Crossed Oaks Haven

Hi

I usually update our news and events weekly but have not done so lately with all of our activities and work have not been able to write as often.

So let's see I said last blog that you could find us at Lake Como September 7th.  We did go out and thoroughly enjoy a wonderful time at the resort.  I believe that 8 or 9 of us were there.  We played water volleyball and were a major part of the people enjoying the dance music into the late evening.

The next weekend we celebrated our 2nd anniversary at Sunny Sands.  We brought the NV and went out Friday night to see Joe Santana and the Kingfish performing.  It was really great to return to the resort and be able to get into the hot tub about 2:30 am.  It was a very special celebration having our friends Mark and Amy joining us for their first visit to the resort.  We also brought a lot of life to the party atmosphere by having a wonderfully fun time with the squirt guns in the pool with the plastic ball.  We were gifted with a refund of our fees on Sunday morning as the resort decided to not charge us since it was our anniversary.  I felt we already received a gift of a DJ when they had told us it would be a juke box night.  We have already added September 13th as our 3rd anniversary party.

Our next trip was to Cypress Cove for the Youth Summit.  It was a learning experience for us in many ways.  There was a lot of interesting ideas shared in the meetings.  A few of the resorts have reduced rates for the visitors under age 35 or 30.  Also there was discussions about ways to change things to make the resorts more eco friendly and help to sustain them into the future.  There were stories shared about the importance of the organizations and how they make it so that the resorts and clubs can even exist.  I know that as much as we enjoy the resorts I don't monitor the legal bills affecting our ability to be naked outside our own personal shower.  We enjoy our freedoms ecause there is a group of people helping us to stay safe.

Our Octoberfest working weekend was a bit more mild this year but was definitely another naturally fun time.  We had friends drive up from Orlando and stay late keeping us laughing.  I will add a picture or two from some of our activities.  Ken did enjoy some adventures and Bare even got a nice petting at Cypress Cove.  I had no idea how this club would grow and develop and change.  Never expected to have 2 inanimate club mascott's.

Edun Lake, Cypress Cove and a cruise to Bahama's are in the near future.  Hope to see you out there having fun.

Patti

Hi,

The next few weekends you can find us out and about at some of our favorite resorts.  We should be at Lake Como on September 7th.  We will also be celebrating our anniversary a day early on September 14th at Sunny Sands and then we will be at Cypress Cove for the Youth Summit the 27th-29th.  Look for us and join us in the celebrations of naturally fun times.

Patti

Crossed Oaks Haven has been very very busy in July and many trips were taken, a few missed and much information gathered. We started out the month with 4th of July fireworks and ended up purchasing next years fireworks during our East Coast exploration.

Friends and club members enjoyed the fireworks at COH before we started off on the traveling. Lake Como was our first club trip  for the month and Carolina Foothills Resort was the last one. Cypress Cove got 2 visits, and the skinny dip was also held at COH. Avalon and Sunny Rest also welcomed our presence. Solair, MaHeSo and Beechwood, as well as Cedar Creek were on the potential visit list.

Lake Como and Cypress Cove were day visits this month rather than overnight stays. We are so lucky in Florida to have such welcoming clubs. It seems as a traveler that much of the entertainment is diminished during a week day and some of it is non-existent.

I had read years ago about travelers staying at resorts saved money and were able to enjoy themselves more naturally. It does not seem to hold true any longer to save money by staying in naturist venues. (At least not in a motorhome.) Our overnight fees ranged from $22 in the mountains off Route 77 to over $80 at the resort in West Virginia. The AANR discount does not seem much when there are also day fees added to the cost of the facilities. It seems like that day fees should be reduced for use of site when only staying 1 night during the week. The major expense for a trip traveling across country in a motorhome seems to be gas.

During our exploration trip the first resort we visited was Avalon. We had stopped along the side of the highway on our way to TN as well as spending a night in the driveway of family. GPS systems don't always find the exact address of places so it was good that I had internet at times before our stop and that I had been there once before. Once you get up to the mountain top you don't have cell signal. We arrived as the office was closing so did not see too many people but did get some help trying to level out the NV from the manager. The camping sites are very nice and we enjoyed making a campfire. They are just not nearly friendly for any  person who has trouble walking. They do have campsites much closer to the facilities but I am not sure they are for motorhomes.

Our next stop was within a days travel so that timing was not a factor. Also family does not generally close their doors at a scheduled time. This is what put us at a textile campground on our visit to CT. I learned last year that you need to call if you are thinking you will be late to arrive at a resort. When I spoke to the folks at Solair I found out it would be best to be there by 2pm. The office would be closing at 4pm and he said they roll up the sidewalks. I looked up another resort in CT on the internet and they do not allow non members to visit during the week.

When we left CT we took a little site seeing side trip that slowed our progress home and gave The NV a temporary driving break. This was a Ferry ride from CT to Long Island. I had not been to CT or Long Island before so it was a good experience except for having to drive across the George Washington Bridge in NYC to get back out. Despite the 45 minute delay we did arrive at Sunny Rest during daylight hours.

The staff in the office at Sunny Rest was nice and unobtrusive. The discount coupons in the Bulletin and from our trip to the Nudist Clubhouse Expo made our stay reasonably priced. I forgot to get a receipt because I paid cash. Unlike the staff at Lake Como no one showed us where our site was so we drove around a bit extra finding it. Also apparently the neighbors were parking their vehicles on our spot. They were very nice and helped us to back up being our spotters and directors. Once we settled the NV into it's resting place we decided to check out the restaurant. This may have saved us time in set up and clean up but the food was a bit disappointing. It seemed pretty much prepackaged and overcooked. Our mobility impaired members would have difficulty moving about the facility without a golf cart that is $40 per day. They do have paved roads but a lot of hills which made it good cardio workout. The bar and pool was open meaning that visiting with guests was possible. There was some nice people but there was also some Non AANR activity going on which takes the resort off my revisit list.

I wonder when you are using a GPS if you can set it up for a vehicle type. I think some are but we were borrowing one and not sure if it is programmable for that. We had to get out the maps to figure out an alternative to the route near Baltimore and Washington DC because it wanted to take us on a route that did not allow trucks. Traffic in that area of the world is always very heavy and no make a u turn directions from a GPS are needed to make you busy while driving. Since we were in the area I called MaHeSo to see if we could maybe stop and visit just to see the facilities. The person was very nice when they called me back but basicly I was informed that I would need to make arrangements 24 hours in advance. It made me miss Cypress Cove having such accessible facilities even during the week.

We were now into trying to travel faster and get as far towards home as we could go. This did not deter me from wanting to try and still accomplish another resort visit. My goals were achieved with a much more pleasant experience at our last club visit. I called once reasonable daylight hours had hit and the Carolina Foothills Resort answered the phone with a smile. We were welcome to stop in and take a road break for free. It was nice to have facilities to cook our lunch and take a break in the Hot tub and pool. My son was anxious to get home and gave me a bit of angst about making one more stop at a resort but for me it was well worth it.

So what can I say about traveling in The NV across the East Coast? I can say it is interesting, nerve wracking, expensive and best done with friends. Would I do it again? I probably would if I can schedule the resorts for staying at one a whole weekend to truly enjoy their activities. I would recommend that if the places want to grow their weekly clientele they offer incentives that encourage the non naturist traveler as well as the naturist traveler. I am finding that I might want to be taking my vehicle to places that charge the least rather than to pay 4 times as much because I want to be comfortable in my own skin. Still having fun Naturally.

Patti

Hi,

I am sitting in my very nice room at Cypress Cove, thinking I should actually be out by the pool which I will be soon.  We are working hard this year to keep track of our trips and plan to be breaking records next year for the number of miles our group spends going to resorts.  There are so many trips planned and we are always open to invitations.

Last weekend was the AANR/TNS sponsored world record breaking skinny dip event.  We participated and thanks to Elizabeth, our youngest member, we broke our personal record for number of people attending our pot lucks.  Counting the home owner and family we had 20 people for the event with several people staying overnight.

We need to start checking the AANR site to see what the numbers are coming out to for the event but our club had 15 people in the official photo.  Every event and opportunity for fun in the sun we have to decide which thing we want to do.  Thank you all for your participation.  I know we had members participating at resorts and other clubs as well.

This week our travel trip starts and once again there is so many choices to make.  Any of our followers that want a visit should contact Patti and put in a vote.  I was surprised to find out that we have followers and welcome your input.

August should bring us to Sunny Sands for a Luau on 10th, Cypress Cove for Single Nudists 16-18 and club potluck on 24th.

Hope to see all out having fun naturally.

Patti

Hi,

We are getting excited for our National Event, trying to break a record.  Between now and then we will be visiting Lake Como to celebrate the Independence of our country.

So June was a month of firsts with many trips and a lot of fun and July should be as well.

Travels planned for Lake Como 6th, Cypress Cove on 8th for a class on using coupons.  Then the big record breaking event at Patti's where we join all the resorts in taking a dip wearing zip.  July 13th that is, be in the pool at 1 PM.  July 20th will find us back at Cypress Cove.  The end of the month the NV is taking it's first trip up the country to go out of State.

Hope to meet all of the new site members and turn you into full members in the organization.  

Patti

I am thinking that our fourth is newsletter is not due for a few weeks I have ideas already thought a bit about what to write for the first week of June and thinking about what pictures to post.  Once I write this blog I will put some photos into the website for your enjoyment.

Why do I think firsts should be part of the title of this blog?  Well this was the first flying across country trip that our little group has taken.  It was also the first trip with all single people traveling.  This did create a new wrinkle in 1 or 2 of our venues due to the ever problematic societal perception of nudism.  We did not visit a place that was on some of our members bucket list due to the fact that they thought we might be perverted.

We also had never before participated in an expo to promote nudism.  I know that being an activist is not normally part of my nature but I did even tell someone in the public about the expo.  I know the promoters were disappointed in the public turn out this year and we should probably all help to promote the normalcy of how we live our lives.

There was a lot of fun planned around the event with a nude pool party and glow in the dark indoor miniature golf.  I had no clue that Joe had never played miniature golf before so that was another first.

I actually won a little money in Vegas which was a first for me.  I was able to use the winnings to provide for some of the expenses of the trip which will help make more trips possible.

We had a rental car and it was the first for all of us to drive out to the Hoover Dam.  We took along one our new friends.  When we returned him to his hotel we went to a comedy show and our waitress got picked on by the comic.  Another first.

Traveling from Vegas to our very first ever visit to DeAnza Springs was another original first.  None of us had ever seen so much undeveloped land in our lives.  We traveled for hours with no stores, restaurants, houses or any place to use facilities.  I think maybe next time I travel that kind of route it would be safer in The NV where we can pull over for a few minutes.  I did buy a plastic cup as a souvenir when we did stop and buy gas.  DeAnza is a great place to get away from it all.  No cell phone service but definitely a hot sunshine.  I thoroughly enjoyed hiking over the mountains and onto the boulders.  They also had a wonderful reading lounge chair by the pool that rearranged those tan lines a little bit.

As much as we were relaxing and enjoying DeAnza it was important to head to Glen Eden for a few more firsts.  We played water volleyball and stayed out in the hot tub until after midnight.  We think they can give other resorts a run for the money at being the friendliest AANR club.  We had so much fun that even though we did not buy enough food for 2 days we stayed for another night.

The next first was not nearly as much fun as visiting resorts.  It was the first time for a redeye flight for me.  We drove 4-5 hours to get back to Vegas and hung out at the airport for a bit before returning home.  The one nice thing I can say for the airport is that they took the water bottles and donated them to the USO.  Since many of our club members are military it is great that we supported them rather than trashing the water bottles.  Figuring out how to travel together with medical equipment and big airports did teach us that we need to learn new ways to pack.

Returning to Cypress Cove was like being home as we were recognized and greeted with smiles.  Another first was at Cypress Cove when we enjoyed a Baby shower with alcohol for prizes.  The pineapple rum was very tasty in Pina Coladas at the club potluck.  That was another first, hosting a party when I had been traveling.  Also we hosted to a bunch of younger adults skinny dipping with us in the pool and all had a great time.  

More naturally fun times to be in our future.

Patti

Just a quick note to say we are Vegas bound.  Hope to see many new friends and enjoy some time meeting our internet friends.  Look for Naturally Fun Times edition 4 to have a photo or two from our exploits.  

Patti

Amazing and fun is how we can describe our trip to Playalinda this weekend.  The Nautical Nudists and folks from Lake Como and Paradise Lakes brought a bus of 37 folks from the Tampa area.  There were 4 of us from COH (crossed oaks haven), some folks we met at Suwanee Valley, some we met nude bowling and at Nude a Palooza plus many other folks we had never met before.  The beach looked a lot more like Daytona than any other time I had been to Playalinda.  It made for a very relaxing and fun visit.  

Our times are always so much more fun due to the attitude of our naturist friends.  I know no other venue where you can talk to a stranger and end up feeling like a friend.  You tend to share your equipment (Thanks Bob) and certainly share smiles.  We offered rides to a few people that had to park further down and gave them our card so maybe we will have more friends.

Thank you Doyle for making this a much more fun trip and for finding the irridescent shell for me.  You have been one of the most generous members in our group and your openness to folks on the beach made me feel more outgoing also.

We have so much more to look forward to as our little group continues to travel about the world.

Patti

Hi,

I am thinking that we need to get some ideas of how to fill in a few more weekends in July.  There is always so many choices to get out and have fun.  Patti is taking a big trip at the end of the month but is still willing to go other places if only for the day.

Suwanee Valley Resort was what we were expecting with it's gracious hosts and tasty food.  We made some new friends and got to see some old friends.  As in any of the places we go to visit the hardest thing to do is pack up and drive away.  The sunburn came from just relaxing at the pool and trying to finish a book.  

I will probably include a picture from the river as part of Naturally Fun Times 3rd publication.  I plan to write it soon so that can send out June's calendar before we go to Las Vegas.

Hope everyone is enjoying Naturally Fun Times

Patti

The last few weeks have taken us to a few events and we are now planning more things for the future.

We were at Cypress Cove April 11th through the 14th.  We enjoyed another nude bowling night.  Cookie cake seemed to be a big hit the first time in January so we brought it again.  The peanut butter balls were even a bigger hit.  It took a while to finish them off during the weekend.

The remainder of the weekend was spent with some great friends and all of the Nudist Club House activities.  We did some nudescasting with Clothesfree TV.com and the Nudes in the News.  I am not sure what episode number it will be but am going to look for it.  Brian surprised both me and Joe when he interviewed us.  Hopefully this time I did not put my foot in my mouth as I have in the past.  Joe reported how AWESOME it will be to go to the Expo in Las Vegas.  Look for us.

This past weekend was spent at the resort closest to home Sunny Sands.  We were helping them celebrate their 5oth birthday.  The weather was cold and wet most of the weekend but the friendship and comraderie was there.  The band was absolutely rocking the place and I danced until my body was sore in places I did not know I was using.  

It is interesting trying to figure out how to fit 5 people and all of our things to make breakfast into the NV but we are a cooperative group.  I made the sausage gravy and biscuits initiating our cooking equipment.  When the eating was done Maryanne did the cleanup.  Each trip we take shows us more about how to do things and what little parts I need to buy in order to fit in each spot.  Thank heaven for the fact that Naturists are the most friendly and helpful folks.  They help by doing things like being the spotter to park or even providing instruction on why the water is not working right.  

The club calendar has been changed a little bit so take a look around.  The next adventure local is April 27th and then we will be going to Suwanee Valley Resort May 11th.  Hope to see you in our travels.

Patti