By Gary M

August, 2010 - Patty and I took a long needed respite from club business for a few days last month and helped the members of Lupin Lodge celebrate their 75th anniversary. We were assigned one of the cabins behind the yurt row, called Amberwood, and its indoor plumbing and kitchen were much appreciated!

The weather was perfect for tanning with a slight breeze and a daytime temperature that never got above 90. Yes, both Patty and I came home a little darker than we went!

Perhaps a hundred Lupin members gathered together over the three-day event to celebrate at what is now the oldest nudist club in the state. Located in a lovely pine forest between San Jose and Santa Cruz, Lori Kay has decorated the grounds with her sculptures and other art work so Lupin definitely has an Elysium look-and-feel to it. Below the waterfall, construction has begun on a second swimming pool and Jacuzzi. The plan is to make it a “meditative area” to counterpoint the noise of the upper pool where the perpetual water volleyball game gives that area of Lupin a special energy. As usual, the deer came out of the forest at dusk to graze on the lawn. This year, there was also a pair of wild turkeys roaming the grounds, joining a couple of baby raccoons and the fifth generation of domesticated skunks.

Regarding the anniversary program, Friday night was set aside for members to tell their stories about people and buildings no longer here. On Saturday, a DJ serenaded the pool all afternoon with “New Age”-type background music. The office handed out small vials for bubble blowing, which added just the right amount of whimsy to the festivities. Saturday night, the dance was especially fun as periodically the DJs threw handfuls of confetti into the air over the dancers. The dancers retaliated by scooping up handfuls from the floor and tossing it at other dancers. The black light effect of confetti, skin, and hair color was quite psychedelic.

On Sunday, Glyn hosted a workshop where he related the history of Lupin, complete with slide show and a DVD of an hour-long Good Morning San Francisco TV show taped at Lupin in 1988.

The last event on late Sunday afternoon was the hilarious cardboard boat race! Lupin provided the cardboard and duct tape, and a dozen members took up the challenge of trying to construct water-tight boats from the raw material. Well, not so water-tight as most promptly sank (along with the owners) when the boxes hit the water. However, three children got into one of the sunken craft and paddled it like crazy underwater to a lot of cheers and clapping, and they won the event. We hear rumors that the Western Gathering might be at Lupin in 2011. If so, members should definitely make their vacation plans to attend!