what's up?

on new year’s day

we got up way early this morning and found ourselves sitting in the mile-long line of cars at the dam by five-fifteen. i don't think anyone really realized the gate didn't open until seven...wasn't really mentioned on the flyer.

we had a good chat. froze our butts off, ran the car once or twice to warm it up a bit. watched the group of guys ahead of us—club shall remain nameless, but you know who you are—stood around talking, watching their kids run around, toss their coffee cups in the ivy, run across the street and piss in the bushes one, by one.

finally the line started to move after seven. i stopped for a red light, and the goober behind us swooped around and got in front, followed by some other car. i'm in no hurry, and they didn't get much farther ahead, so congrats on that buttwad.

found parking in the same place as last year, and got going.

went through each lot, picking out what we liked. better half used his wagon to plant his tripod and camera on, to run some video.

i think we stayed until two-thirty, and only left cuz our feet hurt, and my better half seems to be starting a cold.

talked to a few people, and promised to post pictures of their cars. so here's the first one. if you happen to own this car, it's a beauty. and you can buy a print here.

beginning of the end

shot this very early at bo huff. out in the line up, waiting to get in. don't think i've seen a master deluxe this green before. and somehow it just seems like the wrong color for the model. just used to seeing them in blacks and browns, i suppose. still is pretty nice, otherwise.

last post of the year. only a couple hundred more, and there will be one thousand posts here. i can probably to that easy this year. i could do that easy, without hitting another show, if i wanted. but what fun is that? my next favorite picture is the one i haven't shot yet, so i'll keep shooting, as long as you keep bringing the cars out to show.

going to the majestics' show tomorrow. better half is coming with me, gonna pull his little red wagon behind him this time. maybe take some rolling movies. glad he can find a way to entertain himself, while i go off and do my own thing. sometimes he just likes to watch...

screaming meemies

i don't know why i shot this car or more, why i'm bothering to post it. no idea for sure what it is. it has some ford looking headlights and grille, but it's had some over the top cosmetic surgery.

i think what i enjoyed more than taking a picture of this thing, was the elderly asian couple that had been taking pictures of each other in front of various cars, this one included. suddenly, the old guy started screaming at the wife loudly in whichever language they spoke. kinda like a car wreck, i stared for a while, facinated like watching foreign soap operas on cable.

at this point, i can't remember if the old lady gave as good as she got, or if she just ignored him. i suspect the former.

they were still yelling when i left the area. maybe she didn't get his good side.

nomadder what

stopped by original mikes yesterday, on my way to my parents' house. still hadn't made my dad his xmas taffy. it's his annual thing. first time i didn't have it ready for him on xmas day in like, forever. just ran out of time. figured i'd just make it at their house, it would be as fresh as can be.

i got there, and he had the idea in his head to use some of it to make popcorn balls. wtf. couldn't argue it out of him, so why not experiment.

i boiled up a double batch. he popped a bag of popcorn. burned it. he can't hear it stop popping, didn't notice the smell. so he did another, and i told him when to take it out.

i poured about half of the sticky tar into the bowl of popcorn. told him to let it cool a bit, so he doesn't burn his hands. typical guy, doesn't listen. he only waited a few minutes. then started shaping it into balls.

it worked in theory. it formed into balls, and held the shape. only when he was done did he realize he hadn't separated out the unpopped kernels.

the rest of the taffy, i pulled after it cooled off a lot. still not sure that it turned out as brittle as it should have been. either way, brittle or soft, he usually ends up each new year with a dentist appointment to reglue a crown or two, and has been known to use super glue or epoxy to do it himself. but he wouldn't have it any other way.

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oh, and the lot was pretty full at original mikes. got there at almost one. lots of hoods up, so that winnows down the selection i'll bother with. this one had the hood up, and there was a group of people up at the front. so screw'em, i just pushed in on the part i like anyway, and ignored the parts i don't care about.

on 56, 57, 58, 59 chevys, it's all about the back end anyway. i'll shoot them, no matter what's going on up front.

goddess

hood ornaments. love'em.

this one is apparently known as a flying goddess. seems more like a nekked superwoman.

eighty-eight

there's a number of "interesting" definitions for the term "eighty-eight." i'm not really referring to any of them here; just the innocent model number for this car.

nice, round back-end here. duke's car. always get a hug from the old guy.

pulled it up on an old computer. this is from last year. haven't seen it in a while. wonder if it's still rollin'? guess i'd have to go over to buena park to check it out.

ghetto blaster

getting late. almost time for the fat man. guess i'll head to bed.

worked from home, made cinnamon rolls and pan de elate. making some taffy for my dad tomorrow...didn't feel like burning up my hands pulling it today. he likes it fresh anyway.

quick post. i think this is a cadillac; i didn't pay attention, i was just looking at the pinstriping.

now, in my sleep-deprived delirium, all i can see is an upside down angel that took a nose-dive onto this hood. and on that deranged thought, i'll wish you all a merry xmas, and that you get what you want in the morning.

double double

i like to watch other photographers doing their thing sometimes. so, the other day at legg lake, chicano soul (thanks to his wife for his business card, btw --good woman behind the success of every man, right?) had gotten a couple of guys to pull their cars off to the side so he could shoot with the trio of models he had with him.

he spent a lot of time with the first model that i watched. she moved a lot. i pulled out my other camera and took a handful of shots. don't shoot a lot of people, and usually its off to the side shots, while someone else is actually getting the girls' attention. better half says they would have been better if i had closed down the aperature on the lens, but i forgot; its always set up for macro shots, so err. and its a really good portrait lens when i do remember, so my bad.

i figured i'd wait for a break to get in a few shots of the cars together. i'd already taken the regular pictures of them before they got moved here. still farther away than i like to be, but i didn't want to get in his way. i liked they way the cars were parked, and the trees in the background.

got my shot, then this other model got in position, so i went ahead and shot this one, since i hadn't moved the camera. still prefer the cars without a girl draped on or against them. maybe i'd like this better if she had been more dressed in the style of the period. what do you think?

reflecting

last day of vacation. i walked around uptown. thought i'd try to find a red dress. my better half has been commenting on all the red dresses in the shop windows. trying to remind him, i am no longer the same size as the mannequins, but he doesn't care; he likes my curves.

i looked in every clothes store in town. i did not like any of the dresses i saw. probably just me. i hate clothes shopping, and i haven't had to shop for girl clothes in a long time. good old casual dress code at work, only really need to wear a sort of business casual shirt, i.e., polo, and then jeans are now ok, so no reason to shop anymore.

back home, playing with my pictures again. thought about going to a car show, followed by a few hours at disneyland. there's an elvis impersonator performing tonight and tomorrow...young, bad ass elvis, not chunky butt elvis. but meh, i was tired. maybe tomorrow night.

my mom's bday is on sunday. there's also a car show at legg lake on sunday. i can pull off both.

then back to work on monday. not looking forward to the work that waited for me, and more new jobs. already getting a headache, so i'll push that thought out of my head until then.

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one more tonight. i like the back end of cadillacs. this one is like an xmas present—the colors, the pattern, the glitter and shine.

got to the show early early, and managed to wade through all the waiting cars, and found this one stuck in the frozen river of cars.