Dog Days

Boy, has it been a summer. Graduation, lots of family visitors, vacations, new colleges, and soon to be an empty nest. No injuries, thankfully, and I’ve actually been running reliably again without a ton of pain.

The bike has really been my joy, as usual – Southeast New England is probably one of the best places on the planet to ride. Not enough mountains to really turn out phenomenal riders, but enough great terrain to put lots of people on bikes.

Today’s ride wasn’t anything special – just wanted to try out a new pair of shoes and actually put some sweat out. It’s been a busy week at work, with Monday having been off dropping a kid at school, and with the end of the fiscal year rapidly approaching. But it was a ride, it happened, and it was good.

I suppose I should have gotten out earlier, but it the Vuelta was on, I’d had a beer or two too many, and Mrs. Jank and oldest kid wanted to go stroll with the dog, so that was out. Oldest kid and I also spent some quality time running errands – really looking forward to him graduating college in December and the future ahead of him; but spending some time with him now is a gift.

So, I headed out in the heat of the day, about the time that people started heading into town for supper. So, traffic was a little bit heavier than I’d like, and the legs were leaden after about a week off. But the ride got done.

The bees buzzed,, the breeze blew, and the sun beat down on my ears. Miles rolled by under my wheels, the new shoes were great, and there’s corn and steak on the grill, a great bottle of wine waiting, and all is good.