Events - Part 83

Koktebel Neptune Day

Neptune Day is a local one-day festival held in August on a nude beach in Koktebel, on the Crimean peninsula, which was once part of Ukraine but was taken over by Russia in 2014.

Above, Neptune and some admirers in 2015.

Many festival participants are body-painted.  The guy above chose a botanical theme, with his penis becoming the stem of a plant.

I should note that all the photos of this event concentrated heavily on the nude women.  The men were incidental.  I found some photos showing men, but there are females in all of the photos.

Someone getting body-painted.

Another look at Neptune and some friends in 2015.

The guy on the left in the previous photo with some younger companions.

Another Neptune, presumably in a different year.

The guy who was at left in the previous photo and some other companions.

More painted bodies.

This guy has painted-on wings, but he isn't an angel, because one of the wings and half his face is black (the other half is white).  Paintings of the Devil often show him with black wings, because he's a fallen angel.  I think this guy is portraying himself as half angel, half devil.

We end with a video of the crowd at the 2017 festival.

Daylight Savings Time

 Daylight Savings Time

Daylight Savings Time starts today.

Time to spring forward one hour ...

unless you live in Hawaii, like I do, or in Arizona.  These states don't observe Daylight Savings Time, so this is what I need to do today.  Nothing.

Weighing In -- Part 83

Bobo Olson

Carl 'Bobo' Olson (1928-2002) was an American boxer who won the World Middleweight championship in 1953.  In 1955 he lost the title to Sugar Ray Robinson.  On May 18, 1956 Olson and Robinson fought a rematch, photographed by Allan Grant for LIFE magazine.

Above, Robinson (left) and Olson (right) shake hands.  Robinson is clearly not actually weighing in, since he is wearing shoes and socks.

Grant's photos show Robinson getting naked, though it's not clear whether it's for the weigh-in.

We only get an oblique view of Robinson's rear.

Here's Olson weighing in.  He must have been over the limit, because we see him next without his shorts.

An official held up a modesty cloth, but photographer Allan Grant was positioned to get a good view.  LIFE did not publish male frontal nudity, so this photo was never published, but it is in the LIFE archives.

Sugar Ray Robinson won this rematch.  Bobo Olson ended his career with 97 wins and 16 losses.

Poem of the Day - Part 83

 Eeny Meeny Miny Moe

Today's poem is a nursery rhyme which I have illustrated with some video clips that match the words.

Artists - Part 86

 Yaroslav Sobol

Yaroslav Sobol is a Ukranian artist.  He was born in Zaporizhzhia in 1973 and studied at Kharkiv State Art College from 1988 to 1992.

His early work was impressionistic in style, like Poppy Fields, 2018, above.

Sunny Boy, 2018, is also impressionistic.  Sobol has painted a large number of nudes, both male and female.

Then Sobol's style became a bit less impressionistic and more realistic, like Mike, 2020, above.

The trend toward realism continued.  Above, Sunny Day, 2021.

Red Wine, 2023, shows even greater attention to detail.

Nude Boy in the Morning, 2024.

Nude Boy on the Beach, 2024, reverts to an impressionistic background.

In 2025, Sobol painted several studies called Nude Male Model.  This one, Nude Male Model #2, is anatomically impressive.

We end with a rear view for my friend Rick.  This is Nude Man by the Sea, 2025.

Beach Bums - Part 80

 Polo Beach, Oahu

Polo Beach is a nude beach on the north shore of Oahu, Hawaii.  Do not confuse it with another Polo Beach on the island of Maui, which is not a nude beach.

The beach was named after a nearby polo field.  Above, the "Friends of Polo Beach" line up.

Nude beaches are not legal in Hawaii, but some beaches, including this one, have been "unofficial" nude beaches for a long time.  Officials tend to look the other way as long as there is no sexual activity on the beach.

Polo Beach is located on the north shore of Oahu, in an area called Mokuleia to the west of the town of Waialua.

The left side of the beach is clothed; the right side is clothing-optional.

The water is fine, but there are no lifeguards.

There is also no shade on the beach, and the sun can be intense, so bring a beach umbrella or use sunscreen.

We end with this little video of a man walking on Polo Beach.  He is not totally naked – he is wearing a lei, the Hawaiian flower necklace.  His lei is made of orchids.  Come to Hawaii and maybe you, too can get lei'd.

Gods, Myths and Heroes - Part 77

Hermaphroditus

In ancient Greek religion, Hermaphroditus was the son of Hermes, the messenger of the gods, and Aphrodite, the goddess of love and beauty.  According to Ovid, he came upon the nymph Salmacis in her pool.  She was overcome with lust for him.  He rejected her, but she forced herself upon him (above, in a painting by Jean Francois de Troy, 1729), and she prayed to the gods to be united with him forever.  The gods answered her prayer and merged the two of them into one body.  After that, Hermaphroditus was both male and female.

Above is the sculpture called the Borghese Hermaphroditus in the Louvre.  It is a 2nd century Roman copy of a 2nd century BC Greek sculpture.  In addition, the mattress was carved by Bernini in 1620 specifically as a mattress for this sculpture to lie on.

From this angle, it looks like a sleeping woman, but ...

from the other side, she has a penis and balls in addition to her breasts.  She is both male and female.

Another Roman statue of Hermaphroditus c. 70-100 AD.  Breasts: check.  Dick and balls: check.

This statue of Hermaphroditus was found in the house of Loreius Tiburtinus in Pompeii.  Pompeii is the Roman city destroyed by the eruption of Mt. Vesuvius in 79 AD.  This statue has prominent breasts but clearly also has a penis.

This 3rd century Roman statue goes even further on the male side.  It's also in the Louvre.  We all knew that the Louvre contains great art, like the Mona Lisa, but who knew it has these other interesting artworks?

We end with a modern depiction of Hermaphroditus by Will Mitchell.  I have to say, it certainly looks male, but aside from the hair, it doesn't look very female.