Wet Dog Smell

Callie--our 14 year old German Shorthair Pointer--living the life!

Tucson and Dog Mtn got a good dose of Spring rain last night. I threw the ball for Callie in the backyard as I tried to cut the bit of grass we have back there for her. Having a lawn in the desert is another story, but its small, takes some of the heat out the yard, and Callie loves it.

I have a push mower which works well—as long as the grass doesn’t get to high. Got to get the grass cut every other day, and that’s Callie’s time, she believes, to have me throw her tennis ball between going back and forth. This means it takes me twice as long to get things done.

So in the evenings I’ve got something on the grill outside, something on the stove—and I’m cutting the grass and throwing the ball for Callie. Its hustle time… One thing about doing the commutes is that I have to get to bed by 9:30 p.m. or I cannot get my ass out of bed and in the saddle at 5 a.m. I can’t waste any time (something I’m good at) or else I’m scrambling to get out the door and on the road. Things have to be packed and put out so I can get up, get dressed, and ride.

I got half the yard done when big drops started to fall. Callie’s in some kind of nirvana when it gets a little bit cold and things are wet. Wet mud and chasing a sloggy tennis ball in the rain has to be her favorite thing—so we did that for awhile.

This brings me to the point of this post—Rico needs the car at UofA today late afternoon— for some kind of computer lab software he must use to build a web page. We make a deal that if it’s raining at 5 a.m. when I get up, I’ll wait and wake him up at 6 a.m. so he can drive me part way at least— if it’s not raining at 5 a.m. I will ride to the San.

But when he decided to go out with the guys after we had dinner, I kind of wondered what shape he’d be in if he needed to drive me. Well, he lucked out, Gentle Readers of This Blog, as the sky over Dog Mtn was clear. Callie got half of my bagel then went back to bed.

It was cold—and the air was heavy with that rain-wet muggy feeling. To save time, I decided I would brave going down Thornydale—the roads were dry and the sun was coming up and suddenly the clouds rolled away. On Thornydale, traffic was strangely light. I was only passed by two cars on that stretch of Hell, one of which was a police cruiser. All the lights after that turned green for me and I glided along at a fast comfortable pace.

Even though I felt a little on the sluggish side, maybe because it was cold and I had to wear winter gear—my average speed was 15.5 mph for the 23.8 mile trip; top speed 30 mph, which is probably coming down Thornydale from Tangerine Rd/Dog Mtn. Time from door to door was 1 hour 31 minutes.

I’m living the life I guess. The morning ride is great—going home is the tricky part. Super hot 100 degrees or more, impatient drivers, and just a long day in general. Sometimes getting a lift home part way with Rico helps.

I’ve got Sunday where Alan (The Boss) will put us through sprints and race-pace all-out miles.

Cheers! Bruce