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jet lag

so, i’m back at home. three weeks is a long time to be away. twelve hour flight back, followed by an hour in customs, and an hour and a half drive home. hint: after a twelve hour flight, don’t pick up people and make them sit some more in a space even smaller than what they had on the plane. almost wept cuz my legs hurt so much. almost told them to just pull over, and drop me anywhere…i’d call an uber, just so i could stretch my legs.

got dropped off at my mom’s, where i’d left my car parked. said my goodbyes to everyone i’d travelled with. mom had just returned from hanging out with my dad at the hospital, and she really hasn’t done a lot of cooking lately, so offered to go get me food.

on the flight, they’d fed us just after take off, and just before landing. food was crap. they ran out of the chicken option just as they got to me, so i was stuck with rice and zucchini, some weird cube of something that was neither vegetable or dessert, and something that wanted to be a cream puff, but wasn’t good. they doled out exactly one plastic cup of pepsi.

the latter meal was a cold sandwich, with italian ham, which is mostly fat, with some really crap apple juice, and another forgettable dessert.

so basically, i was starving, even though i’d also purchased oreos and a can of coke in between meals.

i was literally reeling from exhaustion, as i just can’t sleep on planes, so i’d been up for about twenty hours by then. told my mom, if she could just drive me to a fast food place, i’d be good. so the closest, quickest food was weinerschnitzel. quite a step down from all the pasta we’d been eating for the last couple of weeks.

anyway, felt somewhat better after that. chatted a bit, then went to bed.

next morning and today, have mostly been tired, but not crazy crazy jet lagged. i should keep the walking going, but just didn’t feel like climbing the nearest mountain/hill here in whittier. and it was almost completely fogged in around the house this morning anyway.

currently copying over about two-hundred and twenty-five plus gigs of pics from the trip, which will probably never be looked at more than once, but i’ll keep them anyway. better half, mom, and my sister all want to see them anyway.

still haven’t had time to go visit my dad in the hospital. better half needs to go the market, except he has overtime he is currently working on at home, and will still need to go to the office later, so i’ll be here watching his mom tonight.

i satisfied my in-n-out craving yesterday, and today od’d on guacamole. just not looking forward to work tomorrow, am a little sleepy, but resisting the urge to take a nap.

it’s good to be home.

back to a back end of a deluxe from the viejitos’ show last summer. in the shade, the details get a little hard to see, but there are some subtle pinstripes going on.

been a long time since i’ve seen a classic car that isn’t a fiat, bmw, or a vespa. not going to count the red fifty-six bel air that i saw uptown today, since that dude is always cruising uptown, and i’m over that car.

observations

a few things on my mind from the places i’ve visited on this trip, no particular order, and applies to pretty much each place:

airbnb owners do not provide enough toilet paper
especially when there seems to be no kleenex anywhere available
i hate the smell and feel of wicker furniture
mosquitos will find and dine on you while you sleep
i think i managed every mode of transportation except space travel all in one day, at least twice
cities here are like cities at home, just with older stuff and smaller streets and cars
most people are friendly, even if we don’t speak the same language
why the clothes washing machine, but not dryers?
detergent makes clothes stink...or maybe the lack of fragerance and softeners uncovered how they should smell
and everything enviro friendly...to an obsession
people are healthier/skinnier because of all the walking. some of the diet is just as bad.
i do not like wine, and never have. and have reconfirmed it. smells like easter eggs coloring.
they like coke zero. i do not. coke “normal” seems to be mostly available
food is good in general, and i have tried some meals i would otherwise never have. doesn’t mean i’d ever have or cook them at home
lots of cheese and pasta. sauces are different.
the light is different
dogs seem to allowed everywhere, except maybe church. restaurants, clothing stores, etc., ok. but no evident pet shops...where do they come from? and also, not really seeing them as being neutered.
beggars all seem to have the same outfit and age. basket out, bandana on head, face to floor, butt in air as they kneel, scraggly skirts. kinda scary when they follow you right up to a building entrance if they think money is getting away.
airbnb homes are neat alternatives to hotels. most have been old buildings, with modern european remodeling and conveniences inside.
i’m a big fan of air-conditioning
bidets are an interesting concept
a lot of things just seem to be done more logically
guacamole withdrwals...avocados suck here
traveling with a family group is a joy and a hassle, at times
churches everywhere, and they do love ringing their bells. a lot. sometimes late at night.
my back hurts
americans are just slobs and terrible at pulling together outfits, comparatively
parking is almost impossible to find, and mopeds and vespas are popular, though they typically have really torn up seats
hard to find a car without a ding or scratch
no tipping, as it is already built in to the bill, but also an extra charge if you sit versus to go
eat where the locals eat for the best food. don’t be obsessed by yelp or trip advisor for recommendations
my feet hurt, i’m exhausted, but i’ve lost some of my jiggle. just need a few more weeks of vacay, i guess
didn’t win the mega millions, so i guess i will have to come home anyway...

time to find dinner, or i’d go on and on…

old buick from the last pomona swapmeet i went to. gotta get back one of these months.

wind down

this vacation has been fun, and it has been hell. fun, because we’ve seen so many things and places i’d only ever seen in art history books and documentaries. wonder if my old professors are still kicking...now i’d understand more of what they blathered on about.

hell, because this has basically been a french/italian boot camp—going from zero miles a day to ten or more, when moving to a new location also with suitcase strapped to my back like a backpack, and bag of cameras in my hand.

all of it is winding down. two more nights. one more time to pack the bag. my inner clock is confused, as i still find myself waking at two a.m. here, which is about dinnertime back home. work will suck on monday, if i can stay awake.

will be nice to see my better half. and my dad, who has been in hospital/medical facilities since before i left, and has provided my mother a few scares that i know of.

old pontiac from a bbq meetup at legg lake. the other side of the park, which i’d never been to, or i’d have planned better for parking and arrival time.

wonder if they will go for a full restoration and paint job or call it a day in this primal glory.

your phaet in my hands

sticking to cars this time. boring everyone with tales from vacation the last few posts.

i shot this car previously at the uptown whittier carshow, on one of the side streets, on a corner. pretty sure there’s a blog post about it, i just have’t looked it up to link it...i’m sure it’d show up on the search page.

here it was at ruby’s friday evening cruise. had a nice chat with the owner, who hadn’t been around at the uptown show, but had seen my pic on instagram or wherever. very nice guy. my memory is short nowadays, but i want to say he’d put new wheels or hubcaps on it, since the previous pic.

one more week

is it a good vacation when you can’t remember what day it is? good thing cell phones keep track of the day and time shift or we’d be screwed.

it’s saturday here in positano, italy, and i’m taking a day off to do laundry and rest. sooooo tired, and i have an earache. everyone else went back down the hill, which is really all this place is, to the beach to rent a boat for a couple of hours. kid never drove a boat before, but doesn’t plan on going out very far, just far enough to jump in the ocean, and knowing him, he’ll probably pee in it.

if you’ve seen my pics on instagram, we’re in an airbnb halfway up this mountain. great view. hell of a walk and too many stairs. couple of days ago, we climbed both the duomo and the bell tower of an old church. four-hundred plus stairs in each, i really was only psyched up for the dome, and just couldn’t quite make the top level in the bell tower. better view in the duomo anyway. tight stairs to climb in both, as they were never meant to be open to the public.

so, my legs are not really wanting to climb up or down this hill very far today. fortunately, there is a breakfast place just down around a bend, and pizza not far up for later. a few shops if i want to venture out, but i’ll probably just take a nap.

not posting a lot from here, since we are limited to one gig of wifi data a day between the four of us. not sure what we are doing tomorrow. i think the kid mentioned capri and a grotto. hopefully i’m up for that...we’ll see.

another pontiac ornament. i don’t post enough hoodies, and pontiacs are a fav.

go dodgers

almost midnight in florence, and my kid has found one way or another to get online and watch the dodger game. lol. would have thought the wine they drank at dinner would have knocked him out, but he’s all keyed up to watch the game.

no real plan for the morning, so sleeping in anyway. we ended the evening early with gelatos, but trying to upload pics for family to see just seems to make the time scream by, and now it’s later than i’d expected.

going to climb four-hundred-sixty-three steps tomorrow, to the top of the duomo—top of the cupola of this famous church—which is about double what we did today, so i need the rest.

posting this bad-ass truck, cuz it’s a beautiful color, and oh so shiny.

where the naked ladies dance

spent a few days in france. i like the feel of it, can almost imagine living there, but then i don’t think i would. they do have large, beautiful open space parks, where you can really relax, listen to music, eat a croissant, and drink an expresso, if you are so inclined. i am not a coffee drinker, so coke works for me. and when they do not screw up and give me diet or zero, it is the same stuff we drink. they do not seem too big on using ice here though...have only had it in my drink once or twice in restaurants. really strange.

finding i do not have enough time or energy at the end of the day to get to writing here, but i am trying to post vacay pics on instagram, if you have any interest. not that person to foist them on unwilling viewers, and this space is just for my car shots anyway. i suppose i should be taking pics of their cars, but they just seem a little odd and nothing special, aside from their size.

have already been to venice, italy, and stayed in a very nice home, with far too many stairs. we’re airbnbing everywhere, btw. perhaps i should write about just the homes. common so far is the size. spacious, but economical in the use of the space. they have modernized the centuries-old buildings they are in, and have all moden conveniences, including wifi everywhere, hence i can post my pics.

we seem to me walking about ten miles a day, so i’ve gone from about a thousand a day to twenty-five thousand pretty quick. i’ve adjusted, with a lot expletives. the backpack doesn’t get any lighter, and though it really isn’t very heavy, i’m getting too old to be hauling stuff around on my back. i am using almost everthing i did pack, so i didn’t overpack.

sounds like others are waking up and/or back from a morning jog. i should have gone out for morning pics, but i hadn’t set an alarm.

hopefully i’ll find a moment to write about venice and florence before we move on...two more stops before going home.

stopped at a weekly monday evening show at sonic in anaheim a few months ago. surprisingly crowded, but i managed to find pockets of cars with no people milling about, even if it is next to a clothing bin. still a nice car.

paris

here in france for a few days, for the first part of this vacation. never been here, and finding it charming in an historic city way. not too difficult finding our way around, mostly because my kid and his wifey have been here before, and he is refering to maps on his phone to find routes to wherever. i did not take french in school, but seem to understand a lot of words, and can pick my way through the menu well enough.

lots of walking, and discovering neither of my broken in shoes ar very good to my feet for these miles long marches across the city and back. one pair is attacking my big toe, as it slides forward a bit, and the other pair jammed my little toe into the next, as well as having got some sand in it from crossing a park.

but ignoring that, have seen a lot in two days, and contemplating whether i want to watch sunset from the observation deck of some tall skyscraper. i may just skip that tonight. seems more tough to get four people to agree on what to eat and when to eat it. our time zones are scrambled, but i am ok, but the others snack often then do not seem interested in a meal.

taking lots of pictures, most will probably never be seen, but there are a few up in my instagram, for my mom and daughter to see.

not seeing any classic cars here so far, unless we’re talking citroen and puegot. three wheel motorcycles (two in front) and vespas abound.

so, i’ll put up this good old chevy to tide me over for a while. from pomona a while back. since i’m gonna miss it tomorrow. and dia de los muertos in uptown. and huffarama at san manuel. le sigh...

also, i have someone whose father was an original member of 13 gents car club, who recently passed away, looking for other original members that would talk with them. if you have any contacts, i would be happy to pass along info to them.

countdown

i’m officially on vacation time, but still in town. already had a call from work yesterday, after one coworker realized i was still around. last minute edit to a poster needed yesterday evening. i was busy at the time, and had no access to work files, so got her to contact another designer, who lives closer to the office anyway. problem was solved, tragedy avoided. lol.

really, though, a few more days, and i’m gone, and really on vacation. i’ll be enjoying france and italy, while my better half stays behind with his mother. sucks. at least his niece and nephew will be coming down one weekend, to give him a short break from the monotony.

and for the new readers, no, i’m not planning trips without my better half; i sort of fell into it, taking the place of someone who cancelled on my kid. pretty sure i explained in some other post.

not sure what my connectivity will be over there, so i may not post anything until next month, not like i’m posting daily anymore anyway. i guess i really do need a reason to slow down and sniff the roses right now.

my dad has been in the hospital now, for two weeks, and about to get released to a nursing home for another week or two. pretty sure he will be mostly bedridden for the rest of his life, if he doesn’t partake of physical therapy this time, and really try to get off his ass more. hoping he’s around when i get back from vacation. mom has already said if something happens, it happens, no rush to get back. really.

another story i heard at work the other day:

coworkers were sitting outside at tables, eating their lunch. some guy, with an armload of packages, trips on the sidewalk in front of them. boxes pop open, contents fly everywhere.

turns out it was food.

the guy spends ten minutes scooping stuff back into the boxes with his bare hands, cleaning things up. he goes quickly back to his car with the boxes.

they go back to eating their lunch.

they see him again, this time carrying one of those food service delivery bags on his shoulder. hmm. they say.

he continues into the building. a few minutes later, they see the guy head back to the car with an empty bag, who gets in his car, and drives away.

a few ticks later, the male coworker, thinks, “hmm, did he just make a food delivery? of that food he just dropped?? OMG!!!”

they inquired at the receptionist of our company, when lunch was over, if there had been a delivery, and told the story of what they suspected happened. no one in our office. there are several businesses in our building, so security made some calls.

i think they figured out where it went, and security has footage of the whole food scooping incident, since he tripped right in front of one of the security cameras.

i’m gone from the office now, so won’t learn the rest of the story until i get back, if i even do then, since it was another company. hoping the people in that meeting noticed the extra grit in their meal and stopped eating it.

here’s a studebaker i saw about a month ago at ruby’s on a friday evening. i think i’ve only been there twice this season, and this particular evening was a piss-poor turnout. compared to previous years, there was hardly anything. don’t think there was a holiday, so i don’t know what was going on.

the front of these cars always look like they are smiling, so that’s the way i like to shoot them.

gotta get packing. i don’t know italian. i don’t know french. to quote my better half, who probably stole it from a movie, “i don’t speak french, i only kiss that way.”

ragged

was at the angels vs athletics game friday night. won some tickets a couple of weeks ago. better half couldn’t go, obviously, so invited my son and his wife, and her mother. something different, and none of us had been to a game in a few years.

it was fun, and they were pretty good seats on the first base side.

the other women got bored pretty quickly. they ate the stadium food, played with my daughter-in-law’s new camera a bit, took several walks around the stadium, then just played with their cell phones for a while.

my son, while he enjoyed the game, gets up early, like me, so he was pretty tired.

i finally decided that we could just go, since we were only out money for the food and gas. ended up leaving during the top of the seventh inning. oh well. time spent with family...check.

dropped them at home in the oc, then drove back to whittier. after two cokes, i was awake enough.

don‘t think i fell asleep until midnight, but still managed to wake up and head out to montebello, for the old memories’ breakfast fundraiser. close enough to home, and my better half was too tired to get up early to go to the market anyway. his mom had a late night, so he did too.

was at the show before the sun came up. got good parking, but there weren’t any classic cars yet. just guys and vendors setting up.

sat in my car and waited until i saw, or, rather, heard a few cas arrive.

the show didn’t fill up as quickly as previous years’, so there was time and space to shoot the hell out of a lot of cars.

now, the car up top, was from later in the morning, up close to the fence, hood already up. hard to get an angle i liked. owner was still polishing the car, and asked about where he could see the pictures, so here’s one.

really beautiful car. pretty sure i’ve shot it before. i want to say at pomona. i’ll have to look through my files...

—————

dad still in the hospital. they thought he’d caught one of those nasty hospital viruses, so now he’s isolated, and we have to wear a gown and gloves to go in his room. not clear what next steps are, if the infection is getting better or what.

at least he isn’t talking crazy or hallucinating anymore. that was due to an infection.