I love summer (actually very late spring, soon to be summer) mornings. I've been doing my training rides in the mornings, and being on a bicycle at 6AM has it's advantages. I like the feel of getting a head start on the day, of seeing other cyclists, runners, and walkers out enjoying the awakening day. I catch a lot of smells as I ride through neighborhoods. Bacon frying, fragrant flowers opening up their day's petals, canyon winds carrying fresh mountain scents into the valley.

There are also hazards, but they are common to any time of day. This morning, beginning my rapid descent from Wasatch Blvd. on 45th South, a lamebrain almost pulled out right in front of me. If he'd continued, it would have been curtains. Drivers in a hurry to get to work are sometimes rude and impatient. But overall, my morning rides have been a great way to start the day. I'm noticing a slight improvement in my strength up hills which is encouraging. My plan is to keep up a riding routine even after Ragbrai.

Your mom and I went to John Goodfellow's wedding dinner last night. It was a nice affair at the Grand Hotel. This was my first venture into the hotel, and I was impressed with it's beauty. I really liked the wood paneling in the lobby area. After dinner, family members from both sides spoke. Several mentions were made of Gary, of how much he would have enjoyed being there, and how proud he would be of John. It was sad to see how broken up John became at just about every comment made of his dad.

I sat next to Gary's father. What a congenial old fellow! He's 81 yrs old, and still active and relatively healthy. His wife sat on the other side of him, and it was a treat to see how sweetly they treated each other. He told me he's having a very difficult time coming to terms with his son's death. He said he told Gary repeatedly a couple of years before his death to see a doctor and get treated for his jaundice, but Gary was too stubborn to do anything about it. Then after Gary's death, when he learned it was due to alcohol poisoning and severe cirrhosis, he was stunned. He'd never seen Gary drink much alcohol, let alone be intoxicated regularly enough over many years to bring on cirrhosis. I felt very sorry for him, for the whole family, celebrating without a son, husband, dad, who should have been there.