Not much is happening down here. For most people it would be boring, but for us, we’re doing what we like to do and that’s not all bad.

We usually lift weights two days a week, bike four days a week, run three days a week and swim two days a week. As many of you know I have a reaction to the chlorine in the pool. The past couple of times have been a real adventure.

A week ago last Friday I swam for about 45 minutes non-stop in the pool at the YMCA in Spring Hill. I felt like I could have swam (or is it swum) all day. I had a good pace going and never got tired. I finished at around 4 PM and by 8 I had broken out under both arms, my right leg up near the area where it attaches to my body, and my left shin. Those were the spots with blotches about an inch and a half in diameter.

On at least 25 spots elsewhere on my body there was a dot. Well, not a dot exactly…it looked more like a mosquito bite. Every area itched like poison ivy and it drove me crazy. I awoke at around 3:30 AM Saturday morning and couldn’t get back to sleep.

This week, I waited until Friday to swim again. I took a Benadryl before I went, swam for about 55 minutes, and took another Benadryl some time after I came back. I took another around dinner time and another when I went to bed. I had some spots, and they did itch, but they weren’t nearly as bad as the week before. I know I haven’t solved the problem, and the advice everyone gives me is DON’T SWIM IN THE POOL, but that’s not an option.

We went out Wednesday with our friend Larry from Buffalo, NY and met a friend of his from Albany, NY at the Withlacoochie. We did an easy ride out to around 16 miles. Their wives were back at the car waiting and only one of them did any riding, so we turned around to go back. It was slightly into the wind, but flat as a pancake. We stopped at one of the crossroads and tried to figure out how far it was back. I thought it was 5 miles, but Larry and his friend Larry (I know…the line from the Newhart Show was Larry, his brother Daryl and his other brother Daryl), said it was closer to 7 miles.

Larry said that if Jean could make it back to the car in 20 minutes, he would give her a prize. For you people who are math challenged, in order to go 7 miles in 20 minutes you have to average 21 miles an hour. Not a problem. Jean took off, Larry and Larry kicked it up and rode right with her and I hung on for dear life. Larry and Larry dropped off with about 2 miles to go to cool down, but Jean kept going and I stayed 3 or 4 bike lengths back. Before you think I think I can keep up with Jean, I know that I was going full out and Jean, I’m sure, wasn’t.

Thursday night we decided we would go out to Mike’s Dockside for dinner and we asked our friend Jan Kietzmann if she would like to go with us. Actually, as I think back, Jean and Jan decided to go to Mike’s and asked me if I wanted to go along. Anyway, when we got there, a guy was directing traffic to park in a field across the yacht basin since it was “Bike Night”. My first thought was that we could have ridden our bikes, worn our Trilanders jackets, and blended right in. WRONG!

The bikes were motorcycles and, by the time we left, there were at least a couple hundred of them. We ate inside and, when we got there, there were only two other tables being used. About the time our meals came, about 20 bikers (male and female) came in, pushed four tables together, and sat down. I asked Jan and Jean to go over and tell them they were being a little loud, but they didn’t want to act like they were flirting with the guys when their girlfriends were around. Out of the 20 people at that table, apparently one guy didn’t get the memo about the dress code, since he was the only one not dressed in black and it was mostly black leather.

When the bill came, I grabbed the pen and drew what looked like a tattoo on my forearm. I’m not sure that helped me blend in as I walked out in my Asics running shoes, white Smartwool crew socks, khaki shorts and my North Face pullover.

Oh, well. I am what I am!

Just (Trying Hard To Fit In) Jack