Muddy shoes

Posted March 28, 2008

The Saturday before Easter was warm and dappled with sunshine at Garvan Woodland Gardens, where folks packed the woods to get a glimpse of newborn tulips and hunt for Easter eggs.

My brother, father and I went there to do formal portraits and met dozens of people. There was a wedding going on, other photo shoots, and the park was open to the public.

I didn't realize it would be so crowded, but everyone was very nice and called out their congratulations as I rode on the back of a golf cart, clutching my enormous dress and white-knuckling it over the many hills and dips.

Here's what I learned: I should have worn tennis shoes. A garden is, after all, dirty, so I was bound to get splattered and stained. Why didn't I think about that?

My brand new white satin pumps paid the price. I cringed as I set down my foot, the spiked heel sinking into the earth. Anybody who's worn high heels off-road knows what I mean.

I dry brushed them, then tried dabbing them with OxiClean. I don't know... I fear they're too grungy to wear for the wedding. They aren't mud-splattered anymore, just yellowish. But my budget won't allow for a second pair of shoes, so I'll just pretend their antiques passed down from an ancestor.

Fortunately, my dress didn't trail in the muck too much. It had to be cleaned and pressed anyway and has been dropped off for that process.

I won't worry about muddy shoes just now. Tonight's the bachelorette/slumber party, which promises to be fun.