Finally ready to ride and summer fruit

Finally, three weeks after the end of AIDS Lifecycle my "parts" have healed. No more bandages, antibiotic creams or moleskin. I can sit on an unpadded chair comfortably, and the next challenge will be a bike seat.

Jerry and I hope to ride on Monday, the 4th of July holiday. The Pos Peds are heading up to Alpine Dam, and while we won't do that climb, we will at least accompany them for part of the ride. I will pick my shorts judiciously. I have two pair of Volers, and their pads seem to be the best, at least for me.

Until this latest bout with the worst saddles sores I have ever had, I never realized the truly personal nature of bike shorts. I always figured, the more expensive the better. At least in my case, that is certainly not true. I've got some very high end shorts and they may be the worst culprits. The Volers are nowhere near as expensive, but I have a feeling they are going to be my spandex of choice for the near future.

Looking a little further into the future, Jerry and I are still undecided about next year's ride. My hunch is, Jerry would like to do it on his single bike, which would leave me two choices: sit out the ride altogether or come along as a roadie. I have to ask myself if I'm prepared physically to work that hard. I may have to discuss options with the roadie captain and see if there is a job that would keep me involved with the cyclists without needing another knee replacement.

The weeks since the ride have seen the grocery and farmers market full of beautiful summer fruit. Strawberries, blueberries, peaches and nectarines. I buy some with the intent of baking some delicious tart or whipping up a batch of sorbet, but I end up eating the fruit with yogurt, ice cream or by itself. Not that that's a bad thing.

Speaking of baking, my friend Leslie, who owns Theresa and Johnny's Comfort Food Cafe, has just opened the Pie Palace, a couple doors down from her eatery. She is producing beautiful sweet and savory individual pies using local ingredients. I stopped by yesterday and the business was brisk during my short visit. I hope she is incredibly successful. She is one of the hardest workers I know, her food is fantastic, and she deserves the success.