September 17, 2018

Wildflower: Naked in the campus garden

Wildflower

When I read creative writing at conferences, I don't use pseudonyms. But otherwise, the way I write an essay isn't much different than how I write a blog post, except that it gets revised a million times. So I shouldn't have been surprised when I read an essay at the Maple Leaf Version of the Friendly Green Conference, and a woman in the audience — I'll call her Wildflower -- came up to tell me that she'd recognized me from Blogging Days of Yore.

Any blogger knows what happened next: we immediately began talking as if we'd known each other forever, comparing notes about which blogs we read, and sharing intimate details about our own lives. By the time we left the building to walk across campus for lunch, she'd agreed to pose naked for my blog. It's a tradition, after all.

"Let's go to the botanical gardens," I said. The gardens were marked clearly on the campus map. I wasn't sure how private they'd be, but all that lush green would make a lovely backdrop.

So we walked quickly along the road, talking the whole time, and soon we came to a small gate: the gardens! Stepping past the gate, we stepped into another world: one where ferns brushed against our legs and flowering trees dangled their branches into our faces as we walked along the path. We were both still carrying laptops and wearing conference nametags, but even so, I could feel the weight of the conference slide off my shoulders as we followed one curving path and then another.

We weren't alone. A young couple wandered hand-in-hand, a teenage girl had stopped to sketch something in her notebook, and a man in a blazer was checking his smart phone as he walked. But I led Wildflower confidently towards the back of the garden. Surely we could find a private spot.

Once all humans were out of sight, Wildflower stripped off her clothes and stepped off the path, walking carefully to make sure she didn't tread on any little plants.

"Listen," she said, turning her head slightly.

Perfect, I thought, I'll get a photo of her listening to birdsong.

But it wasn't birdsong she was hearing. The noise grew louder: squeals, chatter, laughter. As Wildflower posed naked amidst the trees, we could hear the unmistakable sounds of a party. I could even hear the clinking of glasses.

Had we walked in a circle back to the entrance? Was the botanical gardens holding some kind of gala event?

I snapped the photo quickly, and Wildflower began putting her clothes back on just as a man in a white dress shirt and black pants came around the corner. Curious, we walked towards the party, which was easy since it was about twenty feet away. The gardens, in turns out, had more than one entrance. In my confident stroll to the back of the garden I'd led us right to the back gate, and to a reception held just outside the gate. We waved to the bartender as we walked through, and then found our way back to campus.

Read more about the history of the naked blogging project and check out the gallery of photos.

13 comments:

Chris said...

Gorgeous! And she has blonde hair!!! (I don't know why that seems like a surprise but it does. Seems like people who pose usually have dark hair.)

Elephant's Child said...

Naked in a garden just seems so right.

Anonymous said...

Another beautiful woman!

ST

Far Side of Fifty said...

I was thinking the other day that you have been having a dry spell. Lovely photo! :)

gz said...

A beautiful strong body in a lovely place

jo(e) said...

Far Side of Fifty: We had such a sunny, hot summer that I didn't sit down at a computer much. But now (sigh) I'm back at work ....

Kate said...

You must have strong persuasive skills; I might concede to your request for a naked photo shoot but I'd want it more private. Lovely photo.

Kate said...

PS. Have you ever considered a self-portrait using a tripod and a timer? Or perhaps a friend-photographer could be a guest doing the work? In the past I owned calendars of naked women and another of naked men with proceeds going to charity. Have you considered that?

jo(e) said...

Kate: Yes, both of those things! I've done some self-portraits using a timer, and I've posed for friends as well. If you look through the gallery of naked photos, several of them are of me. And here's a link to the time that a friend took a photo of me: http://writingasjoe.blogspot.com/2013/03/on-other-side-of-camera-flipping-naked.html

But no, I'm not considering doing a calendar. I'm more interested in the stories and experiences, rather than the photos.

jo(e) said...

Oh, I didn't do that link right. Let me try again.

The link is HERE

Sandy said...

The outdoor shots are always the best. Shes gorgeous.

Lomagirl said...

Great laugh at this point in my afternoon- and great to read you again. I've missed you.

Amber said...

Fantastic! Those clueless partygoers--love it!

Ahh...Blogging Days of Yore...I miss them a little.