órale

stopped at the broiler last week. expected a lot more cars there, since the time change, and it was sunny and fairly warm. had time to kill before heading out to LAX, and wanted to have lots to make it fly by. well, not so much, so i just ended up take a lot of fewer cars.

if this truck shows up, this car is usually not far behind. either same car club or bestest buds i suppose. i haven't taken too many of it in the past for whatever reason, but this day, the light was good, and there weren't too many people milling around. really is a nice car.

and i took this one early enough, that the guys weren't sitting inside it yet, as they were when i walked by it later in the evening. i figure if you've brought your car to a show, you want people to see it, and it's available for shooting, whether you decide to sit in it or not. so word to the old bitties that glare down at me from the passenger seat. if i end up liking the car overall, i'm gonna post it with your pissy, constipated face in the picture for all posterity to enjoy. :)

hey to angel, who usually stops to chat with me, and had his brother with him this time—nice to meet you. yes, i always recognize you, but you were unexpected, since i hadn't seen your wagon in it's usual spot...he'd driven an old truck instead—his father's, that he's been fixing up.

diamond in the rough

i've been going to work all week not quite sick enough to stay home, particularly with deadlines to meet. i think i caught the "sinus infection" that my dentist's hygienist was telling about while cleaning my teeth the week before, while coughing with that little white cotton mask over her face. ya, i don't think it filters out the germs much, so thanks for that.

somehow i would make it through the day at work, then drag my sorry ass home to bed. to the house away from my mother-in-law, and away from my computer. so basically, i couldn't post if i wanted to, so sorry about that. i really miss playing with my digital garage when i can't get to it. better that i got some rest anyway.

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best part of traveling is the chance to see some different stuff. like this here truck. i've never seen one. it was just distinctive and old enough to catch my eye. and it had an old harley in the bed in a matching paint job. too bad it was parked in the shade.

crackle

i admit that i wasn't going to shoot this car. i had ducked under the overhang to get out of the sun and was contemplating packing up my cameras. the hood was up for one thing, and it was half in and half out of the shade. oh, and the owner was sitting in it with the door open, chowing down on some fries, and perhaps what were the remains of a hot dog.

he made some comment about my hair, i think. something to the effect of how it was so red. i told him it came from a bottle. he asked what color my hair really is, to which i had to say, that it's been so long that i've made it various shades of red or blonde, that i can't say for sure. let's just say, the pictures from high school have me with light or strawberry blonde, and be done with it.

anyway, some other car with flames painted on the hood drove in at that moment, so i was going to follow it to wherever it was parking. unfortunately, after backing into a similar space, half in the shade, the car was instantly surrounded by the crowd, and owner promptly popped the hood, and that was that.

the owner of this car noticed me still standing there, and inquired about my photography. i told him not without the hood down...and he volunteered to close his hood. it's like magic sometimes. my better half has been to shows with me, where a group of guys will wonder aloud why i always pass their cars by, to which he tells them, if the hood is up, she won't even bother. at which point, there is a quick slamming of hoods...lol.

so, since i still had some time before i had to leave, i took several shots, from several angles. had to move at one point, as another car pulled into the empty space next to it. i liked this view, and also another from the front, a vertical shot.

i think he said the paint on this puppy is at least 30 years old, and he for some reason kept apologizing about the chips and cracks in it. i kept telling him, i love it, and it gives it character, i wouldn't change a thing. hell, if it really bothered me, i could kill it in photoshop, but i like it just the way i found it.

i handed him my card. told him i'd post it, if he wanted to see what i did. he asked why/what for? strange question; most people are curious to see their cars here. i guess he was suspicious, maybe that he would have to pay. no, no, nanette. it's here because i liked it, because you took time to chat with me, and tell me a story or two. so thanks for that.

piece of tail

  

i think this truck was one of the last group of cars to enter the show, horns and sirens blaring, look at me, look at me.

i was really just digging the cloud reflections on all the cars, and this truck was no exception in its glossy finish that caught them.

not sure if the owner of this was one of the few guys that stopped to talk with me or not. if he's the guy that i cropped out of the picture, then no, and i don't think i threw a card in the window. oh well.

and the fox tail appeals to me. guessing it has been dyed to have stripes. too orange and full to be racoon. i have several tails from canada, fox and wolf...much too big and pretty to carry around, as well as the old racoon tail that i've had on my key chain for close to 20 years now. it keeps wanting to come apart, as it is drying out now, and i keep sewing it back together. i suppose i'll have to find another. hard to lose your keys with that thing on it. only ones i've seen for sale are thin, pathetic things. maybe i'll get back to canada soon and find a decent one.

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i tried to hit several shows this weekend. two of them were no shows; a third i didn't have the energy left to go to after all, and will try again next month. mr lindsey might need to update his cruise night list. either several that i have tried to hit up are summer only, or they've been cancelled. at least i didn't drive out to them specifically; happened to be in the area, and made the effort to stop. oh well.

blue velvet

can you not see why rainy days make for the bestest images? look at that sky. and that the sun is muted like a big soft box, killing off harsh reflections.

i take pictures of the cars as i find them, but there are times like this, i wish i could move some of that background crap out of the way...it's cluttering up a perfectly fine car picture.

check out the airbrushed picture on the visor of this dodge. skelly banditos. :)

be mine

quick post, since it is that over-wrought hallmark holiday after all.

my better half says it's valentines day every day, but then he also says it's his birthday, so he celebrates every day. these things usually said while he looks into my eyes. may you all be so lucky...

apache turquoise

always looking for an excuse not to have to deal with cleaning the house or running laundry, i found this car show out in riverside, a fundraiser for the arizona middle school. i figured i could at the very least see some new cars.

i was not disappointed. the back field was lined with several inland empire car clubs' collections. i arrived, and just started from the right end of the fence and followed it around the perimeter. didn't shoot every single car, but mainly because half of them had the hoods and trunks open. such fine cars. mostly chevys of various years. but there were also a few newer cars, and some truck club, that i didn't really care about and therefore, totally ignored.

they also had various food and product stands, all selling their wares to collect money for various school clubs. i meant to buy some girl scout cookies from girls pulling a wagon, but didn't want to carry them around while i shot; i forgot to go find them when i was done. oh well. they weren't for me anyway – was going to get thin mints for my mother-in-law – a guilty pleasure for a diabetic.

this wagon was very nice, as proven by the trophies won, sitting in front of it. i don't think i've ever seen one, so i couldn't help from taking a picture of it, even with the back window hatch up. as it's supposed to rain in the next day or two, the sky above made for wonderful down low shots and reflections on all the cars.

i think the owner of this one was victor, one of the few people that bothered to talk to me. handed me a flyer for a show in march. thanks, victor. i hope i can make it there. hope your car won a trophy at this show...the one that was taller than me would probably fit in the back of your wagon.

miss purdy

i've had this one sitting in my favorites for a while now. i guess saving it for a rainy day. supposed to rain tonight and tomorrow, so close enough.

this baby was polished to a mirror finish, and i'm kinda bummed i couldn't get up any higher to catch the sunset reflection in the hood. i think i had the tripod as high as i could get it, stand on my tip toes and still see in the eye piece. of course my better half would/will hassle me about using an angled eye piece for this type of problem, but i'm going to hope he doesn't see this post for a change.

anyway, was damn nice car.

great white

i've carried my cameras with me for the last couple of days. even drove to a show yesterday, got there early. sat in the lot for half an hour. only a couple of cars drove in, and i'd shot them several times previously. waited a bit more, then headed home without even getting out of the car. ya, maybe i should have waited longer. maybe i'll go back when the warmer weather and later sunsets are here.

then today, after sitting in front of the computer for 8 hours at work, i just didn't feel like going to either show on my way home. i think i'm just ready for the weekend off.

another practice baseball game tomorrow, and yup, already checked, a couple of car shows available to see in riverside, should i be in the area late enough.

this cadillac i see a lot. often at the broiler. i found a night shot of it in my favorite spot looking up at the neon. maybe i'll post it some other day. this shot was over at the summer show that happens in cypress, from last year. looks really clean at this size, but when i zoom in, i see the pitted paint, probably from being hit by dirt and rocks on the freeway, and the blemishes in the trim.

still really like this angle, but perhaps i'm stuck in a rut. i'll have to put up some other view next time.

sweet dreams

so i went to the broiler the other night. end of january. temps in the upper 70s. weirdest weather i can remember.

anyway, lots of cars were already in the lot by the time i arrived. these pretty little things were all spit shined for an official photo shoot for a magazine i can't remember the name of, but i'm sure you'd all recognize it. quite the production, with a large team of people setting up fancy lighting and lots of cameras.

got this one fairly early on, though i was intercepted when i first arrived by someone interested in pictures of their own car. he's a regular. already had posted his car, and tried to show it to him on my phone, but the signal wasn't that great. had to go fetch my ipad out of the car, and finally found it to show to him. dude, if you're reading this, i sent you an email. waiting for a reply...but i digress...

story i heard from the owner of this lovely nomad was that it was the third time his car had been featured as a work in progress, only this time, the car had just been completed. hot spanking new paint job. perhaps it was really featuring the paint shop, as three of these cars were completely awesome and similarly pinstriped and metal flaked up in lollypop colors.

anyway, i got my shots in between their set ups and all the people milling around. only i didn't use a flash or their lights. i'll look for the magazine, but i'm perfectly happy with my pictures, even if they aren't perfect.