cantankerous

this 38 chevy truck reminds of an old coworker of mine. a bit worse for wear on the outside. didn't really care what time did to the outside, yet with an underlying style and way of carrying himself. a sense of grace, that you'd never, ever mention to his face, unless you figuratively wanted your guts ripped out and spewed back onto your feet. really a sensitive soul on the inside, but hides it well. he knew what was needed to make something work and get the job done.

he got the boot this past year. after so many years of service, was unceremoneously excused.
he's bored out of his gourd. never planned on being kicked to the curb, just liked to fill his days with work. he'll be all right, but his parts are getting rusty with idleness.

anyway, he'll be fine. last time i talked to him, he was still as pissy as ever.

the sun shone down

so on this evening at ruby's, i saw this car. walked by it all evening. it was always surrounded by too many people. can't blame them, it was really a spectacular car.

finally, toward the end of the evening, when it was almost time for the raffle, people headed to the announcement area, and left me alone (mostly) with this nomad in all it's flamboyant flameyness. gotta wonder about some of these color combinations i've seen recently. guess it makes them more unique.

i took several shots of this, then wandered over to a unique harley that was customized. painted with spider webs, black widows, handles made to look like brass knuckles...different...then the most obnoxious group of fat ass motorcycle guys drove into one of the aisles of the show. music blasting, engines as loud as could be, basically parked their bikes in the center of the row. ya, ya look at me, look at me. a few tense minutes as the show sponsors tried to talk over the noise and get them to move. they did. to the next row.

after about 20 guys from the show started to head over there, and a few calls to the cops, they drove their big harleys out of there, but still. ass bites. mofos. don't mind seeing the bikes, but really who cares?

and it was all yellow

i finally took the time to drive out and shoot at the show in cypress. i've heard that there are sometimes up to 60 to 80 cars here. i guess maybe if you stay from beginning to end, there might be, but i didn't stay too late. there were more cars driving up as i packed it up. always makes me want to unpack and go get them too. but then i'd never get home, now would i?

ran into several people that i've seen at various shows. never know who will show up and where. constantly surprised to see cars that i haven't seen in months, and here they are again. forest gump shows...never know what you're gonna get.

anyway, i hadn't seen this one before and it was so conveniently located on the end of the row by itself, i had to take a picture of it. owner was nearby, and seems interested in buying a print, so here it is...what do you think?

big engine. looks like giant binoculars into the soul of the car, should you choose to take a peek...

baby you're much too fast

so yay for me, a corvette with it's hood down! so wanted one of these puppies when i was a kid, but didn't everyone?

i like it next to that big ass buick, the corvette's sensuous lines contrasting the heft of the other car. and it's like they called each other before the prom and got all coordinated for the picture.

sunny side up

this chevy bel air was the color of a vivid yellow egg yolk. one with flames. down the sides. guess that would make it a fast breakfast to go.

the flames were just a bit darker than the body paint, so they might be difficult to see here, but they were cool. love the torpedo bumpers on these; look like they could do some damage if you're unlucky enough to tangle with them.

parked half in / half out of the sun / shade, i just hope for the best. deal with what it is, and take a lot of pictures...maybe one will turn out o.k., like this one.

park it like itz hawwwt

this chevy is such a fluorescent orange it hurts my eyes. owner keeps it very clean. it's a ’64, i think, but is it a truck, a wagon, a custom...? i dunno.

anyway, he asked me to take a picture of it once before, the first night i stopped at the broiler, and i never really did anything with it. you can see it here. he showed up again at bob's a couple of weeks ago, and again asked if i could take a picture of it.

i like this one a little bit better, since it wasn't crowded into a parking spot, and the angle is better. i also like the earlier shot, as the night's darkness and lights have their own interesting qualities. maybe i'll see it again when the fall is coming, the skies are more spectacular, the sunset earlier, and create a happy meltdown of all the best qualities i want in a picture.

suits me to a t

always wonder what these hot rods once looked like. at what point does someone think, "i'm going to remove this, insert that, repaint it...," when they have a perfectly good car. some of these come out great in the end, some have earned the ratrod title.

this 1928 ford model t (maybe the owner is just monogramming his initial on the radiator) was pretty well done. has the required big engine thing (wall-E), and i love the added extra big fat tires on the back.

i should have done a panorama here - wish i hadn't clipped off the front of the chevy. live and learn.

if i had wings

would this a be a bat or a raven if it were a bird? this sleek ’59 impala was at the garden grove main street show a couple of weeks ago. back when it was still cool outside. who turned up the heat overnight? guess i'll be going to fewer shows now, and glad i have a stockpile of images to play with. went to fuddrucker's yesterday and about had a heat stroke. not really. i wasn't feeling too good to begin with, add the heat and the sweat, and it was just enough to drive me away too early.

i believe that's the owner, camouflaged in his camo chair, just his leg peeking out. maybe the chair was swallowing him...

i think these are just about my favorite car. gotta be the fins. or wings. “dear god, make me a bird, so i can fly far. far, far away.”

oscar is no grouch

i was making the rounds at ruby's, waiting for my hubbie to arrive from a late evening at work, and stumbled across this beautiful 1957 chevy nomad. it's another car that i've rarely seen out and about. usually only see it at the whittier uptown car shows in august. it's my better half's favorite car of all, and when he finally arrived, i mentioned that it was here, he headed straight for it. he got this shot and this one.

just a fine example of this model, but it stands out over others with its glittery roof job. can only guess how many coats of paint it took to get a good solid cover of sparkle. i'm no girly girl, but i tried to do that with fingernail polish as a kid, and could never never get a nice solid coat.

i tried to catch some of the roof here, but i can only get a little bit of it, being that i'm not that tall. maybe i should keep a little ladder in my trunk for such occasions. might even make for some more interesting angles for other taller cars. better that i don't come straight from work in a skirt and use it either...

well, my hubbie chatted the owner up, and found out they won't be at this year's whittier show, being otherwise busy, but will be at a show in pomona, i believe they said, in october. might be out of town then, so glad to have caught it here.

girls55 / boys 0

so i bet the owner of this ‘55 wagon has been wondering when his car would show up. patience usually helps. if i remember correctly, i think he (the guy peeking out behind the car) said this one actually is his wife's car. this was from the signal hill show i stopped at early last month, where only three cars showed up. i think everyone was at ink and iron that weekend. this guy left just after i did, so he definitely didn't win the raffle.

wondering what the attendance will be at shows this independence day weekend. my other nephew is coming to visit, and really enjoyed the one show i took him to before. he used my other camera and took lots of pictures; even sold a couple, so he wants to have a go at it again. it's good to encourage a kid's interest, and what better than cars and photography?