Merry White Christmas From A Skinny Dipping Santa In Texas

The Dallas Morning News article about yesterday's day long Christmas Eve snowstorm called it a blizzard. I thought it looked like a blizzard, heavy wind blowing the snow horizontal, but since I'd had never been in a blizzard I didn't really know for sure.

Three inches were recorded at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, with that three inches being the first Christmas Eve snowfall since the National Weather Service started keeping records in 1898.

The National Weather Service was keeping records where D/FW Airport is located? Way back in 1898?

At times, during the blizzard, visibility was reduced to around a quarter-mile. A lot of flights did not make it out of the airport yesterday on time.

This morning it was well below freezing when the sun came up. Making this a White Christmas. Because it was so windy a lot of the snow got blown into little drifts. I have a little snowdrift outside my front door. The snow had mostly blown away from the cement area around the pool.

We have now gone above freezing so the white stuff is starting to disappear.

Like I said I would, yesterday, despite my therapist Dr. L.C.'s admonishment not to, I went swimming this morning and photo documented it. And like I said I would, all I wore was my Santa cap. I believe this is the first time I've gotten into the pool when it was below 25.

Since the water in the pool was not frozen it was significantly warmer than the air. So the immediate reaction to getting in it was that it felt warmer. I have no idea what the temperature of the water is. We got to almost 80 two days ago.

Thai food is my Christmas feeding theme. With blackberry pie. The feeding is around 2. Don't be late.

Texas Skinnydipping In The Middle Of The Night With A Fort Worth Water Report

I think I may be going to have myself one ultra-hellacious day today. I woke up about half past 2. I was fairly certain I was not going to fall back asleep. So, at 3 a.m., I got up.

I checked email, read the news, saw the Scrabble Queen of Washington had played 3 words, so I played 3 words.

I got bored preparing for this morning's virtual trip to New Braunfels and Schlitterbahn, so a bit before 5 it seemed like a good time to go for a relaxing skinnydip.

The air temperature is 80 this morning. The pool was warmer than the air. Even though we are currently suffering with a Level Red Pollution Alert, I saw stars twinkling above me. That is not the moon behind me in the photo, it's a big round light.

On the way out of the pool I got the mail. There was one odd thing in the mail. A bi-lingual publication from Fort Worth. The 2008 Drinking Water Quality Report. In a city so pinched for money it has cut back library hours, this seemed an odd thing to waste money on. On page 2 under "A Message from the Water Director" there is a full color photo of the "Water Department Leadership Team." Why didn't they save a few bucks for the city by foregoing the color photo?

Also on page 2 of the "Water Report" it says "Mailing this report to our customers is a federal and state requirement. It also is posted on our website."

In all my years of drinking water in Washington I never received an annual "Water Report." Did this federal mandate come along after I moved to Texas? Or is this a mandate that only applies to places that get their water from sources that require extensive treatment?

I have long found it a bit disturbing that the drinking water here comes out of reservoirs that are also used for recreation, like boating and swimming. Where I lived in Washington, Mount Vernon, the drinking water came out of a reservoir that was totally closed off to human access by a chain link fence.

It's a puzzlement. I can see that so far today, I'm being all about water.

Texas Skinnydipping With Alligators

Usually I am the only one dipping skinny in the pool in the morning. This morning was an exception to that rule.

A reptile that looked like a small alligator, with no clothes on, was in the pool skinnydipping.

This was not the first time I've shared water with a reptile. I think I've mentioned previously that I was swimming in Lake Grapevine, on a 110 degree day, in a No Swimming Zone, when a huge reptilian head popped out of the water right in front of my face.

I thought it was a water moccasin. I swam for shore at a speed I did not know I was capable of. I reached the shore and ran out on the metal floating dock, forgetting how hot that metal would be on my bare feet. By the time I got to the end of the dock I saw that it was not a water moccasin that was trying to kill me, it was a giant turtle of some sort.

It is a myth that turtles can't move fast. In water they are little speed boats. I was at Oakland Lake Park and came upon a big turtle, startling it. The turtle took off running for the water at a speed I did not think them capable of.

So, that has been my exciting day, so far, this Father's Day, Summer Solstice, Naked Hiking Day in Texas. It is half past 9, only 81 degrees, heading to a high near the century mark. I'm heading to Arlington's Chinatown some time this morning. I need supplies.

Below is an educational YouTube video about skinnydipping. I did not know, til today, that the proper term for skinnydipping, when the person swimming sans swimsuit is overweight, is "chunk dunk."

Seattle Naked Bike Riding Causing Fort Worth Skinny Dipping

On Thursday I blogged about a current Seattle issue, that being the efforts, by some, to curtail the rather liberated behavior of riding around town on your bike. Naked. I have no problem with the being naked part. But as a bike rider, to me, it would be very uncomfortable to pedal about without attire.

I think way too many Americans are way too prudish when it comes to some things. Like being naked. We were all born naked.

If one believes what one reads in the Bible, God has no problem with people being naked. The very first humans he created were perfectly comfortable wandering around in the Garden of Eden naked, feeling no shame.

Then Eve went and ate that damn apple and Adam and her suddenly got all prudish.

And apparently a lot of humanity has been prudish ever since.

Well, I am not prudish. And I'm not all that shy. So, this morning I decided to introduce a bit of Seattle/West Coast type liberalness to Fort Worth. So, I went skinny dipping. I've always preferred skinny dipping to wearing a swimming suit. I hate how the liner in the swimsuit gets all twisted. Sliding through the water without such an encumbrance is much more pleasant.

This morning the water was the coldest yet. And not because all I was wearing was a cap. Overnight it got to freezing. There was a coating of frost on the roof when I first got in the water. With the air being so cold the water felt almost warm. That was very strange.

I'm feeling all natural today. Maybe I'll make like Adam and go hiking at the Tandy Hills Natural Area today. No, it's too cold for that.

Clothing Optional Hippie Hollow Nude Beach in Austin

I've been working hard on trying to overcome my pathological shyness. So with gas prices so low it seemed like a good idea, at the time, to burn some driving down to Austin.

Why Austin, you ask? Well, near Austin there is a body of water called Lake Travis. And on that body of water there is a place called Hippie Hollow, where a human body visiting this particular body of water is not required to wear clothing, as in it is a clothing optional type of place, meaning people of all sizes, shapes, ages and gender are naked.

There are warning signs to caution those who might not realize they are entering a naked zone, as in signs saying "NOTICE: NUDE SWIMMING OR SUNBATHING ME BY OCCURRING BEYOND THIS POINT."

Now, yesterday was not the first time I've been naked. I take at least one shower every day and don't wear a swimming suit to do so. Yesterday was not the first time I've been naked outdoors. I have skinnydipped a time or two, among other things.

Hippie Hollow had some things viewable that I probably would have preferred to not have imprisoned in my memory. But there were some things viewable that I don't mind having seen. I'm hopeful the bad memories will fade.

A visit to Hippie Hollow is not free. In addition to the gas you'll need to burn to get there, you'll also have to pay a fully clothed park ranger 10 bucks before you can take your clothes off.