Yes, I noticed on the following day's posts that the weather was much improved.

Ironically, here in the mid-Atlantic we had a month or more with virtually no cloud cover let alone actual rain but starting a week or so ago we've settled into a pattern that includes near-daily dousings.

I often joke that the weather forecasters hereabouts simply make a recording and play it daily from Memorial Day to Labor Day: "Hazy hot and humid. Highs in the mid- to upper 90s, 50 percent chance of afternoon or evening thunderstorms, some possibly heavy."

I bought a refurb Canon 130IS after I lost the one I bought years earlier. Familiarity with the controls and super nice macro as well as 12x zoom has kept me happy. I still look at new ones too, but they do not have AA batteries, which is a huge advantage when out on a multi day adventure with no power available. (Boundary Waters, for one)

A shiny new Lumix would seem the obvious choice, the more so since you'd mentioned earlier it should be arriving about now.

It's like Mt. Ventoux, isn't it? You just can't help but keep pointing the camera in that direction and pushing the button...

It had to be something you were really waiting for, and the big clue was the word "lumix" on the box.

You figured it out! Good job! I was getting anxious about this one. It’s over a week late, and there’s the threat of a UPS strike to start today. I was wondering if it would be here before we head north.

Hurrah, more bird photos to come! And a happier Scott, always a good thing.

Yes, but we have no complaints. Save for this one day we’ve had spectacularly good weather since returning home. We’ll, for most the last two months actually.

Hey, welcome back! I’ve never tried scuba diving, though we did some snorkeling in Belize on a kayak trip years go. Sounds like a wonderful escape.

If I had to face that sort of weather day after day I think it'd drive me mad.

(1 July 2023)

I'd gotten out of the habit of reading CycleBlaze due to a mid-June SCUBA trip to the Caribbean, but now that I'm home it's good to see that my more-or-less daily dose of living vicariously through The Ongoing Adventures of Team Anderson will still be available. Your journals are in the rarified air of "Among the Best I've Had the Pleasure of Reading". Keep 'em coming!

You don’t need to go to a gym, you’re in great shape! I should be able to get a free membership next year but the only reason I checked out the gym is because my breathing was really an issue that day and I wanted to see how it would be doing a very strenuous workout inside where there isn’t any wind or cotton wood floating around. It turns out it does make a difference but I’m not willing to give up bicycling outside and hiking.

That’s pretty funny alright. That’s twice in a week I was sweating making it home.

I don't know why you would be worried about getting a flat. You showed us the excellent condition of your tire just a few days ago.

Just for example.....The 243rd reason I dislike squirrels occurred this spring when squirrels knocked off all of my tulip blossoms just before they would have opened. They had to try all of them before they decided they didn't want to eat any of them.