The Family Tree
Volume 12, Number 4, July 2005
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
A bumble bee is considerably faster than a John Deere tractor. 

The SunTree Traveler

What Happened in June

A Double-Bill Swimming Month
We had two club events in June with swimming pool themes (not our last for the Summer, see the events for July). Both were a lot of fun and there was a good turnout for both of them. The first was at the Organ, NM home of SunTree members and the second was at the home of some SunTree members in Alamogordo.

Eastern Naturist Gathering 2005
In late June, The Naturist Society presented the 25th anniversary edition of its popular Eastern Naturist Gathering. Of the six Naturist Gathering and Festivals in 2005, the Eastern Gathering was the second. This was the ninth time that the eastern gathering was held at Eastover Resort in western Massachusetts. If you get a chance to be in the New England area when the Eastern Gathering is being held, make an attempt to attend. All of the Naturist Gatherings are fun events, but the venue of the Eastern Gathering is well worth the effort. The resort is 1000 acres and the former summer home of a wealthy New York City family. The resort was a boy's school at one time and has been operated as an upscale resort since the second World War. This is a clothed resort, but the clothing is optional during the week of the Eastern Gathering. The resort has lodging for 450 people. This year they were sold out for the gathering. In addition to the 450 person lodging capacity, they have facilities for RV's and space for tent campers.

There is an indoor and an outdoor swimming pool along with the dining and facilities for the normal discussion groups and workshops. The staff of the Eastover Resort is made up of college students who work there through the summer season. The Naturist Gathering is a very different type of event for these kids and they enjoy it. On the closing night, the staff put on a show to entertain the naturists.

If you have not yet made your plans for 2006, you might like to know that The Naturist Society has already announced that the Eastern Gathering for 2006 will be held at Eastover Resort in the rolling Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts (surprise - surprise). The gathering will be held during the week of 19 through 25 June. Call now, reservations are getting filled already.

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July Events

 1 - 4 July
The annual Fourth of July camping trip to the Gila National Forest is happening about the time that you are reading this. If you think that you have time to get there, give a call to the SunTree number to get directions. These directions were included in the June issue of the newsletter.

The campsite is located on a ridge, just west of the continental divide. There are NO facilities at this site (unless you have an RV with portable convenient city facilities like water, electricity, pollution, hot tub, crime, stoplights, microwave ovens, air conditioning and loud stereos), so you will need to plan to provide for yourself. As is usual, there will be at least one potluck meal during this weekend. The final plans will determine that. You will need to contact the event coordinator for that information.

For information on the fire danger and other forest news, check with the Gila National Forest website. 

16 - 17 July
Potluck and Swimming in El Paso, TX:

We are being invited to the home of SunTree members, Jesus and Maria on the weekend of 16 and 17 July for a potluck and swimming event. They have a beautiful, large back yard with a fantastic hot tub and swimming pool complex with waterfall between the two. Bring you favorite entrée, side dish or snack dish and show up to nosh with the beat noshing team in the area.

Be sure to contact SunTree to them know that you will be coming and get directions and other information on this event.

July Celestial Events

A Month of Shifting from Evening to Morning Sky
If you failed to look to the west just after sunset (up to 45 minutes later) in June to see that magnificent "super-star", do not tarry. It is still there for a few more days. It is the overlapping of Venus and Mercury very low in the west. They will continue their performance until about 10 July.

If you need help in finding this show, the Moon, as always is willing to help out. You will be able to find that bright show just below the crescent moon on 8 July. If you continue to watch Venus for the next couple of weeks (Mercury has other business and runs to hid behind the Sun), around mid-month, she will move into the constellation of Leo and on 22 July, she will cozy up to the main star in Leo. That is Regulus.

Saturn, along with Mercury, has slipped behind the Sun and can not be seen for the rest of the month (stay tuned in the morning sky in August to see the reappearance of both of them).

Bright Jupiter is currently low in the southwest at dusk and will stay there until midnight.

Mars is now seriously brightening to magnitude zero (Remember that magnitude in the game of astronomy is somewhat like your golf score. The lower the number, the better. Magnitude zero is very bright.) Mars has bright plans for our future. You have to be a night owl to see it right now, though, it will be rising by 1 AM, it dominates the wee hours of the sky-dome.

The Delta-Aquarid medeor shower will peak in the predawn hours of 30 July. This shower will not very exciting this year, but you might see an occasional "shooting-star" in the early morning.

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