Today is another Borrego Boyz luncheon, a gathering of neighbors who mostly live on our Islandwalk street. A few of them have moved away, so we pick restaurant locations to accommodate their presence like Pelican Alley, today’s dining destination.  While living in Portland, I would organize similar functions called “Leadership Meetings,” usually at a Buffalo Wild Wings location. 

Last evening, I joined the guys on the next street over, Rinella, for their get-together at the Cool Today Park Tiki Bar. It was first time I had strayed outside the Borrego Street group. These were guys that I had never officially met, with the exception of two, but run by their homes every morning. Today was 5,225 straight, without missing. Rinella Street is my main daily route, encompassing about half of my run, so most of them see me wave as I pass by. I was curious to get to know them a little better. Several of the women on the street are in my weekly Chair Yoga class, so little by little I’m expanding my neighborhood network. 

There are a couple of runners on Rinella (I should call it Runella) that I’ve gotten to know at local races, but they were not there last night. I will undoubtedly have trouble remembering all the new faces that I met. One problem is that I don’t wear my glasses when I run, so passers-by are somewhat of a blur. Also, hats, helmets, and sunglasses often hide their identity, especially with women. I try to consult the address directory, but all too often are not listed. To make getting to know them even more complicated, at least half of them will be gone for the summer months, going back and forth between their two residences.  They will all undoubtedly miss me “pounding their pavement” most of the month of May because of our Egyptian travels. 

The Rinella homeowners all jokingly seem to set their clocks by me, since my running routine is pretty consistent. Every day at seemingly the same time, I pass by. Typically, I only cover about a block of my own Borrego Street with the exception of those rare days when I only have time for the minimum mile route. However, the Borrego Boyz luncheons, and Borrego Street “Meet the Neighbors” events have been a consistent means of getting to know the people that live close by. They often get more than just a wave of the hand.