The "Where Nothing is Better" Story

Note:  I wrote this story in  August of 2011, before we were scheduled to go to St. Martin the following month.  At times I anticipate what will be happening and write a few stories and keep them in my library so that I can publish them in the future and have more time to relax when on vacation.  A week before leaving for St. Martin, my doctor scheduled me for immediate back surgery and we missed the trip.  Rather than deleting the story, I saved it and am now finally pulling it out of my library to publish.  This is our last day of vacation and most of the story is the same as it would have been back in September.  Only difference is that it is not my birthday, but you can pretend it is when you read this.

 It was an ordinary day. My birthday!  Exhilarating!!  How else can I describe it. And .... Carol and I are at one of our favorite beaches on St. Martin. Got up at my usual time, about 6:30 AM. Spent a little time on the balcony overlooking Orient Bay. We are staying on Orient Beach at Mont Vernon. Our place is at the North end of the beach while at the other end of the crescent-shaped beach, a little over a mile away, is Club Orient which is a naturist beach. In other words, you wear your birthday suit on this strip of crystal white sand. It is our final full day in St. Martin, so I grab the camera and head down to the beach early for a few final morning photos. The beach is unusually empty at this time of morning. But, this is the off season and the start of the hurricane season and some chose not to venture to St. Martin for fear of the chance of bad weather. Water in the mid-80s and the air temperature in the same range. After a few beach shots, I head back to the room for a breakfast of french pastries and fruit juice which I just picked up at Tap 5. Been our breakfast for most of the vacation. Then, off to the beach. I told Carol I would like to visit the South end of Orient Beach for the day. No need to get my bathing suit wet today. This is a clothing optional beach and I think I will choose the optional part. Matter of fact, so might my wife. We hopped in the car for the ten minute drive. Found a parking space behind the last beach bar on the strip and walked the 100 yards to Club Orient. I can still remember the first time that we tried a clothing optional beach. Seems like so long ago. We walked half-way down the naturist section to where it looked fairly deserted and picked two orange chairs in the back row and put our bags and cooler next to them. Felt so strange to take off your suit. After I did, I immediately sat down, checking to see if anyone was looking at me. Nope! And why should I care. After all, everyone else is dressed as we are. And ...... no one seemed to care. And besides, what are the chances you will see someone you know on a beach thousands of miles from home. Within a few minutes others came and then we saw the only textile person (clothed) on the beach approaching us. He was the beach boy collecting money and putting an umbrella next to our chairs. What a job! If I lived here I Would apply for a job like that. Within three minutes he was gone. The sun on our skin warmed us all-over. You need to put suntan lotion on parts of your body that you never had to before. But, the feeling was vitalizing! Almost like you're doing something illegal. But, then you realize how natural it really is. After a few minutes we knew we had to get in the water, since it was getting hot. Why did we sit in the back row? We walked through the gathering bathers as quickly as we could, not taking our eyes off the water. The water felt great. And, no sand in a wet suit when you have to return to the chairs to relax. After an hour or so, it seemed like we were seasoned naturists. I even strolled to the "Perch" (beach bar) for happy hour drinks for the two of us. Most of the other bathers were in their 50s, 60, 70s, and beyond. Since it is our last full day on the island, we decided we would return to the room when the sun is going down. Will make good use of the umbrella to avoid the hot sun. Now, before you condemn us for being a little adventurous, you should give it a try sometime. After all, as one of the t-shirts for sale on the beach proclaimed, "If God intended us to be nude, we'd have been born that way." And anyway, it was my birthday! It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy. PS - pixs were taken of the yellow umbrellas and orange chairs and Perch Beach Bar before bathers came to the beach.