easter egg

my better half had to work all weekend. he's still there now. happy easter. pfft.

vacuumed the house, stopped by my parents' house to say howdy, then thought i'd get off my butt and get back in the saddle. surprisingly, i saw there were several shows listed for today, and thought i'd see what might show up on a holiday. i figured anyone with kids wouldn't be able to get away...kind of a requirement to be there. i expected to find old guys, single guys, and couples with no kids.

i skipped a show near my mom's, since it was about time for it to be over, and the good ones don't hang around for the end. instead, i drove up to the show at fuddrucker's in lakewood. i've seen it on the list for a while, and figured without going to one of the big parks and bothering picnicing car clubs, it was the best bet to see a few cars.

there were actually more than i expected, but not as many as there must usually show up. and in spite of not getting out to the shows much, my shyness was not allowed to reclaim me – almost as soon as i arrived an old navy guy came over and started chatting me up as i started to shoot this old ford.

wasn't his, but someone else he was hanging with. said he had one, but either a year earlier or a year later, and not at the show. told a long story about how much it costs to get these cars up to par and the hunt for parts. he'd had his ford at some shop that kept putting him off, asking for more money for this and that, and after it got to $27,000 and no actual work being completed on his car, he pulled it from that shop and shipped it out to arizona, where they were progressing nicely for much less. said he was going to sue the original shop...oh yeah i listen to these stories, and if i post the picture soon enough, i remember more details than i should. i blame you guys that want to tell me all this stuff...and this wasn't even his car. it's all right. he was entertaining, the sun wasn't going down, and it gave time for more cars to show up.

anyway, he knew all about this car, and several other old cars that pulled in. he walked me around this one pointing out parts and asking me to guess how much it was for a replacement part. he said the owner claims to have never washed this car, and only wipes it down to clean it. all i wanted to know is why they painted this such a shiny black, then airbrushed some funky looking flames there on the running boards, which just look like fallen leaves from this angle.

oh ya, i'm doing a trial thing for ordering prints. click on that button down at the bottom on the right. haven't posted many, and if you're interested and don't see yours there, shoot me an email, and i'll upload it for ordering. figured it would be easier, since my better half says i'm kinda scary at car shows...i'd prefer focused...and usually when someone does ask what sizes/what prices, i can't remember them off the top of my head. so give it a peek anyway.

have a seat

i saw this car originally a month ago, at the viejitos fullerton show. this picture was from the xmas show in santa ana, the following week.

the owner had it parked up at the entrance in fullerton, and asked me to take a picture of it. it was parked in the shade next to a tent, next to the restaurant. in that light it looked blackish. those shots really didn't turn out that bad, but when i saw it again here, wayyyyy better. with the sun hitting it, you can see the glitter in the paint.

but the point of the title of this post, was that when he first asked that i shoot the car, he also asked if i wanted to sit in it, and see how nice it is inside. had to turn him down, as i'd already been shooting other cars and sitting on the ground and such, so i was afraid i'd get his upholstery dirty. had to say no, unfortunately for me. nice of him to ask. maybe some other time, before i start shooting.

cute tomato

went to the show at ruby's last night. waited until it cooled off, and the sun was starting to set. lots of people there.

saw this 1938 chevy early on. its really a deep deep maroon color that is spectacular in the sunlight. i'd seen it at the whittier uptown show, but then it had been crammed between two other cars and always had the split hood up. so i never got a shot of it that day. here it was, with the hoods up again...arrrggggh. passed it by several times.

after going off for some golden spoon yogurt, came back for one more pass through the cars. sun had set. they were beginning the raffle and trophy announcements. the crowds had moved over to the announcement area.

finally the hood was closed, not too many people around, which was good. at this point, the exposures on the camera were going to be long, and i didn't need people milling around arbitrarily; can't be helped. there are still some people ghosts in the background, but they aren't interfering with the car, which is the main focus anyway.

the owner was nearby. he came over and turned on the lights–which also illuminated the hood ornament, but i guess i wasn't at a good angle to capture that well. i liked the ornament, and tried to get a hand-held shot of it with my macro lens, but the exposure was too long, and all out of focus. hopefully i'll see this one again when its not so dark.

cantankerous

this 38 chevy truck reminds of an old coworker of mine. a bit worse for wear on the outside. didn't really care what time did to the outside, yet with an underlying style and way of carrying himself. a sense of grace, that you'd never, ever mention to his face, unless you figuratively wanted your guts ripped out and spewed back onto your feet. really a sensitive soul on the inside, but hides it well. he knew what was needed to make something work and get the job done.

he got the boot this past year. after so many years of service, was unceremoneously excused.
he's bored out of his gourd. never planned on being kicked to the curb, just liked to fill his days with work. he'll be all right, but his parts are getting rusty with idleness.

anyway, he'll be fine. last time i talked to him, he was still as pissy as ever.