behind the curtain

i had stopped by the impressions show at bruce's prime rib, after driving five hours back from vegas, and before i even stopped at home. ya, i could if i want. someone had given me a flyer a week or two prior.

better half was working anyway, so he wasn't just sitting and waiting for my arrival. it was way hot outside. there were far fewer cars there than i had expected, and while it was hosted by the impressions, i don't think i really saw a car with their plaque in the window. doesn't mean there wasn't one, i just didn't see one. which is odd, as usually the host club is there in force, representing. there was a tent with their banner, so ok.

i took some shots of the few cars that were there. mostly old chevys, but there was a small cluster of low rider, monte carlo-type bouncers there. none of them were too remarkable paint- or unique-wise, so i didn't bother with any of them.

and then there was this guy. the guy that i am not stalking, from the cigar bar, from the tribe club. lol. i've been going to random shows lately, and he just always seems to be there. none of the other tribe guys, just this one by itself.

so we move in the same circles, but i had never really talked to the owner, more than maybe a hello. he was getting ready to leave, and came over and explained the what in the what the hell with the back wheel cover. the car is usually so immaculate, especially with the new paint job on the roof and random pinstriping, to see it in such a state of disarray, was just too much to pass by.

his story was that he'd driven home from the ventura nationals, and the next day was going to another show, when a block from home, he got a flat tire. and then he didn't have another whitewall tire; but he just couldn't help himself, and came to this show anyway. almost as bad as me, at a show not having been home yet after a week away.

so here it is, with the spare, and the bare nasty parts you usually don't get to see.

there and back again

so my weekend was spent on an unplanned trip to washington state. flew up to move my daughter back to cali. packed a rental truck with her stuff and filled her beater car with aquariums filled with her tarantula collection, a frog, two snakes, two geckos, and i think one with big roaches in it. i mostly drove the car, thinking i'd be better equipped to push it up the mountains without frying the engine. really hoped i didn't have to brake quickly and have spiders fly out of the tanks.

now her car, which was a perfectly good used car when she left, has been quite neglected in the maintenance department. it needs a new catalytic converter. the rotors are warped, the brakes, sort of not right; if i stepped too hard or fast on the brakes, the whole car would shimmy real bad. let me tell you, i didn't think it would make it up the mountains, nor did i think i'd be able to stop it going down the other side. magic mountain roller coasters have nothing on that trip. big roller coasters make me yawn, but this was a white knuckle ride. for two days. the things people do for their kids...they are always your baby, no matter how old, really is true, i guess.

anyway, i hope to never have to make that trip again. i'm still tired, but i can unclench my hands now. j/k. got the chance to spend a lot of time with her. she's interesting, to say the least.

ruined my plans to attend the bomb club car show, which i had been looking forward to; fortunately, my better half did not get called in to work, and he went instead, somewhat to taunt me with images of the cars i was missing; can't blame him, i do the same when he can't go to shows with me. he had a good time, and everyone was very nice to him. the club guys even let him in early because they recognized him. thanks! 

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here's one from early morning at the whittier uptown show. i think the owner was still sitting in it, and dropped it down when i set up my tripod. not a problem, shooting from this angle, you can't even see him. i think i'm just liking the black car against the red brick and wooden door.

cool as a...

the overcast sky and the color of this car make me think of cooler weather. it's been hitting ninety to a hundred degrees outside, and you just can't take off enough clothing to be comfortable. give me the fall and winter any time. love to hide under piles of blankets and sleep in late, even better with rain pounding on the roof.

naughty and nice

it was mainly the pinstripe work on this chopped chevy that got my attention. the owner told me he'd asked for something naughty, but nice from the artist. i guess he got that.

these girls were on the hood, the trunk and the roof. when he opened the back door, there was a girl there too, but more of an airbrushing instead of pinstriping, but i didn't have my camera ready for a shot of her.

it was parked near the road sinners club, but i'm not sure it was actually with them, so i apologize for not taking notes. 

here are a couple of closeups of the front and the back art.

see no evil

long day, quick post.

this is the middle of three pontiacs. i'm always drawn to their hood ornaments. each of the three cars were from different years, or at least different models, so each ornament was different.

i had mentioned them to my better half, since he likes pontiac ornaments. apparently the owners spoke to him, asking if he knew the girl with the tripod, since he carries a similar one. he relayed the message, since they hadn't talked to me. the owner of this one was particularly interested in what we shot. say something, or you may never see the pictures!

dashed dream

quick post since its late. this one is from the viejitos oc show at the anaheim marketplace.

typical scenario, where the owner asks if i'm with a magazine. typical answer, no. can see the excitement fade from his eyes, for just a moment, but since he was still enthusiastic about his car, and i liked the way the trees were reflecting on the hood, and the minimal pinstriping, i went ahead and took a picture.

maybe he'll see it, assuming he didn't wash the card i gave him, like others i've heard about.

eagle has landed

all right, i'll show you this one. not because i am starting to love cars with their hoods open, but because it's just a spectacular car, and the owner is so very nice.

the finish on it is smooth as silk. the guy told my better half at a regular monthly viejitos show a few months earlier, that it was a family project and that all had taken turns sanding the surface so fine, using flour to show the high spots, before they got it all painted up. i've posted it before. i like my better half's versions:here and here

this was in what should have been a pretty good spot for a typical car, on an end spot, under a tree. but with the hood(s) up, with background foot traffic, it was just difficult to frame up a decent shot. from the other side, the doors were open, and there was a car next to it, and next to that, a pop up tent, that really kinda ruined it. took a couple of angles from this side, and i guess i like this one better.

and by this shot, he'd moved the car polish bottles and rags out of the frame. :)

i get misty

perfect weather for pictures early in the morning. fog and mist rolling off the water and through the park kept the harsh shadows away, but it sure did wonders for my hair. getting longer, and being baby fine, it just goes all limp, so i don't even bother to do much with it now. i'll chop it short eventually, but now is the time to see how long it will grow, which i suspect won't be much past my shoulder blades. at least i can tie it up now, when i get too warm and absolutely don't give a damn how i look, as long as i can get a good shot.

this chevy was parked with the bridge town oldies club, but i'm not particulary sure it belongs to them. not perfect, but slightly less chipped paint from this side, i think it was the color that stopped me for a shot.

my better half must have handed one of my cards to the owner, as he sent an email to me asking to see any pictures of it. i knew full well that i hadn't passed out any cards this early in the day. i forward those requests to him, and i know he sent off what he had taken.

well, i happened to have shot it too. always fun to compare our shots, but i don't think he posted his for all to see.

anyway, i see that i've posted a bunch of chevys. i think next time i'll post something else for a change. should really look back through the shows i went to last month when i couldn't post, and show them some love.

found it

i was back on the far side of the lighthouse in san pedro, taking pictures of a big cadillac and big truck, when a guy walks by and asks if i can take a picture of his car. expecting it somewhere nearby, i ask which one is it. 

he proceeds to tell me it's up by the entrance, with whatever car club, brown primer, black top. hmm. ya, i'll go look for it, i told him.

i vaguely remembered seeing his club's banner earlier when i'd walked through that section. so i headed over there, before i forgot about it. so easy to get distracted in the sea of cars by the sea.

i'm pretty sure this is the one. a work in progress. still nice in it's own way. booyah!

more than i could catch

finally made it over to the car show by the sea in san pedro. i've known about it for a couple of years, but have just never been able to get to it.

my better half had expected to be called in to work today, but volunteered to go along, since i was going to get there very early. i figured if he did get called, there were several other shows i'd been given flyers on i could hit closer to home.

but they never did call him, so we kept on shooting cars. and wow, we could not believe how many cars could be packed into the little park area. and better still, mostly the kind i really love—old chevy bombs, pontiacs, fords, cadillacs—you name it, it was probably there.

it is hosted each year by the legends car club. i'd been there previously for their xmas show, but hadn't stayed long. they were a extremely friendly and outgoing group of guys, and many came over to introduce themselves and make me welcome.

they stop letting cars in when they hit about six hundred, someone told me. i saw a lot of oldies driving down the street after they arrived late. i had to pass by many cars that i would have ordinarily gone ape shit over at a regular, local show, there were just so many and so little time.

very few people stopped to chat with me, and i'm finding out, that many prefer to seek out my better half. fine with me, he's much better spoken regarding the cameras, and more comfortable, in general, chatting people up. although, that does allow me to keep on being my shy old self. its only people that have never seen me before, who really come over and inquire. i don't mind one bit taking a break from shooting your car, to answer your question, if i can, or to hear your story about it. i am pretty socially retarded the first few times i talk to you, but keep trying, i'll get the hang of it eventually.

if i can remember your story, i'll write about it. if you see your car, and want to share, please do comment or send me an email and i'll add to my post.

this car belonged to one of the first guys that ventured over to speak with me for a few minutes. not exactly the first, but those guys didn't stay long enough to ask what i do with the pictures, and didn't get a card.

i don't remember having one of these in my files, and particularly not in green if i do. it caught my eye, and that was that. i wanna say this one is a member of the harbor knights car club, but i'm not sure.

beautiful cars, a great day, perfect weather and location. i'll definitely plan to be there next year.

i apologize to the other clubs that sent over flyers to me for their shows, that i couldn't get to today. some days, i just can't move fast enough.