From the Beijing Olympics

Even with millions of cars and bicycles and pedestrians, the traffic somehow works in Beijing. Hear more about it by clicking play below:

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Coming up later today: More photos of U.S. swimmers and the fans cheering them on, including more on Michael Phelps’ record-breaking ninth gold medal.

Monday, the rain poured over events at the Olympics, but the friendly people I meet from all over the world offer a bright spot. Click play below to hear more about how Beijing rain differs from the rain in his hometown and hear how a hair dryer can become an essential tool for a photojournalist:

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Click on the photo at left to see some of the fanfare surrounding the Olympic Games.

The main events of the first few days of the Olympic Games weren’t affected by the rain, however. Most of the big news out of Beijing came from inside the National Aquatics center, such as the world-record breaking finishes of the U.S. Olympic swim team during the 400-meter relay and more gold medals around the neck of Michael Phelps (which sets him on the way to earning the most career Olympic gold medals, surpassing Mark Spitz, Carl Lewis, Paavo Nurmi and Larysa Latynina who each have nine.

See photos from the first few days’ events by click on the photo below:

Olympic events began Saturday with aquatic events where Kitsap’s two swimmers, Emily Silver and Nathan Adrian swam in the preliminary events. Even though neither swam in the finals, their contributions earned them silver and gold medals, respectively, along with their teams.

The start of events also means a grueling workday for not only the athletes, but the reporters and photographers trying to cover them. Hear Larry talk about it by clicking play below or right click on the link below to download it to iTunes or the player of your choice:

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See photos of Kitsap’s swimmers below. Click on either photo to see more photos from both Emily Silver and Nathan Adrian’s Olympic appearances:

Emily Silver’s team earned a silver medal. Despite early fears that a broken hand might keep her out the Olympics, she swam a leg in the preliminary round of the women’s 400-meter relay, helping her team earn a spot in the final medal-winning round:

Nathan Adrian’s swim in the world-record-breaking preliminary round of the men’s 400-meter relay helped the team on the final round. There, he was replaced by Michael Phelps, and the team pushed past the French favorites by a nail to win the gold: