what's up?

florence

motorcycle

made it out to mooneyes open house today, relatively early. sun didn't come out from the overcast for a couple of hours, but it did feel humid. way fewer people in the way at this show if you get there early.

its a popular show, but there really isn't anywhere for people with cars to park. they jam into the lot of the hamburger joint on the corner. there were other business lots that were taped off, that weren't last year. the lot of a flooring showroom on the other side of the intersection was taped off, but cars were parking in there—one of the other photographers i talked to figured they must know the owner. that, or they said they would make him an offer he couldn't refuse.

other cars parked along the side of the street, or in what other parking lots where businesses seemed to be closed. some parked on the street, but didn't pay attention to the no parking signs, so cops had to find the owners to move them. only option for anyone else was to keep cruising up and down the street until a spot opened up, or they got bored and left.

we started shooting at the burger joint, walked down past mooneyes, then back to the burger joint. same bunch of cars there, so we crossed the street to shoot a blue truck i'd seen passing by, and also found a few others parked in that lot with him.

then, crossed at the light with another photographer with a huge lens, who seemed interested in shooting video rather than pictures, at least that's what my better half said.

found this bike in the lot with the flooring store. tavertine. carpeting. tile. didn't need any of that today, but they appeared to be open for business. now if they had been selling some water, i'd have bought that.

took a couple of shots of this bike, then went to shoot a purple truck. while waiting for some people to move out of the shot, the owner of the bike came over to ask where he might see a picture. gave him a card. here it is. wish the goober on the left wasn't just standing there gawking. i think he followed me around for a little while. haven't looked at a lot of the other pictures closely, but i wouldn't be suprised to find him hovering around in them too.

found a shady spot nearby, that actually had a nice, cool breeze blowing through, where we took a break before heading down this side of the street and back to the car. better half insisted that i take a swig of his drink.

he likes diet snapple, which i do not like, and which was not cold, but it was wet. he'd rather i choke that down than have a heat stroke. he also said, "39jimbo wasn't there to give me a cold one." i argued that there was a case of water in the car, but he argued that i wouldn't make it back to the car, so...gagged down half a bottle of the stuff. warm rasberry. i'd give it a warm rasberry.

imperials show tomorrow. and dam, it's after ten, so i better get to bed.

horny

chevy hood ornament

sometimes i have nothing to say; other times i have a running dialogue of random thoughts in my head all day long. today was the latter, but unfortunately, the mental blog post in my head didn't get jotted down, so i've got nothing.

i know i was going to mention the pasty white guy that was out for a jog early this morning, while i was out for a walk, who tripped and fell on his ass right after he passed me. i was going to humorously relate it to that scene in memoirs of a geisha, where the girl had to distract a man with just a look, and one just happened by on a bicycle and crashed it right after looking at her.

ya that's not my story; she was a geisha, and i'm just a middle-aged potato. 

or i could have also been thinking about this weekend, and having to wake up early both days, to get to some awesome car shows before the sun. supposed to only be in the eighties, so crossing my fingers...

i know there were several other items that floated in and out of consciousness in my murky pea brain, but they're gone. 

i just wasted over half an hour, trying to set up a banking app, only to realize i was blocking their cookies on my ipad. would have been easier to just accept cash. and now i've run out of time to really work on a car picture vs just using one of my macro shots.

i haven't posted a hood ornament in a while. how about this chevy hoodie? apparently this is one from a car with the hood up, because i didn't also shoot the car. the angle is also a hint, since i'm kinda angled up to shoot it. love these ornaments, the graceful curve of the horns on the stylized body of the animal.

i have one of the same type that's going to be hanging in the fair...seven days until that starts. wonder if i'll get another bridesmaid, i mean honorable mention ribbon to add to my collection this year. got one three years in a row, then nothing last year. its more fun just to see my stuff hanging on the wall.

stuck in traffic

chevy truck

took me almost two and a half hours to get home yesterday. checking the map now work is done for the day, before jumping in the car, i see both freeways are fucked, so no better for me than yesterday. having a terrible stomach ache for no good reason, so i'm just turning around and staying at my mom's tonight.

shame that some of the clubs are trying to get the wednesday evening shows at the broiler going again, and that i just can't get there, without taking a day off work. traffic sucks.

saw this truck somewhere else, i just know it, but a quick search of this year's pictures didn't show it. found it here, at the bombs magazine show, sort of not jammed between other cars, and it is a different color combo than i usually see, so took a quick shot. the neon felix plate is kinda ruining it though. i should change the color, but i'm not at home with my computer, and that's the way it was, so i'll just wince a little and ignore it.

victory

victory motorcycle

motorcycle from the blessing of the bombs show. don't remember seeing a victory before, or at least shooting one. usually all harley, all the time. nice for a change. nothing fancy about this one, except i liked how it was sitting, and the clouds in the sky.

fourth of july. day off. went to a movie this morning. playing with pictures now. next, there's some bananas that need to be made into bread.

i even made dinner last night. seems if i've got to much time around the house, i start getting domesticized again. i hate cooking, but when i have a craving, i go with it. my better half and his mother aren't complaining about it either. except for the chocolate chip cookies i made on friday; they're made with real sugar, not that fake stuff, and they both are trying to stay away from it. same with my kid and my parents—at least they try not to indulge. so hell, i'm slowly working my way through them myself. going to try pushing them on the neighbors. i certainly don't need them all.

after the bread is in the oven, i guess the whining about going to work tomorrow will begin.

no plans for this evening. i've seen enough fireworks for a lifetime. i'll just stay home, and see if there are any here. >:)

hit the floor

1948 chevrolet fleetline

i am not familiar with the tovar family or their cars. i have a feeling that i just haven't been at the same shows they are at.

i always wonder about why certain cars are strategically located under their own tents. i don't know the stories, and many times, i find that there are just cars with the wheels off and on pedestals with parts spinning above mirrors, and hoods up, and shitloads of chrome. sure, they're awesome, but they usually just don't attract me.

i walked past this tent initially, because it was at the front, near the entrance, and there was a lot of traffic passing by, and people polishing the cars under the tents. i rounded back a bit later. there were fewer people around, and the hood wasn't up on this one yet. now or never.

guess i caught it early enough, that the paper was still under it, and now i know the secret of how it got on the white carpet without any tire smudge. didn't stick around to see how they ripped the paper out from under the tires for judging.

guessing with the carpet there, no problem dropping that puppy right slam down on the floor, without worries of scratching the paint or chrome.

beautiful car.

memories

1948 chevy fleetline

today, i'm waiting for my car, getting an oil change and tire rotation. hoping they don't find some other thing wrong with it, which seems to happen every time. sometime during the past week, while driving with the little maintenance light on, and the service message showing, my car hit two-hundred thousand miles, and passed it. i do a lot of driving, but not bad for a ten-year old car, right?

kept my last car for more than thirteen years, until every service was costing me close to a thousand every time. even after one of their guys fucked up and dropped a bolt somewhere in the engine and killed it. they gutted it, and had to put in a whole new engine. idiots.

that car went to my ex for a while, and now it sits mostly unloved in my parents' driveway.

my better half likes to talk about a thirty-nine master deluxe he saw for sale once at a car show. owner had fixed it up for his then wife, put automatic transmission in it, power steering, air conditioning, stereo system, etc.--it was modernized, with a beautiful shell outside. he was upset, because she had changed her mind, and didn't want to drive it. he was having a hard time selling it, since it wasn't original anymore.

sometimes, i think i would enjoy something like that, a hybrid, with the classic look. i hear the old cars are hard to drive, since they don't have power steering. i will need another car eventually, so i half keep an eye open when i'm at shows or the swap meet.

meanwhile, i wait to hear what the damage is with this car. also hoping they run it through a car wash. they remodeled, made the waiting area less comfortable, and management changed not too long ago, so maybe they got rid of that perk.

this car seems to have been waiting on tap here for a while, so i'll post it now. i've been so busy with my work / life lately, i've had little time for my pictures. so far behind doing anything with the last few shows' worth of shots, and hoping they don't join the many years' worth of pictures that will never see the light of day, because there is never enough time, and never will be.

between a master deluxe and a fleetline, i think i'd go with the fleetline every time. i just like the lines and curves of the car more. ask me tomorrow and i may say the same about the other.

saw this one at the crossing foursquare show last month. been there a few times; never sure which clubs will show up, or where they will park. these guys got the back yard. thought i heard someone say they were going to put dukes back there, but i never saw any while i was there.

there were some pesky port-a-potties, that are always fun to shoot around. they add so much to a picture. not. this shot, one was to the right, out of the shot, but still found it's way into the picture in the reflection. just ignore it, now that i've pointed it out.

what are you gonna do? when you gotta go, you gotta go.

especially deluxe: la green eyes

1942 chevrolet special deluxe

sitting uptown in a small eating establishment. no one dining here except me for a long while. i guess since the college kids are gone for the summer... now if they would just turn on the air conditioner, i'd be extra happy. its late enough, just having the front and back doors open, is bringing in a cool enough breeze--as long as i sit still.

better half is at home taking a nap. he's had an exceptionally busy week at work, and had expected to stay late tonight. he said the team he was waiting on said work from took off to treat themselves to dinner, and didn't invite him. they never do; easy to forget the lackey producing all the artwork when he sits on a different floor--out of sight, out of mind. so he promptly said forget you, and came home. he'll do it tomorrow, or at worst work from home.

sorry, no time for a long story. this evening. unless you want to hear about how many biscuits it takes a dog to eat before it blows...and my kid sends a snarky text message thanking me for having to clean up after it at four in the morning...nah. i didn't think so.

seriously, there were several shows advertised last weekend, but the one sponsored by bombs magazine, was the one we went to...they had me at bombs...

got there early, but still too late when the sun seems to be rising at five-fifteenish in the summer. was a hell of a hot day to spend on blacktop. my better half gave out before i did, but no shocker there. i was having fun, even toward the end, but those last couple of rows really tested my endurance. thanks to 39jimbo for that bottle of ice cold water, or i think i would really have had a heatstroke. got to the end of the last row, stood in the shade for a few minutes, and used up the last bit of energy i had before i melted, to get back to where my better half was waiting.

sorry if i took even less time to chat or say hello. i was overheating quickly. maybe i'll just break down and wear shorts for a change. just more skin to burn, but cooler.

still, the sun high in the sky does make cars glow just so, when the light hits them right. saw this fleetline on the way out, and quickly took this shot of it. just, a beauty...

owner says he bought 'la green eyes' in 2014, delivered in 2015 after new years. out for a face lift and back just in time for this show at chicano park in 2016.

welcome to the jungle

1953 chevy bel air

this started off as a completely different write up, but then i read it, and it just sounded lame. well, the usual amount of lameness. so i dumped it.

so i thought, instead of a usual rundown of a car show, i'll pretend i'm marlin perkins, and this is the mutual of omaha's wild kingdom. starring as the poor sidekick that always did the actual animal wrangling, my better half.

sunday. just after sun up, we headed out into the wild lands of industry hills. shhh, be verwy verwy quiet. we're hunting wabbits. no, we're looking for some larger beasts.

told my sidekick, it will be hot, so we will probably leave pretty early. brought my safari hat, so i might be better prepared to hide from the golden orb in the sky. its etched with magical ancient runes, to ward off evil beasts with gaping mouths. i raise my fists in defiance, yelling, or more, thinking, in my head, "bite me, go get your two scoops and leave me alone!"

one of the game wardens at the gate, sent us up a hill, to a distant hunting ground. we unpacked our gear, and heard the roars of the giants in the distance. we walked past some kind of shelters for ye olde fashioned horsepower, and a building that may or may not be used to race some two wheeled variety of animal around in circles.

as we rounded the building, and got our first glimpse of the valley below, i may or may not have heard my better half whisper to himself, "i'm fucked." he really did have other things he needed to do that day, but seeing the bounty spread out below, he knew we might be there a wee bit longer than i said.

side note: at the gate, my better half inquired how much the entry fee was. the woman directing traffic behind us overheard, but slightly wrong. she said, "one-hundred and twenty-five! each!" i forget what incredulous remark he may have said, but he was ready to leave. i shook my head no, and the girl in front of us, holding the cash box kinda shrugged awkwardly. another woman came out from behind a curtain, saying "no, no, no! twelve dollars, each."

better half figured out later, that the big number was what they charged vendors, that the girl didn't know what was what at that point in the day...we were a bit early, before official open time...and the other lady was spot on with the spectator fee.

we thought it was funny. anyway, we got our black bracelets, and felt like tagged animals...easing back into character here...

we decided to split up, better to encircle the unsuspecting prey. it became apparent, that it was the other way around—we were surrounded. beast were lounging everywhere, in the shade, in the sun, many being rubbed, err soothed by smaller species.

the small animals seemed keen on attracting attention. they are known to sometimes collect shiny objects, to attract the females' attention. the females may pretend not to notice, but they do. they do.

we began shooting, almost immediately, but the beasts have surprisingly thick, tough skins, and it was if they did not even notice or feel our presence. they stay where we shot them. there were so many, we had to move quickly.

occasionally, one would rumble past, causing us to jump out of the way, but really more of a threat posture than an actual threat.

the sun was going higher in the sky, some of the beasts had strong odors, hot metallic smells, animals dying a slow death. they needed a cool drink, or else other larger beasts would come and drag them away.

the herds were clumped in packs, with sometimes a lone animal nearby.

i spied this brightly colored animal, with it's pack, on the far side of the field. it reclined under this feeble tree, in a futile attempt to stay cool. it just sat there, and i shot it. i shot it several times. and i would do it again...

join us again, next time. for another edition of the mutual of omaha's wild kingdom.

ok. that was kinda stupid, but i dont feel like starting over. thank you for your patience.

no pressure or nothin’

chopped mercury

a while back i mentioned that they asked me at work, if i would be able to consult or maybe even shoot portraits of management types at the office. and then it never happened. next big event, they hired the outside guy to shoot it. fine by me; didn't want to deal with that many big cheeses from all over the states, in one setting, much less one after another. that would be dealing with a lot of people and my little introverted circuits would be overloaded pretty quickly. and i shoot cars, not people.

well, i guess the usual guy that shoots quick and dirty stuff is out of the office this week. says he has an ulcer. that didn't take long; he's only been there a year or two. j/k. sucks.

so the public relations girl asks if i might be able to take a picture of someone who is visiting the office tomorrow, if i could bring in my camera...not sure where the company camera is, but most likely its a canon or nikon, and i'd be pretty dumb using it, not knowing my way around either one. her existing picture is fuzzy/blurry. i have a kick-ass hundred millimeter macro, so i think i can do better.

i've had to go back and review all the class notes and the book i studied on doing portraits, and did a crash sitting with my better half being my test subject. i think it'll be ok. only thing to worry about really is that the room they'll have me shoot in has windows on two sides and an obnoxious orange wall on the other. hoping they know where the green screen might be hiding.

i could take her outside, in natural light. just pretend she's a car, and aim for her headlights, i mean her eyes, not her hooters.

speaking of green, this car was pretty bright. i wonder if i could use it to strip in other backgrounds, like the memes have been doing with the queen elizabeth birthday pictures and that bright green suit she was wearing.

i thought the shot straight from the camera was pretty clean, so i only kicked the pixels a little bit.

©2025 kathy gonzalez