My family lived in the mountainous area of Mt. Baldy in Western Montana. There were small towns around, but none that had barbershops, therefore haircuts were either done at home or someone in the general area would do them. Because it was cold in the winter most guys would let their hair and beards grow out for the winter. My Dad and Uncle Jim were no exception.

Uncle Jim was my mom's brother. He lived by himself about a mile up the lane from us. I never knew Uncle Jim's wife since she died shortly after they were married and before us boys were born. He told me once that the reason he never remarried was because he had a family which was us.

Mom and Dad had four boys in close succession so we were good friends. I was the oldest of my brothers. My brother Ben was just a little younger than me. He and I were the best of buds. He was just a little over a year younger than me, but was two years behind me in school due to where our birthdays were in the year.

As I mentioned, when fall came most of the men grew their hair and beards out. Dad and Uncle Jim were no exception since they spent a lot of time outside working with their road construction business. Dad's hair and beard was very thick and black when he was young while Uncle Jim's was dark brown but just as thick. During the winter you'd think they were brothers rather than brother-in-laws since they looked so much a like. Both Dad and Uncle Jim's hair started to thin as they were in their mid thirties. I remember teasing them about it. They both took it in their stride though neither went completely bald they had receding hairlines.

My brothers and my hair didn't get extremely long since Mom would trim it so we looked nice for school. The first Saturday after school let out for the summer the haircutting became Dad and Uncle Jim's job. Dad and Uncle Jim would give each other butches and then they would shave their beards off. When they did this they looked a lot different from each other. Once they were cleaned up Dad would then proceed to give us our first of many summer butches. Every other Saturday morning during the summer we would get our hair trimmed up. I thought it always felt so good to get rid of that mop. I especially enjoyed that first swipe of the clippers over the top of my head. I hated for summer to get over since I new I would need to grow it out and comb it. I hated combing my hair. I knew my brothers felt the same way since we would try to convince Dad to keep giving us butches even though school started. I never thought of my hair being shorter since this was the norm.

After this first summer haircut, Dad and Uncle Jim would load up our camping gear and take us boys on a week long fishing trip. Dad said this gave Mom a vacation from all us guys.

In the Spring when I was about 14 years old Dad went to Salt Lake City for some kind of construction convention. When he came home he seemed to be preoccupied with something, but would not say what it was. On that first Saturday after school let out we were all anticipating our summer butches and fishing trip. Mom decided to drive to a larger city to do some shopping so she would be gone until late in the day.

Uncle Jim arrived at about 8 a.m. for the haircutting session. Uncle Jim had a grin on his face as Dad got out the clippers. Instead of them cutting each other's hair first they cut ours first. After we were sheared, Uncle Jim asked Dad if he was ready. Dad said he was. He took off his shirt and sat on the stool. I hadn't noticed what great shape Dad was in until he took off his shirt. He didn't have a tan which makes sense since I rarely seen without a shirt unless it was when we went swimming.

Uncle Jim asked Dad if he was sure he wanted his haircut. We thought that was kind of a dumb question, of course he wanted it cut since it was the first Saturday after school was out. Dad said yes it had to be done. Uncle Jim then took the clippers and held them in front of Dad as he moved the lever to its shortest position. He then put them at Dad's forehead and shaved a bald strip all the way back to his crown. Us boys stood in amazement not saying a word. Why was he doing this to Dad? Uncle Jim continued mowing his head until there was only a stubble left and his full beard. Dad told Uncle Jim to leave the beard for a bit so he could see what he looked like with a bald head and a full beard. I don't know about my brothers but I really liked how Dad looked. Dad went to the bathroom to see what he looked like. A few minutes later Dad appeared and told Uncle Jim to continue with the process. Uncle Jim then attached the butch blade on the clippers and began to cut Dad's heavy dark beard down to the same length as our hair. He once again removed the butch blade and proceeded to clip his beard off only this time he left his mustache and a goatee where the edges extended to a sharp point up his jawline. I thought he looked totally awesome. I told Dad that he should leave it like that. He said he would need to look at it first. Dad then went to the bathroom once again and then came back. He told Uncle Jim that he really liked it. I was glad since I didn't want him to shave his beard any different. It was also the first time I realized how blue Dad's eyes were. They really seemed to glisten.

Dad then told Uncle Jim to sit down and he would cut his hair. Uncle Jim sat down and Dad rapped the towel around his shoulders. Dad attached the butch blade to the clippers and began to give him his normal summer haircut. After one swipe of the clippers Uncle Jim told Dad to stop a minute. Uncle Jim then stood up and took his shirt off. Wow! Uncle Jim had muscles everywhere. He then sat back down and told Dad to get rid of the butch blade. He said to get rid of it all. Dad did as he was told. He then took the clippers and re-cut the path he had just done. There was nothing but a white strip down the center of his head. I thought he looked strange with his inverted mohawk. Soon his head was void of hair. Dad asked Uncle Jim if he wanted his beard, he said no to just shave it all off. Dad didn't hesitate for a second. I could tell Dad was really enjoying this. Soon Uncle Jim only had a shadow of hair on the top of his head and a days worth of growth on his face.

When Dad was done Uncle Jim got up and rubbed his head. All us boys couldn't wait to feel their heads. It was awesome, I thought it would feel soft like our butches, but it felt very course like sandpaper. I wanted mine cut just like theirs. I wanted a nude noodle just like theirs.

Dad told Uncle Jim that they had some unfinished business. They went into the Master Bathroom. Dad had a chair waiting. Uncle Jim sat down and Dad rubbed shaving cream all over Uncle Jim's head. He then shaved his head smooth. Uncle Jim said he would shave his own face. Dad then took some baby oil and rubbed it into Uncle Jim's head. He then rubbed some Aloe Vera lotion he had bought on top of that. Uncle Jim's head really shined under the lights. My desire to be shaved bald like them was only getting stronger.

Dad then sat down and Uncle Jim proceeded to shave Dad smooth. Dad asked Uncle Jim to also shave his face, but to leave the beard he had created earlier. I tell you what I had the most awesome looking mentors you could ask for with their shiny bald heads and muscular bodies.

Dad had not told Mom that he was going to do this. Dad told us not to say anything to Mom when she came home because he wanted to surprise her. In reality, he wasn't sure what her reaction was going to be. Dad was in their bedroom waiting when she came home. My brothers were out riding their bikes so weren't there when Mom arrived.

Mom said I looked a lot better with my haircut as she mussed my hair. I so much wanted to tell her about Dad and Uncle Jim, but knew I'd better keep my mouth shut. I helped her get her bags into the house. She asked where Dad was. I told her in the bedroom. She went to find Dad.

Dad was standing behind the door when she went in. The door immediately shut, but I could hear Mom laughing and then saying how much she liked it. After a while they came out. Dad didn't have his shirt on and was smiling. Mom couldn't keep from rubbing his bald head and telling Dad how much she loved it.

Uncle Jim showed up a while later to have dinner with us. Mom was surprised a second time when Uncle Jim went into the kitchen with his bald head.

As we were eating dinner the subject as to why they shaved their heads came up. Dad said when he was at the convention in Salt Lake City he couldn't believe all the shaved heads he saw among the other construction workers. He said after that everywhere he went he saw guys his age and younger sporting shaved heads. Pretty soon he couldn't get it out of his head and knew he wouldn't be satisfied until he tried it. When he came home he told Uncle Jim about his feelings so Uncle Jim readily volunteered to help him. Uncle Jim then confessed that for some reason he had wanted always wanted to shave someone's head and then to be shaved bald himself. He said he didn't know why he had these feelings but it was great to have finally done it. He said he hadn't planned on doing it until he sat down for Dad to cut his hair. He said he couldn't resist any longer. He had to be shaved bald as well. It full filled a very long fantasy of his.

Mom asked if they were going to stay shaved bald. Dad said for him that he really liked the look, but that depended on what she wanted. Mom didn't respond. Uncle Jim said he didn't know at that point, but he felt it really helped show off his sculpted muscles. He said he was thinking of trying out for some body building competitions and that he noticed a lot of the guys had short hair or shaved heads. He said he had to get his noggin tanned so it matched the rest of his body.

After dinner Mom went to their bedroom for a minute. She came back to the table with a picture. It was a picture of her father who had a shaved head. Mom said he could grow a full head of hair but opted for being bald. He said nothing felt better. He had died when they were younger. Perhaps this is why Uncle Jim had this desire to be bald as well. Was it a genetic desire or simply instilled memories?

Mom then said she loved their bald heads and wished both of them would keep them shaved smooth. Dad asked her about when winter comes, she said her Dad was shaved bald year round. I think Dad knew what his head was going to look like from them on.

Dad and Uncle Jim shaved their heads almost every day from then on. When either one started getting some stubble Mom would mention that they needed to be cleaned up and get those noggins shining. They would smile at her and then showed up shining. Other than some stubble once in a while, I never seen them with hair on their heads again. Dad would try different beard styles with his shaved head, but his head remained smooth. My younger brothers don't remember Dad having hair. This is especially true for my youngest brother who was born nine months after Dad had shut the bedroom door that first Saturday he shaved his head. Dad said shaving his head made him feel more like a man that day and his and Mom's love life changed dramatically that day as well.

The next Saturday when we were due for our butch trims Ben and I asked Dad if he would shave our heads like his and Uncle Jim's. Dad told us that we couldn't shave our heads until we were at least sixteen. I don't know what was magical about that number, but that was two years off and I knew I couldn't wait that long. I had to come up with some kind of plan to circumvent that decision.

At the age of fourteen I was already getting a lot of facial and chest hair. I apparently had gotten the hair genes of both Dad and Uncle Jim. And I definitely knew I had the gene from my grandpa for wanting to be shaved bald.

When I got to high school the following fall I soon noticed some of the guys had bald heads. When I asked them why they told me they were on the swim team and it helped cut lap times in races. I had found my out for shaving my head, but first I had to get on the swim team. A few days later as I got to know my new friends better I asked them how I could get on the swim team. They told me to go and talk to Coach Davies.

During lunch I went to find Coach Davies. I was expecting Coach Davies to be bald like his team, but to my disappointment he had a normal haircut like our Mom made us keep during the school year. I asked the coach if I could be on the team. He said for me to start coming to practices each day after school and if I became good enough I could try out for the team.

That night I told my parents that I wanted to join the swim team and what the conditions were. They thought it would be a great idea. I didn't tell them my real motive. The next day I was disappointed to find out most of the guys swimming laps had hair on their heads just like mine. The only ones with shaved heads were those already on the swim team. When we went to the locker room to get dressed I realized the swim team had more than their heads shaved. These guys were shaved smooth from the top of their heads to their toes. This was a complete surprise. I guess this had to be done so their hair didn't stick out from their swim suits.

I learned I had to have great swim times to be on the team. It wasn't a matter of just asking to be on the team. I soon learned that I really enjoyed swimming and that my body was becoming developed and losing its boyhood qualities. Uncle Jim invited me to use his weight lifting equipment to help me become more powerful in the water. I often confided in Uncle Jim. I knew he wouldn't tell my secrets to anyone. I told Uncle Jim that I really wanted to shave my head bald like his and Dad's and that was why I originally joined the swim team. Uncle Jim said he understood.

Due to my dedication and ultimate desire I became an excellent swimmer. I had been letting all my hair grow out hoping my parents would tell be to get rid of it, but contrary to my wishes, it didn't happen.

One day prior to practice Coach Davies asked me to come into his office. I wondered what he wanted. To my surprise he asked me to be on the swim team even though I was younger than the other team members and hadn't been practicing as long as many of the other guys. To my disappointment he didn't ask me to cut my hair either. My family was really excited about me being on the team. Dad and Uncle Jim would come and watch me practice whenever they could.

I continued to practice, but even trying harder now I was on the team. It was about a month before our first meet. The Saturday morning before Thursday's first meet, several of the swim team members asked me to meet them at the pool for a dedicated practice.

I asked Uncle Jim to take me to the pool since I didn't have a drivers license yet. He said he would be glad to since he was going to the gym to work out. He said he would pick me up when I was done and bring me home.

I met the team members at the pool. The team captain said they had some business to take care of prior to swimming laps. We went into the locker room. A chair was sitting in the middle of the room. I was told to have a seat. I sat down as I was told. Jack, one of the team members opened his locker and took out a bag. He opened the bag and pulled out some clippers. Jack asked if I objected to a haircut since I really didn't look like I was part of the team. I said no and to go for it (after all I had been wanting this since Dad and Uncle Jim shaved their heads). Some of the team members knew my Dad and Uncle shaved their heads so they didn't think they wouldn't need to force me. Jack proceeded to put the clippers to my forehead and began the shaving. Stroke after stroke and soon my head was clipper shaved. He shaved my beard off as well. Jake then put shaving cream on my head and soon my head was as smooth as my mentors.

What happened next caught me by surprise. A towel was laid on the bench beside me. I was told to strip down to nothing and lay on the towel with my stomach down. The team members took turns clippering all my hair from my backside and then shaved it smooth.

Finally all my early manhood hair was removed from my backside. They then had me turn over so they could take care of the front side.

The clippering and shaving began on the front with each member of the team taking their turns. Before long the only hair I had on my body was my eye lashes and eyebrows. I was told I was now officially part of the swim team and that as long as I was on the team I must maintain the complete body shave from head to toe. I was to keep this look all year round even when there weren't swim meets. I was told I was part of a special fraternity that I would learn to love. I was told that I was to keep my head and face shaved daily, but each Saturday morning I was to meet back here for assistance in shaving the rest of my body. Part of being on the team was to help each other out with this and other efforts. I was told that I was never to reveal the on-goings of this special brotherhood or serious consequences would happen. This was beyond my wildest fantasies. I had wanted a head shave, but never dreamed that I would enjoy a body shave from what became some of my best and loyal friends.

When Uncle Jim picked me up he looked at me. He said I see you got what you wanted. He said I looked great and jokingly said I should have done it sooner. I told Uncle Jim that it wasn't just my head that was shaved. He looked at me and said you too? When I said why, he said he had been at the gym and his trainer highly suggested that he shave his body so his muscles would stand out better for his competitions. I asked him if everything was shaved. He said all that was left was his eyelashes and brows. He said even those guys who had crewcuts were submitted to the razor and their heads were now smooth like his. I told Uncle Jim that I had to keep shaved smooth year round as long as I was on the swim team. He told me that we would enjoy it together since that was also part of his condition for being on his team. He had to be clean shaven and would be subject to surprise inspections. I asked Uncle Jim how he shaved everything. He said he had a lot of help and was embarrassed by the situation, especially his body's reaction. He told me that the team told him that he would soon get over the embarrassment since it would become part of his life. I told him that I had a lot of help also. Nothing else was said.

When I got home I didn't know what my parents would say. I was surprised when Mom and Dad said they both liked my bald look. They said they figured I would need to shave at some point once I was asked to be on the swim team. Once again my parents were very supportive. Ben came in about then and couldn't wait to rub my head. He then again asked Dad if he could shave his head. My parents looked at me and then at each other. Dad said if Mom didn't care he could be shaved bald as well. Mom said as far as she was concerned a house full of baldies would be fine with her. Dad asked, does that go for the little guys? She said as soon as they wanted to be shaved bald to let them go ahead. (Mom didn't know they had already asked when Dad and Uncle Jim had shaved their heads). She said she felt it would help build them character.

Ben immediately asked when he could? Since it was the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, Dad said why not now? Ben immediately headed for the clippers. He set up a chair and handed them to Dad. Dad handed them to me and told me that head shaving would now be my responsibility. I clipped Ben bald. Dad came and handed me a package of Schick disposable razors and a can of shaving cream. In a moment Ben was as bald as me. Once Ben was done Mom called in the little guys. She asked the two younger boys if they wanted a haircut. They all looked at Ben and me and asked if they could have their heads shaved bald too. Mom, said if they wanted to be baldies that it was fine with her. When we were done, Mom had a full house of baldies with the exception of baby Clint. As soon as Clint got old enough he asked me to make him bald. My parents weren't home when he asked so I just took it upon myself to do the honors. They were a bit shocked and asked me why I shaved him. I told him that he wanted it that way. Mom said I wasn't to shave him until he was a bit older. That didn't last long because when Clint's hair grew out to about an inch he took it upon himself to cut his own hair. There was no way to fix it but to shave him bald. Dad said if he wanted it that way to keep it that way since it doesn't hurt anything. Anyway Clint started being bald at a very young age. As soon as he figured out how to shave his own head he did so.

Ben asked me why I kept my body shaved. I told him that I could tell him and that he would need to become part of the swim team to find out. The following year he too was soon on the team. I was the team captain so I got to invite Ben to the Saturday morning practice. Other than not having his head shaved he too experienced the ritual I had gone through the previous year. Ben too had the gene of wanting to be shaved bald. Ben and I would often help each other out with this effort.

Like Dad and Uncle Jim, Ben and I shaved our heads every day. Every Sunday morning I would shave the little guy's heads for them including Clint's. Before long others from the Mt. Baldy area were having me shave their heads for them. Mt. Baldy was getting known for baldies other than for lacking trees at the high elevations. Many were referring to our high school as the Mt Baldy Baldies instead of the Cougers. Dad said he didn't realize a trip to Salt Lake would have such an impact on his family and the towns around Mt. Baldy.

After we were out of high school some of us tried to let our hair grow, but we always reverted back to being shaved bald. Like Dad though we always experiment with facial hair. I have a neatly trimmed beard like Dad's first one with a bald head. Ben, well he's bald, but has a full bushy beard like Dad had before Uncle Ben trimmed it down. I let my body hair grow out, but Uncle Jim got me involved into body building like him. Before long I started shaving my entire body again. It felt so wonderful, I never tried to grow it back.

I now have teenage boys myself. They have never seen me with hair on my head nor has my wife. Like my Mom, my wife loves shaved bald heads. She had brothers on the swim team and had also thought they were sexy. Needless to say my boys are also shaved bald. We didn't make them do it. They just showed up home bald one day and have kept it that way. I guess it makes sense when there aren't barbers nearby and the shaved head gene keeps getting passed from one generation to the next and yes we still live in the shadows of Mt. Baldy.