I’m in Ottawa today for a swim and gym event with my naturism group, the Ottawa Naturists. It’s our first event since mid-December, and I am so looking forward to playing some basketball and then soaking in the hot tub afterward — and, yes, swimming in the pool.

Our naturism group is not a landed organization: we rent four different swimming facilities — one with a gymnasium — in the Ottawa area throughout the season, which starts in September and ends in May. Swim events are held every two weeks, with other events like nude bowling thrown in from time to time. Although the pool activities are suspended for the summer, the group meets in mid-July at the Sunward naturism camp — by a beautiful lake — for a barbecue.

Because I live so far away — some 200 kilometres in the neighbouring province of Quebec — I don’t make it to all the swim events in the winter, usually because of bad weather. But I really hate it when I miss the gym events because I love playing basketball — I’m a ringer (she says, patting herself on the back).

So, why do I travel so far to be with this naturism group when I could no doubt find one in the Montreal area much closer to my home?

Well, it’s the people — which is what social nudism is all about. Socializing. I like the people.

I first learned about ON/NO (Ottawa Naturists/Naturistes de L’Outaouais) when the president of the organization — Ted — contacted me at the newspaper I work for, after I had written some items there about naturism. He invited me to check out ON/NO. You can read about my social nudism debut here.

I soon joined the group . . . and the rest is history, as they say.

I look forward to catching up with my ON/NO friends today.

If you are interested in joining ON/NO, click on this link.

If you’re in the Ottawa area vacationing or on business and would like to attend an ON/NO event, feel free to contact the group by email.

Cheers

— Jillian