Somewhere NW of Hell is heaven

I do look awful here as I just took off my helmet without combing my hair but being in this all around massage chair felt so good. I did take one of my arms out of the massager to drink my wine as no one would give me the bottle with a long straw

And after the bike ride and after the massage, on to the pool. Hair still uncombed but wine glass still in hand. Then with great difficulty, I hoisted myself up onto a floating lounge chair. Ahhhhhh

hibiscus in early morning light. Tree now covered with ten blossoms

rose with beetle damage

dahlia

first of the toad lilies. I see buds for about 20 of them this year

Back when I was running races, several of them went through Hell (Hell of a run; when Hell  freezes over,etc). There was also the Ride through Hell on a bike that I've done numerous times.

Hell itself is very small, home of the Dam(n) site Inn, a convenience store and a post office that gets more business than a town that size usually gets. Yesterday, our bike posse, minus one, explored the roads by bike NW of Hell. Usually I approached from the SE. Riding to Hell and back from our old house was a 50 mile commitment.

We went almost 20 miles on sandy roads. Some looked familiar from the Hell half-marathon (much hillier than the Dexter-Ann Arbor one). Went by newborn twin fawns (at this time of year?) and pumpkin patches. It was a beautiful, calm day. Usually I like to bike in the morning to avoid traffic and wind but on the backroads, little of that despite it being midday.

Our friend has a massage chair that felt good after the ride. I actually was more sore from moving furniture around earlier in the day. Then we went for a swim (a very loose term) I sat in a floating lounge chair sipping wine and cooling off by dangling my legs in the water when I got too hot. Very nice. And we all contributed to a tasty dinner.

Late last night, my BIL arrived from NYC. Usually he takes two days but decided to keep on driving. If he ever gets ready, we'll go for lunch.

I've had a good last few days plotting and planning our trip and having friends come over. Bonus, highs are in the 70s now.