A sign advertising “nudist condos coming soon” on Boice Lane was intended as a joke by the property owner ? but like many pranks, the joke came back down the pipe at Cas Smith.
Smith purchased 48 acres on the corner of Boice Lane and Old Trail Road and became the object of constant curiosity about his land, especially when he started doing a bit of cleanup.
“Everybody wanted to know what I was going to do with the property,” he said.
Smith decided to befuddle those intent on prying into his business, he said. He paid $500 to prepare a sign advertising the notion that “Running Bare” nudist condos were coming soon.
“The sign is what gets people. It looks authentic,” said Smith.
The sign included the double-entendre name and a heart logo that looks like expensive advertising, not a joke. He even came up with a fake 800 number, that included the prefix 555. Smith believed that any number where the area code is followed by 555 is not a working number. The prefix 555 is often used on TV shows for that reason, he mentioned.
While this is true for regular area codes like 707, it is not true for 800 numbers. The number Smith thought he made up as a joke is actually a real number connected to a recorded sex talk line.
Smith admitted that now the joke was on him.
“I never even tried to dial it. I didn”t think 555 numbers were working numbers,” he said.
The recorded “operator” on the sex line tries to extract a credit card number from the caller and the service clearly has nothing to do with social nudity.
Smith said he has had other unexpected consequences, such as people calling to order nudist condos. He said he had one complaint and also a call from a county official.
“The county also had gotten a complaint and wanted to know if we had all our permits. I told them I was just testing the waters ? I”m not even sure what the zoning classification would be for that one,” he said.
The sign has shocked or baffled many residents who have seen it.
Howard Clark, who lives on the road, contacted Smith when the sign appeared about a month ago.
“I first said, ”Oh my god, what are they doing?”” said Clark. “Then I found out it was a joke.”
Clark said he considered it funny. Another caller to the Advocate-News was also amused, but some have found the sign offensive.
The sign also includes an ad for North Coast Plumbing, also owned by Smith. The land and company are not connected, other than through Smith”s unusual sense of humor.
City Councilman Brian Baltierra is a plumber at North Coast Plumbing but declined to comment on the matter.
“I don”t want to steal thunder from the boss,” he said.
The land was purchased by Smith in the name L &S Investments in 2000, county records show.
