North Fork nudist

Last week I said I was keeping my eyes open watching for nudists. That was looking to the present and the future. I should have been looking to the past. Forty years or more ago there was a lot of talk about a North Fork resident who worked in his garden naked. 

A story like that would not have been a big deal except that his garden was right alongside the main North Fork Road. Like everyone else I watched his garden every time I drove by. Often saw him in his garden but he was always sitting down with his back to the road and I never saw more than his back — and I don’t think anyone else did either. Maybe he was naked and maybe he was wearing shorts. At any rate among some, mostly women, it was scandalous and created a lot of gossip. I remember my Dad — who thought the whole thing was funny — telling my stepmother that if she was so offended she could look at the river on the other side of the road instead of gawking at the garden trying to see a naked man. 

At any rate, a lot of time has passed but the well-tended garden is still there and so is the gardener. He is in his 90s now and I have not heard anything about how he dresses — or doesn’t — for decades. Like all the stories from the distant past it may be true, partially true, or the figment of someone’s imagination. You decide. As for me I always believe the most interesting story. 

On a sad note, two North Fork ladies passed away unexpectedly this week. One was a longtime year-round resident who was active in the community and the other had only been here a year or two and was still becoming known to the neighbors. Both leave husbands and I think gown children. Our thoughts and prayers to both families. 

Fall is definitely in the air. The aspen are mostly bright yellow, the tamarack are turning to gold and the nights are becoming brisk. If I don’t fire up the wood stove in the evenings I certainly will in the morning to take the chill off. 

Bowhunting has started so now we see hunters in camo clothing and blackened hands and faces who will be replaced with bright orange next month when the general season starts. 

I have finally started seeing some bears. My count is now up to 10 so I am not likely to catch up with Gary McDonough, but there is one odd thing— nine of the bears I have seen were black bears. Only one grizzly. 

In recent years the opposite was true. My closest neighbors have multiple sightings of a black bear with three cubs. I don’t know if this is a trend, but with the killing of Monica and her cubs, there will certainly be fewer grizzly sightings.