how could you leave this behind?

so check out so cal tribe member's cars: reine's 1960 cadillac coupe de ville; danny's 1959 chevy impala; and ron's 1963 chevy suburban. was this back before they started their club? i dunno. they usually are together whenever i see them.

this shot from the broiler, in july. the back end is just delicious. below is a shot from a long time ago...actually the first time i ever visited the broiler...but with the tire thinga-ma-bobber on the back, and i don't know why i never posted it before now:

while the wheel thingy is designed to blend into the lines of the car, and is all chromed out, as well as serving to hide an ugly spare tire, it just kills the curves of the trunk. i vote for leaving it off, it's more pleasing to my eyes. but then, it isn't my car, so do what you want. lol.

<begin rant>

i stopped by the broiler tonight. second time in three weeks. big disappointment in turnout. two weeks ago i didn't even bother to get out of the car; today, i figured since i drove all the way out there, i might as well take a few shots, since i was in no hurry. only a handful of cars, and one that i really wanted drove off just before i got back over to it. high fives to the diehards that were there. thanks for saving me from another fruitless drive.

one of the owners said it's too cold. well, what a bunch of wusses. put on a coat why don't you? at least it wasn't raining. sure i know tomorrow is turkey day, but that was no excuse for the other week. and it doesn't only happen at bob's now; just about any evening show, except the one in garden grove is pretty sparse. didn't seem to bother you all last winter. 

i think i'm just torqued up because the holidays are coming and they are my least favorite time of year, with forced good will and smiles, and i hate going shopping.

so i'm mostly going to have to hit the weekend shows during the day or sift through my hundreds of pictures i've taken this past year. could be worse.

<end rant>

have a happy thanksgiving anyway. lol.

would smell as sweet?

this old ford gets around. i've seen it at a few shows in various places. the aged finish and pitted hood ornament and grill make it more interesting when i process it.

the name on the door proclaims it to be of penrose machine shop out of compton, ca, but i can't find it on google. and i can't believe there isn't another picture of it out there either.

is this penrose an "impossible object" popularized in the '50s by the mathematician roger penrose, who describes such objects as "impossibility in its purest form?" [no, i'm not a geek...found it on wikipedia] how can it be explained otherwise?

addendum: (thanks denny) There was indeed a 'Pensose Machine' in Compton, CA. He was a dealer for small industrial engines and parts, such as Wisconsin, Continental, Kohler etc. I sold him product in the 60s thru mid-70s. Another 'Penrose' was" Dick", who was at one time working for Continental Motors, before I was, and he was 'Sherm" (I presume Sherman) Penrose's son. Sherm had a small engine and lawn equipment distributorship in Long Beach in the 60s. I believe 'Penrose Machine went 'unde'r in the early 80s with different ownership. The Ford in your picture was most likely sponsored by Penrose-Compton.

three amigos

back to cadillac row at the ruby's show in whittier. always at the back corner, i suppose because they're such big cars. these guys always park in bunches, but here in typical guy fashion, every other space, just like in a movie theatre.

i've shot this front caddy before, but didn't really like the result here. always figure if i take a car i like enough times, eventually i get something better. just gotta catch it with the perfect light, angle, location, etcetera, etcetera, etcetera.

------

speaking of location, while i was out this wet, rainy weekend, i kept driving by a nice '48 chevy in my hood, just parked out on the curb. finally went out when the rain took a break, camera and tripod at the ready.

the car was just lovely, with fallen leaves all around it, ivy behind, rain puddled and reflecting the car in the misty light. i parked across the street, and just sat there. couldn't work up the nerve to get out and run across the street. best shot would have been from the street side, but then i would have been road kill if i took too long. other side wasn't as interesting, and since i'm not sure where the owner lives or who he was, just started imagining being chased down the street with a baseball bat, and so i drove away. was gone this morning...why didn't i follow my own advice and take it when i see it?

rust bucket

i met up with my dad at fuddrucker's the other night. he was curious about how i shoot cars. he's seen me shooting old planes up at the chino air museum, so it really wasn't going to be much different.

guess he'd driven by the last couple of weeks expecting me to be at the show, but the first one i'd already left, the next week, i'd skipped it. so we walked around and looked at cars, i took shots of cars i wouldn't typically shoot. i took shots that he didn't think were worth taking. like this car for instance. he wondered why i'd bother to shoot this old rust bucket.

first i'd never seen one of these before. second, they make really cool pictures. all the details really like to pop. driver was as interesting looking as the car, but i didn't get a shot of him.

anyway, spent time with my dad, had dinner, then went home. was a good evening.

continental succulence

also from the big boy's in orange, this juicy lincoln was in the bigger lot. not really sure if it was part of the show, or just a spectator's vehicle, i couldn't not take a shot of it [sorry about the double negative]. i do that a lot...take pictures of cars owned by people who have come to check out the other cars, but not to participate in the competition. if it's in a public place, it's good enough for me. some of them are quite nice.

very nice paint job, airbrushing and pinstriping, in your face, and yet somehow subdued. the owner was nearby with a group of guys. watched me closely, asked what i was doing and for whom. i handed out my card to all of them before they headed off to grab some food at one of the restaurants.

century prime

i made my first visit to the monthly show over behind the honda center, at the bob's big boy in orange last sunday. didn't seem to be too much else going on elsewhere on sunday. i missed several shows on saturday that i have been meaning to get back to and always having something else on my calendar to keep me from them. ah well, maybe next month...

maybe i was a little early, even though i got there an hour after start time, but there didn't seem to be too many cars. there were a few in a small lot on one side of the building, then a few rows of scattered cars on the other side, though there were a few other rows taped off but empty, so i suppose more show up later or whatever.

i have a few shots that i will post at some point from this show. i'll start with this one, since the owner seemed to be very interested in what i was doing, especially after showing him my book of prints. he was hesitant at first to close the hood on his baby, but i guess i proved it might be interesting to let me have a go. he kept an eye on me, of course, but no worries, i didn't get near enough to damage the goods.

it was pretty clean, and had he not closed the hood, i would have been satisfied with my shots of the dashboard. i usually like the tail end on the older chevys but this model year doesn't really do it for me—almost too plain—so i passed on that.

the frame on the back plate proclaimed him to be a vietnam vet...so is my dad...so thanks to both of them for their service, belatedly.

actung baby

 i haven't shot this car since i really got into doing this about a year ago. compare it to my original posting of it to see if i've improved any. definitely deserved a higher angle than i used to always do them at. i have a couple of others i liked as well, showing reflections of the sky and trees on the hood, but it's late, so i'll save them for some other day.

i don't know why i like it. has one of the most gigantor front grilles i ever do see. oh, i know...i love the hood ornament :)

da boyz cad

this was a very nice caddy parked where it shouldn't be parked at the garden grove main street show. found it in the college lot, adjacent to the back throughway, off the side street of the show, with a handicapped tag hanging from the mirror, but backed up on a sidewalk...makes me wonder what kind of "handicap" they might have...

was a lovely green, almost perfect condition. then i noticed there's a scratch up the side from the wheel toward the tail end. wonder what they parked too close to that was that low? i could remove it digitally, but then maybe the owner hasn't noticed. it's for sale, btw, but i didn't write down the number.

ah well. was in the midst of saving the file when my computer locked up and crashed. so my master for this file is effed up and all i can get out of it is a larger version of this, or start all over again. ugh. i need a new computer...damn POS hp. which reminds me, xmas is coming...buy a print, 'makes a lovely gift'...or holiday cards of your car, just drop me an email for pricing...oh hell, just tip the photographer if you've enjoyed seeing your picture here...at this point, i'm taking up a collection to keep this blog going. lol. "ain't too proud to beg, sweet darling..." or not.

blue 88

i took it easy this weekend. had intended to go to an early show in riverside saturday, but didn't hear from my son out there to meet up for lunch after, so didn't get up early and go. he's a busy college boy with his own schedule. no big, i'll catch up with him another time.

then today, had intentions of getting up early and hitting the enderle show in tustin...again was persuaded to “sleep in,” in spite of the time change. anyway, i'd read about the 2nd annual platinum custom car & bike show up at bob's in downey, which fit better into my schedule, and headed up there with my better half. this was a treat, as he's kinda burned out on car shows, and it was a rare occasion to get him to go. now i wish we'd have gone to the enderle show...always lots of cars to choose from...

so when we got to the broiler i was kinda bummed at the turn out and selection. sponsored by elite corvettes, i had expected a lot of those anyway. well, there were about half corvettes, and half mostly older chevys of various makes, with a few other manufacturer's older models thrown in. and the ever insistent raised hoods. ugh. and i don't recall seeing any bikes at all.

i like the older cars, so i didn't mind passing up all the newer model corvettes lined up along the main viewing area. but it bugs me to no end when the owner is nowhere in sight on a car i want to shoot, and the hood is up. don't mind shooting 50's chevys, bel airs in particular from the back, they have cool fins and lights, but come on.

my husband had spoken to the owner of this olds 88 and shot from this same corner of the car before i got over to it. i'm curious to see what he got, but after seeing mine, he's thinking of deleting his memory card. i hope he doesn't mean it.

anyway, said owner told him he drove 60 miles to be at this show. doesn't usually drive to many shows down here, and i'm not clear on why he made the exception for this one. hubbie hinted that the owner should close the hood, but clearly, the guy didn't understand, or just didn't want to move out of his chair.

love this weather – makes for awesome skies. supposedly going to rain tomorrow, but not scary enough to bug out the car owners from the show.

it was a cool car, intensely reflective, as i hope you can tell here.

yolk's on you

finally got back over to the show at garden grove's main street the other day. since a lot of the summer shows have now ended, this one was overflowing with goodness. shame to see many cars having to leave, being that the main strip and small side lot were full, and no more were able to get in. used to be a much larger show, but some of the guys were doing bad things in the college lots they used to overflow into, so they had to shut those down, and visitors can't even park there, at least they're not supposed to.

the owner of this ford (that's him in the dark blue shirt) told me several months earlier that he'd traded his old car for this one. i think he got the better deal, don't you? i hadn't taken a shot of it until this night because he's always got the damn hood up, and i've mentioned before that i generally don't bother with them. he enquired whether i'd taken any, and when i told him why i hadn't he immediately got out of the chair and closed it up. so i happily got to work.

at one point he must have thought i was done, but no, i was down low on the ground where he couldn't see me. i thanked him when i was done, and he promptly opened it again. do they get judged on the engines too? or do guys just get really excited about headers, car innards and stuff? 

it's in spectacular shape, by the way, and polished up like a new penny.

shout out to redd (blue shirt, next to the car), who owns this plymouth. maybe someday you'll actually buy a print. lol. maybe you just haven't seen a shot of it you like. i have a few more...maybe i'll post another sometime. maybe i just like hassling you.