redemption

i like lowdown in uptown. not really for what they sell—it's cute, but i'm just not in the demographic for the clothing anymore. time is doing it's thing on me, and i'm not fighting it. just part of the process. kinda don't give a shit anymore. slowly becoming my mom, while my mom slowly becomes her mom.

anyway, they have an art show, their target crowd shows up. mostly to party, i think. they enjoy the artwork, but i don't think many buy. show ends, they go home. owners mop up the mess the next day.

some bring their cars; that's what i show up for. it's an addiction. some days the pull is harder than others.

lots of cars showed up for this show. cops accused them of having an unauthorized car show. same thing they argue every time they have an art show. this was the first car i shot that evening. i just walked up and down the street, avoiding traffic, jamming into small spaces, shooting what i could and what i liked.

lately, i haven't been in the mood much to get out to shows. just feeling tired, and the heat doesn't help. looks like i only have one show i really want to go to on the calendar for the month, san fernando high school. missed it last year because i was sick...haven't had a cold since then, so hoping it stays that way. it's a good show, and organized. i show up way too early, to get in and get out before the heat overwhelms. the people at the gate usually let me in early, as long as i stay out of the way.

focus

shot this bike, while ignoring the crowd. focus. if i thought about it too much, i would have missed too many pictures. not anti-social, just socially retarded in large groups. forget the "imagine everyone in their underwear" advice they give people doing public speaking. not speaking, but still surrounded.

that lady staring real hard, didn't bother me at all. probably didn't realize she was in the shot, and just makes me smile. don't like her pants much, but the shoes are ok.

and the other dudes, i have a whole story in my head making me laugh. especially the guy on the phone, and who he might be talking to; that's just me, my brain just goes there. ask my better half.

there were other bikes around the corner, but mostly in dark colors. this guy has the balls to park it front and center, just screaming for attention. well, it got mine. enough to ignore all the people.

mayor of whittier

this car is whittier. i see it a lot, mostly parked down by the cigar bar. they call the owner the "mayor of whittier." i don't know the story, but he does seem to know everybody, at least everyone in car culture.

it's just a nice car. he tweaks it a little bit here and there. last time i talked to him, he said he wasn't planning on doing much more to it. takes a good man to know when to stop; enough is enough. seems to be a good point here.

chrome and paint

the show last night at lowdown in uptown was fun. it was well attended, and drew so many classic cars, that the cops wanted to shut it down a few times for having an unauthorized car show.

i got my better half and went down there just when it was technically starting at five. only a few people inside, so actually could check out the artwork. the last couple of shows, it's been so jammed with people, i couldn't really appreciate the show. better half tried shooting a picture of me by my pieces, but i hate being in front of a camera, and just feel like a dork, and can't crack a smile. and he does a three shot burst with his little camera...and i'm supposed to hold still for all three shots. nope. i'm not sure if he got any worth keeping. whatever.

myself, i'm a big, shy, introvert, and just get very uncomfortable in a big crowd like that. instead, i can get behind the camera, and take advantage of the party goers' cars. we walked back to the house and got my cameras and headed back over. i can focus on the cars, and ignore the pack of people staring at me, and whatever i'm doing. not being a big old bitch, just coping.

anyway, i think this car belongs to the shop owners, so i'll start with that. best angle i could get, without standing out in the street, which wasn't closed...because it wasn't a car show, remember? thanks for letting me participate, and sorry for pestering you, to the point of just walking some pictures into the store to get an answer. the fun part of taking the pictures, is sharing them, so thanks for the opportunity.

dark outside

ok, i guess i'll go for a walk now. heard a distinctive engine, probably a fleetline, drive by a little while ago. maybe they're at the cigar bar.

this was from last week's art show. little challenging to shoot at night. i used to do it a lot, but out of practice. guess i should get back out there more often.

golden glow

don't know what this is for sure. i liked the pinstriping.

background was kinda interesting. but too challenging with the traffic to really get a good shot. couldn't stand out the street very long before another car would come zooming by, looking for a place to park.

----

i had the day off...MLK, office was closed. i should have been sifting through paperwork for taxes. can you tell i'm stalling?

purple sky

another from the lowdown show. these aren't perfect, but i think they give you the gist of the feeling. wishing i'd used my old lens, especially at night. better half would probably argue that this one is better, but i don't think so.

pretty truck. i think i've shot it before, but i'm not finding it now. probably didn't label it right. they moved it to this side of the street at some point, so shot it again. different spot, different light. slightly fewer people in the way. can't really do anything about the traffic, so i just live with the light streaks.

promised

like i thought, the mi barrio art show at the lowdown in uptown brought out the cars. wanted to get out earlier to see what might show up, but had to wait for my better half, who decided to take his morning shower at five in the evening, so he could look pretty, i guess. no, that isn't typical. he had to work all day, and well, it was the weekend, so whatever.

only had time to get a few cars before the sunset. i shot this car at sunset, and then later, when it was dark. the owner came over to ask what we do with the pictures. then he asked if we show the plates. he had the usual paranoid story about people online shopping for cars to steal and tracking them down by the plate numbers. heard it before. he was nice about it. of course, i'll not show the plates if asked, or if like richard, i won't bother to show them at all.

anyway, i always love a fleetline. hope you don't mind the felix, instead. seemed appropriate.

smelled like pussy

as we were walking home from the art show uptown, we found this ford was parked a half block down. i had already taken a few shots of it, when the owner walked up and wanted to grab a jacket out of the car.

better half, who had assigned himself as my bag boy/assistant by this point in the evening, asked him what the story on this car was. 

if i remember right, he's had it for about seven years. said it was a complete mess when he got it. said it smelled like cat, or cat piss, fairly unbearable. took four months to air that out somehow.

he cut out that oversize sunroof and smoothed the edges. i think he said when needed, he can pop in the old piece to cover it up, and i suppose keep the rain out. but maybe he doesn't take this out in the rain.

anyway, cool car now. check out that paint job.

and i apologize for the title...better half dared me.