Bob’s Diner, Comfort and Where Do I Go From Here

   I remember being more comfortable. Hell, I remember life being more comfortable. I rarely go out anymore because of this feeling. I lived at coffee shops and diners but today real coffee shops aren’t a thing, at least not anywhere near me and diners themselves are becoming extinct. Today coffee shops are remote offices, they’re daycares for stroller mommies, they’re hard sterile shiny purgatories with $5 pour over coffee, $6 muffins and lots of free Wi-Fi. When I’m in one I’m one of the very few if not the only person who isn’t glued to a phone, tablet, laptop or sometimes all three. When I look around at the customers all I see are blank stare zombies…….iZombies. Before the age of the smartphone I knew the names of every employee at every coffee shop and just about everyone knew mine. I had several coffee shops that stayed open until midnight or 1 am and today I’m lucky if I can get a cup of coffee past 5 pm. Coffee shops are dead to me now. As for diners the idea of a 24 hour diner seems like an old dream that’s never going to repeat itself but any real diner seems like heaven to me. Sadly they are just becoming another portion of Americana that will become just a fond memory. This is why I hold Bob’s Diner so close to my heart and I cherish every visit because I never know when it might be my last. I've learned my lesson from Little Pete's diner.

              Mother and daughter waitresses Tamra and Christine getting into the Christmas Spirit.

Diane who can read minds when it comes to coffee.

Jim the owner (bottom right) and his waitress wife Trisha (bottom left) with visiting family. Jim has worked/owned Bob's Diner for 28 years. His wife Trisha has worked there for 45 years !!!

New dishwasher. I haven't learned his name yet.

Peter's book and glasses. Peter has been a regular at Bob's for a very long time and even has his own coffee mug there. There are several photos of Peter in my portfolio.

A newcomer to the diner.

The daily changing special board where you'll find something very affordable.

Sarah rushing coffee to a table. Sarah is funny...more so when I'm following her with a camera. She has a broken foot and still works on her feet for 8 hours a day!

Another customer reading. It's refreshing to see people with books and papers in the diner and not eyes glued to phones.

I'm going to be 54 in March and it's a shame that the majority of diner customers are older than me.

 I'm overwhelmed with gratitude by the amount of customers who want their photo taken. To be a part of this project and be connected to Bob's Diner.

I've stated before about the death of diners, especially the 24 hour diner. You have two younger generations who don't like diners and who would NEVER work in one. The staff is mostly in their 60's and 70's without the hope of eventually being replace by younger employees. I've watched several diners close because of this. Over the recent years Bob's has seriously reduced their hours because of the inability of hiring a second shift.

This diner is about the only place I'm still interested in taking photos of. My world has been reducing itself to the point of worrying about the end of my photography. If Bob's closed tomorrow would I give up photography and become just a painter? Maybe but in a few years the answer might be a firm yes. I often have dreams about living the rest of my life as a reclusive artist.