what's up?

neighborhood blues

another promised post. these aren't the types of cars i usually shoot, unless they have some exceptional paint job or something. 

we were heading back to the car, taking one last look around. i was actually hunting for that emerald green truck that had been cruising around.

my better half and i both spotted the bart in this car at the same time. he really liked it, so he went over to take a few pictures of it. the owner of this car called us out, and talked us up. really wanted us to take a picture of his car. my better half admitted he rarely has time to post his pictures, and passed him off to me. thanks d.

i took a few shots; liked this one best.

oh, and spotted the green truck back in the line of cars coming into the park on our way out. that sucks. another time...

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.

tonight, tonight

went uptown for dinner tonight. saw a couple of very nice cars. took pictures with my cell phone. i put those up on instagram: #randomcarsuptown. service in the restaurant was soooooo slow.

this one was sitting across the street from the restaurant. i kept an eye on it through the window. it was still there after the meal. got all the way home, and decided to get the camera and wander back uptown, to see if either car was still there.

my better half came along to keep an eye on me, i suppose. or maybe he just enjoys my company. he was suggesting i try shooting some different settings, being that it was night time. told him i'd give them a try after i shot them with my typical settings.

guess i got lucky. they both were still parked. just barely. shot a couple of a pontiac before the owner came back and took off. then continued down the street, to see if the other car was still there.

yes it was. this really cool ford. but the owner was sitting in the driver's seat. looked like he was texting, so i went ahead and started shooting, hoping he wouldn't leave before i was done. takes longer exposures when its dark.

i guess he saw me set up, and was just stalling until i was done.

my better half got his attention, mainly to thank him for waiting me out. he got out and introduced himself, and we got to talking about all the work he'd put into the car, and the plans he had for improving it, and making it go faster. dude just got his hair cut and was dressed for a night of cruising, i guess.

a few random facts, that i can remember: same owner for fifteen years and his daily driver; suicide doors; working on a bigger engine to drop in -- 400 something, sorry don't remember the specific model. (if only my bro were in town with his photographic memory); will be adding additional exhaust pipes on the sides with laser engraved skull and bones; chopped three inches; no back window; flames look fairly prominent here, but earlier were more of the ghost variety; after market racing skirts on the rear wheels.

talked quite a bit about the paint job. said he should have listened to the paint guy about the clear coat. apparently he opted not to follow the guy's advice, and there's some rust starting up under the paint. i suppose he'll eventually have to redo the paint.

i didn't shoot it from the back end, which i should have done while my better half was talking him up. had really unique tail lights. rare, he said. after market add-ons from the fifties, that he got lucky and found on ebay from the original owner. original packaging and screws even. some old dude cleaning out his garage. it happens sometimes. anyway, haven't seen another like it anywhere.

so much info, and i had hurried out of the house without my phone, so couldn't type in some quick notes, before the details fell out of my head. so this is the best my recollection of the info. can't remember the engine specs, but the new one will definitely be faster.

very nice guy. kept him talking about his car for a good fifteen minutes. all the while, he kept ignoring his cell phone ringing; hope his girlfriend didn't get too pissed. really appreciated him taking the time to chat. hoping to see him and the car at the dam on new year's day.

i'll put up the other car tomorrow.

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.

i don't like this one

nope. don't like this truck. its not the color—matte, no shine, plus a glitter top. its slightly chopped. simple color, plain hubcaps.

i don't like the lines. i don't like the headlights. there's just something that makes me queasy about it. i suppose it just isn't my cup of tea. no offense to the owner.

but i do like the pinstriping work, which is the only reason i bothered taking a picture of it. it happens sometimes.

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.

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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.

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.

something or other

i think it's a customized buick. or a misshapen watermelon. i dunno. its all curvy, and i've never seen another one, unless it was the same one, which is entirely possible, since i get to so many shows with all the same cars, but let me put an end to this run-on sentence here. <breathe>

caught it waiting in line to get in to the uptown whittier show back in august. the later the organizers are getting organized, the more time i have to shoot the sitting ducks in staging. so yay for the disorganizers! sucks for the people waiting. didn't last so long this year, but still got quite a few ducks that day.

chopped liver

saw this and thought, "wtf?" it is interesting. the seat must be down on the floor to drive it, no?

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got my test results back. they found nothing, but there is something going on. i can opt for a second opinion, someone else who will ask for more tests, or just wait and see. i think i'll wait a bit. i'm really tired of the vampires taking my blood every few months anyway.