It's all about the locals early weekend mornings

Harvest Moon over the gym this morning.

I've written before about my early morning weekend routine and how great it is. For me. I never get bored with it. Today, Sunday, I guess is the same as Saturday, but this morning was an example of how it goes.

I get up early to go to the gym, the sun is usually just coming up, I adjust leaving the house so that I am not going out in pitch darkness. I usually stop and take some sunrise shots over the bay, it never gets old. This morning, the Harvest Moon greeted me.

I get to the gym early and there is a handful of people and we all know each other from being that handful of people each weekend. On Saturday, the music sucks, it's mostly new and/or rap stuff which I don't like. On Sundays, I don't want to leave the gym, it's all '80s music and videos. I think I spend more time in front of the large tv than I do working out. The music and especially the videos bring back so many memories. For me, the '80s was the best decade. From what I've read over the years, I think the 1920s, 1950s and 1980s were special decades. In my head anyway.

From the gym I go to Starbucks, where I know a bunch of the bicyclists, even my attorney is one of them, so I know that crowd. I have friends that do long distance biking and I meet them and we chat a bit before they take off for their long ride. In that period, people pass by and wave, they know us, we know them, including the police who usually pass by in numbers, like a train of cars, heading to breakfast somewhere.

This morning as we all departed Starbucks, my friends on their bikes, me by foot, another friend came by on his adult three-wheeler. He saw so many bikes yet not one car on the street that he asked, "Is it Bike Day again?" Remember those? I had not see him for awhile so we spoke for a bit and then he said he was headed to church.

I walked a half block and a couple who I know came from the gym. He called out to me to tell me he liked something in the Grapevine and I smiled and waved. And oh yes, earlier in Starbucks, a guy I didn't know, but who knew me, said, "Hi Tom." And we proceeded to talk.

As I walked a little further, someone else I knew walked by and greeted me and so on. Others pass by and wave and call out to each other. Even though it is 7:30 or 8:00 am, there are people out. I head to the Bookstore where I get breakfast, I sneak in the back door, as they are not open for business yet, but the regulars know how to get in early. I kibitz there for a bit while waiting for my to-go breakfast and then I'm off. Maybe having spoken to a dozen or more people around the village by 8 am.

Many times as I'm standing in front of Starbucks, others call out from their cars at the stoplight. This happens often. One is off to get bagels, one is off to open his store, another is heading towards his restaurant and so on. I think I see more people I know early weekend mornings than I do during weekday working hours.

I realized that the common denominator of all this is that early weekend mornings, except for the large group of bicyclists passing through, it's all locals. All the earlybird people are Grovites. As I walked by SapientNitro, it was dark and empty and all those office workers we see during weekdays at the Mayfair, are not there. And CocoWalk and other places are not buzzing with people like they would be later in the day. Early weekend mornings, it's just us. Just the neighbors. Just the Grovites.

When I got home, as I pull into my driveway, I have to stop to let someone walk by, it's Manny Diaz, yes, that Manny Diaz. He's always at the same spot at the same time, in front of my driveway, he says, "Hello," as I wait for him to walk by so I can pull in. And that's my early morning weekends. Runs like clockwork. Even down to Manny walking passed the driveway at the same moment.

It's 8:15 am and all this has gone on. Now I'm home. It's still quiet and peaceful for an hour or so before the cacophony of the day begins.