what's up?

chillin’

better half remembered shooting this truck before, back when he used to bing his camera out. he had a chat with the owner while i took my shots, just like old times.

ten minutes later, he was headed back up the street, hoping he’d be home before his mom woke up.

———

kid went to solvang, then stopped to shop in camarillo. had to wait until six in the evening before i could head back to whittier. he was bringing danishes for my mother-in-law.

was late when i got home, after i made a stop at the store and in-n-out for dinner. took a shower, then worked on this pic while my hair dried. better half got called in to work, so good thing i showed up. he came back sooner than he thought, since the job wasn’t ready to go, and he wasn’t waiting around for an indefinite time in the middle of the night when all he wanted to do was sleep.

excellent day

woke up very early for the show uptown. better half was up early, his mother was still asleep, so he walked me up the street as far as the theatre here. he hung around for about fifteen minutes, before deciding he needed to get back.

posting this car, since the ladies that sat with it asked about where they would be able to see the pictures. here. right here. and also on instagram, more often than here.

i think i was out for six hours before i started feeling woozy. had to stop for lunch. wobbled over to the japanese place, but they weren’t open yet. so rolled my bag down the block for a slice of pizza at marco polos. after that, i took a shortcut down the alley to shoot a couple of cars i hadn’t gotten around to, bypassing the crowd.

it stayed overcast and cool all day; still is perfectly gloomy outside. was so happy, as this show is typically full on sun and heat by ten. crossing my fingers that summer doesn’t heat up, and i won’t have to skip going anywhere cuz i can’t take the heat.

i probably still managed to get a sunburn. at least my skin feels tingly.

back at home about one, downloaded over fifty gigs of pictures. kicked back a bit. after three, noticed cars driving by, so went outside with a camera, to catch them at the stop sign. not so many go further than hadley, so i walked back up the street to take pics of cars rolling out. more people than cars still.

saw my friend ernie and his wife. so happy to see them. been over a year, since he’d told me he had cancer. he is now cancer-free, the treatments worked. so, yay! the world isn’t done with him yet, and now he’s a good church-going boy, in thanks.

ok, i gotta go hang out with my kid’s dog and my mom. my boy is out of town with wifey, wine-tasting and enjoying good food. happy twenty-ninth birthday!! time is flying so fast. wtf.

maybe another picture to post tomorrow when i get back…so many cars, not enough time…

silent treatment

you know it’s going to be a bad day when even the rice krispies won’t snap, crackle and pop at you…

worked eleven hours yesterday…only cuz i had enough. only doing eight today because i am only doing eight.

——-

looking forward to the bomb club show at santa anita. such an interesting location and nice bunch of guys.

baby, it's cold outside

twenty-sixth of may, cold, rainy, gray. i love it. memorial day weekend, and haven’t really ventured very far from the house, except for my search for avocados yesterday.

i don’t want to deal with holiday traffic, so typically don’t travel to anywhere. better half can’t hardly get out to the supermarket while tending to his mom, so i feel guilty when i just take off to do whatever.

my kid seems to hit up solvang for an overnight every memorial day. something about picnics at vineyards. not sure if he went this year or not, since it was supposed to rain. i only know that he didn’t ask me to watch his dog, and if they did go, it was going with them.

other kid supposed to hang out with my mom for a few hours, so i don’t feel under pressure to not leave her alone for all three days this weekend.

trying to talk her into going to vegas later this summer, but really she’d be on her own there for several hours a day, while i attend some classes.

i want to take a vacation, but don’t want to go alone. i mean it’s great to go off on your own, and sleep in or do whatever without taking into consideration of another person. but there’s that desire to share the experience with someone else, and pictures don’t do whatever justice when you get back.

i’m feeling the itch to go back to canada, climb the mountains, sit in the meadow and look down over one of the many turquoise blue lakes. wondering how many more trips i have in me.

corvette hood from last year’s old memories pancake breakfast in montebello. used to be one of my favorite kind of cars as a kid, nothing unique.

was an overcast day there as well, but the clouds had a little more definition than today.

pretty sure i was attracted by the reflection for this shot at the time.

driving without cameras

was out driving around earlier. got lunch, went in search of ripe avocados. had a craving for guacamole. didn’t make it to a car show, but a few came to me, as in i saw them as i drove around.

passed an old veteran (was wearing one of those black and gold hats…you know the kind) on painter and whittier…his old buick or some such seemed to have stopped running at the light. hadn’t put on the emergency lights yet.

saw a chopped rag top merc cruising through la habra. did see an old chevy deluxe in the parking lot in la habra, and turned around and stopped for a picture with my phone camera.

had lunch at in-n-out, and just outside the door, sat a veteranos club car. was he with the wedding party inside?

saw the back end of thirty-four driving through uptown, but he got away. and an impala heading up hadley…

busy day for not hitting up a car show.

i did find my avocados, and am in possession of a fresh batch of guac.

saw this master deluxe last year at manny’s el loco. for all i know, it was there today at a vendor fest. seems to be shows there every weekend. just didn’t make it out today. didn’t have my cameras with me, when i had the chance.

light sprinkles

not my usual shot my better half said. not a car i typically bother with is what he meant.

it caught my eye at the time, and i still like the picture months later, so whatever. probably was the pinstriping on the hood that got me.

———-

rained last night. still sprinkly and drab out—love this weather. hate summer heat.

feeling out of sorts lately and suddenly very busy at work. my younger brother has been in town visiting mom, so i’ve been trying to juggle my time to spend some with him before he leaves on tuesday.

i’ve missed a lot of car shows i’d normally be all over, but it’s beyond my control…

my shady side

i’ve shot this car before. it’s really a beautiful car. owner has a long story about the paint color if you ask, but it ends up being some year of honda and some year of nissan greens, with a bit of pearlescent thrown in. really catches the light.

as i listened to him telling the tale of the paint to another random photographer/spectator and myself, the sun hit it just so, and it really was glowing.

unfortunately, i was busy listening, and not set up to take a shot then.

i’d already been by and found it earlier (above), and it just isn’t doing it justice. i mean i like the angle, the sky, the everything…it just isn’t catching the color. maybe the yellow car next to it is reflecting too much, and i’m on the shady side, (he was parked under the overpass but you can’t tell from this angle) but it just isn’t there.

oh well. posting this, and hoping maybe i’ll see it again sometime this summer. there’s always next year at chicano park…

hammered

sorry i’ve been away from home for a while, and away from my computer. finally had a chance to go home for a night on wednesday. got dishes washed (better half has been sick and some had piled up), and had my dinner. packed my bag for the next day or two away.

finally, i was able to get to my computer. the power button is failing, but it started. had to do some tweaks to some artwork for my boy, who has quit his job and has decided to partner up with a fellow grad to start their own law firm. lemme know if you need an attorney or two—they specialize in personal injury and taxes, but can also do the usual contracts, wills, etc. that need legal attention.

that took some time out of the evening, but finally i could get back to my pictures.

i’d been to chicano park a couple of weeks ago, and took a couple thousand pics in the five hours that i was there. still sifting through those, and have only posted a couple.

last weekend, while most people were at the la puente kiwanis show, i was out at the front sight car show in diamond bar. apart from enjoying smaller shows because they aren’t as crowded, i was mostly there because the owner of this here car asked me to stop by. it was for a good cause…in honor of a veteran who had committed suicide, and to offer help to other veterans to prevent more joining him in the afterlife.

actually, most of the people i did talk to said they were there because tudy had asked them, or otherwise twisted their arms to be there. he’s a good guy, they were happy to stop by, but generally all were on their way to other shows shortly thereafter—la puente or one of several high school fundraisers.

back to the picture…let me explain. i’d spent almost a couple of hours fiddling with this car, getting the color as i liked it, spit shining the chrome, and adding my copyright to it. i saved the file, and had started an export so i could post it…

we live in an older place in whittier. his mother gets cold, so there’s a space heater near her bed. then the tvs are on in her room and the front room. i’m working at my computer with a fan running next to me, cuz i just overheat all the time. better half probably had his computer on, even though i think he had been napping.

his mom gave up coffee, and is now a big tea drinker. she sips at the same cup of tea for several hours, requiring multiple reheats through the day. not my cup of tea but whatever.

in the back of my mind i register the buttons on the microwave beeping as he punches in the time. he hits start and wanders off into the laundry room. thought nothing of it, as i’m overheating as usual. did not realize his mom had gotten chilled again, and had cranked up the heater.

yet again, the perfect storm of me saving out a picture and him overloading the circuits, and boom blows a fuse, and the lights go out.

he ain’t no dummy, that man o’mine. my computer has a battery backup. but either i’ve got the plugs on the wrong sockets, or it isn’t working, and my computer crashes. it used to happen so often, and the profuse profanity that would come out of me at high volume would make any sailor proud. now i just shrug, wait for him to reset the breaker, and turn the thing back on.

yup the file wasn’t done exporting, and both the export and the file i’d just spent precious time polishing were corrupted. the export wouldn’t open at all, and my source file was now flattened and only three-fourths there. just black at the bottom. so here it is, with a little embellishment, of what would have been a lovely picture of tudy’s chevy. not sure if i’ll rework it from scratch. i have so many other cars to look forward to sharing. oh well.

gotta kick that battery backup this weekend. one good thing i noticed though, was that the power switch seemed to be working properly again. maybe it got hammered the last time the system crashed, and this one cleared the problem up.

dammit anyway.

xman

made it to san diego on my own. took a train. it’s really difficult dragging two bags up and down the stairs on a moving train. my weak ass arms did ok on the way there, and getting them into the overhead bin.

today coming back, after yesterday’s carrying a tripod and camera for five hours, i just couldn’t do it. the conductor helped me get my bags on-board. i sat on the lower level, reserved for disabled peeps. figured i’d move if they made me. they left me alone, and no one sat next to me either.

arrived on friday afternoon, rode the little red city train to my hotel, and got settled. got an upgrade to a better room, but being on my own, i didn’t get the bigger room i had last year. was so missing the big bath tub, but then, i worried that i would have had a hard time getting out of it.

the sun was still up after i had some dinner, so i took the red train down to barrio logan, to see if anything was going on. pretty much the last few years, nothing happens, as the cops are there making sure nothing happens. as it was, there was only one old chevy truck there, and only because there was a family having a picnic.

i wandered around the park, took a few shots of the murals, and headed back to the train. usually, i’d get some carnitas over at the northgate market, but i’d already eaten, so oh well.

i got up before the sun on saturday. typically, i’d be at the park before the sun, but this year i was a little unsure. i don’t know why. last year i took the train. had to switch to another train to the park. lots of homeless people on whatever poison of their choice mill about that early. better half insisted i take an uber this time. so i waited until just after sunrise this year.

cars were already rolling in by the time i turned the corner to the park. early this year. overall, it was organized a little different than past years as far as roll-in. so many beautiful cars.

i decided to start up on the far street, by the majestics club house. found this car up there. the owner chatted a bit. he’d hung a banner advertising his podcast on the club fence, but wondered if it would be better on another bit of fence. he asked my opinion. i thought the club might not want it on their fence. he thought maybe it would be in more pictures on the other bit. i took my couple of shots of his car, and saw he was already chatting up the owner of the car now in front of his banner.

no idea if his podcast is any good, but since he took the time to chat, shout out to him and go check out xmanradio.com.

pardon the delay

here’s a beauty from the azalea festival car show out in south gate. sun still going up, shadows filtering through the trees.

a week ago today, i was set to be taking pictures at the bombs on the bay show in san diego. i had a three-day weekend scheduled, hotel booked.

instead, saturday morning, i hear my name being called. i roll over and instead of bedsheets, i see carpet. i turn over and see my better half coming toward me quickly, looming over me. it’s a weird, worms-eye view of the world…how did i get here? i’d gotten up to use the bathroom, and remember standing in the doorway, but don’t remember how i ended up on the floor.

i get sick, explosively, a couple of times. apparently i passed out again, eyes rolling up, turning whiter than i already am, foaming at the mouth. i don’t remember that. i remember seeing my reflection in a mirror, and thinking i look kind of pasty, like maybe the light bulb has a bad color cast.

i get walked down the hall to the bed. better half is calling my son, asking him to come take me to the hospital. kid is forty minute drive away with no traffic; he is there within thirty. better half has been checking my o2 and pulse. o2 is low, pulse is racing.

i have a dream with the bright light, and shadowy figures in the distance. better half wakes me up, an ambulance has been called.

emergency personnel are concerned, and question everyone. stupidly ask me questions, that i can’t recall; apparently i was still being a smart ass with some of my answers–my own kid said it wasn’t the time for that–i don’t remember him saying that or being a smart ass. nice to know i’m consistent, normal or fucked up.

ambulance crew decide to carry me out the front door and down the steps instead of listening to one their own, who have been there before, saying out the back, a ramp, no stairs. a female officer has me under the arms, around my chest, and a male has my thighs. by the time they get me to the stairs, my boobs are being pinched by her arms, her strength is slipping, and the guy is pinching my leg with his grip. i’m saying, just let me walk. by the time we are at the bottom, on the sidewalk, the girl is almost dropping me, but the guy has let my legs go, so i can stand and get on the gurney.

i’ve only been in ambulance once, but not as a patient. let me just say, whittier has some bumpy roads, as the guy tries to insert an iv in my arm. turns out to be a crap iv, and the hospital can’t use it, but it is left in for the balance of the day.

better half can’t leave his mom, and is left helpless on the doorstep. my son is sent to sit with me in the emergency room, which ends up being about ten hours, before they admit me for the night.

after all the tests, they still didn’t know what happened. all the doctors stopped by the room for a minute, so they could bill me for their time, guessing stomach flu or dehydration. sent home the next day, late afternoon. arrive at home, with a fever i didn’t have at the hospital. took a pill, it went away and didn’t come back. very weird.

took a couple of additional days off past what was my three-day weekend. saw my own doc, so i have more tests scheduled. i’m guessing dehydration, but why so suddenly and grossly violently, is the question. i did go to work for a couple of days, and other than tiring, was ok.

i’d meant to go to chino yesterday for the corn fed run, but frankly, i’m a little scared to go too far. i went to covina instead, where i expected some friendly faces, just in case anything happened. i wasn’t disappointed, and saw several people i knew. they would keep an eye on me.

i’ve got a second trip planned for chicano park this weekend. hoping all will be good to go. will try to talk my mom into going with me. better half is worried. he’s a worrier. if i don’t feel good, i won’t go. simple.

at least my kid got the hotel to refund one night on my reservation.