"So I says to Blanche, I says..."

Laura Earle was going through her daily toe-licking rituals and I took a series of pictures. In this pose she reminded me of a chatty comedienne, gossiping and joking, gesturing widely with her hands.

There's a term for this sort of female persona. "She's such a gal," one might say, and it's a compliment. It's perfect for a waitress in an American diner. I think the expression might come from the Midwest, but I might think that because I first heard it there. Of course the word "gal" can mean any woman, but more precisely, being "a real gal" or "such a gal" is a sociable, light-hearted woman.

Laura Earle is such a gal!