My Week that Was - July 18

Bikes coming over the hill in the RAW. 7/11/26 dwm

Saturday morning, I woke at five, got dressed and put my contacts in before eating a bowl of cereal with a protein shake and a couple of swigs from a pint of chocolate milk. 

On the ride downtown I ate a couple of cheese sticks and had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich stowed in the bike bag for the ride's second hour.

You can read more about the Ride Across Wisconsin 2026 here. 

I returned to the hotel, a Holiday Inn Express, around 3 in the afternoon, eager to take to rinse off the dirt and road grime that was stuck to sun screen.

After an hour relaxing, we met our son for dinner at Texas Roadhouse. Along for the ride on this trip was a box with most of the bobble-head dolls I planned to give Matt. 

We got home mid-afternoon Sunday, early enough to unload the car, put the bike away and take the bike rack off until it's needed again. Then we got the laundry started and relaxed. We tried a new show streaming on Netflix called Little House on the Prairie. If you remember the show with Michael Landon and Melissa Gilbert, you'll probably enjoy this new version of the show.

The Capitol City State Trail. 7/13/26 dwm

 Monday, my wife went into the office, so before it got too hot, I took a ride around Lake Monona. 

 I was surprised how many people I saw on the paths and trails when the morning started in the low 70s.

 It was my 16th ride. According to the Bike Computer: 

 Distance: 42 miles

 Average speed: 14.8 mph

 Time in the Saddle: 2 hours, 53 minutes

It was back to work Tuesday and it was still hot and humid. It took an hour to process through four days of email, but once that was done, I was ready for the week. Wednesday, a colleague and I represented Oakwood at an event honoring community volunteers. It was the first time we've sponsored the event but based on the response, it may not be the last.

Thursday's campus picnic was moved inside because of poor air quality caused by wildfires in Minnesota and Canada. It was the worst conditions I can recall - it felt like the fires were outside of town, not 400 miles away. You could practically taste the smoke and the haze hung over the area like a blanket.

It isn't good conditions for anyone, and especially not older adults.

The Chocolate Shoppe ice cream truck couldn't come inside, so staff members took orders for dishes or cones of one of twelve flavors. Every order meant a trip outside to the ice cream truck, place the order and deliver to the waiting resident. When the line of ice cream lovers finally calmed down, I had a dish of Zanzibar chocolate and cookie dough ice cream, it was wonderful!

Friday the picnic was on the east campus. It also moved inside because of the on-going poor conditions for air quality, and it was warmer and more humid than the day before. The weather is expected to break Sunday, at least as far as the temperature is concerned.

The whole team worked the table both days, handing out pins to members of one of our donor societies and talking with residents and staff about supporting Oakwood's mission.

I hope the weather is favorable where you live. If it isn't, be sure to hydrate and don't skip meals. Thanks for reading and have a great week!