Platypusworld

Okay, okay, last weekend was the Memorial Day holiday.  But after just four days back at work we already feel like we need a weekend to recover from last weekend... what with landscaping, barbecues to prepare for and attend, as well as stopping to honor vets it's time for more R&R. We plan to get bare for several hours this weekend in our own back yard!  Maybe we'll have that squirt gun fight we posted about yesterday. And if it rains?  Here are some nudist related news stories from this week to keep you in the spirit while you relax indoors on the couch: Mark Haskell Smith Bares All as Nudist 4 Naked at Lunch Book   - From the Los Angeles Times ; Latest Twist: Nakations   - From USA Today (actually ran 5/20/15 just over one week ago); Naked is not Nude (in Germany)  - From the Huffington Post today; Authorities Forced to Release Rules to Naked Tourists  - The Daily Mail (5/28/15 - about tourists snapping nude pix at historic landmarks); Why I ...

It's HOT outside!  At least it is already in many parts of the country right now. This Saturday, why not plan an old-fashioned squirt gun fight in the back yard?  Toss in some water balloons.  Or set up some targets and don't stand to far away when you shoot / pitch at them. Oh... and one more thing:  Why not hold this shooting gallery in your birthday suits?  Sounds like fun to the Platypus. Go on.  You still have time to stop by the store and pick up your H2O arsenal. Have fun!  Play naked!

Actually, the latest poll commissioned by Bare Platypus and offered to visitors courtesy of the good folks at Poll Daddy asks the question a little more broadly. Go on... tell us... How will you spend the next few days?  We hope you can be with folks who care about you and that you can be in your birthday suit at least some of the time.  The same for your family and friends. We'll keep this poll running through Independence Day to gather your thoughts. - The Platypus

Just a few days ago a story ran in the  New York Post  and on Yahoo about nude cruises.  In the article the writer interviewed Nancy Tiemman of Bare Necessities Tour and Travel, who is well known within the nudist industry.  In typical professional style, Nancy relayed information for first-time travelers about what they could expect on a cruise, the fact that your fellow travelers will be friendly as well as nude, and other helpful facts. The writer also interviewed a spokesperson for "Bliss" travel which makes bookings aboard ships of "a different color."  Summarized, the "Bliss" experience is an adult playground where anything goes in certain areas.  Ironically though, passengers can only enjoy simple nudity within a few restricted areas. We know which we would choose. Mr. and Mrs. Platypus have traveled on three Bare Necessities journeys and can completely recommend this reputable company. As to the folks from "Bliss..." we will say only th...

Those of  you who have followed the Bare Platypus blog for years know that it was once tradition to award a "Walter of the Week" award for the person who had most served the cause of nudity, nakedness, nudism, or just positive appreciation of the human body.  The "trophy" (picture) bearing a golden platypus at its top was named after Walter Bishop, a slightly eccentric professor character on the television series Fringe who celebrated naked Tuesdays by making pancakes sans clothes. Over the years we awarded Walter Awards to movies, actors, brave nude patriots, you name it.  If you select months and years over in the right hand column, you can identify the recipients by simply selecting "Walter of the Week" stories... almost always named on a Tuesday. We're bringing back the Walter award this particular Tuesday to honor a woman who had done so much for the cause of social nudism: Mrs. Platypus. You see, tomorrow will mark the 26th wedding anniversary be...

This morning the Bare Platypus fired up the computer and checked news sources.  Among the nudist articles he saw was a  Story About Berkshire Vista Resort in Hancock Mass  .  We're glad it was a good story too: Owners Dan and Ginny Bookstein are good folks.  They are not nudists.  But when they bought the property they listened to the naked people who called this club home and were persuaded to keep it nude.  The Booksteins support national nudist associations with members and with stays at the place as prizes for fund raising contests.  They provide an ever-improving club.  And the residents make the place extra special. The Platypus knows all this because he and his family have visited the club on several occasions and always found it friendly and a great place to go nude.... even in winter.  The core structure of the main lodging house is a farmhouse dating back a couple hundred years or so in old New England.  The club is right ...

The Bare Platypus tends to do this every time that the PowerBall jackpot gets up there and he fishes into his wallet with his webbed feet to purchase a ticket: Dream BIG. And whenever he dreams about winning a big lotto jackpot, it usually involves how he would enjoy simply being naked more often in different places, different ways.  Sometimes he dreams of visiting the nude beaches and resorts of France and Germany.  Sometimes owning his own nudist place... Today it's about what the Platypus would get in a house.  Not marble or silver candlesticks, mind you. But windows... lots and lots of windows to let in natural light.  Set back on a parcel far enough that anyone encountering nudity would have to come onto the private property (and ignore the advisory signs) to get there. One feature not seen before in a house that he would also consider: Putting a closet between the garage and main part of the house.  Why? So that he could get bare upon parking the car, and ...

We have written a number of times on this blog about the "lessons" our family has learned from our family pets.  For one thing---rather obviously---they don't wear clothes and they do not seem the least bit bothered by it.  They thrive!  For another thing, our pets learned quickly that they should be wary of anytime that anyone in the family puts on clothes. It means we'll be leaving them alone soon and they "protest" by barking, even raising a paw of "protest" to keep us from getting dressed.  You can read blog entries  ( March 17, 2012 Lessons from the Family Pet   ) and  March 29, 2012 Staying Naked Makes Their Terrier Merrier on those subjects. Today the lesson is a little more serious.  See, until now we have always had very, very clever pooches that are escape artists when it comes to the back yard.  They were constantly looking for a way to dig under a fence, squeeze through a gate, even jump and use objects to get out of the yard and ...

Congrats moms!  This is your day.  We celebrate the countless hours you put into making our next generation all that it will be.  That's why we hope you can do something special today in your birthday suit just for you.  A few ideas: - Take a long relaxing bubble bath; - Enjoy a glass of a very nice wine without wearing a stitch; - Watch an entire movie in bed or the couch sans clothes; - Curl up with a good book naked; -Sunbathe in your back yard; -Skip doing the laundry... the kids and dad can go naked too. Happy mother's day from The Bare Platypus.

There is a story out today on CNN about  Why Getting Naked on Holiday is a Big Deal in Germany  .  The piece is quite interesting and provides a litany of information about present-day habits among German naturists, plus the history in the country which helps explain why it is popular to bare there.  The story goes into some detail about the unity-in-nudity that occurred between East and West Germany prior to the fall of the Berlin Wall. Bare Platypus has offered prior entries on this blog in which we speculate why nudity is so popular there, ( see the September 23, 2013 post that Germans Love Nudity  ) as well as the meaning of the letters  FKK  ( March 23, 2012 post). It was, frankly, nice to read a positive, comprehensive treatment of naturism on a mainstream news site today.  One can only hope that folks who read this will give naked a try. The only unfortunate aspect of the piece is the author's observation that naturism may be on the wane a ...

Those in the naked community know that, for many, the nudist "season" unofficially opens with Memorial Day weekend holiday.  People will be visiting clubs and beaches eager to shed their "cotton tails" and other tan lines they have acquired through the winter and spring. For this reason, the Bare Platypus usually makes a blog post reminding folks to start making plans for the holiday early in May each year. Consider yourself reminded!  Why not... Book a hotel near a nude beach while remaining rooms are available; Do a bit of walking in your neighborhood so you'll be in shape to hike from the parking lot to that  nude beach...it can seem a   l --- o --- n --- g way, especially on a holiday weekend; Ask for an extra day off from your boss, in advance, so that you can get a four day weekend this year to spend in the buff; Take a naked "before" selfie with your tan lines and "cotton tail" so you'll have an something to compare it with "a...

You've no doubt heard the oft-used expression, "It's all Greek to me!" to explain puzzlement or bewilderment.  The phrase is especially fitting as we turn to a discussion of the United States Supreme Court's consideration of the gay marriage issue one week ago. Please hear us out! This post is not about to argue one way or the other on the marriage topic itself. Instead, specifically, the Platypus is interested in a line of questioning raised by Associate Justice Samuel Alito.  During an interchange between the Justice and counsel seeking to strike down laws against gay marriage, Alito opined that while ancient Greek civilization did not discourage--even celebrated-- relationships between members of the same sex, the culture did not recognize marriage between them, per se'.  As a student of history, he wanted to draw from that classic chapter of history. It's true that we get many of our basic ideas about democracy, republics, and the jury system from Ath...

Saturday was  World Naked Gardening Day  and the Platypus turned it into a naked gardening weekend.  Aside from running some shopping errands at the store and the family's trip to church this morning, he spent the hours landscaping. Now, to be perfectly honest the habitat of this Platypus is not secluded enough for him to bare his fur while mowing the lawn or weeding and caring for the front yard.  In fact he had to keep shirt and shorts on while he transplanted a large oleander to a corner of the back yard  and planted two lilacs in a window box nearby where their height would help make things more secluded too. This Spring, for the first time, the vegetation in this little corner of our world is lush enough that it is actually possible to get naked and enjoy the fruits of all that labor.  The space may only be about 8 "webbed" feet by 8 "webbed" feet, but it is enough to set up two chairs, or a blanket, where you can be au naturel without giving offense. ...