This Spring has been hectic for me. Among other events, the daughter moved back home, expressing her indigence to my choice of clothes (or lack there of).
I have been out on Galveston bay in the sailboat twice. Well, once it was more of a motorboat. No wind whatsoever. But, it was sunny and nice. The second trip was beautiful, sailing across the bay and back (10 - 12 kts either head or reach). I motor out of the canal into the small bay, removing any coverings as soon as I exit the canal. They reverse on return. No dolphins on these early trips, but expect them to return as the water gets saltier.
I've also been able to get down to the Padre Island National Seashore (
https://www.nps.gov/pais/index.htm) on 2 separate occasions. The first time it was extremely windy. You must park at the 'sticks' and walk into the refuge. Families and textiles often come there to get away from the crowds, but they never venture far into the refuge. The first trip (with the wind) there was only one car parked at the sticks. No one was in sight, so I just put my stuff in a tote and marched my naked self on down the beach. After about 1/2 mile, I noticed movement in the dunes. I wasn't sure their preference for sunwear, so I put on my legal minimum. As I got closer, I observed that he was indeed wearing board shorts. So I added a quick wrap.
He stayed in his chair as I passed, neither of us making any attempts toward introductions or a chat. After I walked an appropriate distance past him, off came the coverings, back into the tote. I found a nice spot to lay out the sarong and relax. I noticed that he had taken to walking down to the water and exploring the beach a bit. There was too much distance to see any details, but the bright red color of his shorts was no longer present.
Anyway, I don't sit very long before the urge to move sets in. So, I'm exploring the surf, beach and dunes for interesting objects of flora, fauna and human presence. When I walked a ways his direction, he seemed to walk my way. So I decided to close the gap.
When we were close enough, we chatted a bit. He was from Minnesota and had belonged to a Naturist Club there. He had heard that nudity was practiced here, but wasn't sure of the legality or tradition. I explained what I knew and the experiences I have had. Nice guy, enjoyable chat.
We both left a short time later, I had a long drive ahead of me.
The second trip was more enjoyable, the weather was more favorable, but it was a Sunday, so more textiles were near the sticks. Once I got past them, the beach was once again, empty. The water was warm enough for a swim, and i even body-surfed several waves. No FRN converts or other encounters, but a nice day at the beach.
~Safebare
