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...

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.

----

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.

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?

eevil

jingle bells. maybe i should have saved this one until next week, being all xmasy green and glitter baby.

guessing its a chevy. nicely chopped. eye catching. caught me anyway, sitting next to the rust bucket next to it.

------

i think i need something better to do on a vacation. my space, i can whine here. planning more time off through out next year, so this doesn't happen again.

good day, sunshine

here's another for the day. from legend's san pedro show. i was there before the sun came up. they can't keep you out of the park. so there i was dodging the cars as they were bringing them in. actually, i'm pretty good at staying out of the way. i can move on, and come back later.

here, the sun is just coming up, the light still purple. makes it worth the effort of getting out of a nice warm bed—you just can't get this light at high noon.

forced vacation day one

so, no plans this week, but here i sit, on vacation. supposed to rain the next two days, so i'm ok on that point. won't miss how people drive on wet roads. don't miss how they drive on dry roads. why is there always some idiot at five-thirty in the morning, that has to drive close to a hundred miles an hour, swerving between lanes? and where are the cops at five-thirty? i'm just trying to get to work, not the cemetery.

anyway, went to the market and stocked up on baking supplies. thinking of making cinammon rolls and/or sugar cookies. got a craving. always great here, with the peeps trying to cut back on sugar, especially the diabetic in the house. can take them over to my parent's house, but they don't need it either. well, they freeze ok, so my mom usually saves them for when she's expecting company.

also made a crap ton of hawaiian meatballs for dinner. had hoped they were sweeter than they turned out. better half had two helpings. not too bad if you take a mouthful with a chunk of pineapple. anyway, he always thinks they are better the next day.

then, on top of all that, have been working on my copyright uploads. just now stopped the computer to fiddle with a picture.

thinking this one from chicano park will do. end of the year coming, and yet another year's worth of pictures i'll never get around to doing anything with. maybe i'll spend the day posting some tomorrow. unless the cable goes down, because of the rain. go charter.

candy

lifestyle cars are all extraordinary. i think its a requirement. meticulous, fantasmic airbrush, pinstriping and details. candy colors and multiple layers of clear coat paint. 

they're also usually surrounded by admirers, and i can't get a clean shot edgewise, so i mostly have to pass them by. unfortunate.

caught this one from the back, where one can often find some pretty spectacular airbrush portraits. ok, this one is more fantasy-like. dream on, big boy.

tangerine

i don't like oranges, tangerines, cuties, citrus, you name it. i'll drink orange juice, but just can't chomp down on that pithy, grindage of the fruit. especially the big oranges, with the white scum coating the good part.

but i like the orange on this impala. around back of the k1 sports, at the old memories harbor area show last june. little newer model than my fav, 1959, but this is quite nice anyway.