what's up?

hell. o.

so, i've started working at home on fridays, so my sister-in-law can have weekends at home. she's six hours drive away. boss is ok with it, at least for a while. at some point, might have to make some changes or fill out paperwork somewhere. really, i am working, but i am also helping care for my mother-in-law.

the worst part, and one of the most hated things about this house, is no air conditioning. now that we're firmly smack in the middle of summer, it really is hell living here during the day.

at least at this point, it still cools down a good bit at night, but fuck it during the day. there's no escape. i tried laying on the floor of the pantry, but it's still eighty-two degrees in there, so the coolness you initially feel, is gone quickly, once you acclimate.

we have fans all over the place, but they just push hot air around the room. tomorrow, i'm going to try hanging some frozen bottles of water in front of the fans, to see if they really will blow colder, as i've heard.

other than that, a cold shower, is really just tepid, but it is a bit cooler afterwards, for a little while.

thinking i'll probably only get out to one car show a weekend, very early, before mom wakes up. thinking i'm just going to start dumping water on my head when i'm out there and the sun comes up. i'll already be sweating profusely, and i don't really care how i look under a hat. either i'll wear a bathing suit underneath my clothes, or just wear a dark shirt...no reason to go full wet t-shirt on everyone.

nice fleetmaster from the anti-bomb show a couple of weeks ago. i just love the lines of fleetmasters and fleetlines. and the two-tone look, is really growing on me.

a smattering

just gonna throw some random pics up here from the other day. basically straight from the camera, one-offs, hand-held. perhaps i should post more of these random shots i take, to get a better feel of a show, usually from staging or roll-in, early before the people get there.

what i usually observe is controlled chaos. at santa anita, it seemed a bit more tightly set, so the horses' safety. don't want to spook them with loud music, sirens or engines.

up through the tunnel, came the gladiators, er, i mean the cars. hoping to win the three-hundred dollar top prize, but most just there for the fun of it.

i gotta go

one of the many things i hate about this old place we live in, is that there is only one bathroom. my sister-in-law just got in for a shower. i just woke up. i gotta pee something fierce. lol. not thinking about it while i type here. the sound of that running water tho...

one of the many things i like about this old chevy is that tattered old window shade. this looks like they just pulled it out of some grandpa's garage after fifty years. i like that it has dents and crusty windows, aged with perfection.

i'd be worried about the suitcase flying off on the freeway, but i'm sure that bracket is holding firmly against that back skirt--it ain't going anywhere.

and neither am i. staying in whittier for fourth of july, though there is a perfectly good fireworks show fairly close to my place in the oc. better half is here, the only reason i am too.

...gotta go...the shower just stopped...

at the races

bomb club finally got their day at the track, to make up for the rain cancellation from cinco de mayo.

i hadn't been to santa anita in years, and though i drove as far around the lot as i could when i arrived, until i came up to some cones blocking the way, i could not find any classic cars.

i was there early, but got out and walked past the empty 626 night market, down to where a security guard told me to go out, and follow the green line to gate six, further than i had gone before. basically, the opposite side of the park.

this time, i was able to keep going, since the cones had been moved. found the cars, parked up close. took a few pictures and a few videos before they said i could go down into the tunnel to the infield too.

was great to see all the cars in a new venue. same cars, different place. perfectly fine day, even if it did get hot and sunny fairly early.

i'll post a few, though i know most people don't bother reading this, and stick to the pretty pretty pictures on instagram, without the extraneous blather.

i almost didn't go either. had a backache all day, the day before. sat around and did nothing all day, and it still hurt. got up when the alarm went off, and it still hurt, but figured, maybe if i got up and moved around at a show, it would go away, and i'd be distracted. it worked, as usual. i did feel it, but was able to ignore it, and focus on the cars, and only had to worry about getting water, and taking breaks in the shade. thank goodness there was a cool breeze.

sultry

during the course of the two hours i was at the anti-bomb show, i felt welcomed, both personally and as a photographer. the people that know me, greeted me with hugs, the others were very friendly.

i, of course, was slowly dying from the heat, and bartering in my mind how long i could stay, vs how red i was willing to let my skin get. top it off with a hot flash while standing in the shade, and an instant slick of sweat on my face, and that feeling of that one drip sliding down my spine, pretty much sealed the deal, and had me considering buying an ice cream from the little ice cream cart vendor.

i wanted an ice cream sandwich, but those get too messy with the chocolate on the fingers, so then decided on a bomb pop. nope, he didn't have the one i wanted, so passed on the ice cream.

was heading over to the hosts' door, where everyone seemed to be hanging out, to buy a bottle of water, when my friend from the veteranos offered me one. that guy saves me every time. gotta pay him back with a case and a print of his car one of these days.

this car is simple and clean. i just like the angle in this shot, not too distorted by the lens.

smokey

woke up this morning around three am. windows are open, cool breeze, and an overwhelming smell of smoke. being near the hills of whittier, had to get up and see if the hills were glowing nearby.

nope, but worrisome enough, breathing that strong smoke, that i couldn't get back to sleep.

alarm went off at four. so about five hours of sleep. going to be a long day.

dressed quickly, hoping to get out of town, on my way to work and away from the smoke. hungry too.

fifty miles away, still smokey. turns out camp pendleton/san clemente had a fire going too.

anyway, two more days to a four-day weekend, and i have no plans. one or two car shows, and backing up files i guess. kid wants to go see that aliens covenant movie that all but disappeared quickly. did it suck?

hoping the smoke keeps the temps down, but doesn't force cancellation of the bomb club show at santa anita for a second time.

nice green pontiac found at slick's anti bomb show. i had the cars here all to myself for the couple of hours i was there--everyone else in long beach at the bombs magazine show.

got there at start time, after driving up from orange county. brief stop in tustin, to see if anything was at the biweekly show at enderle center. hadn't been there in a couple of years, being that it's more out of my way since spending more time in whittier.

was busy, but on a quick look around, only saw a couple i would really shoot, so didn't pull my camera bag out of the car, and left quickly, hoping for stuff i like out in montclair.

driving into the lot at slicks, almost thought it had been cancelled or i had the date wrong. there were just four or five old chevys parked, and a tent setup but not much, compared to the memo ortega show there earlier in the month.

parked in the shade, unloaded my bag and was about to go see what was going on or not, when one of the guys asked if i could move my car around the corner, as they were expecting more cars. bag back in the car, move to another shady spot under a tree. he starts taping off the show area.

about that time i hear a siren, as the veteranos club shows up, and some other cars. so, ya, i had enough to shoot and keep me happy, until i couldn't take the heat anymore.

melting

nice to look at pictures from the winter months, and think how cold it was, or the rain and the clouds, on a sweltering day like today.

really hate summer. in whittier. no air conditioning in this house. fuck.

i like how this picture turned out. i want those clouds in the sky. not just for the added drama, but simply because california blue skies are boring.

was sitting in traffic on the way home today, listening to the news on the radio about how the latest way state government is trying to twist the truth and bend taxpayers over a barrel—squeal like a pig, boy. wheeeeeeee! started thinking where else would i move, if i ever decided to leave this place. not really sure.

figured i'd have to schedule some reconnaissance vacation time in various cities, at different times of year. don't want to end up in florida like my brothers, and then act all surprised by the weather and hurricanes and bugs and gators.

i'm thinking someplace cold. just walk out into the snow and disappear. maybe not into a little cabin, typing out my silly manifestos here. i ain't that crazy.

rain is nice too. barefoot in the mud.

maybe i just have a travel bug without the funds or the better half to cure it.

drop off

did anyone even notice i haven't been out and about much lately? not posting as much? well, maybe not. it's sort of an out of sight, out of mind relationship, right?

i have posted from elsewhere when i'm out of town, like a squirrel with pictures squirreled away for those days.

the usual song and dance: been busy, tired, sick, burned out, taking care of our healing resident patient, some cooking, some cleaning, some baking. just not a whole lot of photography going on here. just busy living life, or just vegging out...in some semblance of balanced way.

do i miss it? yes. can i live without it? reluctantly. there are priorities, right? but it is one of the few ways i get any exercise, so it's bad for my health not to get my ass out of bed and out to a show. i see a few coming up, that i very much look forward to each year. i've already missed a few, so will really try and go, if possible.

anyway, all i've done so far today is to get out and drop off my entries for the oc fair and walk around the swap meet there. better half was able to escape the house for a couple of hours, before his mother woke up, and his sister was left to take care of any immediate need. rare treat for him to get out, and also not to drive—simply being a passenger is nice sometimes; the ability to just take in the sights you can't pay attention to while being the driver, should not be overlooked.

time for chatting, just us, which has been in short supply for a while. not quite a date, but still time spent together lately is rare.

shot the back end of this impala, only because it belonged to tudy's friend. they'd stopped by and said hi earlier, just down the street from here. the friend asked if i'd shot it yet? no, didn't think so. told him i'd go check it out, which i did right away, before i forgot about it.

found the car, with the hood up. umm. bugger. decided it's the back end that has the identity anyway, so took this shot, just so i could say yes, yes i did, if i ran into the guy again.

went back past it later in the afternoon, before i went to find lunch, but the guy was no where around, and the hood was still up, so, oh well.

rimshot

here's ron's 'burban again. pretty sure i've posted one or two others over the years. i've noticed little tweaks to it each time i see it.

these rims aren't entirely new, and i've seen them on it before, but not sure if i've posted it with them. so simple and clean, with minimal color-coordinated pinstriping.

last couple of times i've seen him out at shows, he's been driving his beauteous fifty-nine impala. and i admit, i am more partial to that than this car, but this is nice too. sort of sounds like someone saying the big girl has a nice personality, when you think about it, in a twisty sort of way. might just be me.

lost weekend

clean truck from the uptown show. not the first time i've shot it, but this is definitely one of my favs. shiny like candy.

mostly been sitting in the house, avoiding the sun, helping my better half help his mom. did not go to any car shows. i've seen pictures from one of the shows i might have gone to, and am only slightly bummed i missed it.

i have walked uptown a couple of times, driven my car once, that's about the extent of escaping for short periods of time. so hot outside, makes me feel like my head is on fire when i have a hot flash on top of that...maybe it's time to cut my hair.

i hear my sister-in-law is about to be a gramma for the third time, today, so maybe she'll come back here in a day or two. crossing my fingers. really hate working from home, when i actually have work i need to do...the connection to the office is sooooo slooooowwww, and only sees one of my screens, so i have to work on everything in small windows. PITA.

probably won't go see my dad today, father's day, since that would take me out of the house for a minimum of three hours. i took him out to eat last week, and i'll see him in a few days, when i am free to go back to the office too. happy father's day, dad, whenever you happen to lurk here.

found a picture from when i was a kid, on an old computer. i think i used it as a wallpaper at one time, before they put a standard wallpaper on the computers at work.

there's my little bro and his friend, skippy, holding a big damn bullfrog that i found in a swamp, under a board. they caught it, and brought it home for my mom to take a picture. all the guts, all the glory, but i think i was mad, since i had found it in the first place.

look, look, i had a pissed off face even then, so don't take it personally, ok?