I finally broke down and bought a new digital camera, which means I also broke down and bought a memory card to give it some memory. After breaking down for both of those I was too broke to buy the extended warranty, so hopefully it doesn’t break. My old digi-cam was found in the road broken after I dropped it while photographing paceline action on the fly at breakneck speed.

Speaking of broken necks, my brother-in-law, Joey has been out on the bike lately and is beginning to build fitness. If he sticks to it, based on his stocky build, I predict he’ll make great crit scum. Not that there’s anything wrong with that.

Saturday morning Ryder & I woke up, watched some Mickey, and then went out back to play in the backyard. Well, he mostly played while I tidied up, although we did do some chalk drawings and I let him hose off the patio. Then Denise came home from a 16 mile run (WTF?) and I met Josh & Jon Reth for a ride.

I'm not sure if we're still in a drought, but if we are, I think I know why.

Motivational chalk drawings.

Me and my compadres (above) ascended to Oak Glen. It was hot. We descended to Beaumont. It was hot and windy. We took San Timoteo Canyon back to Redlands. It was tailwindy. Good thing. I hate headwindy. It was one of my fastest trips down the canyon ever, and even though temps were in the mid 90s, I hardly broke (there’s that word again) a sweat.

On Sunday, I sweat a lot. It wasn’t any hotter; I just consumed too much tri-tip and libations on Saturday night. I suffered like a dog while Trevor, Joey & I did a miserable excuse for a ride the next morning. Afterward, I laid around the pool for the rest of the day trying to dry out and forget how terrible I felt.

It’s like the Stranger said: “Sometimes you eat the bar, and sometimes, well, he eats you.”