Through the glass

“How do you get people to pose naked for you?” That’s the first thing people ask when they find out about my naked photo project. I admit, that when I’m at a conference, surrounded by academics who don’t know me at all, it sometimes takes a little work to find a volunteer. But when I’m spending a weekend with my Wild Women friends, it’s a different story. My friends are most cooperative.

Last weekend, for instance. We’d just carried in pots of soup and bags of food, and we were exploring the lodge where we’d be staying, when Quilt Artist said to me, “Did you see the stonework in the big shower?” She made me go up the stairs and step inside the shower to admire it. That’s when it occurred to me that I could take advantage of an artist’s love of texture.

“This stonework would look great in a photograph,” I said to her. “You could pose naked in here.” I find it’s best to get to the point quickly.

“Heck, we could ALL post naked in here,” said Denim Woman, who had come up with us. She was right. The shower, which had a glass wall, was huge. All ten of us could have taken a shower together.

“That would be the environmentally responsible thing to do,” I pointed out. But I know better than to try for a group shot of naked women. It’s too much work. As soon as they get their clothes off, they start joking around and getting into ridiculous poses, with no regard for the poor photographer who is trying to take a SERIOUS photo.

So instead, I waited the next morning until Quilt Artist was about to take a shower — and I invited myself along. “I’ll spray some water on the glass door,” she said. “I think that would look cool.”

Later, when we all sitting downstairs with bowls of soup, we’d have serious conversations about our changing relationships with our bodies as we learn how better to take of ourselves. But our conversation during the shower wasn’t serious at all. I kept shouting things like, “Spray some more water on the glass” while she shouted back, “I’m trying to wash my hair” and I just kept snapping photos while she scrubbed herself clean.

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

Afternoon walk in the snowy mountains

Most walking trails in the mountains were buried in deep snow, so Saturday afternoon, my friends and I took a walk along the road, which wound through tall stands of pine. Whenever we caught a glimpse of the lake, we'd try to find a path down to the edge, walking around boarded-up summer camps and onto docks that stood high above the ice.

Quilt Artist and I wandered into one little hamlet where summer camps huddled along some open water. The only prints I saw in the snow were from deer and raccoon. The docks were mostly empty, piled with snow that held melted into strange shapes. A bright blue slide stood at the edge of one dock, waiting for summertime and the shrill screams of excited children.

 

In the mountains, where it is still snowing

No matter what the calendar says, it’s still winter in the mountains. When I woke up this morning in the beautiful camp that belongs to a friend's sister, I could see snow falling on the frozen lake outside my window. I dressed quickly for an early morning walk.

I should have worn snowshoes. The icy crust along the top of the drifts of snow was beginning to melt. I walked along for a couple of yards and then sunk in until the snow was thigh-high. I struggled out, got to the top of the snow again, and made it a couple more yards before sinking in again. It took me awhile to make it to the shore of the lake, where I stopped to rest and take photos of the blue-and-white scene.

By the time I got back to the camp, my pants were sopping wet from the melting snow. I stepped into warmth that smelled of coffee and toast. My friends were making breakfast.

Still winter

Yesterday, I stopped by my parents' house for a cup of tea, and we decided to take a walk out back. I figured maybe we'd see some signs of spring. We followed the path that my father had plowed out to the red barn, and then kept going out to the woods behind their house. The sun hitting the south side of the house created some lovely icicles, and we saw animal tracks, especially near their compost pile, but we saw nothing that made me think that winter is over.

 

Ready for a thaw

February is finally over! It was a pretty cold month this year: the temperature never rose above freezing, not even once. That means that most of the snow we've gotten is still here, piled along roadways and paths, creating huge white mountains in parking lots. Now that it's March, we are hoping for a thaw.