My wife and I decided to visit Lake Como as our first nudist experience. We picked International Skinny Dip Day (July 13). Not sure why we thought a day that could find the co-op packed with people, but we did.

We were both quite nervous, despite all we’ve read that it would be no big deal after 5-10 minutes.

We arrived and were told we’d have to park in a remote lot at the tennis courts because of the crowd. On the way there we saw nothing, but single men undressing at their cars. This made my wife more apprehensive. At the tennis courts, all men playing tennis. This wasn’t building anyone’s confidence.

She walked into the unisex bathroom and undressed. Came back to the car in a laced coverup, covering all the goods. I decide to undress completely at the car. We grasp our things and walk a few hundred feet to the pool area, passing more men (walking, on golf carts, etc). At least I fit in. LOL.

We arrive to where the main events are and find a mixed crowd finally. We freeze a little. Where do we go? What should we do? The pool was packed so I suggested we go there first. Rip the bandaid off, so to speak. We enter the pull and we had made it. A hundred or more people, naked. I turn to my wife and say “I’ll hold your had while you take off your coverup. No clothes that the pool is a pool rule.” She hands me her hat and off it came.

To our surprise, everyone has been lying. It didn’t take 5-10 minutes to feel comfortable. Liars, all of you. It took all of 45 seconds. We belonged here. A little shyness, but all anxiety gone. 2 minutes later she whispered, “This is no big deal.

First the park: it’s a co-op residential community that allows day visitors. It has hotel rooms and cabins (trailers decorated to look like cabins). There’s a large central community of long time residents and a new section where they are expanding.

The pool is dated, but nice. Large. Surrounded by chairs that would probably be enough on a normal day. No where for the late arrivals so we find a picnic table near the pool and adjacent to a large pond, otherwise known as Lake Como.

We’d heard you could borrow kayaks, canoes or row boats to enjoy the lark. We walk 100 yards to the “beach.” It’s a small grassy areas with a gazebo like structure and a row of boats in various conditions. Most old, all functional. As we inspect to find kayaks to use, a resident comes over and tells us we can use anything without a number on it. This took our options down to 4 or 5, only 2 of which we would want to use. The rest hadn’t been to un months, some years.

We take two functional kayaks out and enjoy ourselves.

This was the first person to speak to us in any way. We had felt like outsiders to this point and it was nice to get some friendly advice.

The people:

First, I’ll share something Yvette told us near the end of our day. I had mentioned to a person at the pool that no one seems to be talking to each other. Yvette, a resident, replied “think about it this way, you are all strangers. There are a lot more people than residents here today and we don’t know you. We’re all quite friendly, but we don’t know you and you don’t know us. We’re talking to people we know.”

Wish we had that advice at the beginning of the day. We started saying hello more, talking folks and realized that while we’re comfortable being naked around several hundred strangers, we were still shy about making friendly connections.

Before Yvette, we looked like we fit in (expect we had tan lines - easy to spot visitors lol) because we walked around confidently, but we were unsociable and shy.

In hindsight the residents and regulars didn’t embrace us with open arms and encourage us, didn’t act stand offish either. Felt like a big city. Not sure if the makes sense. We were just there.

We asked a question we got an answer, nothing more. “Where are kayaks?” “Over there.” Cane the reply.

It felt cold until Yvette. I went to get a beer for my wife and I and I came back to my wife chatting up a fellow in the pool. I was introduced and we had a nice conversation. Turns out all it took was “Hello, my name is....”. It was done. We felt at home.

Advice: say hi and introduce yourself and people light up. Even strangers. Especially in this environment. How can you expect someone to be friendly if you aren’t. Stand around wondering what to do or say and that’s all you’ll do. Engage, talk and smile.

Bingo, we’re playing water volleyball with 22 new friends. Most residents. Now all fun and friendly.

One concern was our bodies. How would we look compared to everyone else. We saw every thing and anything and none of it mattered. We all looked different.

My concern, as a male, is obvious. After this, concern no more. Pleasantly, average parts. Very few bigger or smaller, some much larger and some much smaller. Guess what, it didn’t matter. I was worried about spontaneous display, never happened. Very little that is sexual about this experience. That’s exactly what I wanted. I like being naked and I wanted to do it with other people, especially with my wife. Period. No other desire about the nude experience and that’s exactly what I got. It is refreshing and liberating and transcendent.

I see my beautiful wife at home and it’s on. I see my beautiful wife in this environment and I simply admire her beauty and how relaxed and comfortable we are without the need for more. I was hoping for this and it was perfect.

She had similar concerns. Mother of two, nursed both. Blah blah blah. No plastic surgery for her. She’s wore the badges of mother hood well and now she wears them proudly. Like me she felt normal. Happily normal.

We saw men who had medical issues that left them scared. Men without a testicle for whatever reason (we assume, it doesn’t matter). We saw women who were likewise scarred . A few women had mastectomy scars that didn’t matter. They are beautiful whole people. At home and at peace. No pity no concern. In the, moment. We saw other things we never thought we’d see. NONE OF IT MATTERED.

so why mention it. I provide that detail because it was a remarkable moment. Nothing mattered, but the person. Nothing to hide. Everything to share. No barriers. Simplicity of heart and mind. Incredible.

We’ll be back for a long weekend, maybe a week, in the cabins. We’ll visit other nudist locations. We encourage others to join us in this new, free life.

We are finally nudists. Finally, free.