Andrew Forest

Similar beach…

I remember one special holiday during young years, some time in the 1960’s. Our family; mum, dad, me and my brother; had hired a cottage somewhere at the west coast of Sweden, where the achipelago is marvellous and the water clear and salty. From time to time too much of jellyfish, but we could handle it. 

Together with us we should have some of my mum and dads best friends, a couple with three kids, two girl and a boy. We had met them many times, they’ve visited us and we them, including sleepover since they lived at a long distance. So we were familiar with them, us kids around same ages, mid teen, youngsters. Now we were going to spend some time together in a lodge at the sea.

We had a long drive to come there, but it was oki. The day was not so hot fortunately, since at that time air conditioning was not standard in cars. We anyway took off from the main road a while, stopping at a small lake where it was possible to swim. 

• Take care boys, no diving into the water, mum warned us.

I had only a pair of shorts and a tshirt on, same with my brother. 

• It’s no one else here so you can swim as usual, dad mentioned.

That meant we could skinny dip as we were used to. Both me and my brother quickly got rid of the clothes and ran into the water. Mum and dad were not far behind, of course skinny dipping too. It was for sure a relief to splash around in the refreshing water after being ”locked in” in a warm car for some hours. We swam around for a while, but could not stay long, it was only a break during the long journey.

As we were about to end swimming a car arrived. My brother and I didn’t notice, we were into a water war! But dad yelled ”Some others are coming” so we stopped playing and looked around. Out from the car came another family, obviously a mum, a dad and three kids, around same age as me and my brother. We were not concerned or shy, since we were used to nudity, but how would the other family react? Dad just took the lead and said

• It sure is a nice day for swimming, the water is not cold.
• Nice to hear, we also wanted to refresh with a dip, said the mum, come on guys, rush into the water, she added to the three kids.

All of them quickly got naked too, like us, without hesitation. 

• So you’re also nudists? Mum asked.
• For sure, that’s our way of living, said the other dad. 
• What a coincidence that we meet here then, us being nudists since long, mum replied. 

We extended our stay so we got the opportunity to play in the water and at the beach with the two boys and one girl in the other family. They told us that the girl was 14, one boy 16 and the other brother 13. I was 15 at the time, my brother 12. We had a good time for a while, until our parents had to call us in from the water, the trip had to continue. Addresses and phone numbers were exchanged, we all wanted to meet again since we got along so well! This was long BM, ”before mobile” and BI, before Internet. Communication took long time, but we managed anyway. We met the other family several times during the years, I’m still in touch with them. 

Fun that such a random meeting could happen, but the destiny is sometimes gracious to us!

Late in the evening we arrived to the lodge at the seaside. But that’ll be next chapter of the story.