The brink of Christmas at the mouth of hell

I'm not the best of shoppers at any time, but at this time of year it doesn't take much to take me to the brink. This afternoon Youngest Daughter and I did some in-person shopping at the Santa Rosa Mall in northern California.

It was a ghastly scene! It wasn't all that crowded, just one of those noisy enclosed malls where the sounds bounce off in all directions. I didn't know which would happen first, would I explode or implode?

We took a break in the food court (you have to be desperate to go there because it's the most chaotic part of the whole scene). After a few sips of diet Coke I chilled out with a quick sketch of the closest vender. I vacillate between dwelling on single objects and attempting very busy, busy scenes (which are new for me).

I guess it's a good thing that, years from now I'll leaf through my sketchbook and remember that little break, the great time I actually had with my daughter, and how much I dislike enclosed mall shopping!