By Kay Nauta

Fall is a very lovely time of year. The outdoor temperatures are cooling, leaves are turning colors, the air is crisp, and the sky has never been bluer. It’s an excellent time to reflect upon the gifts the year has brought us and what needs to be done to prepare for winter and end the year with accomplishment and hope.

In many areas of our country, it’s also a time to make the transition to more indoor-focused activities. It’s a wonderful time to resume crafting, baking, family movie nights, workshop projects, and evenings reading by the fire.

If you don’t have any interesting reading material or videos on hand, the Western Nudist Research Library located at Glen Eden Sun Club in southern California has a building full of books, magazines, videos, movies, and photographs that are available to anyone interested in the social nudism movement and its history.

The Western Nudist Research Library (WNRL) is one of four nudist libraries in the country. The other nudist libraries are the American Nudist Research Library in Kissimmee, Florida, the Naturist Education Foundation located in Oshkosh, Wisconsin, and the AANR-Northwest Regional Library in Springfield, Oregon. These four libraries have formed a consortium that works together, sharing and trading materials to provide various information to users throughout the country.

The WNRL's mission is “to catalog, digitize, and preserve the history of nudism.” Most of the materials have been donated by various members and individuals. Some items in the collection are over one hundred years old and include signed books, first editions, and historical artifacts. WNRL volunteers are working hard at digitizing the hard copies of books, magazines, photos, etc. so, they will be more easily accessible to more people. They are also looking at setting up a digital kiosk at the library for video and movie viewing.

WNRL is also working on its plans for the future. They have recently found it necessary to expand the bookshelves in the library and are rapidly outgrowing their current location. The building currently housing the library is about five hundred square feet in size. WNRL hopes to be able to expand its current location or move to a larger building with at least one thousand square feet of space. Their ultimate vision for the future is a location large enough to be able to incorporate a museum for nudist artifacts along with the library.

If you are interested in visiting the Western Nudist Research Library or would like more information, visit their website, or call them at (909)-206-2758. You can support the WNRL by becoming a member for an annual membership fee of $25 or joining at the Diamond level for $100 per year. If you’d like to offer help to the WNRL, you can donate materials or money or even volunteer your time. Preserving and organizing all this history is a daunting undertaking. Let’s give the WNRL a huge thank you and a helping hand!

“Here I am! Naked and unafraid! You don’t even have to love me, but is it so much to ask you to simply co-exist?” —Dan Carlson

Opened on Saturday, May 26, 2007, on the grounds of Glen Eden Nudist Resort, this important research facility marks the culmination of ten years of dreaming, planning, and dedicated labor, due to the efforts of several Glen Eden members, in particular Jeannette DeRosier, Richard Hirst, and Jim Zack.

The first of its kind on a regional level, the facility’s purpose is to serve as a centralized location for collecting, preserving, and displaying materials related to the origin and development of the American Social Nudist movement. It contains the historical archives of all nudist club history in the region back to 1932. As a nonprofit 501(c)3 corporation, the library relies solely on financial support from its members. Read more

Society has a lot to say about a lot of things, and one of the things that society often claims is that nudity is indecent. Many individuals may argue with that definition, but society as a collective continually demonstrates that it finds the naked human body improper and insists that it is covered in public.

What is decency? Who arbitrates the standards of society? The climate of public opinion is prone to change over time. Some things that were once considered wrong are now mainstream, and some things that were once common are now branded as outdated and inappropriate. Read more

“Naturism offers a way of being that dares to suggest that who we are without any additions or covering up is all we need to be.” Philip Carr-Gomm

The history of nudity in California spans back to the 1930s. The national American Sunbathing Association (ASA) was founded in 1932 to coordinate activities of the dozens of small and independent nudist clubs and camps that sprang up across the country at the start of the Depression. The next decade saw a significant proliferation of nudist clubs throughout the country, so it was decided to divide the US and Canada into seven regions to more closely service nearby clubs. In the eight western states this became the Western Sunbathing Association (WSA).

Some of these early clubs included McConville (originally named Olympic Fields) near Lake Elsinore, Fraternity Elysia above present-day Sunland, and Lupin in the hills above Santa Cruz. These early parks had sparse resources and amenities, and people usually brought in their own tents and food. Hence the term “nudist camps” became the best way to describe them. The original philosophy of these camps was healthy food and exercise with no smoking or alcohol allowed. Of these originals, only Lupin remains today, the oldest park west of the Mississippi. Read more

Naturists – who tend to be mostly middle-aged or older – often wonder and ask (see the link, below) “Why aren’t there more young naturists?” Although there are a number of reasons, to be noted here, there’s one fundamental reason: economics.

It’s pretty simple. Many people in their 50s or older can afford things that facilitate naturist activities, such as travel, naturist resort fees, recreational vehicles, etc. They’re also more likely to live in private homes instead of apartment complexes, and so have more privacy for enjoying nudity. Read more

“Conversely, getting naked was the thing that made me realize I am more than a sum of my parts and that no one will ever put me under the microscope I’d applied to myself.” Amy Nickell

Are you an Active Couch Potato?

Marilyn shared a great article the other day from the New York Times. It was called, "Are You an Active Couch Potato?" Quoted from the beginning of the article:

Did you work out for 30 minutes today?

Did you spend the rest of the day staring at your computer and then settle in front of the television at night?

If you answered yes to both questions, then you meet the definition of what scientists call “an active couch potato.” It means that, despite your commitment to exercise, you could be at risk for a variety of health problems, according to a sweeping new study of how people move — or don’t move — throughout the day. (Study link: https://journals.lww.com/acsm-msse/Abstract/9900/Joint_Profiles_of_Sedentary_Time_and_Physical.86.aspx)

The study, which involved more than 3,700 men and women in Finland, found that many dutifully exercised for a half-hour, but then sat, almost nonstop, for another 10, 11 or even 12 hours a day. These were the study’s active couch potatoes, and their blood sugar, cholesterol and body fat all were elevated.

But the study found, too, that men and women who got up and moved around even a little more often, whether by strolling gently or fitting in more exercise, were substantially healthier than the active couch potatoes.

The results tell us that a single 30-minute, daily workout “might not be enough” to alleviate the downsides of prolonged sitting, said Vahid Farrahi, a postdoctoral scientist at the University of Oulu and lead author of the new study.

In other words, if we exercise, but also sit for the rest of the day, it’s almost as if we had not worked out at all. The good news is that a few simple steps — literal and otherwise — should safeguard us from becoming an active sofa spud.

So, the conclusion of the article was that we can't just meet the minimum daily requirement of half an hour of formal exercise per day, then sit or stand (both of which counted as being inactive in the study) for the other 23 1/2 hours. Getting up, moving, strolling, cleaning, gardening, visiting your neighbor, walking instead of driving the golf cart. Basically, try to move more, however you can, whenever you can, and in ways that you enjoy.

Sign up for the wellness journal here Read more

Hi, my name is Freddie Carlile and I am a Director on your AANR-West board. I have been a member of AANR for 14 years and a nudist for much longer than that. Here’s a little more about me.

I was raised by a “Hippie” mother and being nude while in the house, as well as while out camping at the river or lakes as a kid was just a natural part of growing up. Things changed a bit as I got to be a teen, and I was a little more self-conscious of my body and the constraints of society. My mother still practiced the nudist lifestyle, and I often had to yell at her when I brought friends home from school to go put on her Muu Muu before I entered the house.

As an adult, I met my husband, Alanon an online dating website in early 2008. He thought he was going to shock me by taking me to the optional clothing resort he was living at. Well, it didn’t work! I stripped right on down what god gave me and hopped right into the nudist lifestyle I had so much enjoyed as a kid. I admit to being what the tanned members refer to as being a cotton tail. Yep, I was white as a cotton ball. That didn’t last long! Soon, I was just as all over-tanned as anyone there.

I moved to the clothing optional resort, Shangri-la Ranch, in 2009, and Alan and I had a nude wedding on January 2, 2010. The wedding was open to the residents and guests and was featured in the Bulletin as one of the first nude weddings of that year. There were over 125 people in attendance.

In 2012, we moved to another clothing-optional resort in southern California outside San Diego. The resort, named DeAnza Springs, was our home until earlier this year. We were able to take advantage of the low-interest rates and bought some property back in Arizona.

Currently, I live in a nude-friendly house on a little over an acre in Northern Arizona. I am a member of a non-landed AANR-West group called The Arizona Wildflowers. I have met other nudists in the area and have encouraged them to join AANR and take advantage of the benefits belonging to the organization can offer. I enjoy being on and representing you on the AANR-West board.

“Nakedness should never be discouraged…the very fact that the law does not permit exposure of certain sex organs is bound to give children a warped attitude toward the human body.”—A.S.Neill

I was born and raised in Ft. Lauderdale, Fl. I attended Northern Arizona University (NAU) in Flagstaff, AZ for my undergraduate degree in Food and Nutrition Science. I attended Colorado State University (CSU) in Fort Collins, CO for my graduate degree in Food Science. I then spent time in Phoenix, AZ, and the Philadelphia, PA area working for a meat packing company. I moved back to Flagstaff, AZ where I currently live with my mother and sister. I work for a medical device manufacturer as a regulatory affairs associate.

I have been a nudist since 2015. My partner has a trailer in Shangri-La, and we spend a lot of time in the winter there. My partner and I enjoy traveling in the summer to nudist resorts in the AANR west and other regions with a travel trailer. I have been a Director of AANR west since July 2022. I am currently the chair of the Finance committee.

I was in the car last summer with a naturist friend, Jennifer, debriefing about the whole naturist thing. (Americans call them nudists, but I’m not really fond of that title.)

In fact, we were on the way to the airport as she had just spent a few days hanging out with us at a naturist resort in France and it seemed like a good time to grill her for a few moments about her proclivity for doffing her clothes whenever given half a chance to do so. She mused quite a lot about naked time as having become her “safe zone,” which is particularly notable in this case as up to a few years ago, the idea of getting naked with other humans in a non-sexual environment wasn’t even something that had crossed her mind! Now, I think she would go as far as to identify herself as an enthusiastic naturist. Read more

“No one – not one single person in the whole world!- should ever look in the mirror and think “this body is not acceptable to be seen nude.”  Steve

Back in 2014, I covered a GoTopless protest event for a newspaper blog I was writing. It’s an annual event held in several major cities around the world where women do not share the right that men have: to be topless in some public settings such as on the beach, in parks, etc.

I noted in that piece that on the morning of the afternoon event, a female radio show host mentioned it on air and said she had no wish to go topless in public settings and that she didn’t know any other women who might want to, either. She didn’t elaborate for any reason, but to be fair she was on a classic rock music station, and it wasn’t a forum for that sort of discussion, anyway. Read more

We just want to be naked and have fun in the sun. The Las Vegas Bares sponsor Nude and Clothing Optional day and overnight trips to hot springs or landed nudist resorts. We have scheduled clothing optional hikes and nude kayak day trips. Full MOON nude hikes, Nude overnight kayak excursions on the Colorado River, and visits to neighboring nude resorts in CA and AZ. Sometimes we also have nude pool parties with NUDE Water Volleyball, and a sundeck to get your all-around tan! Come out and enjoy an afternoon of relaxing naked in the sun or recharge your mind and body with a free hike in the desert. http://www.lasvegasbares.com

We are a non-landed Naturist group located in the St George Utah area.

Who we are: We are a “Clothing Optional”, safe, friendly social group and all our events are strictly non-sexual. We are proud to offer membership to people 18 and over of all genders, sexual orientations, body types, and ethnicities. We structure our Club this way to create a safe and friendly environment where members and their guests can enjoy each other’s company based on mutual respect, consideration for others, and common sense.

What we do: We have events on the 2nd and 4th Saturday of every month. Events include Skinny Dipping parties at a private pool, movie night, game night, potlucks, and other activities that people would like to do. We organize trips to go camping, hiking, and to Naturist resorts, both in and out of state.

Why we do it: As we practice non-sexual nudity, our self-esteem is enhanced along with our ability to accept ourselves and others as we really are, regardless of physical size, shape, or body condition. It also helps us relax and reduces stress while elevating our positive body image. We learn to embrace the joyful feeling of having fun in our own skins with other like-minded people.

So come and experience what total freedom is all about! We would love to have you join us and experience the joy of living in the most natural way possible! Have a “Sunny” day! https://southernutahnaturistsociety.org

As the Northern Hemisphere is heading to Autumn, the temperatures are slowly decreasing and may go below a threshold where we cannot be comfortably naked. Well, this is what common sense would dictate. However, even in winter, even if we need to heat our house a few degrees less to decrease our carbon footprint and cope with rising energy pricing, we can still enjoy nudism, both inside and outside. Yes, contrary to popular belief, even by seasoned nudists and naturists, you can enjoy naturism and nudism all year long. Here are 8 tips to do so, particularly when getting and staying naked may prove difficult due to colder temperatures. Read more

“I cannot wait to get to the beach and look at all the penises,” squealed my daughter, Claire, from the back seat of the car.

She was 4, and we were on our way to a nude beach. I had discussed with her (and my three other daughters) what behaviors were acceptable at the naked beach, and they knew staring was frowned upon. But I also always encouraged them to be respectfully curious about bodies.

Having shame-free conversations about sexuality was the norm in our family. Read more

If you have read my previous installments, you will have heard the message repeatedly that taking an active part in enjoying social nudity can hugely benefit body confidence.

As a naturist and having found a significant boost in body confidence from engaging with other naturists, I am quick to sing the praises of getting your kit off to boost self-esteem.

One of the things that I need to keep reminding myself of is that body confidence can come from a large number of things, not just getting naked. A new outfit, a new hairstyle, or a genuine (appropriate) compliment from a colleague or friend can boost confidence and help our self-esteem. Read more