Fair play

Sunday was the main reason many of us were in San Francisco last weekend — the Up Your Alley street fair held at Dore Alley and parts of Folsom Street. The day looked to be a cold one, but after the fog burned off, anyone out in the sun for long was plenty warm. I arrived around noon and hadn't been in the fair grounds long when I took off my pants and shirt, leaving only my harness and boots. This was probably the fifth or sixth time I had been naked at this or the Folsom Street Fair events, and I had come to feel more comfortable naked than I would be clothed. And even when I was clothed, people seemed to recognize me and ask with dismay why I was dressed.

Before long I ran into my nudist friend NudePublic, whom I had met at the bar the night before (see my July 29 entry). Acting on a tip from him, I checked the bag holding my clothes at the coat check room of Powerhouse (which lay within the fair grounds). I returned to the street and began to make my way through the crowd up Dore Alley.

Except for a dance area and live band at one end of the fair on Folsom, the event mainly consisted of a series of booths. Unfortunately (with the exception of a whipping demonstration), there was nothing particularly interesting about any of these, the bulk of them consisting of food and beer vendors or information centers for non-profit organizations.

But the crowd is always what makes these events appealing. I strolled through the growing throng to the end of Dore Alley and back, stopping to say hi to people I'd met in years past or at the bar the night before.

The day consisted of some decided friskiness on my part as well as a bite to eat from one of the booths. Later I ran into my friend Andy, with whom I spent much of the rest of the day. He had his best camera with him and enjoyed photographing me.

Although the fair had for me a certain "been there, done that" quality, it was a very good day, and I reveled in dreamy satisfaction during my cab ride back home.

Bay of prigs

I have no photos with which to document Saturday night's adventures (if you can call them that), as I chose to leave my camera behind. But in getting ready for the Bay of Pigs dance (billed as the "Official Saturday Night Event of Up Your Alley Weekend"), I chose to wear essentially the same outfit as shown in these photos from last May, so they will have to suffice. I just added a leather coat, and I was out the door. I was a little nervous walking to the Mission BART stop in assless chaps, but no one paid any mind. (This is San Francisco after all.) However, with my bare butt I elected to remain standing during the train ride, although I'm not sure if I was more concerned for the sanitation of train seat or my own.

I met Andy in front of his hotel and we walked to the Cat Club, where the dance was held. It was still a bit early, so we checked our bags and went to the legendary Hole in the Wall bar around the corner. I really like that bar, the way it attracts men from every possible segment and subculture of the gay community.

One guy in particular caught my eye. He looked to be mid-thirties, very muscular, multi-racial. He had short-cropped hair and huge muscular arms that were set off nicely by his tight sleeveless muscle shirt. What made me particularly curious was the way he seemed to stare at my crotch, with its rubber codpiece, all the while scowling.

Or so I thought. The next time I ran into him I realized the dim bar light had made me misread his expression. This time he was clearly smiling with approval. I returned the smile. But this Beautiful Muscle Boy (hereafter BMB) seemed to be with someone, so I thought he was unavailable.

Andy and I returned to the Cat Club, where we enjoyed a good stretch of dancing. But other than that, the event offered little. The break rooms upstairs seemed to consist of people sitting around on couches looking bored. The second floor also had a bar, which (for their part) consisted of other people standing around looking bored.

To combat our own boredom, we left the Bay of Pigs dance and braved cold breeze, making our way to the Powerhouse bar, which by this point was very crowded. As I climbed the stairs to the upper level, a hand reached out and touched me to get my attention. I returned the flirtatious gestures, and as I ran my hand down his back I became aware that he was entirely naked, something that the close-pressed crowd kept from being obvious. I thought it quite a coincidence that the first person I met there would be a fellow exhibitionist. Turns out he is online as NudePublic. We chatted briefly, while also kissing and caressing each other. I undid the snaps on my codpiece and freed my cock, letting my new acquaintance stroke and even suck it.

Before long, however, I noticed the arrival of BMB from the Hole in the Wall. "I thought I'd lost you," he said. I excused myself from naked guy while BMB and I found an available corner to get acquainted. Before long we had our shirts off and were kissing and going at it like old lovers. His kissing skills were as good as his amazing body. The crowd enjoyed watching us and paying attention to BMB as well as to my still exposed dick.

Soon enough BMB bent over and began going down on me while admirers caressed his sexy backside. He indicated in conversation that he didn't want me to come in his mouth. So I let him work my cock over a while longer then pulled out and shot my load all over the Powerhouse floor, to the amusement of those circled about.

That was the last I saw of BMB. I don't even remember his name. I only know that he's a resident of San Francisco. Maybe I'll run into him again some time. Stranger things have happened.

I lost track of Andy (who it turned out was having adventures of his own), so I retrieved my stuff from the Cat Club coat check and went home. The dance may not have been much but I was still very satisfied.

Undershopping

If it's underwear you want, Injeanious in San Francisco's Castro neighborhood fills the bill nicely. They have jeans and other clothing items, too, but the selection of designer (and sexy) undies is exceptional.

Naturally I took the opportunity to try on and purchase several. And of course, being something of an exhibitionist, I left the curtain to my changing room wide open. It was in the back corner of the store, which wasn't very busy. But a few interested customers and some very helpful sales staff took note. My only regret is that my friend Andy (a talented photographer who is also visiting San Francisco) wasn't there to document it. So I have to settle for these less-than ideal photos taken by others.

I debated whether to make this post friends-only but since there is no full frontal nudity, I decided to grin and bare it. But there will probably be some friends-only posts from this weekend's adventures. At least I hope so!

Shirtless on the street

It's eighty degrees in downtown Seattle and another occasion to remove as much clothing as possible on my trek home.

Of course this blog is going to get pretty boring very fast if all I do is post pics of my shirtless walks. Hey, maybe it already is boring. Oh well. This is the last one for a while. I promise!

Caught

Well it finally happened. As usual, I took off my shirt after arriving in the office, hoping to cool down for a few minutes from my morning walking commute before dawning a clean shirt. I usually arrive at work a good half hour before anyone else, so no one is the wiser.

Of course it was inevitable that one day someone would come to work early, and today a female co-worker caught me putting my lunch in the company refrigerator, sans shirt. She was visibly startled, and I immediately tried explaining how warm I got on my walk. Oh well.

I put on a shirt and she recovered quickly, later teasing me that it was "Nice to see you wearing some clothes."

Dropping trou

I work out at a gym in the heart of the gay neighborhood, so it's no surprise my gym is pretty gay. In fact to prove the point, this guy dropped his shorts to the floor, showing off his muscular butt while he used the urinal rather than simply whip out his meat. Pretty hot. Fortunately I was there with my phone camera. And yes, taking the photo was against the rules. So sue me.

Gays and Nudism

My LiveJournal friend Tim1965 has brought to our attention a recent article on recent trends in nudism in America, a topic dear to my heart. He then adds some thoughtful comments of his own on gay nudism, which you can read on his blog. Tim also included this portrait of Andrew Martinez, one of my personal heroes, who gained national attention in the 1980s for attending school and walking around the Berkeley campus completely naked.

Surprisingly, Tim1965 omits mention of any of the gay nudist organizations, so here is a link to Gay Naturists International, for good measure. And of course, if you're looking for a gay nudist organization in your part of the world, there's no better directory than Spike's Naked Planet.

The pope on nakedness and modesty

Just in time for a follow-up to my last post, I ran across this quote from the Pope on the subject of nakedness, half-nakedness, and modesty. I generally have little interest in what the Pontiff says (I'm neither a Catholic or a believer in most religion), but for once he makes a sensible point:

"Sexual modesty cannot then in any simple way be identified with the use of clothing, nor shamelessness with the absence of clothing and total or partial nakedness. There are circumstances in which total nakedness is not immodest... nakedness as such is not to be equated with physical shamelessness. Immodesty is only present when nakedness plays a negative role with regard to the value of the person... The human body is not in itself shameful, nor for the same reasons are sensual reactions, and human sensuality in general. Shamelessness (just like shame and modesty) is a function of the interior of the individual." - Pope John Paul II (*) (*) Wojtyla, Karol (Pope John Paul II) (August 1994) Love and Responsibility Ignatius Press (ISBN 0-89870-4456)

This was posted in the Beeper (body pride ride) Yahoo group, an organization that raises body issue awareness through its public naked bike rides.

Half-naked natterings

On warm days I take off my shirt in the office when I first arrive. This lets me cool down a little from my morning walk before changing into a fresh shirt. I'm the only one here this early so no one is the wiser.

Except, that is, for the ladies in the building behind me who sometimes look out their window toward mine.

If you think i enjoy the danger of being caught, you're wrong. I wish everyone was comfortable with the half-naked body — or even the fully naked body. But in the workplace we hide in our clothes. For now.

First shirtless walk home

It's still May in Seattle and that often means chilly weather. But today was beautifully sunny and I took my first half-naked pedestrian commute home! I am looking forward to many more so come.

Shirtless liberation

My friends know I have long advocated freedom from the tyranny of required clothing. This isn't just a call for more nude beaches and a less prudish culture (though those would be nice), but body acceptance at every level. One of the most basic is just being unclothed from the waist up. As the weather warms up, I will be a personal exponent of shirtlessness as I walk to and from work. It's sad that so far only men can do this.

Recently I have been stripping to the waist for my first few minutes in my office. My body gets warm from the walk and I need to cool down. Besides, I'm always the first one to arrive, so nobody notices. Except the ladies in the neighboring building who see me through the window, that is. But so far they haven't complained.

But rather than expound on shirtless freedom myself, I'll simply direct readers to a Web site that explains and advocates the shirtless lifestyle: Shirtless Men World.

You have nothing to lose but your shame!