early early

best time to go to a big show is before it is supposed to start, the earlier the better. especially a show out in riverside, where the daytime temperature can shoot to over a hundred degrees on a cool day. wasn't the case this year, as it was unseasonably overcast and cloudy, but i still only managed to go out early in the morning and later in the evening. stupid foot was bugging me. still is. i'll give it a few weeks then go back to the doc.

this belonged to a couple who spent the night nearby in a motorhome. poor things. really roughing it. not. he found me out behind another motorhome shooting a little pink coupe, and he headed over to uncover his car. i had no idea what was hiding behind door number three, but i was pretty happy with what was revealed. 

sun coming up, trees, and few people and cars passing by, so i was free to take whatever angle i liked.

i have one more promised car to do, if i can decide i like any of the shots. then it'll be time to get back to a nice old chevy.

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working eight hour days, but they feel like twelve. my foot still cramping my style. i went to the broiler tonight—first time in a couple of months—really going down the drain there. got there later, and still not much in the lot, so i took a few shots, chatted with my buddy angel and his friend, and left.

checkered past

i still have a couple more cars i promised before i get back to my favs. 

this one was just different than the typical hot rod. mainly the checkered paint job on the radiator and inside the engine compartment. otherwise, pretty standard hep cat.

wonder what that guy in the doorway is thinking...or the zombie to his right. neither is looking at me, nor the car. must be something driving by out of the shot.

coming & going

i spied this one driving around the circuit on the last day in riverside. i hoped i would be able to find it parked somewhere before i left.

i was across the street shooting the rambler i posted yesterday, when i spied it here across the street on the corner. i was trying to hurry from the rambler so i could get to it before they possibly took off again, but the owner of the rambler was busy telling me her story. then i watched as the owner of the car popped the hood for a crowd of guys, and i kinda slowed down. why, why?

i took a couple of shots of the rambler and headed over to this one anyway. the group had mostly left, and the guy sitting with it saw me trying to shoot the hood ornament, and offered to close the hood for me. even better i said.

his story was that the car belonged to his father-in-law, and he had fixed it up. i thought it was pretty stunning and asked if he thought it had won anything. he said, no way, there were much better cars there in his opinion. dude, this one is a beauty, have some confidence. and thanks for closing the hood.

she's a rebel

i was shooting this one because i'd never seen one before. the owner came over and asked the usual questions. then told me her hubbie had bought this for her fifty-seventh birthday. not sure if the rebel part relates to her personality, but she was very nice.

wonder what age i'd choose to be to get an age-appropriate car. i'm thinking i'm due for a chevy bomb about now...

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sedan, i am

this is bob's pontiac. i'd seen it parked off the street in this side lot for the last couple of years that i'd been to this show. finally had the time and inclination to go over and have a look. initially, there was another car parked on this side, and i was just shooting the hood ornament. he came over and apologized that it wasn't a better ornament—said there was more to it, but someone had snapped the other pieces off at some point in the past.

then, the car next to him took off, so i had space to shoot the car. happily, he moved the dust mop thing off the hood. 

the car is showing its age, but that's fine with me. imperfections just make it that much more interesting, so don't apologize when you're car is less than perfect.

they all head south for the winter

so, i'll get back to riverside in a couple of days, but i wanted to put one of this beauty up before i forget. my better half talked the owner into closing it up later that afternoon.

i basically stare at cars with their hoods open if i really want to shoot it, and hope the owner notices and offers to close it. i've only asked owners to close it a couple of times because it was too good not to get it, and most typically will just walk past a few times and hope to see it again some day.

of course, i took advantage of the hood closed, and took several more shots. but i thought i'd share this one, just to show that i sometimes break my own rule. i think my better half mentioned that it's rare to see one in such immaculate condition, but if memory serves, d, there was about five of them in a row down at chicano park, each just as delicious as this one. but i did skip most of those, since they had one side up and one side down.

ok, this one had a nice engine, so i guess that was part of the reason i went ahead and took this shot. my better half liked this one better than the others i did, so maybe that's why i'll share it with you.

out of town tomorrow, so riversiders, hold your breath until wednesday. unless i go to big boy...

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pretty fair

i spent the weekend in riverside at the show and go. not as much time at the show as i'd have liked, because my foot isn't totally healed and i could only take so much time walking around. my better half would have helped if he'd been able to be there, but no, he's still working on that deadline. missed a really great room i had over at the inn, but it worked out perfect because i could go crash when it got too hot and when i couldn't walk any farther.

i talked to several people over the three days i was there, and should they happen to be looking for their car, be patient. i have a day job, go to shows when i can, and i squeeze in the pictures here as i can get to them in the evenings if i'm not too tired. please check back—i try to put cars up of the people i talk to before others.

i took over 1,600 pictures over three days, and i've spent the evening sorting them and backing them up. so quick post now. this one belongs to jimmie. really, really clean fairlane. he was, of course, curious what i was doing behind his car and came over to chat a bit. i took a few angles of the car, but this one was my favorite. so jimmie, as i was saying, click here if you are interested in buying a print.

gotta catch some sleep now. up early for work and wondering if it's going to rain, or if the weathermen are just being incompetent as usual. but i hope they're right. my birthday is coming, and really, i just want it to rain. i'd rather it be raining and i was hearing it on the roof of a cottage in solvang, but i guess if it was just raining, that would be good enough.

written in the sky

so on the next-to-last day of wearing the bionic leg, we went to three car shows. my better half just got himself a new camera, and since i mentioned there was a viejitos show, he was all about taking it out for test drive. their show is usually packed with tasty treats like this one. while, there wasn't as many as is typical, he seemed happy enough with what was there.

so i'm pretty sure i've seen this one at the latin gents show a few months earlier. you tell me, but i think this is the back end of it. i was blown away then, and am still in love with it now.

i had some difficulty getting the low shots of the cars with the boot on, but i managed a few. my other leg was sore the next day from all the squats.

there was a skywriter scribbling across the sky, but either it was too bright for my eyes, or it was so small and blurry, i have no idea what it said, but there it is curving down into the roof of the car.

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so, i got the ok to take off the boot yesterday, and today did physical therapy. i'm not sure if it just hurts because it's not fixed, or if the therapy is just aggravating it and/or helping it heal as intended. whatever, i'll carry the thing in my car for a while, just in case. but no more shots, please. they suck.

going to riverside this weekend for the show-n-go. sounds like my better half has to work on some deadline at the office, so that kinda really sucks donkey balls.

chicano graffiti

ok, one more for now from chicano park. i've been to a few other shows since, so i have a few to post in the next few days for people i talked to at those shows.

i just think this is a nice shot. sure, i like the car, but i think the archway bridge behind it just makes it more interesting. again, wish the show tag in the window were not there, or even just smaller, but i suppose it was easier to make letter-size copies than to make smaller ones and cut them up.

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hoping to get the doctor to let me out of this cyborg boot. it's been a real hassle at the car shows. i suppose if i have to wear it any longer i'll have to get creative and think up some interesting story for whatever is wrong with it.

more candy

a lifestyle car is most always a delight to the eyes. pinstripes, airbrush, candy colors seem to be their modus operandi. i walked past this one earlier. thought i'd seen it before and/or the light just wasn't hitting it right and/or it was surrounded by people.

on the last walk around this field, walking past from this direction, i had a change of heart and took this shot. i can appreciate a good paint job. and hey, look, no one paying it any attention. perfecto.

just realizing that it was the same car i saw last summer at the san fernando show. but not that surprising. nice to see it out in the open, and not crammed in with a bunch of other cars.