Can you grab some bagels?

I woke up this morning to another grey sky day and it seems December is transforming into November. The Art of Noise has a wonderful song named Opus 4 and I suggest, when you have a chance (preferably in November), to play it on your typically cloudy mid-autumn leafless day. No sun, no birds, no bees, no shade…

My lovely wife asked me to get bagels. I thought, “hey what an opportunity to take of advantage of such a lifeless day and take some pictures.” There is a small river with a picnic area nearby and I stopped for a photo op. It didn’t go well.

I arrived in the gravel parking area near the river’s edge to a gentleman pacing outside his car on his cell phone. Apparently privacy and seclusion was necessary for this individual’s conversation and yeah, I ruined it. I wish I could use the excuse that he threw me off my game, but it just wasn’t the case and I wasn’t very inspired for this one. Instead, I was playing with camera settings taking multiple pics of the same scene and then looking forward to comparing the camera processing of different jpeg tweaks (predominantly for black and white).

After about 20 terrible pictures and decided it was time to move on. Closer to the bagel shop…I drove through a few old streets to retake some shots once taken years ago. The buildings haven’t aged well.

So, another failed attempt at creativity, I decided to turn the car around and passed the diner sign I had once shot 5 years ago when it was in better condition. A common theme amongst my subjects this morning.

Arriving at the bagel place a few minutes later, I was greeted by a new face, the Owner apparently, who was pushing her cookies. The sign reads Bxxxx Bagels, not bakery. “Homemade,” she said. Truth be told, I wasn’t interested in cookies, I was interested in bagels. Alarmed by the fact that the discussion she insisted on having was centered on cookies, I actually thought of leaving for another bagel shop. You see, one glance in the case and I realized those bagels looked awfully familiar to another place known for their poorly made bagels: small, not very “fluffy” with a crust that looked a little dry as if they chewed like leather.

While I must admit it was a nice gesture to offer me a free cookie, one bite on the way home told me she should have been offering dental plans with her bagels. I’m afraid the focus of the proprietor is quite at odds with the name of the shop and unfortunately, must leave it at that.