IT'S A MANZ WORLD

MY SECRET PLACE - Note: Most of my Manz World stories are fictionalized accounts of how the painting shown here came to be. However, some of the stories are rooted in truth.

When I was a teenager my parents had a vacation cottage in a beautiful but very rural part of Indiana. I loved going there, especially in the summer. Because of the location—mid-state Indiana—those summer days were long and many times very hot. So hot that, if I was at the cottage alone, I would take all my clothes off, making myself much more comfortable.

At least once a week my parents would drive a number of miles to the nearest grocery to buy food which would take them a couple of hours, sometimes more. In addition, it was not unusual for them to visit friends for the afternoon. Even for the day. So, when they were gone, I would enjoy the freedom that nudity provided for me.

The property upon which that cottage was located was rather expansive. It was land that my father bought off of his father when I was just a child. I was told that in addition to the 52 acres my father owned, my grandfather had an additional 250 acres, some of it being pasture land, some of it farmland and some of it being wooded. The wooded part bumped up to small pond, one that was filled with cool, refreshing water.

So, on those long, hot Indiana afternoons, especially when my parents were gone, I would get naked—except for my boots—and explore the property surrounding the cottage. After some hiking I would eventually walk into the deepest wooded part where I enjoyed the shade that the over hanging trees provided. And, if it was a really hot day, I would go to the pond for the purpose of taking a plunge to cool off. While one side of the pond provided easy entry, on the other side was a rather steep protrusion of rock looking much like a cliff. Although it was partly covered by moss and leafy plants, I liked to climb up to a rocky ledge and sit, sometimes for many minutes, staring into the quiet waters below. As I did so I found that time very meditative and relaxing. It was a private place to enjoy some private time in a very private manner.

Those happy days at the cottage, especially those times at the pond, continued into my mid-twenties. Although not experienced as often, I still relished being there, naked and alone, as often as I could. Eventually my parents sold the property, including the cottage, which brought an end to my visits. While that exploration and meditation was many years ago, I still remember those times with fond memories.

Recently I decided to paint what I thought would be a good example of what would have been seen by any onlooker should they find me at that pond. Fortunately, there was no one there to observe me because it was my secret place, a place where I could be my natural self in a very natural setting, all alone—naked—with no one to bother me.