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chevrolet fleetmaster

we went to the fundraiser for oscar at bob's big boy this evening. got there just around start, at five. back lot was already pretty full, front lot for restaurant patrons was also pretty full, but i managed to just get a spot at the end of the overhang.

mistake. should have got there earlier. so many cars. not enough space. people everywhere. oscar was a popular guy.

the parking lot was literally jammed within an hour. no more cars could fit, or there was no way to get to the random spaces that had been saved for friends.

sun went down so quickly, that i had to start taking longer exposures not long after. finally got tired of fighting the people walking through the shots, so i went out the back entrance of the lot, to see what was on the street.

cars were still arriving, but weren't being allowed in. went out on the street and shot the closest cars; didn't want to go around the corner in the dark—better half was still somewhere inside, with the crowd.

saw this chevy parked near the entrance. couple of guys were sitting nearby, and another car pulled in front of it, blocking the driveway, but i had a few minutes without interruption.

owner was standing nearby watching. came over and peeked at the screen. said it was his project car. not a bad project to have.

dream time

three day weekend ahead. a baseball game. taxes. car shows. long week at work, another one coming, gotta get some rest.

my better half has already gone to bed, so i guess i should go join him.

i like impalas. the back end on this year is beginning to lose the wonderful curves of a '59, but not completely. and the tail lights are still cool. can't really read which club this one belongs to, with the plaque up in front of the blinds. oh well.

graham cracker

still sitting here. and i really don't think i'll get out to a show until before the weekend, if then. i've spent two days at work, and get home really tired. want to lay down, but i don't want to; can't sleep. whatever. everything is going to be fine now.

i've got a couple of these in my digital garage. just don't usually see one here in downey at bob's. too purty to pass by.

reflected

i liked the car; hated the rims. loved the reflection in the window.

not much going on at the broiler again. too few cars to keep my attention for long. did see several guys i've gotten to know a little over the past few years. nice to see them again.

my better half came along with the nephew. not sure if he's wanting to spend the time with me or really wanted to take some pictures. they were going to go bowling afterwards, but apparently the lanes were all full, call back in a couple of hours, thanks for nothing. guess after i get this post up, he gets to spend more time with me like he wanted to anyway. >:)

angel baybee

so, did your mother ever insist that you write thank you notes when you receive something? ya, mine did.

and i almost always respond to an email quickly. someone took the time from their busy day to care enough to type out a few words, and should be answered back just the same.

well, i got an email not long ago. it was a very nice email, kind words on my photos and blog. i do remember reading it, but i was also sick at the time, and had put off answering at that moment. then life got busy again, and answering it went itching to the back of my mind – i still intended to write back.

so i found myself at the broiler, running into the owner of this car, whom i'd met a month earlier over at the deli show in paramount. here he was, asking if i'd gotten his email, the self-same email i'd neglected to answer in kind. fumbled with the excuse that perhaps it had gone to the junk mail.

no, i found it—a month back—but, yes, i do remember reading it.

i know i hadn't taken a shot of his car at the previous show. i know it was already late by the time i'd arrived and they were already giving out awards. i think, perhaps, that his car was up too close to the crowd for me to get a shot. i only took a few shots of cars on the fringes. then several people chose to chat about photography, and i lost the sunset and stopped taking pictures.

anyway, he was so very nice again at this show. happened to be parked in a convenient spot, with an empty space beside it, so i took this shot for him.

hope you like it, and i'm sorry i didn't answer your email promptly. shhhh. don't tell my mom.

sleepy

i gotta get some sleep. my eyes feel like these tail lights...kinda scrunched closed, half awake.

found this one from a while back. sometimes i just wonder why it takes so long for me to get around to putting some of these images up.

i just like the lines going on in this shot.

to hell and back

i took my mom to a car show a few weeks ago. with all the beautiful shiny cars all around, she asked why i bothered to shoot stuff like this. if you can have steak every day, every once in a while, you still just want a hamburger.

can't tell me this doesn't have some character, can you? it doesn't look totally, naturally weathered; they're probably working on it at a very early stage, but still shows a life lived. that these old cars are still around in whatever condition is a statement in itself. it may be a POS, but it's still an interesting one to look at.

ya, i cropped it...had the damn hood open. :)