I went to the beach to take some early morning photographs on one of our last days in Florida before our snowbird flight north for the holidays. There are never many people walking the beach in November because the tourists haven’t arrived en mass yet.

As I walked over the short boardwalk to the beach, my eyes rested on a colorful umbrella and the stuff people take for a day on the beach. This was different, however, because it looked like a bar had been set up – a breakfast bar, sans food. I thought he was getting busted by the Beach Patrol, but no, they were just having a friendly chat.

I sat down by the water photographing the water birds eating their breakfast at low tide, and would occasionally glance over to the breakfast bar. People would stop to chat – obviously he was a regular, someone who lived in the neighborhood and is well known.

Bloody Mary, anyone? No waiting in line at the bar.