1950 dodge coronet
i met mr bill at the show in riverside.
i saw his car the evening before, as the sun was going down. he turned his lights on for me.
(it wasn’t my favorite shot of the car, but i’ll include it here in the gallery.)
i saw him again the next morning, about six-thirty. he asked if i remembered him. yes, of course. turned your lights on for me.
i shot around the outside of the car, then he said i should check out the inside. saw the mr. bill doll, and said in the voice from saturday night live, “oh no, mr. bill!”
he said his name was bill, and i think he said his wife or a friend had given it to him.
he told me he’d taken three years of classes from some well-known craftsman of upholstery, at a college, until the college said he and the other students were just using it as a car club hang out.
mentioned that his wife had given him the task of sewing up some pillows, thinking that it would keep him busy for a while, and that he’d actually enjoyed it, and quickly finished the project.
he said he had reworked and stitched the interior of the car himself. it’s immaculate, and for some reason, i can’t find the pictures i took of the seats.
it is a beautiful car, and he was quite charming.
the turquoise and white paint job reminded me of the keds tennis shoes i had as a kid. you know, the ones that dyed your socks and feet turquoise blue. those were the days.