yes, i know it isn't perfect. but it is fun. aside from the obvious signs of aging, most people wouldn't give this one a second look.
rust, chipped, distressed paint may distract from the fun, but there's more to meet the eye. this is a great truck. really. it's in the details:
the lovely couple that own this hot rod have been waiting a month to see a new picture of their baby. they thought they'd been going crazy and missed it, but no. i just don't post everything, especially if i'm not satisfied with it. i suppose i have an old email from them somewhere, so i could have let them know. or i guess i could have written something here. but then i wonder if they're just looking for the picture and not reading it, they wouldn't know then either.
i had been having an internal arguement over a couple of shots of it from a show out in riverside, but there was something in each that was just not doing it for me.
then this weekend, a couple of local shows i'd heard about and planned to attend, just simply didn't happen. so having awakened at an ungodly hour for a saturday, took my better half along for the ride out to rialto, promising him that i don't drive out there anymore if it isn't worth it. i'd scoped out a few while my son went to ucr, so i knew this would be ok.
and i kinda guessed they'd be there too. i saw them drive in as we walked over the train tracks to the main strip. we didn't actually get there until after 8am, so the sun was already past the sunrise we were looking for, but not so high as to be irritating.
i took a few shots early, then wound back around and took these two before i left. i think either one looks better than the shot with gary's favorite outhouses.
my better half went to the car show with me, so afterwards, we went out to chino planes of fame for him. he had fun...hardly anyone there, and a nice breeze for a change.
thanks for telling about another show the next day, but i just couldn't do another whole day in riverside.
oh ya, and there's the little grumpy on the back of the other car. didn't notice him last year, when i was just all about the skulls.
oh, and buy a print here
another from riverside. first day. this belongs to gary, who of course when he saw me, exclaimed, "the hood's down!!!"
i took a couple of shots of it that evening. i like this one best—it hides the port-a-potties he always seems to park in front of. i suppose that might be convenient, but they do ruin a shot.
good thing i got these pictures, though. he was there the third day, but his car wasn't; said it wouldn't start so he left it at home. bummer, dude.
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i skipped a show yesterday, and then we'd intended to go to riverside today, to the phil braybrook show, but my better half has been putting in too many hours at work, and was so tired. alarm went off at four a.m. i figured if i got up and drove out there, he'd feel obligated to go, so i stayed home and we slept some more.
instead, i went to a couple of small, local shows later, at nearby high schools. just a few cars i bothered with at both. and some confusion with my better half, who was still sleepy on the couch when i left. he didn't realize i left, and the rest of the day has been kind of 'off.' maybe after a good night's sleep, things will fall back in place.
feel free to buy a print.
best time to go to a big show is before it is supposed to start, the earlier the better. especially a show out in riverside, where the daytime temperature can shoot to over a hundred degrees on a cool day. wasn't the case this year, as it was unseasonably overcast and cloudy, but i still only managed to go out early in the morning and later in the evening. stupid foot was bugging me. still is. i'll give it a few weeks then go back to the doc.
this belonged to a couple who spent the night nearby in a motorhome. poor things. really roughing it. not. he found me out behind another motorhome shooting a little pink coupe, and he headed over to uncover his car. i had no idea what was hiding behind door number three, but i was pretty happy with what was revealed.
sun coming up, trees, and few people and cars passing by, so i was free to take whatever angle i liked.
i have one more promised car to do, if i can decide i like any of the shots. then it'll be time to get back to a nice old chevy.
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working eight hour days, but they feel like twelve. my foot still cramping my style. i went to the broiler tonight—first time in a couple of months—really going down the drain there. got there later, and still not much in the lot, so i took a few shots, chatted with my buddy angel and his friend, and left.
i still have a couple more cars i promised before i get back to my favs.
this one was just different than the typical hot rod. mainly the checkered paint job on the radiator and inside the engine compartment. otherwise, pretty standard hep cat.
wonder what that guy in the doorway is thinking...or the zombie to his right. neither is looking at me, nor the car. must be something driving by out of the shot.
i spied this one driving around the circuit on the last day in riverside. i hoped i would be able to find it parked somewhere before i left.
i was across the street shooting the rambler i posted yesterday, when i spied it here across the street on the corner. i was trying to hurry from the rambler so i could get to it before they possibly took off again, but the owner of the rambler was busy telling me her story. then i watched as the owner of the car popped the hood for a crowd of guys, and i kinda slowed down. why, why?
i took a couple of shots of the rambler and headed over to this one anyway. the group had mostly left, and the guy sitting with it saw me trying to shoot the hood ornament, and offered to close the hood for me. even better i said.
his story was that the car belonged to his father-in-law, and he had fixed it up. i thought it was pretty stunning and asked if he thought it had won anything. he said, no way, there were much better cars there in his opinion. dude, this one is a beauty, have some confidence. and thanks for closing the hood.
i was shooting this one because i'd never seen one before. the owner came over and asked the usual questions. then told me her hubbie had bought this for her fifty-seventh birthday. not sure if the rebel part relates to her personality, but she was very nice.
wonder what age i'd choose to be to get an age-appropriate car. i'm thinking i'm due for a chevy bomb about now...
this is bob's pontiac. i'd seen it parked off the street in this side lot for the last couple of years that i'd been to this show. finally had the time and inclination to go over and have a look. initially, there was another car parked on this side, and i was just shooting the hood ornament. he came over and apologized that it wasn't a better ornament—said there was more to it, but someone had snapped the other pieces off at some point in the past. 
then, the car next to him took off, so i had space to shoot the car. happily, he moved the dust mop thing off the hood.
the car is showing its age, but that's fine with me. imperfections just make it that much more interesting, so don't apologize when you're car is less than perfect.
i spent the weekend in riverside at the show and go. not as much time at the show as i'd have liked, because my foot isn't totally healed and i could only take so much time walking around. my better half would have helped if he'd been able to be there, but no, he's still working on that deadline. missed a really great room i had over at the inn, but it worked out perfect because i could go crash when it got too hot and when i couldn't walk any farther.
i talked to several people over the three days i was there, and should they happen to be looking for their car, be patient. i have a day job, go to shows when i can, and i squeeze in the pictures here as i can get to them in the evenings if i'm not too tired. please check back—i try to put cars up of the people i talk to before others.
i took over 1,600 pictures over three days, and i've spent the evening sorting them and backing them up. so quick post now. this one belongs to jimmie. really, really clean fairlane. he was, of course, curious what i was doing behind his car and came over to chat a bit. i took a few angles of the car, but this one was my favorite. so jimmie, as i was saying, click here if you are interested in buying a print.
gotta catch some sleep now. up early for work and wondering if it's going to rain, or if the weathermen are just being incompetent as usual. but i hope they're right. my birthday is coming, and really, i just want it to rain. i'd rather it be raining and i was hearing it on the roof of a cottage in solvang, but i guess if it was just raining, that would be good enough.
my better half may have found jesus; i found frank. like forrest said, you never know what you're going to get, especially when you go around to the back of a car. i'd never seen one of these cars, and was happily shooting it from the front. then this happy surprise when i went to the other end.
while frank never impressed me much, the airbrushing here wasn't bad, but it wasn't especially great either. for one, why is the color almost pretty good all over, then his mouth is full of gray teeth and gums? did he wear dentures, or did they forget to add a little pink to liven it up a little? no, wait, he was a smoker; that explains it. i know he was old, but ick. kinda creepy.
no, i don't want to dance with you. maybe my dad helped him out with the punctuation—he too, also likes to use exclamation points on everything he types. i know he'll read this eventually! sorry, but it's true! i love you dad!
anyway, this is it for a week. i'm all packed up, and the weather channel says it's going to be raining all week, as one would expect in seattle. bringing my cameras anyway, in case a patch of sun opens up for a few minutes here and there.
i'm sure my better half will keep himself busy and not notice the time passing until i get back, right d? he can hang out with his other old lady...who also is known to read this blog...thanks for putting up with me.
---side note---hey ernie from the latin gents, did you get my email last month? probably in your junk mail...that's where they always go.
