday it was perfect. Since I live in a residential area discretion is important. But, it was quiet. Not even any birds. Just the wind in the trees and the feel of sunshine all over my body.

sublime or insane?

Pete — Wed, 10 Jan 2007 01:26:51 GMT

OK, so middle age is here and although still sexually functional, some things don't work with the same level of reliablity. It's not like a full-blown case of EDD or whatever the friendly-sounding acronym is for when you can't get it up, or it isn't interested. So I thought about this for awhile and decided to begin wearing a ring on my penis. It's not very big, and to avoid the hassle of trying to buy one I made it myself out of copper ground wire. The big stuff. I'm decently handy with tools and managed to do a credible job. New-age people would be happy because it's copper and that's supposed to be good for you. Great! So it's there, and mostly unobtrusive. Another thing that made me think about it was how people have been adorning themselves for millenia, largely independant of clothing. Living nude except for tribal adornment. Modern humans have made it more sophisticated. 'Murican tourists are easy to spot since so many of us favor those oversized athletic shoes that every male between 5 and 95 seems to wear. The notion of wearing something more subtle, and sexual struck a chord. What was more interesting was an aquaintence who sported sever painful-looking penile piercings and was quite enthusiatic about the whole deal of getting your junk skewered like a kabab. Not me! The ring thing seemed like a good alternative. Plus some variations developed, with a double ring, and then a spiral twist. And them a somewhat oversized one to wear behind the first one. It worked out OK. And even two of them are comfortable. They are very enjoyable in a situation when all your wearing is sunscreen and a smile.