From left to right, the dates of these photos were June 4th (two days after my return home from the hospital), June 24th, July 25th (just before I headed out for a ride), September 19th, and October 26th (in the middle of a hike in Hawaii. Looks like I got bored with taking pictures of myself and skipped August entirely!

Ouch! A shot of me in my hospital bed, taken on May 23, 2004 - 3 days after my crash.

June 4, 2004. What a relief to be home again!

June 7, 2004

June 9, 2004

June 24, 2004

June 27, 2004

July 3, 2004 - my first bike ride after the crash!

July 7, 2004

September 19, 2004

October 26, 2004 - in Hawaii on what was conceived as a biking trip but what was actually done as a non-biking vacation

Still there, but slowly improving (I think!). April 29, 2005

May 20, 2005, the one-year anniversary of my crash - out for a ride to celebrate, of course!

Wow, I think I'm finally back to myself! Today was my 4th day in a row of riding: 22 miles on Friday, 42, 47, and 54 miles on the weekend days. This shot was taken in Beverly, MA, on May 30th 2005.

A good case of helmet head after my first day's ride on my June 2005 tour in Downeast Maine. There are still some bruises evident, but they are much improved from last year at this time. (June 24, 2005)

Another view during my June 2005 bike tour in Downeast Maine - this time standing near the tip of the Schoodic Penninsula. Yup, you can still see some bruises, enough that 3 people (all in the hospitality industry) asked me about them while I was traveling. (June 27, 2005)

Still there. It's hard to believe that my crash was 13 1/2 months ago! (July 7, 2005)

Lighter still... Sometimes I think the bruises on my face will never totally be gone, but they do seem to continue to fade. The red in the middle of a deep blue bruise does seem to be shrinking. Funny though - if you had asked me pre-accident if marks like these on my face would bother me, my answer would have been yes. The truth? It doesn't bother me at all. photo taken February 25, 2006

This shot was taken on August 1, 2006 after a bike ride on a very hot and humid day. Bruises? Still there...

Somehow, this photo snuck in here --- it's really a continuation of the previous photo. Another day (August 2nd), but pretty much a repeat of the ride. 95 degree temps and a heat index of 102 makes me sweaty!

This photo was taken in September 2006 on a wander by foot day on Brier Island in Nova Scotia. It almost makes me believe what my mother said to me the last time that she saw me, that my seemingly permanent bruise seems to be a little smaller and a little lighter. I'm not sure that the size is any different, but the amount of red in the center seems to be slowly shrinking. It's quite possible this is an optical illusion though.

Walking in the snow on December 30, 2006. Bruise still evident... it's funny though - before my accident I would have guessed that having a permanent bruise on my face would bother me, but it doesn't. Instead it's a curiosity...

Another snowy walk, this time on December 31, 2008. Red cheeks, and yes, I still wear that badge of honor on my face. It's a permanent feature, and it still doesn't bother me!