I see Luann is listening to an iPod and watching an iPad. She’ll freak out over the rechargeable batteries going dead and there ain’t an outlet for her USB ports anywhere on that (pardon my French) God-forsaken place.
If anyone knows how to camp, then rule #1 is…anything with a video screen stays home, and phones tossed in the glove box. If you are anywhere within range of a cell tower, then you aren’t camping right anyway.
Oh look at that, Dez is hopping around like an imbecile again. As I said the other day, she clearly has never been at nature’s mercy if she treats it like an amusing quasi-spiritual experience rather than as an actual test of one’s mettle. Maybe we’ll get lucky and she’ll go bouncing into an area occupied by some territorial animals, and they can teach her a little lesson about how unforgiving nature can be towards those who don’t take it seriously. Perhaps some fire ants will teach her that the great outdoors is not a good place to run around naked.
I can’t imagine running naked in the country in the summer. The insects would eat me alive. Today I was wearing regular clothing covered by mosquito proof fine net pants, a mosquito proof fine net top, a mosquito proof event poncho of fine net on top of that, a mosquito proof “bee keeper hat” of fine net, mosquito proof socks, mosquito proof gloves and mosquito proof high boots—and the stupid mosquitoes STILL got me three times. I don’t know how they did it. I hate summer.
I can’t take this skit with Bernice anymore. I almost ready to start begging they bring Shannon back ASAP. I guess the Evans figured to give Bernie her “15 minutes in the Sun”, which, lately, is about 16 minutes too long. And Luann on her tablet, I am assuming she has one with wireless support and a cell tower nearby for reception or else she is playing a game or reading a story she downloaded prior to the trip.
Really, Bernie? How’s your battery life? You done nothing but analyze your friends like two lab rats who were force fed 300 lbs of caffeine. And yap into your phone. I’d rather hang with the naked whacko.
Go Dez, free, happy and beautiful! But alas, unfortunately your friends are not the types able to understand the liberating feeling of being naked in the midst of nature. Bernice’s traumatized face is priceless !!!!
Having worked in a National Park, Luann and Dez are actually behaving as regular tourists; Luann relaxing in the shade (and yes, tourists use their phones and tablets at Parks too), and Dez communing with nature (even if naked.) Bernice needs to try relaxing herself. A realist she’s not! Great eyes on Bernice in the final panel, Dez is definitely naked for that reaction!
First thoughts: Well many were waiting for/anticipating the au natural panel and there it is. The answer to my recent question re how would Greg handle female nudity in the strip. Recall that Gunther, Jack and Nil were shown explicitly; with family friendly cover. :o)
Yesterday someone chided Dez for wearing a skirt camping. Now we know Greg relied on that aid the naked silhouette visual today work. Plus, what does it matter what you wear there if you’re just going to shuck it?
Right now, I’d say Dez is the only bright spot in this arc. In a reply under Dreamdeer above, I expressed the fear that this arc may be heading toward the punishment of Dez for her exuberance. Which would be too bad.
I love how people are always reminding me (and others) that this is “only a comic strip”, as if we didn’t know. That’s like saying, “It’s only a movie.” Alfred Hitchcock said, “I’m frightened of my own movies. A glimpse into the world proves that horror is nothing other than reality.”
I was kayaking in Canada, and we pulled up to a secluded spot, so I stripped down and went for a swim. Turns out it was a picnic area. I had to spend a long time in waist deep water.
Worked as a counselor at a Baptisst Camp went for a 4 mile hike along Lake Michigan, and had to pass by a family of nudist who boated in for privacy. 4 groups of 15 junior highers, they thought the parade would never end.
For me, this is reading as a sort of “Wednesday Filler Day” effort…. not much in terms of advancing the plot, IMO. That is ok, of course, but for me it is a little less interesting than the first two days of the week had been. That said:
1. I believe we are to infer that Dez has gone “naked” in her pursuit of “Zen in the Wild”. Questions this brings to mind include…. will Bernice join her? I would say the odds are against it and perhaps there is a 1 in 10 possibility. Will Luann join her? More possible, IMO, but still unlikely (perhaps a 3 in 10 chance). Also, this could be an interesting time for some sort of law enforcement or park ranger to arrive on the scene. I would imagine this could be a way to encourage “hilarity ensues” so it seems a potential option as well.
2. Of note… I think all three of these “robust campers” need to be putting on some sunscreen. This may be ESPECIALLY important for Dez at the moment, because she appears to have a lot of skin now that is exposed that is typically covered by clothing….. in this day and age, no one should risk getting sunburn. I do not know if it is just my eye or my monitor… but at least in comparison to the last two days…. Bernice appears more pink/red than before…. I do not know if that is intentional or not…. but it could be the start of sunburn.
3. Also, perhaps a fault of my monitor today…. but to me…. the blue of the skyline today seems “darker” than I would have anticipated on a relatively good California weather camping day. Are we to infer a) this is an indication of nightfall approaching, b) a potential storm brewing, c) a color difference suggesting something “foreboding”?
As I recall, Luann told Jack and Nil that this trip was intended to be a girls’ bonding affair. So far these three are like trains passing in the night and this trip has exacerbated their differences. Bern’s experiment is interesting in that respect e.g. three totally different persons forced to camp together for a period. They interact more at school than on this trip, so far. They will realize this (maybe) when they get back, unless (we still have half a week) some event occurs that forces them together.
Dez will not be naked…not Greg’s style. Either the censors would censor, or she would be declared a weapon of mass destruction, and the Army would come in. Don’t forget, a cartoon is just like rubber life…you can twist it however you want.
Well, like everyone in the comments I wondered when the OTHER OTHER shoe would drop and how hard. But ya know, as I was trying to write a witty comment, I got to thinking. Why am I sitting here fully dressed, escaping my life of putting out fires by cynically analyzing a cartoon strip. Then it it me! Why not try this? So I threw off all my garments (working from home anyways) and felt so free that I was able to lower the air conditioning and got a lot of work done in the nude! Then my wife came in and insisted on checking me for signs of stroke. Probably because when she asked what the hell I was doing, I replied “BODY POSITIVITY!”
I certainly hope the dirt path has been completely swept of dried brambles, sharp rocks, twigs with thorns on them and any metal bits left by other campers…. Barefoot person dancing and hopping around… it’s gonna hurt!
Well, I DID ask for “naked and afraid.” So, Dez is naked. Lu will probably be afraid. And Bern? Bern is so wrapped up in “observing” that she’ll be the one eaten by a bear. Of course, maybe once all the girls get nekkid is when the boys will show up. Also…why do I get the feeling this isn’t the first time Dez has communed with nature au naturale?
Dez is “communing with nature,” and no one should be surprised. Luann is blissfully ignorant (briefly, one suspects), and Bernie is a huge pain in the backside….
All the comments about mosquitoes and other biting bugs miss the REAL threat to running around naked in the woods — POISON IVY! Poison ivy will make anyone wish for mosquitoes. I’m thinkin’ that this bunch has no clue what it looks like. Using poison ivy leaves in lieu of toilet paper can land you in the hospital.
Templo S.U.D. over 5 years ago
I see Luann is listening to an iPod and watching an iPad. She’ll freak out over the rechargeable batteries going dead and there ain’t an outlet for her USB ports anywhere on that (pardon my French) God-forsaken place.
SJhapamama over 5 years ago
Lose. The. Phone.
AnyFace over 5 years ago
Dreamdeer over 5 years ago
Okay, those who objected to Dez’s skirt must be happy now. She appears to have ditched it and any other articles of clothing, down to the shoes.
Mordock999 Premium Member over 5 years ago
Saints Preserve Us, it looks like Dez DID get naked! So which of these lovely ladies will join her?
Heh. This reminds me of this 80’s Group, Bow Wow Wow, and their song “Wild in the Country.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=En-7NJcRnNk
lvlax over 5 years ago
First Tiffany’s underwear are displayed..now Deez strips naked. This comic is getting Racy!! LOL
Eviljanet over 5 years ago
Is Dez…naked?
Argythree over 5 years ago
Bernice’s eyes in the last frame look like she’s in shock. But she’s been sharing a dorm suite with Dez all year; she must have seen this before…
Enter.Name.Here over 5 years ago
If anyone knows how to camp, then rule #1 is…anything with a video screen stays home, and phones tossed in the glove box. If you are anywhere within range of a cell tower, then you aren’t camping right anyway.
capricorn9th over 5 years ago
Wow, Dez did it. Will Luann and Bernice follow suit?? This may be Luann’s 3rd attempt to explore edgier stuff in life. Bernice? No way.
BJShipley1 over 5 years ago
Oh look at that, Dez is hopping around like an imbecile again. As I said the other day, she clearly has never been at nature’s mercy if she treats it like an amusing quasi-spiritual experience rather than as an actual test of one’s mettle. Maybe we’ll get lucky and she’ll go bouncing into an area occupied by some territorial animals, and they can teach her a little lesson about how unforgiving nature can be towards those who don’t take it seriously. Perhaps some fire ants will teach her that the great outdoors is not a good place to run around naked.
ericbrower over 5 years ago
Bernice did label Dez the ’naturalist ’.
kenhense over 5 years ago
No way in this galaxy or any other that Luann is going to jump around naked out in the wilderness.
alasko over 5 years ago
I was expecting Dez to do that the minute they arrived.
kenhense over 5 years ago
When Luann returns from this trip – she can tell everybody about all the interesting stuff she saw on her Tablet.
GOGOPOWERANGERS over 5 years ago
By the frighten look on her face Dez is naked
Joe1962 over 5 years ago
Bernice you don’t bring cell phones on a camping trip. While Dez is doing a split in the air and Luann hanging out.
capricorn9th over 5 years ago
Luann, stop being so engrossed in those devices and look up to your left and be prepared to be surprised.
Glen.A.Zerbi over 5 years ago
Um, is Dez nude?
sallymargaret over 5 years ago
I can’t imagine running naked in the country in the summer. The insects would eat me alive. Today I was wearing regular clothing covered by mosquito proof fine net pants, a mosquito proof fine net top, a mosquito proof event poncho of fine net on top of that, a mosquito proof “bee keeper hat” of fine net, mosquito proof socks, mosquito proof gloves and mosquito proof high boots—and the stupid mosquitoes STILL got me three times. I don’t know how they did it. I hate summer.
Need coffee over 5 years ago
Team??
sallymargaret over 5 years ago
If Bernice talks like that to her patients, they are going to wipe the floor with her.
RabbitHole over 5 years ago
I can’t take this skit with Bernice anymore. I almost ready to start begging they bring Shannon back ASAP. I guess the Evans figured to give Bernie her “15 minutes in the Sun”, which, lately, is about 16 minutes too long. And Luann on her tablet, I am assuming she has one with wireless support and a cell tower nearby for reception or else she is playing a game or reading a story she downloaded prior to the trip.
notbornyesterday over 5 years ago
I hope someone remembered mosquito repellant.
gnmnrbl over 5 years ago
Ya know, i believe i called this…well part of it. I had a feeling dez would strip. Now let’s see luann and bernice do it hahaha ;-)
Linnorm over 5 years ago
And Dez goes “Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!”
Brdshtt Premium Member over 5 years ago
The silhouette of Dez looks like a Kokopelli without the flute.
Chopped Fowl over 5 years ago
Oh, like, … wow, man ……
The thing about this situation is, it might come back to bite you.
Literally ……
Ruth Brown over 5 years ago
Luann has rather boring arcs—especially since she is so devoted to her devices and dressing up for camping.
sactiger over 5 years ago
OMG – wake me when this “arc” is over…
JohnFarson19 over 5 years ago
Really, Bernie? How’s your battery life? You done nothing but analyze your friends like two lab rats who were force fed 300 lbs of caffeine. And yap into your phone. I’d rather hang with the naked whacko.
Troglodyte over 5 years ago
Now we know why they call it a comic strip! Dez looks comical.
Aladar30 Premium Member over 5 years ago
Go Dez, free, happy and beautiful! But alas, unfortunately your friends are not the types able to understand the liberating feeling of being naked in the midst of nature. Bernice’s traumatized face is priceless !!!!
TerBer over 5 years ago
Dez is right. Nothing quite like it.
mjb515 over 5 years ago
Dez is naked and Bernice is afraid,
sueb1863 over 5 years ago
Tune in tomorrow when:
Dez has to deal with being covered with bug bites, sunburn and embedded ticks.
Luann’s tablet dies and she suddenly realizes that she doesn’t know what to do with her time if she’s not staring at a screen.
Bernice finds her voice recorder mysteriously pulverized.
Bernedoodle over 5 years ago
I still say you need to shut the car doors. Batteries don’t last forever.
Major Matt Mason Premium Member over 5 years ago
I was wondering how long it was gonna take for Dez to shuck her duds.
David Huie Green LoveJoyAndPeace over 5 years ago
They are all doing what they enjoy, so it is all good.
elliel203 over 5 years ago
Tomorrow: Luanne joins Dez in the buff, and then Jack & co. arrive, having gotten the car fixed. Tables turned!
StoicLion1973 over 5 years ago
Hopefully, while Dez is in the buff, she’ll be seen in silhouette and behind specifically-placed bushes. This is a family site.
Airman over 5 years ago
Dez? Naked? Not a pleasant thought. More likely she found some kind of crazy weed to graze on.
ctolson over 5 years ago
Called it that Dez would be A’natural and dancing around.
wtepps over 5 years ago
Is anyone else completely tired of Bernice and her holier than thou, clinical approach to life? Dear Lord, let loose and have some fun
diverleo over 5 years ago
We used to call it “Cadillac Camping”. No hiking in. Perfect.
Pet over 5 years ago
Wow, I am with Dez! AND whatever kind of mushrooms she must have eaten :))
jonesbeltone over 5 years ago
A true nature girl.
CAMom over 5 years ago
Having worked in a National Park, Luann and Dez are actually behaving as regular tourists; Luann relaxing in the shade (and yes, tourists use their phones and tablets at Parks too), and Dez communing with nature (even if naked.) Bernice needs to try relaxing herself. A realist she’s not! Great eyes on Bernice in the final panel, Dez is definitely naked for that reaction!
chris_weaver over 5 years ago
Tomorrow’s strip: Dez goes completely feral!
Robert Nowall Premium Member over 5 years ago
Hope she doesn’t sunburn easy.
TheBigPickle over 5 years ago
Damned censorship shadows…
Tyge over 5 years ago
First thoughts: Well many were waiting for/anticipating the au natural panel and there it is. The answer to my recent question re how would Greg handle female nudity in the strip. Recall that Gunther, Jack and Nil were shown explicitly; with family friendly cover. :o)
Tyge over 5 years ago
Yesterday someone chided Dez for wearing a skirt camping. Now we know Greg relied on that aid the naked silhouette visual today work. Plus, what does it matter what you wear there if you’re just going to shuck it?
Cheapskate0 over 5 years ago
Right now, I’d say Dez is the only bright spot in this arc. In a reply under Dreamdeer above, I expressed the fear that this arc may be heading toward the punishment of Dez for her exuberance. Which would be too bad.
percheronhitch6 over 5 years ago
Bernice is really bugging me now. The smug is starting to shine.
sallymargaret over 5 years ago
I love how people are always reminding me (and others) that this is “only a comic strip”, as if we didn’t know. That’s like saying, “It’s only a movie.” Alfred Hitchcock said, “I’m frightened of my own movies. A glimpse into the world proves that horror is nothing other than reality.”
Tyge over 5 years ago
Greg has broken the female nudity veil here… can skinny-dipping be far behind? ;o)
Ignatz Premium Member over 5 years ago
Being happy in nature is nice, but this is like Snoopy on drugs. Dez worries me a bit.
Tyge over 5 years ago
♬She’s just as proud as she can be, of her anatomy/She gunna give us a peek/Oh, yes they call her The Streak♬
“DON’T LOOK, BERNICE!!”
Too late. Now she’s seen it all!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XtzoUu7w-YM
sid w over 5 years ago
I was kayaking in Canada, and we pulled up to a secluded spot, so I stripped down and went for a swim. Turns out it was a picnic area. I had to spend a long time in waist deep water.
TerBer over 5 years ago
Worked as a counselor at a Baptisst Camp went for a 4 mile hike along Lake Michigan, and had to pass by a family of nudist who boated in for privacy. 4 groups of 15 junior highers, they thought the parade would never end.
Comic Minister Premium Member over 5 years ago
I can’t believe Dez did that!
locake over 5 years ago
I’ve gone to nude resorts a few times. It feels wonderful to be naked outside in a safe place. I wouldn’t do it in the wilderness though.
Madzdad the bard over 5 years ago
I think I predicted that a few days ago, ha!
Asharah over 5 years ago
I hope Dez brought OFF. And calamine lotion in case she dances though a patch of poison ivy.
Pipe Tobacco over 5 years ago
4
For me, this is reading as a sort of “Wednesday Filler Day” effort…. not much in terms of advancing the plot, IMO. That is ok, of course, but for me it is a little less interesting than the first two days of the week had been. That said:
1. I believe we are to infer that Dez has gone “naked” in her pursuit of “Zen in the Wild”. Questions this brings to mind include…. will Bernice join her? I would say the odds are against it and perhaps there is a 1 in 10 possibility. Will Luann join her? More possible, IMO, but still unlikely (perhaps a 3 in 10 chance). Also, this could be an interesting time for some sort of law enforcement or park ranger to arrive on the scene. I would imagine this could be a way to encourage “hilarity ensues” so it seems a potential option as well.
2. Of note… I think all three of these “robust campers” need to be putting on some sunscreen. This may be ESPECIALLY important for Dez at the moment, because she appears to have a lot of skin now that is exposed that is typically covered by clothing….. in this day and age, no one should risk getting sunburn. I do not know if it is just my eye or my monitor… but at least in comparison to the last two days…. Bernice appears more pink/red than before…. I do not know if that is intentional or not…. but it could be the start of sunburn.
3. Also, perhaps a fault of my monitor today…. but to me…. the blue of the skyline today seems “darker” than I would have anticipated on a relatively good California weather camping day. Are we to infer a) this is an indication of nightfall approaching, b) a potential storm brewing, c) a color difference suggesting something “foreboding”?
jvn over 5 years ago
Singing a single eighth note would sound strange, especially if you’re nude and outdoors.
bigal666 over 5 years ago
My eyes! My eyes!
MJ Weber Premium Member over 5 years ago
OMG this is tedious! I’m taking the rest of the week off for Luann.
RSH over 5 years ago
As I recall, Luann told Jack and Nil that this trip was intended to be a girls’ bonding affair. So far these three are like trains passing in the night and this trip has exacerbated their differences. Bern’s experiment is interesting in that respect e.g. three totally different persons forced to camp together for a period. They interact more at school than on this trip, so far. They will realize this (maybe) when they get back, unless (we still have half a week) some event occurs that forces them together.
Dragoncat over 5 years ago
Imagine if the boys had made it to the campsite…
Airman over 5 years ago
Dez will not be naked…not Greg’s style. Either the censors would censor, or she would be declared a weapon of mass destruction, and the Army would come in. Don’t forget, a cartoon is just like rubber life…you can twist it however you want.
Scott Stevenson over 5 years ago
So it appears that Dez has gone the “sans clothing” route, and she’s encouraging Luann and Bernice to try it.
I can’t see Bernice doing it, and if Luann decides to, it can mean only one thing-a day or so later (in real time), Jack and the others will show up.
bakana over 5 years ago
Skyclad is for Nighttime ceremonies because Moonlight is so much more Flattering.
Far trippin' over 5 years ago
Well, like everyone in the comments I wondered when the OTHER OTHER shoe would drop and how hard. But ya know, as I was trying to write a witty comment, I got to thinking. Why am I sitting here fully dressed, escaping my life of putting out fires by cynically analyzing a cartoon strip. Then it it me! Why not try this? So I threw off all my garments (working from home anyways) and felt so free that I was able to lower the air conditioning and got a lot of work done in the nude! Then my wife came in and insisted on checking me for signs of stroke. Probably because when she asked what the hell I was doing, I replied “BODY POSITIVITY!”
ZeMastor over 5 years ago
I certainly hope the dirt path has been completely swept of dried brambles, sharp rocks, twigs with thorns on them and any metal bits left by other campers…. Barefoot person dancing and hopping around… it’s gonna hurt!
eladee AKA Wally over 5 years ago
Go for it, Dez!!!! Dance like nobody’s watching. Except us, readers, of course.
Jim Kerner over 5 years ago
Look for the Bare necessities. The simple bare necessities. Sorry Baloo fans.
Jim Kerner over 5 years ago
There are eight million stories in the Naked City. This has been one of them.
STACEY MARSHALL Premium Member over 5 years ago
Dez’s doofy dancing defies prissy twit’s logic.
electricpostcard over 5 years ago
Yep, she’s an Amazon.
PhoenixHocking over 5 years ago
Well, I DID ask for “naked and afraid.” So, Dez is naked. Lu will probably be afraid. And Bern? Bern is so wrapped up in “observing” that she’ll be the one eaten by a bear. Of course, maybe once all the girls get nekkid is when the boys will show up. Also…why do I get the feeling this isn’t the first time Dez has communed with nature au naturale?
oakie817 over 5 years ago
put the phone down, live in life
Sisyphos over 5 years ago
Dez is “communing with nature,” and no one should be surprised. Luann is blissfully ignorant (briefly, one suspects), and Bernie is a huge pain in the backside….
kenhense over 5 years ago
Maybe a near-sighted mother bear will go after Luann & Bernice to protect Dez.
gnmnrbl over 5 years ago
Dez must be on something as she’s running nude through strawberry fields. haha
SeanNelson over 5 years ago
3 cheers for naked naturalists!!!!
Airman over 5 years ago
Now is the time for one of those plush RV’s, the size of a baby aircraft carrier, to come rolling in.
WaywardWind over 5 years ago
All the comments about mosquitoes and other biting bugs miss the REAL threat to running around naked in the woods — POISON IVY! Poison ivy will make anyone wish for mosquitoes. I’m thinkin’ that this bunch has no clue what it looks like. Using poison ivy leaves in lieu of toilet paper can land you in the hospital.