My downfall in photographing Mother's Day (postponed) Brunch was twofold, consisting first of tardiness and second of a bizarre indoor lighting situation. I made not nearly enough use of the brief interval before and/or during the walk to the restaurant (above) simply because my mind was not yet moving at sufficient speed.
Then once inside the East Bay brunch place, it turned out to be an extremely odd mix of colored spot lights and fixed lamps (both incandescent and fluorescent) with natural light leaking in around the edges. The "play area" (a dark corner with somebody's discarded carpet and two bins of broken plastic toys, all apparently dating from the 1980s) effectively lured Mabel into deeper shadow.
I had walked past this dump for decades on various East Bay visits but had not ever before found my planets in such unfortunate conjunction as to land me inside it. Since I also picked up the check, nobody will call me ill-mannered for reporting that the service and the food were both about as poor as I have ever encountered.
But Mabel had a lovely time. She can do that anyplace. It is like keeping company with Jesus, who had the same habit of turning unpromising social situations into epiphanies of glowing grace.
