* Last night's reception was packed, with people and (for me) emotion: Yeah, I probably had too much to drink early on, and got, um, a little caught up in myself. (Maybe I'll say more later.) The food was, happily and no surprise, quite fulfilling, and the company I kept was full of those having a happy time. Mike Webb sang several songs, and the band played several instrumentals. I'm not sure if "Stand By Me" needs to be jazzed up, but I can forgive that transgression because A) Mike has a wonderful voice no matter what and B) the band also played "Brazil" and (oh my God) "The Rainbow Connection"!
* You know (and with apologies to Mrs. Webb), I really am a lot more of a smartass than I used to be. She actually slapped my shoulder after one comment of mine.
* Last night I got back to the Chantilly home, practically fell into bed, and (because I was willing) awoke at 5:30 this morning and hit the road again (I looked and felt a little, um, wrecked, even after a shower, and the song running through my head?: Woke up this mornin', Got yourself a gun...). I rendezvoused with Tarah and John at their hotel in Reston Town Center, and John's younger brother Scott drove us into Washington, D.C. We took early-morning pictures, under ever-clouding-up skies, of the newly married couple at the Jefferson and Lincoln Memorials. And then...the skies opened. We cut short our photography trip (we'd hoped to shoot at Washington Harbor as well). Even so, they were willing to run out in umbrellas (which Scott had helpfully bought on the way into town) so I could shoot a picture of them standing near a particular horse statue that Tarah is fond of [Edited to Add: Link removed because it's not working and I don't want to track down another link]. (More nice D.C. photos, including that one, are here.) After that, Scott drove us back to Reston in time for the nice brunch. We had the appetite for it!
* "I want that," Tarah told me at brunch this morning, pointing to her friends the Hein family. They have (from oldest to youngest) a daughter, a son, a daughter, and a To Be Determined Later because the mom's still pregnant (and I'm not forward enough to ask "So, do you know the sex of the baby?"). Yes, Tarah and John hope to be parents, though probably not of four kids. I had gathered that from conversation enough that I broke my normal rule of 'don't ask if a couple's planning a family' so I could be sure. This means I can start wishing them luck.
* Tarah's making her original name her professional name, so she doesn't need to change e-mails and personal letterheads -- and plus, Tarah Shana Grant is a solid, easy-to-remember name. In the rest of her life, she'll be Tarah Shana Delacourt, and is happy not only because she's in love with John Delacourt, but also she loves the name "Delacourt." "The only name I liked better is DuBois," she told me, "but I never met a DuBois. I never had a chance."
* I gave Tarah one other gift besides the photos I'll have developed soon: the West Coast-minted state quarters. I had a sandwich bag loaded with coins from at least 2004 on, with one or two of the newer state quarters that I could find, all wrapped up in toilet paper (clean toilet paper!) so they'd stay in decent shape.
* Cool things that have happened with people who know people I know (got that?): A fellow former James Madison High School grad, someone who was a freshman when Tarah was a senior, now performs with Blue Man Group (and broke character when he saw Tarah after a show). One Madison alum is in the Capitol Steps comedy troupe, and brought the troupe to my high school for a fundraising show. And a few years ago Courtney Everett's (now Courtney Enlow's) husband got to shoot behind-the-scenes production footage of JOHNNY FREAKIN' CASH.
Okay. The randomness ends now. I need to re-"presentable" myself. That means I'll shower, dress, and run an errand. More info later.