Panera Bread?

One of my favorite coffee shops is Panera Bread. In fact, I really think it should be called Panera Coffee, but they didn't ask me when they named it.

I mentioned yesterday that one of the things I enjoy is simply sitting in a café, sipping coffee and watching the other patrons. Actually, watching is not all I do sometimes. As the regular readers of this blog know, I am never without my camera. And I love to take photos of coffee shop patrons.

One of my regular haunts for a while was a Panera Bread in Northern Virginia. Many evenings when I had to work late, I would work from this Panera Bread shop using their free wifi to access the internet.

Claudette, La Maison de Claudine

...The fire was already blazing, fed with dry wood. The milk was boiling on the blue-tiled charcoal stove. Nearby, a bar of chocolate was melting in a little water for my breakfast, and, seated squarely in her cane armchair, my mother was grinding the fragrant coffee, which she roasted herself.

I took the photo shown here one late afternoon when the sun was low enough to create a strong side-lighting. I was working on some documents, sipping some coffee, and watching the people around me. This young girl was enjoying the company of her sister and brother and they were all having a great time. I snapped this black & white photo.