Ride To Conquer Cancer, Training Progress, Part 37

Nicholas has his skin graft surgery this morn. I'm pointing it out to him. He's not very observant. I also remind him, once again, that he needs to start shaving his arms and legs. Maybe now he'll finally listen to his old man.
Doc says Nicholas will be healed in two weeks.

Not every librarian can look this good. I work really hard to keep my legs pasty white. It's not easy with all this infernal sun shining down. I go through a lot of sun block.

Would you check out a book from THIS guy?

Go Blue! Muscles & Michigan. I ride 33 miles after work down Biddle Pike to Skinnersburg to Glass Pike to Long Lick Pike to Sulphur Wells Road back to Biddle Pike. My vital stats from the Cateye bike computer: Speed (13.3 mph avg., 33.3 max.); Heart (130 bpm. avg., 153 max.); Cadence (80 revolutions per minute avg., 109 revolutions per minute max.). I burn 932 calories. Actual pedal time is 2 hours and 29 minutes.

Ride To Conquer Cancer, Training Progress, Part 31

This is what it looks like this morn at 6:50 AM riding 18 miles down Biddle Pike to Skinnersburg to Glass Pike to Long Lick Pike and back. The fog fogs my glasses so I ride without them. I put my bike into sonar mode--ping! ping! ping! Something big and fast parts the fog directly in front of me. I swear it's a torpedo but it barks as it whizzes past. Barking torpedoes? Only in Kentucky. Anyway...what a great time of day to bike. It's cool. It's quiet. It's calming. Traffic is zilch. Distant mooing and barking and other critter sounds seem to carry further and have that special early morn-biking-Kentucky country road-barking torpedo quality. Ya know what I mean? Colors are subdued but richer. They aren't washed out by the noon day sun. Even smells are richer (that's an artsy-craftsy way of saying "smellier"). I pass through a pungent yet delightful aromatic cloud of tobacco as I pass an old tobacco barn on Glass Pike. Cow and horse manure twizzle my nose hair. Prayer seems the proper response on my return trip to get ready for 10:30 Mass. Glass Pike resounds with "Our Father," "Hail Mary," "St. Michael the Archangel," and "Angel of God my guardian dear." A final prayer of thanksgiving leaves my lips for heaven thanking God for watching over my son Nicholas during his recent biking accident.

Speaking of Nicholas...the plastic surgeon says Nicholas' elbow injury is healing nicely. No infection. He will need a skin graft though. He will meet again with the plastic surgeon next Friday to schedule the surgery.

This headstone pic and the following ones are from my July 16 ride. They were taken at the Pollard Henry Cemetery on NE Countyline Road.

There are a lot of Kidwells. "Cheak" is a bench.

Detail of headstone's soldier pic.