Marianna, Holly, and lil ol' me at The Family Dog

The good part about being a "local" here, in my neighborhood, is getting to know the other folks that live and work in the area.  You get that personal touch that matters.

I was at TFD the other night and requested a special cocktail that required grapefruit Pellegrino
(Shut up.)
(It's good!)
A minute later I saw one of the waitresses, Holly, walking across the street with a couple cans of Pellegrino in her arms - the bartender had sent her across to Rosebud to grab it for my drink.

When she noticed me looking she announced in mock anger, "Listen, PAL!  This is the last time I'm going over there to get your damn girlie drinks.  Learn to like what we've got or get out!"

To which, I jokingly replied, "I'm a local and a regular and you'll hop across that damn street whenever the mood strikes me and you'll like it, Lady!"

And then she punched me really, really hard in the arm and we had a big laugh.
(Hint:  Don't mess with Holly - she will hurt you.)

I've been going to Highland Tap for nearly 20 years, ever since I first moved into the neighborhood back in '96.  It's still one of my favorite places to go and Chip, the owner, always has a big smile and a friendly handshake for me.
It's nice.

One of the servers at Tap that I've gotten to know over the years recently left, which is disappointing.  I miss seeing him down there but, the good news is that he left to pursue his love of photography.  Which is awesome.
It's something that gives me hope.
The notion that you can grow and change.
You can become who you want to be rather than who you feel that you have to be.

Chris is a great photographer and I wanted to show you some of his work.

Pics by Christopher Yoshito - GS3 Photography.