Gary.

I'd like to introduce you to Gary. I met Gary when I first moved into the neighborhood 14 years ago. He and I served on a committee together (not formally a homeowner's association, but one where we were like the enforcers of the CC and R's ... making sure that people followed the rules about house colors, fences and keeping their trash cans hidden.)

Gary walks in our neighborhood every day. One morning while I was walking too, I stopped and chatted with Gary for a little bit. He said he had been walking everyday for over 9 years, never missing a day. That was pretty impressive.

So rain or shine, sleet or snow, Gary is out on his morning walk and waves to every car that passes. And even though you may have never met Gary, you feel like you know him because there he is - sometimes with his umbrella, sometimes with his ear muffs ... sometimes walking with his wife or a friend, and always in his jeans - as a constant in our neighborhood.

A while back I was walking one morning and stopped to chat again with Gary. He said that now he was up to 19 years without missing a day. WHAT? How could it have been that long since we last stopped and chatted???? He had walked another 10 years ... and I had probably walked another 10 days!

Yesterday, when I took this picture of him he hollered out, "7,726 days now!"

I call him our neighborhood Good Will Ambassador. He is a staple, and we all adore him.