what's up?

good morning

it's just after six in the morning, on a monday. sitting here, at a fast food joint, not wanting to go to work.

survived another journey down the five freeway, with assholes driving / flying by at one-hundred miles an hour. can't believe anyone needs to drive that fast to get to work, so they are just assholes. went by so quick, didn't actually see their puckered faces. all i can say is, stay in your own effing lanes when you're trying to kill yourselves! i don't want to go with you.

apparently, seventy isn't fast enough.

saw this car while waiting for the dam(n) show to open on new year's day. early, freezing outside, we parked the car and took a turn about the streets, taking advantage of the parked show cars. this one had its lights on, so that was different. i suppose the people inside were just trying to keep warm.

wishing i'd done my usual ten shot exposures, instead of this three shot my better half said to try. i think even he admitted later, that maybe he should have just let me do my thang, as his shots weren't as great as he thought they'd be either.

makeup

caught this car right after the owner parked. i get impatient sometimes; really nice cars draw crowds quickly, and crowds get in my way. i'll wait for people to move usually, but after a few minutes, i usually will move along, and hope i remember to come back later.

this one happened to be near some food vendors. hadn't had bfast yet, and my better half was in line waiting on his chorizo and a quesadilla for me. he watched me take a few shots. 

he told me the other day, while we were talking about car shows, that the owner later asked him about when i'd post the pictures. better half didn't know what to tell him. probably something to the effect of sooner or later.

i think i'd already posted it on instagram; just hadn't had anything to write about here to have a reason to post it yet...one of those rainy day cars. not raining, but since my better half mentioned it...

take me back

i got new glasses. always love getting a new pair of glasses. each year, you realize your eyes are going a little bit at a time. anyway, shiny, shiny new glasses, and the world is a little clearer today. spent the last year hating my frames; i don't hate these new frames yet...maybe i won't. 

i've seen this one a few times over the years. posted it a couple times too...here and here.

it's a beautiful car, and you don't see them very often, unless, of course, you go to a lot of car shows.

there were a lot of photographers gathered around it, probably all day. while i was there, there was at least one guy that follows me, and i follow on instagram. wasn't quite sure it was him at the time...wasn't until later the next day, that he wrote that i didn't say much to him. sorry about that, i never met you in person before, and i'm a social moron.

enchilada

i have a craving. chocolate chip cookie dough. and i'm going to go mix some up right after i post this. probably should eat dinner first, but i don't know what to have for that. but i'm sure i want cookie dough.

i've put a few other pics up on instagram today. i'll post them here eventually. when i have something to say. tired of writing about a cold that's almost gone. 

i like the curves of fleetlines. this nice, round booty, makes me happy. the paint job is a bit over the top, but it's masterfully done. better half called this one an enchilada car. he just clarified it is only because of the colors, the colors of the ingredients of an enchilada. not the first thing that jumped into my mind, but yes, it does remind me of cheese enchiladas.

way to start the year

back home, but to compromise, i am mostly wearing a face mask. feeling like a strange tourist in this place, in time. so, fun times. better half follows me making darth vader breathing noises. i'm tired, cough mostly at night.

feck it, says i. i walked uptown to get lunch. without the mask. quietly sat and watched an episode of breaking bad on my phone, while munching a slice of pizza. wasn't hungry, but just enjoying the time out. sun was out, sky was overcast, it was cool enough to wear the big, baggy pepperdine sweatshirt my new daughter-in-law bought me for xmas.

and after a cold to start the new year, better half's uncle died yesterday. not unexpected. it was a mercy. i only met him once. nice man. the family is mourning.

saw this car sitting by my friends from the old times car club at the new year's show. waved at them, but didn't go over to chat. probably saved them from catching this cold.

i'm pretty sure i've shot this one before. i like the rough edges, the unfinished feel. that visor is kind of killing it though. probably the bright primer.

cameo

it is supposed to rain all week, so in anticipation, i'll be staying at my mom's or over with the newleyweds. both, with no access to my pictures, so i'll just work through some that i have saved up for rainy days here.

we were parked a few cars back from this truck, at five-thirty in the morning. was so dark, and the light so yellow, that i couldn't tell if it was silver/grey or green. i took a picture of it under the street light, while my better half chatted up the owner. i told him i'd have to get a shot of it later, after the sun came up.

if i got the story right, they only made 2,400 of these trucks, and this guy owns four. said the engineer who designed them, also helped engineer the development of the corvette. the significance of that, was the back end of the truck is made of fiberglass, just like a corvette, which i guess makes it lighter. just isn't pretty if you get in an accident and snap the stuff.

i think he also said his son had helped finish this one recently, as well as the rare four-door fifty-nine impala, parked in front of it. it was maybe the first time he'd brought this one out to a show.

as usual, i try to hunt down cars that pass by, and i finally found the truck and impala, out in the far dirt lot of the show. turned out to be this very nice green, which matched the green and white colored impala the son drove.

i had this shot ready to post, but i actually think i like a different shot of it, i'll have to add when i get back to my computer.

the few, the proud...

continuing on with the majestics pics...i've been to this show for the last three years, at least.

the first year, i was overwhelmed by the sheer number of cars, as well as the heat, leaving before i could get through all the parking lots. there were so many, an excellent assortment to choose from, i hated to leave so soon.

the next year, pretty much the same, though i think i managed to stay a bit longer. better half ran out of steam before i did. i think maybe he got bored, but followed me around anyway.

this year, the weather was perfect: freeze your ass cold in the early morning, and cooling to a nice, comfortable level by mid-morning. i ditched my coat fairly early, after wandering through the first lot. most people had their jackets on, but between any hot flashes i was having and carrying the tripod around, as long as i was moving and not in the shade, i was quite happy with just a t-shirt and jeans.

we found not so many of the old cars i prefer this time. considering it is hosted by the majestics, it does not surprise that the majority of cars were from the sixties and seventies. while they are interesting to look at, and i sometimes do shoot the few that catch my eye, they are not what i'm looking for.

still, there were some few older cars sprinkled about; just had to slog on through the lots to find them. pointedly criss-crossed the main road all day.

found this one on the other side, the owner watching the parade of cars cruising past. he did stop long enough to ask about who i was shooting for...myself. told him i'd post it if i got a decent one, so i hope this will suffice.

was told there was also a viejitos show going on the same time, same day. perhaps, next year, i'll go there, just for a change.

light it up

went out to the dam today. probably a bit earlier then needed to — probably there about five-thirty am. parked further away then we've had to before. someone said they wouldn't even open the gate until six-thirty. so, as usual, we got out and took advantage of the cars and bikes just sitting there in the dark.

better half had me shoot using different settings than i usually use, just because it was so dark. i don't think it would have mattered, since there weren't many people around cars i did shoot. not so sure i like them as much. a lot of detail is lost in the dark, but i guess in past years, when i went to evening shows, the results were negligably better.

posting this one, because the owner came over to chat, and because he casually walked over and flicked the lights on for me. pretty cool lighting, contrasting the yellowing street light.

i know i saw the bike cruise by later in the day, but it was far less interesting, and way more a typical harley that i wouldn't have shot otherwise.

i've got more pictures to post for a few people, and more to say, but i'm dead tired now, so i think i'll call it a night.

divining rod

i wandered through all the parking lots at the majestics new years' show, and back. new stuff arrived and i'd go back and try to find it. some cars had too many people around them on the first pass, but i got them on the next one.

that seems to be the only way to deal with a bigger show. pretty much why i just don't go to the really major shows people tell me about...just too many people...unless i can be there at the same time cars are rolling in.

this one i probably would have passed by, but there was no one in the way, and the paint on it was pretty well done. but looking at it now, i can't decide if it was the lens, or if that big phallic thing on the trunk was not quite centered. sort of the angle of the dangle...between two girls...boys and their fantasies. lol. at least it's up.

i would just be pissed, or would it be obsessivly crazed, to drop a crap ton of cash on a custom paint job and find it just a tad off.

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been working too much, or should i say, i have too much work. wishing they'd hire another person. trying out a contractor on a couple of simple jobs, but they're located in northern ca, so can't really get a feel for them, and i haven't seen their portfolio. should be interesting.

still, i have another couple of intense weeks coming up at work, so probably will be too fried to post much again. happy to have realized a bit late that it was a holiday weekend, but that just means i gotta work even faster to meet the deadlines. ugh.



©2023 kathy gonzalez