Pleasant Day

Yesterday (Thursday, June 30, local time), I spent much of the day with my friend from blogging whom I've hung out with several times. I gave him a "magnetic bookmark" showing the painting of a sleeping dog from the exhibition at the Peabody Essex Museum which I recently visited. (You can see the painting in the link in EcceHomo's comment to my post.) We hung out for several hours, including lunch and visiting a couple of historic houses. One house featured an exhibition of late 19th Century paintings by an artist from that town. Most were family members or scenes from his travels. But one of the largest was titled "The Bathers," and it showed two nude boys, probably in their early teens, on a grassy lawn, with water in the foreground and trees in the background. The nearer boy is seated on the grass, facing to the viewer's right, with his leg and arms in positions that hide his genitals. The other boy is standing, facing away from the viewer and holding a towel that hides part of his upper back. It was certainly an interesting painting, but not sexually arousing. I think it meets the criteria of Pope John Paul II for legitimate depictions of nudity.

Speaking of nudity, at one point my friend remarked that it would be nice if it were acceptable for people to walk around naked, because the day was ideal for it. I agreed completely: a perfect day to be naked outdoors. If I hadn't been with him, I probably would have been clothes-free at home most of the day.

At one point he suggested that we get together again in the evening for dinner. Fortunately, I was free that evening. So when the daytime visit was over, I went home, took a nap, checked the internet, and then met him for dinner at a restaurant a few miles from where we had spent the day. We enjoyed steaks, drinks, desserts, and, most importantly, pleasant conversation which continued as we strolled for a while after dinner in the moments shortly before sunset on the beautiful summer evening. As always, neither of us wanted the time together to end, but we managed to say good night and go our separate ways home.