The day started gloomy and humid, but changed for some reason. The sun came out, the wind picked up a little and it was a pleasant afternoon/evening here on the other side of the world.

I got to talk to Ian Crocker in the evening, and he's ready for his 100-meter butterfly race on Thursday.

I watched the U.S. men's eight crew, with Portland's Wyatt Allen in the fourth seat, win their repechage and earn a spot in Sunday's finals to defend their Olympic medal.

I got a press ticket to watch Michael Phelps swim in the 200 butterfly on Wednesday morning.

And I got to meet Jingjing, one of the five mascots of the Beijing Olympics. Isn't he cute. (I couldn't resist. I'm a sucker for animated animals).

This is the first time I've ever covered rowing, and I've got to admit, I think we're missing something. It was stunning to see the U.S. come back from nearly a second down to beat Australia. The U.S. crew really bore down and pushed through the pain.

Here's a look as they pass Australia in the final strokes:

After the race, Wyatt Allen got together with his family, which was obviously quite proud that he's in another Olympic final. Here's a shot of them all together, L to R, brother Bree Allen, dad Ray Allen, Wyatt Allen and mom Katherine Allen.

You know, I've been to the Shunyi Rowing-Canoeing Park three days in a row now, and each time I see something different. This time it was flocks of sheep grazing along the side of the highway. I would have taken a photo, but our bus driver was determined to break the sound barrier on the way back to the city.

And finally, I told you the other day that security was tight. Well, today it jumped a notch. This here was waiting for us when we arrived at the Main Press Center today.

Have a good day. Hope the sun comes out for you.

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