Árbol del Sol
Volume 15, Number 5, August 2008
A Publication of the SunTree Travel Club
SunTree Travel Club is an affiliate of The American Association for Nude Recreation
(AANR), AANR-West, the International Naturist Federation
and The Naturist Society

Thought for the Month
Fig leaves belong on trees, not people

What Happened in July

Fourth of July in Elephant Butte
A beautiful weekend met us at our get-together at Elephant Butte for our Fourth of July event which actually started on the fifth of July. The weather was great and it was planned as a picnic-style meal (hot dogs, burgers, beans, home-made ice cream, four and a half tons of pre-meal appetizers which helped to carry us over to meal time).

During the afternoon, the hot tub got a full workout as did the golf-ball bolo toss. One of the SunTree members who alleged that he had never played that game performed in such a manner that many of the bystanders suspected that he was truly a golf-ball bolo hustler from the professional circuit.

Following the evening mass feeding, many of the participants decided to go to the beach to watch the community fireworks display. The rest of us, being dyed-in-the-wool killjoys, remained in our Official SunTree Uniforms and sat on the patio and watched the community fireworks display (personally, I feel that we were the smart ones. At least we were dressed more comfortably.).

 Following the fireworks, the textile team returned to the patio to join the bare team for our own fireworks display (sparklers) and an “inspirational” interpretive fire dance. I will not comment further upon this performance for fear that my comments may not be received well by the “artistic ballet participants”.

This was a fun event for all.

What's Happening in August

A SunTree weekend at Mira Vista Resort in Marana, AZ.
After mixed reviews from various members on the appropriateness of having a club event at Mira Vista Resort, the opinion of the participants of the Fourth of July event was that it would be a great place for a club event.

You now see on the calendar for 23 August, the visit of SunTree to Mira Vista. You may have noticed last month on the calendar, mention of Arizona Days for that date. You now know that was a marker to see if anybody would contact the club to enter their comments, questions or suggestions for what Arizona Days might be. After an enthusiastic response of almost one person replying to that marker, the subject was raised in Elephant Butte where we actually got some comments.

From the e-mail that has been sent to SunTree, it sounds like this might be a real fun event with a good turnout. If you want to be a part of this, make sure that you call Mira Vista to enter your lodging reservations and it would be nice if you would also contact SunTree so that we can get an idea of how many we can expect to see there.

Contact Mira Vista at: 520 744 2355

Labor Day Weekend Camping Trip
During the same Fourth of July event, the subject of the Labor Day camping trip was brought up and opinions were asked to determine the best date for this event to attract the largest participation. Most who possibly would participate in this camping trip said that they probably will not go to the Western Gathering the following week, so the date was not important to them. For that reason we are leaving the camping trip on the holiday weekend.

For safety sake, all participants in this camping trip need to contact SunTree for directions and contact information. If you do not let us know that you will be there, we will not expect you nor when to look for your arrival. If you have any problems, we will not know to look for you in this remote area with minimum communication capability.

This camping trip will take place in a very remote section of the Gila National Forest and the site of the camping weekend can be described as rugged. It is easy to get to, using a sedan or an RV, but there are no facilities of any sort there. Most cellular phones will not work there. For this reason, anybody who plans to participate should let the club know by phone or e-mail (see the contact us information). This is for your own safety. Those who plan to participate will be listed along with a way to contact you concerning any changes in schedule or location.

Those planning to camp are responsible for themselves and their own needs. If you plan to eat or drink over the weekend, then you should bring food and water and a way to prepare and safely store it. Remember that food or snacks left in the open will attract some residents of the forest who cannot be expected to be universally friendly. Do not expect a catering service to provide for you. If you plan to camp, bring your own shelter for sleeping (tent, RV, etc.) as there will not be any furnished rooms available for you. There will be no hot tubs, cafes, electricity or water other than what you bring yourself. Even though there are no fire warnings, it would be best to plan on bringing a camp stove or a backpacker’s grill since a campfire might be banned by that time. Currently the camping area is getting a lot of rain and would probably be quite uncomfortable to visit right now. It is assumed that by Labor Day weekend, the rainy season will have abated and we will have a lovely fire-“proof” place to camp. Note that the lovely weather might also invite participation by some biting insects to join us. Be prepared for that eventuality

With all of the bad stuff aside, the location is a beautiful forested glade with little underbrush (mostly native grasses) and hiking trails.

Those of you who contact SunTree to let us know that you plan to participate in this event will be given the direction to this year’s camping location along with any other information which you might need.

August Celestial Events

THE Solar Eclipse of the Year and a great Perseid Meteor Shower are the Highlights of the August Sky.

 Those of you who took advantage of the advice in this newsletter last January will probably be reading this later because you are currently in northern Canada, Russia (Siberia), Mongolia or China enjoying the only solar eclipse of the year which occurs (ed) on 1 August. I hope that you are enjoying it and are wearing something a little warmer than the participants normally wear to SunTree events.

For those of you who are still in SunTree-land, you need to wait until the second weekend of August before you see anything quite as spectacular as the eclipse, but we do have a great event for the stay-at-homes. Starting on 11 August and going through to 13 August (with a peak on 12 August) will be a rather spectacular meteor shower in the post-midnight skies. This is the annual Perseid Meteor Shower and the experts say that this will probably be a good year for this meteor shower and (they say) it will be the best meteor shower of the year. This shower is the dusty pathway of Comet Swift-Tuttle.

Other than the information above, this will not be a spectacular month for planet watchers. Jupiter is still the important light of the Solar family this month in the southern sky. Jupiter will be setting a little after midnight most of this month.

Mars and Venus will be swallowed up by the Sun’s glare. Both of them can be seen in the first half of the month in the west about 10 minutes after sunset looking toward the west. That bright spot to the left and a little higher than Venus is Saturn. You can visit with them every late afternoon this month, but the Sun is not helping much. On 14 August, Venus is to the left with Saturn on the right. If you can see it in the glare, that spot of light just below Saturn is Mercury.

© 2004 SunTree Travel Club - Site updated Summer 2010