times are changing

as i've been saying, my life has been getting very busy. not clearly an absolute yet, but i may soon also be packing all my worldly possessions up and stuffing it into storage. nah, i'm not going anywhere else, everything's fine. change of environment, sort of.

had hoped to get some pictures yesterday at fuddrucker's in el toro, and drove over there, but since the weather has been overcast and sprinkly, there was just a couple of newer corvettes and a 1930's ford. didn't get out of the car.

today i intended to try a new sunset show in laguna niguel, but figured since you really couldn't see the sun, and would have been colder near the coast, figured it wasn't worth the drive yet.

so, i'm really hoping the sun is out on friday for the first ruby's show of the season this friday. i'll be there, won't you?

_____

found this one from the easter show over at fuddrucker's in lakewood. i think i've mentioned in another post, that there wasn't much at this show because of the holiday. i'll have to go back again soon on a typical sunday. i've heard it can be a very busy show, and more cars equals more to choose from. lots of practice, only makes you better, and i've been out of practice. 

crackle

i admit that i wasn't going to shoot this car. i had ducked under the overhang to get out of the sun and was contemplating packing up my cameras. the hood was up for one thing, and it was half in and half out of the shade. oh, and the owner was sitting in it with the door open, chowing down on some fries, and perhaps what were the remains of a hot dog.

he made some comment about my hair, i think. something to the effect of how it was so red. i told him it came from a bottle. he asked what color my hair really is, to which i had to say, that it's been so long that i've made it various shades of red or blonde, that i can't say for sure. let's just say, the pictures from high school have me with light or strawberry blonde, and be done with it.

anyway, some other car with flames painted on the hood drove in at that moment, so i was going to follow it to wherever it was parking. unfortunately, after backing into a similar space, half in the shade, the car was instantly surrounded by the crowd, and owner promptly popped the hood, and that was that.

the owner of this car noticed me still standing there, and inquired about my photography. i told him not without the hood down...and he volunteered to close his hood. it's like magic sometimes. my better half has been to shows with me, where a group of guys will wonder aloud why i always pass their cars by, to which he tells them, if the hood is up, she won't even bother. at which point, there is a quick slamming of hoods...lol.

so, since i still had some time before i had to leave, i took several shots, from several angles. had to move at one point, as another car pulled into the empty space next to it. i liked this view, and also another from the front, a vertical shot.

i think he said the paint on this puppy is at least 30 years old, and he for some reason kept apologizing about the chips and cracks in it. i kept telling him, i love it, and it gives it character, i wouldn't change a thing. hell, if it really bothered me, i could kill it in photoshop, but i like it just the way i found it.

i handed him my card. told him i'd post it, if he wanted to see what i did. he asked why/what for? strange question; most people are curious to see their cars here. i guess he was suspicious, maybe that he would have to pay. no, no, nanette. it's here because i liked it, because you took time to chat with me, and tell me a story or two. so thanks for that.

just thinking

the other day i tried on an old pair of glasses, and had a curious thought, in light of the holiday spirit; i wondered if i looked through them, would i, could i see things the same way i used to? as things used to be? no, i don't drink; was just spending a quiet new year's at home, and had too much time to think.

well, of course the old glasses didn't make me see stuff any other way but blurry, but it was an interesting thought, and besides, they were only a couple of years old. i'd need my really old ones to see some interesting things, but unfortunately, i suppose someone in india or africa is enjoying my old specs.

so it's a new year. but i'm still digging through last year's pics. i tried to hit a car show today, but apparently, they still considered it a holiday, and no one showed up, but me. hope that doesn't indicate how the rest of my year will go. maybe i should finally cut my hair...

i did see several old cars driving around in various cities i passed through, a few i recognized from shows i'd been to the past couple of years. strange how you get to recognize some of them out the corner of your eye, as you speed by.

here's an old ford from last fall's cruzin for roses show in pasadena. it's been teasing me since september, just itching to be played with, but i haven't bothered with it until now. it just looks cute from this angle. shame it was up at the end of the block under a tree, and caught too much shade in its shiny paint. the reflected tree is still interesting, but i know those big, round fenders could have been really wonderful on a cloudy day, away from the trees.

shady character

i was somewhat disappointed to find this lovely car parked in the shade of the main intersection of the uptown whittier car show last summer. the trees above dappled it with shadow, which mutes the detail and shine of the car. the location also guaranteed that there would be people moving through my shot.

it caught my eye, so i took it anyway. hopefully i'll see it again in a better light this year.

copperhead

this paint job was really different. like an irridescent copper plate. it was overcast, so i can only imagine what it would look like in the bright sun. i suppose it would have been too bright and messed with my camera focus, so just as well.

i took a few angles of this, but it seemed more interesting from the front in this setting.