no buwwets

i've seen this car before, and usually pass it by, because the hood is open, but mostly because of that stupid wooden billy gun. if this is the same one i remember from another show, the owner once practically begged me to come take a picture of his car, but when he went and got the gun out i could only just keep from laughing out loud, and shook my head no. could be a totally different car and owner, but i don't see too many prop guns like this one. no wait, there's that pt cruiser that has that silly stuff on it...never shoot that one either.

i was going to skip it again this time, but decided it didn't look so silly from the back, parked off by itself in the shade. still has that pea shooter sitting there, but i can ignore it just this once. had the hood up, i think, so this was the only POV i was ever going to take of it anyway. nice car. dump the prop gun...it's stupid. or else put some bullet holes in the side. want me to do that in photoshop for ya?

second time at this show. brought my bro and his family, who are visiting from the east coast for a few days. kinda disappointed in the turnout, but made up for it this morning by taking them to the show at enderle, which was much busier and had more variety. 

where did the time go?

i haven't posted in a week. been out of town. my daughter got married. grew up while i wasn't looking. it happens.

anyway, i didn't get to shoot any cars while i was there. drove past a big show on the way to somewhere else, but my family members wouldn't cater to my addiction, so had to pass it by.

finally stopped at a couple of shows this evening. over at the show off alondra. not too busy there. i suppose i was early, but still it's usually full up. walked the rows a couple of times, took not too many pictures.

headed over to the big boy in downey. that used to be pretty good. i haven't been in a couple of months probably. where have all you guys gone? there's a lot for sale sign out back, and the covering is off the fencing. what gives?

took a few shots. i liked this fairlane. pretty clean, nice paint combo, parked in a corner. nobody puts baby in the corner, but maybe this isn't baby.

i hope there's still a good turnout at the whittier uptown show later this month or i may just take a break for a while. i'm sure this is just a passing mood and i'm tired, but i thought i'd just say hi, before you start to worry...

nice attitude, babe

i think i saw this one at ruby's last time i was there. here it sits in the parking lot of old world. kinda cool with the wall•e engine thing and weird finish paint job.

my favorite parts, though are the unused hood lock painted to give you the bird – F.U. too; and the metal rooster on the dashboard. wait for it, wait for it...no, i'm not going there, i'll be good for a change, and not say something about how big (or small) it might be. love the pinstriping on the door too.

i think the owner was sitting opposite the car, and would occasionally make the hydraulics squeak a bit. thanks for not bouncing it while i was taking my shots.

ye olde fordes

so my friend from the old show at chubby's told me about this new show in huntington beach at the olde world village. think solvang. think octoberfest. ja, probably more german than scandinavian, it's a small market "village", with a meandering "cobblestone" walk that runs around the "village."

so one day a week, they let these crazy car people come and park their cars throughout the pathways and in the parking lot for the duration of the show. interesting concept, but as there is only a little over a car's width of space, once you're parked, you're there until the 8pm close.

supposedly the first night there were 150+ cars, but i think this was the third night, and i dunno where that many would go, so i'm saying maybe 75 in the village and parking lot. i did like seeing the same cars i see everywhere in a different location. and i did like that inside the market, the buildings provided enough shade to keep cool until the sun went down.

i've seen this ford in whittier, at the ruby's show a few times. just realizing i posted the hood ornament a few days ago. i like the setting for it here much better than the parking lot at ruby's, probably because it just looks better, but also because it's not crowded next to another car. and i got my shot right before more people came around that curve.

dingle balls?

this was unexpected. a fair cadillac; that was typical; but the interior decked out in serapes and dingle balls? seriously? seriously? well...i could only wonder why. maybe i just haven't been to enough car shows. maybe its done all the time. i've just never thought about effing up a caddie with them. come on, the stereotype is a chevy...

and it's for sale. good luck to you.

hot hot hot

yup, it's been warm lately. it's july after all, but it's not as hot as it should be. i expect the fall will be stiflingly warm to make up for the mild summer here.

another from the show in the anaheim promenade. between the tall buildings, the sun did not hit too badly or completely. of the few pictures i took, only one car wasn't half shade/half sun...but it's not this one.

i have a residual kid lust for corvettes. i always wanted one, as i think many kids did. and as i mentioned before, when i had the chance to get one (albeit a late '80s model), i passed on it...didn't think i could afford the insurance and gas at the time.

but i like this one. i would have it. alas, i can only have it here, in my digital collection. i'll park it right here, at the top for now. ain't it pretty? come on prince, sing it...

raider nation

i've seen this car several times over the past year and a half. i've tried shooting it from various angles, in different lighting conditions, in different locations depending on where they've parked. i've never really been satisfied with the location or the lighting, but this one is ok. i need to bring a ladder to get a better angle on the artwork on the front here, but i already pull too much around with me...i'd need a little red wagon to carry more.

not only is it a great car, it has some interesting, intricate airbrushing going on front and back, all in black and white, and just a hint of gold on the helmet. i'm taking a wild ass guess they like the raiders.

backlot

my better half thought i had taken this at some hollywood backlot. nope. i stopped at the anaheim show at the promenade. first time there. probably the last. giving points because i was early, but with all the tall buildings around, most of the shots look like this, half sun, half shade. dramatic, but sucky at the same time. maybe if i'd shown up later, after the sun was down and the street lights had come on, but then there would be more people there for the live band in the center intersection.

i found it funny that several of the cars i saw here, i also saw drive in to the garden grove main street show, and then even later, one showed up at ruby's in whittier. and i thought i got around. ain't it great to have more than one to choose from, if not all to go to on a summer evening?

anyway, there were several really great cars there. the location could be better at different times of the day, i suppose. it would have been nice if the old guys behind this one would have moved to let me shoot the back end, as that planter made it hard to get there otherwise. but oh well. i didn't feel like asking them to move, and they seemed pretty oblivious otherwise.

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and i'm still pissed at my computer for crapping out on me yesterday; was up until midnight reloading the whole freakin system and still am working out tweaks. even with all that, it still had the nerve to lock up as always in the middle of playing with this picture. and my screen is too dark, the colors are odd. i'll have to calibrate; hope it doesn't look too bad.

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and to the bungholes that have been trying to bury comments on old pages with links to sell their own shit...go suck it. i'm in no mood to put up with you. go buy your own advertising space.

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.

baby got back

so my buddy ernie (i think that's his name) told me about this show over in paramount that they moved to mondays a few weeks ago. being that i only knew about one other monday show, and had nothing better to do, i drove on by.

he gave me a general idea of the cross streets, but i'm not familiar with the area, so it took me a few turns to find it, about a block down from where he told me. as is typical, i went straight from work, so shows are usually still pretty light on carage. depending on what's arriving as i whip through the cars that are there, and how hot and sweaty i feel, i don't stay long. strange really, after taking the time to drive all the way there, but the heat just makes me want to melt.

so, fortunately, this wonderful impala was already there, and was the first car i shot on this afternoon. actually took several, stalling to see what else would drive in. it was pretty warm, and only shot a few other cars before calling it a day.

i suppose i could go into the establishment and eat and cool off, but that's always a pain with the camera gear with me...hard to pull the bag and balance a tray of food and a coke.