The Riders (part 14 of 15 -- finally!)

This is Dennis. I have had great trouble getting a good picture of
Dennis, and when I say "great" trouble I mean I've had a little -- two
unpublishable photos about 5 weeks apart and a lot of forgetfulness in
between and after. But all that is in the past now, and I don't want
to dwell in the past; I want to put the past behind me and move on.

When I present some key facts about Dennis you'll see how eerily
similar he and I are. He's 60-ish, and Caucasian; I'm 60-ish and
Caucasian. He rides a LeMond bike, I ride a LeMond bike. He lives in
(Seattle) Washington, I live in Washington (DC). Dennis takes anti-
clotting drugs; yup -- me, too. A couple weeks ago Dennis stopped
somewhere and had his blood checked; I thought that was an excellent
idea. Dennis has a sweet jump-shot, just like me (in my dreams).
Dennis is a CPA by training; all 3 of those letters are in "social
psychologist," my field, and in almost the same order. Dennis has held
CFO and other administrative-type positions in hospitals, and is
currently a lecturer in hospital administration at the U of Washington
(there's the Washington thing again!); I have both given and attended
lectures, and have spent significant time in hospitals in recent
years, where lots of hospital-type stuff was administered to me.
Dennis doesn't care all that much for beer; I personally know several
people who feel the same way. It's almost like one of those twins-
separated-at-birth things, isn't it?

Just yesterday Dennis took a planned leave of the tour for a few days
to fulfill an annual, week-long summer teaching commitment in Denver.
He'll rejoin the gang somewhere in the Tetons, or maybe Yellowstone, I
forget. The break comes, perhaps, at an opportune time. Dennis has
seemed to thoroughly enjoy the rides themselves, and is one of our
most enthusiastic explore-what-every-place-has-to-offer guys. But he's
also been more dissatisfied with certain aspects of the tour -- e.g.,
how decisions are made, and what "van supported" means -- or more
vocal about it, at any rate, than anyone else, especially recently. So
I'm hoping that a little time off will be medicinal, and help him cool
off and really enjoy the home stretch weeks.