what's up?

muy bueno

i've seen the famous bueno family impala several times now. another car that i just can't get enough of. so many details. airbrushing, etched chrome and pinstripes all over. can never get up high enough to shoot the roof of these kinds of things.

there's stephanie waiting patiently. i don't know her well enough to know what she's thinking, so i won't presume to guess. we pass each other at shows, and don't say much more than hello. i'm shy. she doesn't seem shy. so it's just me.

other people we ran into at this show expressed happiness that she was there, and getting out, making the effort to be out with people. i imagine it can't be easy.

saw her around the show later in the day, without a camera in her hand. that was unusual.

wheelie

my better half actually talked to the owner of this car while he was taking pictures of it. i heard him say to check out my website, since i actually post way more frequently than he has time to. the owner said i hadn't taken a picture of it. well no, cuz my better half wasn't done with it.

so i did go over and take a few shots after all. 

better half says this guy claims this is one of two ’56 chevys in cali that have been restored to all original parts. he pointed out that there seemed to be an awful new looking radio in there, and wondered about some other parts here and there. i dunno, i didn't look inside.

i posted a couple of other views on flickr, and here, should he be interested in getting a print.

please do not touch

another car for another person who bothered to inquire. sure, she was watching me shoot the bueno car next to it, so she was curious, but she asked what i was doing, who it was for.

told her i'd post something. beautiful car. don't worry, i was gonna shoot it anyway, even if you hadn't said something. print for sale here.

 

sunshine, on his shoulder

the uptown show yesterday was pretty good. this year it was well run, and started on time. even had the staging start on time, as advertised, which i'm sure pleased everyone involved with last year's debacle. guessing maybe three hundred cars showed up.

i knew by five-thirty in the morning that it was going to be a hot day. sun was already coming up, sky clear. last couple of years the morning had been overcast and cool, and allowed me to enjoy the show for a couple extra hours before it got too hot. this year, it was rush and get what shots i could while the sun rose, the light changed, the cars were sitting and waiting in staging. i can't take the heat. fortunately, with this show, i live here. i know where to go to get out of the sun, eat, and can even go home and take a break. hey, gotta download the pictures off my memory cards, so i can go back out and fill them up again, right?

after shooting some of the lucky cars that were able to get in early, my better half and i walked up to the staging area. lots of cars, three lanes wide, just sitting ducks for my camera.

this guy sitting in the cadillac, was first to notice and ask where he could see the pictures, so i'll put a couple of his car up first.

i could make up a story about the text messages he appears to be sending, the "OMG! this chick is taking pictures of my car!," but i'm not going to do that. i'll keep my freaky demons in my head.

anyway, if he happens to want to buy a print (what a concept), he can find them here.

this one has a little too much lens flare, but i like it anyway:

spotlight

so i drove out to the broiler on wednesday, for a change. haven't really been able to get out to many shows on weekdays anymore, so i was hopeful.

i arrived just slightly early, and there really weren't too many cars there. not even the old regulars. saw a couple of people i knew though, so that was nice to catch up a little.

so i shot what cars that were there. then sat on the wall and read email and news on my phone. ran into someone who follows me on flickr, and that's always fun. i'd seen his pictures of cars from previous weeks, which is probably why i chose to be hopeful that there would be cars there to shoot.

anyway, each time i decided it was about time to pack it up, a car or two would drive in. mostly not what i like to shoot. they told me the low riders come in later, and that's what started showing up. not pretty or interesting ones, just plain, old cars. and most of them headed to the back of the lot. ya, and they don't look all that friendly, so buh bye.

i liked this chevy. showing its age, but not adorned with unnecessary details. no pinstripes, at least that i saw. liked the hood ornament too, with the pitting.

really should have stayed until sunset. need to eff with this camera in low light more. still prefer my old camera.

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looking forward to the uptown show in the morning. hoping it will be more coordinated this time. maybe even more of the lowriders will be coming back after the idiocy the organizers pulled a few years ago. i heard they expect about 400 cars. crossing my fingers. better half will be there off and on too, in between taking care of his mom's needs.

and meeting a guy who's buying one of my pictures from the fair. so if you see me just standing around the main intersection around 11:30, come check it out.

imps

haven't posted a nice impala for a while. this one is pretty tasty. even got my better half doing his thang with the car next to it.

i have several shots of it, but for whatever reason, i like this one best, show a sense of the length of the car. another shot is pushed in closer, and makes the car look stubby, like a carnival mirror, and that can't be good.

peelings

overdue posting this chevy from march at the azalea festival. owner was really friendly and chatty.
i liked it a lot, with it's small imperfections. especially liked the peely paint patches over the fenders. sort of like my shoulders used to get when i attempted to get a tan—never really happens, just a bright red burn, and a slow peel.
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so my website host has been a little flakey the last couple of days that i've tried to post. and doing the same tonight. slower than a snail, and lost the post before i saved it. second time i've typed this up, and definitely not as clever as the first iteration.
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feeling better, though still not one-hundred percent normal; but then, when am i? 
i did drive out to ruby's yesterday, but then remembered i needed to pick up a belated birthday present. decided i better go buy it before the store closed; i wander around a car show the same way most women wander around the mall—lose all track of time—though i don't end up with a car load of shopping bags at the end of the night.
bought a crap ton of chocolates over at the see's candy store, then decided it was best if i didn't leave it to melt in the car while i did the show. got it home and to the happy recipient, our favorite diabetic. happy birthday, indeed.
i could have gone back, but then there would have only been about an hour left, and people start bugging out early when they think they won't win any prizes, so i stayed put for the evening.
©2025 kathy gonzalez