I met up with Peter and Lauren this evening at C’est What on Front Street, a brew/vin pub in the St. Lawrence Market area, fully expecting a tableful of muddy people eating dinner.

Let me back up a bit…

The Beer Festival is on this weekend, and if you’re in the general vicinity you’ll know it was held under POURING RAIN with a generous side of lightning. I was cleaning my apartment all day and at one point the CRACK of electrical energy was so loud I was certain it had split the front yard tree in half. The cats scattered in a fright and disappeared until the coast was clear.

Amidst the heavy-duty cleaning of today, I forgot all about the Beer Festival and the chance that anyone would be milling around in this sort of weather. That is, until I got a call that Peter and Lauren and friends were attending the festival but that they’d be at C’est What later.

I was totally ready to hang up the rubber gloves by 7 o’clock, especially since a VERY VERY NAUGHTY CAT took it upon himself to pee at the bottom of the stairs this morning to protest… what, I don’t know, likely food or litterbox-related issues or the state of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict — it’s a mystery since Beano’s not talking. In any case, cleaning was thorough and thoroughly time-consuming. I was ready for a beer.

Once I arrived at C’est What, I was fidgety with hunger. I ordered a big veggie roti and a Waupoo Cider (alas, no Magners) while discussing wedding photography details with Peter and Lauren, who were still sobering up from Beerlicious and perhaps won’t remember much of our conversation by morning. (Ha! Peter won’t remember a thing! Let’s see!) After an entire afternoon at the Beer Festival, they didn’t escape the mudslide or the consequences of buying too many beer tickets but they changed their shirts before dinner, hence the mud-free portrait.

(They look pretty sober, but I confess I did a little Photoshopping, including eye-dereddening and brightening things up a bit. What I’m doing is fairly low-key, but I’m writing this because I want to point out that photography isn’t just about taking photos — oh how I wish it were! — but also learning how to post-process. I’m trying to speed that part up, with two weddings in the near-horizon.)

Regardless, it was great to meet up with the happy couple and get some updates for their upcoming nuptials over some food and bevs. Wedding photography is a big challenge, but one that I look forward to — it’s a day of celebration and I want the photos to reflect the best parts. It takes preparation to make it all run smoothly, but it’ll be worth it in the end.

(Might want to skip the beer, though. Or bring some Tylenol!)

Oh, one last picture: somebody put detergent in the fountain between Front and Wellington, near the flatiron building.

That’s going to take a while to clear out… but a perfect way to clean up dried mud!