Hot and steamy July

I don't know, maybe July is always like this.  But for whatever reason, this year's heat and humidity seem off the scale oppressive.  Bicycle rides seem imprudent and even a walk in the neighborhood has to wait until nearly sundown.

I was out a couple of days ago and for the first time in many years managed to get myself dehydrated.  Today was not as hot and I drank early and often.  It ended up being quite a nice ride.

Our local municipality has some sort of promotion going on which involves the posting of large plaster and metal roses in various places around town.  What the motivation is and why they chose roses are matters that must have been discussed at one of the many city council meetings that I neglected to follow on local cable access TV.  They just aren't as interesting since Mayor Kysylyczyn unsuccessfully sought re-election.

For anyone interested in either of those topics, I bet there are Wikipedia articles, or at least some information available somewhere on the intertubes.

Anyway, I rode past one of the roses on today's ride and here is an appropriate photo.

This one is rose colored and located at a church named after a saint named Rose.

The layers of meaning are profound.

It just may be evident from the photo that the day was mostly cloudy, which may be why the temperature stayed in a range that made for a nice hour and a half on the bicycle.