what's up?

fine

1963 chevy impala

i'm back. i did finally leave the house, and go to my mom's.

better half started blasting the room i was in with lysol, while i was trying to eat dinner. sense of smell is intricately locked in with sense of taste, and since i think lysol reeks of vomit, it was going to ruin my dinner, that he had so graciously walked uptown to get me. i was afraid the next step was that he was going to go stand behind his mother's wheelchair, with her in it, and draw a circle of salt around them, and start shouting, "thou shall not pass!"

seems the only thing we ever have difficulty with is coping with germs around his mother when we're ill and who would kick the other's ass—underdog vs mighty mouse.

everyone's fine, btw.

loved the color of this car, and how the light was hitting it.

father and son

1951 mercury and 1950 ford

1951 mercury

putting up a few shots of these two cars, since the kid asked. well, he asked my better half, and then i got the email.

i like the idea of the nose to nose shot, but i'm not so sure my wide angle lens does them justice. just couldn't get up high enough. maybe next time i should climb on top of another car or truck.

not sure if these are works in progress or if this is it. better half said the headlights are really meant for motorcycles is what i think they told him. whatever they are, the headlights on the black one had small red lights around them and they made the grille glow red.

black one belongs to the dad, the other to the kid. nice to share the same interest, and to pass your knowledge on to the next generation.

spur of the moment

1958 chevy impala

it was going to rain today, so slept in. thought i'd just be sitting around the house today.

when it still wasn't raining at eight-thirty, asked my better half if he wanted to just drive over to legg lake, to see if any cars were there for the boulevardos show. thought it was close enough to home, if there was nothing or if it started raining, we could just go to the mall, or turn around.

better half said they wouldn't be there, since they were going to cruise in from los angeles. he kinda wanted to drive out there and watch, but mostly he just wanted to hang out with me, and i wanted to take pictures.

drove past the lake, and saw no show cars there. got on the freeway, and i said, what the hell, let's just drive out to chino and see if anyone showed up for that show. flyers said rain or shine. we were already half way there anyway.

racing the clouds, and it was slightly sprinkling, we went anyway. even thought about just driving out to cucamonga, checking into a hotel, buying a change of clothes, and kicking back in a jacuzzi. well, they didn't have any of those rooms available, so we skipped that idea. better half was on call for work anyway.

took a different route to the chino show than i usually take, and ended up at the end of the town, near the railroad tracks.

figured, we could just make a quick walk through, if the rain started, we could dash under a roof, or cover the camera with a plastic bag until we could find somewhere to pack everything back in the camera bag.

i'd been before, and it's usually very hot, and very busy and crowded. lots of cars, up and down the streets, on the lawn in front of city hall, and through side lots. cars can cruise along the street route.

well, the rain did scare a lot of cars away. but there were still a lot of cars i like to shoot anyway. better half didn't seem to see anything he wanted to shoot, until we came to a mostly empty lot, with some of the veteranos cars in it. he took some pictures, and set up a time lapse, to catch the movement of the clouds. actually, turned out really interesting, and he's having fun editing it. maybe he'll post it for a change.

while he shot that video, i quickly went and walked the rest of the show.

found this impala near the city hall. thought it looked pretty awesome with the clouds overhead. turned around pretty quickly, to head back to fetch my better half. the rain was coming. this car and the one on far side of it drove away soon after.

made it back to my car, just as sprinkles started to fall...

pinks

1962 chevrolet impala

looking at my project for work. i don't want to do it, but i really should. will just hurt less on monday, if i get it out of the way today.

i could still make it to the car show. get my better half to drop me off. think we're going to walk uptown for bfast now, so maybe later...

impala from the new year's show at the dam. sparkly. caught my eye. one of the few low riders i shot that day. just love the details these guys add to the cars—really remarkable artistry. i think maybe this one is right on the cusp of doing too much of a good thing.

hello?

being sick is an easy way to drop five pounds. it's like a natural appetite suppressant. all i want to do is sleep and blow my nose...wait, is that five pounds of snot? ewwwwww.

shot this car at chicano park a couple of years ago. i don't see these too often, and i just really like the old cars that have the googly-eyed headlights like this. they usually are attached to cars with sensuous, elegant curves, those that still had style.

i heard this past year, since the show sold out so quickly, there was an overflow show at a nearby park. i'd be tempted to go to that, but the main show is just too much of a good thing to skip. maybe i can do both this year...

the few, the proud...

continuing on with the majestics pics...i've been to this show for the last three years, at least.

the first year, i was overwhelmed by the sheer number of cars, as well as the heat, leaving before i could get through all the parking lots. there were so many, an excellent assortment to choose from, i hated to leave so soon.

the next year, pretty much the same, though i think i managed to stay a bit longer. better half ran out of steam before i did. i think maybe he got bored, but followed me around anyway.

this year, the weather was perfect: freeze your ass cold in the early morning, and cooling to a nice, comfortable level by mid-morning. i ditched my coat fairly early, after wandering through the first lot. most people had their jackets on, but between any hot flashes i was having and carrying the tripod around, as long as i was moving and not in the shade, i was quite happy with just a t-shirt and jeans.

we found not so many of the old cars i prefer this time. considering it is hosted by the majestics, it does not surprise that the majority of cars were from the sixties and seventies. while they are interesting to look at, and i sometimes do shoot the few that catch my eye, they are not what i'm looking for.

still, there were some few older cars sprinkled about; just had to slog on through the lots to find them. pointedly criss-crossed the main road all day.

found this one on the other side, the owner watching the parade of cars cruising past. he did stop long enough to ask about who i was shooting for...myself. told him i'd post it if i got a decent one, so i hope this will suffice.

was told there was also a viejitos show going on the same time, same day. perhaps, next year, i'll go there, just for a change.

early bird

most shows we go to have a posted drive in time and start time. but the host club is usually there beforehand to set things up, traffic, trophies, organizing stuff.

that means, to us, anyway, that there is always a guarantee of something to shoot if you get there early.

start time this morning was seven. my better half looked at the time stamp from last year's photos, which said about six-thirty, and it was already getting busy.

so this time, we figured the sun rises by six now, we'll get there before that. we did. about five-thirty. still dark. stores closed. laundry mat didn't even open until six. supposed to rain, but not until afternoon.

drove down the street, just to make sure the no parking signs were up, and that the thing hadn't been cancelled. they were, so we went back around and parked in the parking lot. we chatted about nothing, watched the sun come up, the lady open the laundry, and several women arrive with loads of wash with their choice of machines.

probably about six-thirty we heard the first sputtering engines in the area, and then a few cars arrived. finally. so we got out, unpacked and shot the few that were there.

then the clubs started to show up slowly. originals got there first. clouds came and went, and came back again. we had missed the sunrise, but the skies were making up for it.

weather was the way, i wish it would be all summer. not too hot, not too cold.

saw many people and many cars we've seen before. took time to chat with people, since the light was interesting, and not quickly changing to full sun.

i don't remember seeing this car ever. nice to be suprised once in a while. really beautiful. i caught it before they moved it. and then, only moved it to face the opposite direction, to mirror another packard behind me.

i liked this shot, with the sky, and from this direction, with few other cars, and definitely not the lightpost in the way.

og cruzn

i haven't pulled my cameras out of the bag in a few weeks. been resting my side, like the doctor said. still hurts, so waiting on results of xrays. maybe monday.

got the batteries charged, getting up early for a show tomorrow. always somewhat nervous about going out after not shooting in a while. shouldn't be; it is sort of like riding a bike, and it doesn't take long to get back into a groove.

at least it will be cooler than the last few shows i went to, now that winter is moving in. weather people keep flip flopping on whether it will rain or not. now they've settled on a ten percent chance, so very doubtful.

so, old memories, we will be there early early. hoping for a decent parking place again.

saw this impala at the uptown show back in august. i like the back ends, with the wingspan out to there. didn't care much for the color and glitter, but it isn't my car to stare at all day, every day.

shot early, still in the staging area...can tell because of location and how they are not parked in the spaces; just sitting in the middle of the street.

let the sunshine in

i've had a completely unambitious weekend so far. mostly catching up on sleep. did a little laundry.

still need to make some travel plans for next month. kid getting married out of town. those plans are done. also making a road trip out of it, so need to decide how much in debt i want to go, since it would just be me, out and about, during the holiday season. i could hole up in a random hotel somewhere, and hide out until xmas passes.

or i can just head straight home, and spend time with my better half and his mom, then head to my parents' for what is, lately, quiet xmas dinner. my brothers have moved out of state, so it's just my sister and me now.

some years, i just don't want to deal with holiday cheer; some i'll reluctantly participate. this year, i'm feeling a bit indifferent about it. no little kids around for the time being, so i can still choose not to deal with it.

i'm sure the closer to xmas it gets, the likelihood of me just saying 'fuck it' will go up.

-----

getting to car shows early, and catching pictures like this one, cheer me up just fine.

oldies' san fernando high school car show in july—hasn't disappointed me yet. even if it is hotter than hell there, i try to do my best to at least have a look at every car there. except those extreme machines. hate those cars. really, i do.

inglorious basterds

better half got called into work this evening. sucks. watching the families walk by, headed uptown for the little kid trick-or-treating at the stores. just saw a toddler dressed up like winnie the poo. that was, dare i say, cute.

so, i have netflix running while i play with my photos. watching inglorious basterds, which is hard to do, since they speak a lot of the movie in german, and it's hard to read subtitles and work on a picture at the same time. didn't see it in the theatre, but someone said it was good. i'm not so sure, so far. did like the guy using the baseball bat on the german guy.

not doing halloween this year. neighbors next door are big aholes, and scared away all the kids last year, so we were stuck with a crap ton of candy. the other neighbor kid really enjoyed it though.

said ahole neighbors seem to be setting up for a similar evening this year, so no kids will dare come up to the door.

i didn't have time to find a costume or pull my old box of outfits out of storage, so there it is.

here is a car, that i see once in a while. i've posted it before, and it seems to be quite popular, if you count views. forgot to shoot it at san pedro this year, though the owner stopped to talk to me. found it here at the viejitos show in march.