what's up?

a weekend

better half and i got off our butts this weekend, and hit up a couple of events, heavily attended by cars to our liking.

not difficult for him, since he wakes up at three in the morning every day for no reason at all, but lately, i prefer to sleep in on my weekends. i was the one that mentioned wanting to go to said events, so i managed.

my older brother and his wife were in town visiting my mother. being from the east coast, we invited them to join us at the pomona swap meet this past sunday. apparently, they also like to sleep in, but rallied, and were up and going when we stopped to pick them up at four a.m.

we were in the unusually short line to the gate before five. apparently, the threat of rain kept people away, at least until they woke up and noticed it was hardly a sprinkle. while not as impressive in the quantity of cars in the show area, as there are in the summer, my bro was still quite impressed. they went off to wander the aisles of things for sale, whilst better half and i headed off to do our thing.

was wonderfully cool…i do so hate the heat of summer. the off and on sprinkles of rain before sunrise did not deter us. better half had brought several camera lenses to play with. i stuck with what i know, and tried to refamiliarize myself with my camera.

better half seemed to ambush cars as they arrived, with the owners barely parked, before he was asking for headlights to be left on. i caught a shot of this red truck, after he had his pics, and still chatting with the owner.

i could have happily kept shooting until the swap meet closed, but my bro and his wife had already wandered through the booth area, the cars for sale, and were getting hungry for brunch, so we stopped.

they also wanted to leave. things that caught their eye wouldn’t fit on the carry on luggage, and my brother was in danger of buying a car, but couldn’t decide between two, and knowing he had no other spaces to park one back at home.

brunch in uptown whittier, before going home, where my better half took a long nap, while i downloaded my pics from a busy weekend, followed by a hard time choosing which to start first...

addlepated

early morning in barrio logan / chicano park. all the cars polished to a mirror finish, as shown on this bel air. always a good show, and hoping to go again this year.

missing some car shows. the concussion has been making me dizzy and tired, and i think i’ve got a damaged nerve in my arm, making it difficult to carry my camera and tripod very far.

my brother was in town earlier in the month, so better half wanted to take him to some nearby airplane museums in chino. i went along, knowing it would not be a long day because of my brother’s health issues.

i prefer the planes of fame over yanks air museum, but better half started with yanks. i brought my gear, but left it in the car at this museum. i used my phone for the few shots i did take.

my brother was out of steam by the time we got to the other, though the MiGs did perk him up for a sec. i brought my camera and tripod in with me, intending to take some pictures that i mostly would not care about – i take them, then generally do not post most of these things.

i moved slowly, wore a dorky hat to protect the scar on my head from the sun, and took some pics. i did feel an ache in my arm, that one of the doctors believes to be a damaged nerve from the fall and landing partially on my hand, breaking the fall not at all.

so, i’m basically grounded as far as going to car shows for some period of time.

i guess it’s a good thing i have more than fifteen years’ worth of old pics to sift through for a while.

change of plans

better half and i decided to go to the azalea festival show last weekend at the south gate golf course.

used to wake up early and be there before the sun rose, to get that early morning light on the cars waiting to get in the gate.

then there were a couple of years, where my better half couldn’t go, while he was taking care of his mother. i’d go, but there weren’t as many cars; then the gate guards wouldn’t be persuaded to let me in to take pictures before the official open time.

then another year, i went on my own again. before the sun. in the lot, in the dark before six a.m. before the people running the show and the vendors. before anyone bothered to show up, to line up, to get in. almost left, after sitting for an hour, but then, i’d already waited, so waited some more. not much went in the gate, didn’t wait until start, as they again wouldn’t let me in, so i left.

same thing last year, with my better half. we shot all the cars that bothered to be there, until they all went in, and decided it wasn’t worth the wait, and found a much better show elsewhere.

this year, same deal, but we didn’t get up early, got there after ten a.m..

i was worried we wouldn’t get a place to park. it wasn’t an issue; we were right in the lot.

we were stopped by one employee, asking if we were with the band. nope. better half strode right in the gate where the cars enter, so i followed. i thought for sure that employee would stop him, but they just walked the other way.

where once the golf course was crammed with cars to the outer fences, there were only a few rows. a stage was set up across the way, and a live band played later on.

the vendor’s truck had overpriced food, while outside the course, at the main street front, there were boy scouts selling a reasonably price breakfast for a reasonable amount of food.

also, whatever happened to the carnival part of the festival? there was just a baseball game going on in that field.

we stayed only two hours and shot everything we wanted. chatted with an old acquaintance, who said they search the cars for booze and drugs, don’t allow barbeques, or outside food, which pretty much will eventually kill off this show.

ended up in norwalk, at an easter basket drive, with a whole lot more cars.

here’s a chevy with a really amazing paint job. better half chatted with the owner for a while, who said originally he only wanted a solid color paint job. the painter convinced him it would be too plain, and that he’d be back, he went with it and here is the result.

one of those cars, where you wish you carried a ladder, because i am just too short, and the tripod isn’t tall enough.

i wonder what my better half’s pics look like, or if he’ll post them on his blog.

i don’t think we’ll be back to the south gate show.

we had thought about going to the true pride show yesterday, but those plans also changed. my younger brother had been visiting my mother for the past week. he had been dropped off, while his wife was out of state, and so we ended up in san diego, driving him home, and staying in the area for the night.

it was a good break. our jobs have been very stressful lately, with more work than usual, and we were just exhausted, without realizing it.

slipped

i remember this back end from the viejitos show in anaheim. i was there super early, before the club members even showed up. this was one of the first few that morning.

i do like the years with the big fins at low angles. i should have pulled in closer and distorted that thing more. maybe another show.

been at home taking care of myself. slipped and fell in a puddle of water and landed right on my butt. just in time for xmas.

was going to go to ramble on the ranch in temecula this past weekend, but unfortunately, i wouldn’t have been able to lift my bag and tripod. my back is sore sore sore. skipped it, and didn’t even get out to see the grandkid out there either. :(

they tell me nothing is broken, just bruised bones, and will take time to heal.

mostly hanging around home or at my mom’s. took her out to dinner yesterday for her bday. happy bday mom!

superfly

i fly in the air, like i just don’t care. no choice, really.

decided to break up the monotony that is going on for the time being, flitting back and forth between my parents' and whittier, then a few days at my house moving boxes around, and cleaning carpets.

i'd taken my camera with me on friday morning, so that i could hit a show on the way home in the evening. of the three i could pass by on the way, i decided to go to ruby's in whittier. hadn't been there since last summer.

i do realize it would be lightly attended, compared to the first and last show of the season, but i'd never ever seen it so sparse, though i arrived around five pm. of the two aisles that they had blocked off, there were only a few cars parked within. at least for about an hour. it never really did get full like previous years, but that did allow me some ability to get shots i wouldn't have had there been cars crammed together, and a zillion people in the way.

more of the type of cars that i liked did show up eventually, but at the beginning, i wandered around up near the ruby's building.

saw this chevy over by the raffle table. didn't quite get low enough to hide the car next to it, but it is still ok. decided not to just shoot a typical angle, as these bel airs get a little boring after a while.

looking back

my thoughts have bounced around in my head a lot lately, to the point i don't know any one thing i would write about, that might be of any interest to any lurker who may be reading this on a somewhat irregular basis lately.

if you've never met him, my better half might be considered imposing, especially when he has a 'stache and goatee, and his long hair. when he's clean shaven, he just seems more friendly and younger, rather than tuff. he's a big guy, six-five, hovering around three-hundred pounds most of the time.

big enough to stare down the little shits that block sidewalks when his mom used to roll her wheelchair uptown. he would politely 'suggest' that they make way, and when they'd turn their back and stay put, he'd 'make way' for his mom. fucking little posers.

there's a new generation that hang out uptown now, only i think they are wannabe drug lords, making their little drug sales out in the open. i have my own little bitch face that moves them out of my way when i go uptown by myself.

he's mostly a big, friendly bear of a guy. i really don't know why he picked me, but i'm happy he did, and that's all i'll say about that. no need to get mushy here, and i really am not that gushy kind of girl.

there is one car club guy, i'd like to sic him on, but i'd prefer to keep my better half with me, than to visit him behind bars, so there's that.

better half has tossed a more than a dozen memories at me, to write about. we laugh about each recollection, giggle at the details of what people said or did, and how we ended up where we are today. then i say i've already referenced most of these stories at some point, and how a lot of stuff is inside jokes, or too gross.

i haven't been anywhere lately, except work, my parents' house, and picking up mail at my house. boring, but i gots things on my mind.

i could bitch about stuff i see on the freeway every day, but there hasn't been too much going on with the holidays, and i assume people home with the flu. traffic has been really light in the evening, so the few drives to whittier i've done the past couple of weeks have only been about an hour.

i'm hoping to get up in the morning and head to pomona for the swap meet. was thinking, it's january, it will be cool outside, everything will be great. summer is hell out there, and i usually can't / don't stay that long in the sun there.

it was fuckin' eight-five degrees outside this afternoon. it's going to still be in the eighties tomorrow. so it will be a short day as usual, in spite of being the middle of winter. really is no winter in cali, so what am i thinking?

one of these times, i'll have to actually walk the aisles of parts and stuff for sale, but i never seem to be able to tear myself away from the cars themselves. maybe next month it will be cold again. next week it will be sixty again.

so, long-windedly, i have no stories to blather on about, or that anyone might care to hear anyway. not feeling very enchanting at the moment, though my better half seems to still be stuck under my spell. who knows why?

here's a lovely back-end of a fifty-seven bel aire. it's all about the fins on these cars. the fronts are pretty generic and boring.

cinco de mayo

the annual season opening cruise night at ruby's in whittier fell on cinco de mayo this year.

first and last shows here are usually overflowing with goodness on wheels. being that it was a 'holiday' or excuse for a lot of people to get more drunk than usual on a friday night, it did not get as busy as i would have wished.

being that our family member was still in the hospital in the middle of los angeles at the time, i chose not to endure that traffic, and spent the day at home alone, cleaning, working, and running laundry in anticipation of the patient's return.

end of the day, decided to get out of the house, and headed over. i didn't really hit this show that much last year, and figured it would get a few cars i'd like to shoot, in spite of the party day.

i took some pictures, chatted with a few people i hadn't seen in forever (hey dave), and shook the cobwebs from my head.

got home, downloaded the pics, and promptly forgot about them for a couple of weeks. figured i should post one, for the hell of it at this late date.

i mostly have gotten over fifty-seven chevys, as they are quite numerous, but i still love to shoot the fins. didn't do it this time, since i was trying to get the building sign in the shot. that, and the speaker there was a bit loud on the eardrums to stand there for very long.

it was slightly hot out that evening, i started having a hot flash, and my head got swimmy, so i packed it up after about an hour and a half.

didn't make it

1957 cadillac

thought about going to a show today. really i did. went so far as to get my cameras out, format cards, and clean the sensors.

was literally ready to walk out the back door, when the front doorbell rang. better half's nephew, wife, and year old kid had arrived from northern california. so, nixed that plan. it was already after one anyway, and hot.

i think they plan on going to disneyland tomorrow, so maybe i can get out to the show at legg lake for a while in the morning.

better half took himself to the doctor this morning. they gave him some kind of antibiotic, so he sick for reals. he still managed to walk uptown for breakfast when he got back. ran into a couple of people asking if i was going to the show today, but he had to tell them he had no idea, since i hadn't mentioned anything to him.

-----

saw this beauty at the sultans' show earlier this month. love those bullet tail lights, though from what i've read, didn't show up until nineteen fifty-nine models.

somewhere near the raynbow

1957 chevrolet bel air

got up slightly early, and drove up to the viejitos show. wanted to beat the heat of the day, knowing this one is on pavement. at one point, some clouds blocked the sun, which gave some relief for about half an hour.

i am noticing that shows that used to be packed, even this early, and are more slow to fill lately. great for uncrowded photography, but the real bulk of cars start showing up about the time i have to pack it up and go, either because its too hot or because i need to find breakfast or i'll faint.

guessing there are more parties going on these summer nights before the shows, and people are busy dealing with the aftermath. or they don't care about parking with their groups, since they figure one member can just save spaces for the whole club. not fair to that one guy, or anyone else who understand roll-in time.

there were plenty of cars here early, the club members themselves have awesome cars, so i could have just spent three hours with them and be happy.

found this one in the back parking area, where the bicycle guys were setting up. nice car, interesting little mural on the garage doors, and no people in the way. so yay.

then back out to the main lot, where i noticed the viejitos' president, raynbow, riding around on a bike, directing cars and people. just not something i'm used to seeing him do everyday. most shows he's sitting under a tent.

i think it's a good, sharp picture of him, if only i had caught him looking my way, but then again, i am already too shy about taking shots of people, i snuck this shot in from a row away.

raynbow

tweakedpixels