what's up?

boy next door

i went to this cars for a cause show near my mom’s house last summer. she specifically wanted me to take a picture of this banged up panel truck.

that’s her neighbor. one of those project car guys. he has a couple of other cars in his garage that are in better shape than this, but he chose to bring this beater to this show.

i’m not sure he recognized me, as he seemed to be staring quizzically at me and my setup. would have preferred the hood closed, and him out of sight. but, he and his wife pulled up and instantly popped the hood and placed the bear on a chair out front.

shoot them as i find them, and if he thinks that’s a good look, well…

finally got around to looking at the cars from this show, since my mom has been bugging me about it, yet again.

in her neighborhood, cars are mostly hot rodded up, and i admire them, but don’t really care for them. they have no soul. they’ve lost their mojo.

best cars at this small event were an old impala and a chevy nomad. i guess i’ll have to decide if i care enough to post those.

at this moment, i’m feeling like chopping my hair off. just out of the shower, and it’s getting to be such a hassle to deal with.

i think it’s the longest i’ve had it, down to my lower back, but just barely. it’s getting really thrashed on the ends, and just makes my head feel hot all the time. constantly tearing up the left side in the seat belt.

i do like being able to tie it up and get it out of my way though, mostly in the house. it is tempting to just shave my head and grow it out again. maybe just to my chin. i’m kinda afraid that my stupid fine hair cut that short will just look like a messy karen cut. that’s not me.

better half does like it as is, so there’s that.

rats

saw this interesting rat rod in one of the parking lots surrounding the race track, er, the streets of downtown riverside. seems to be a work in progress.

lots of little details to find here and there.

bullets, guns, rats, chains, skulls…it’s just a fun car to look at.

owner was a nice enough guy, and was happy to point things out to us.

giving you the bird

been a busy few weeks/weekends.

to san diego three times: to take my brother home from a visit with mom; then the following weekend just because; then the next week, for chicano park, followed by a week vacation and visiting with my brother and bringing him back home with us. probably enough of sd for a while.
spent this past friday and yesterday in riverside, at the show and go.
thought about heading to lincoln park on the way home today, but i think i sprained my knee a little yesterday, so unfortunately had to skip it. perfect weather for los angeles. really wished we could have gone. :(

regardless, i have a zillion pictures from the two shows my better half and i did get to, so if i told you i’d post your car, be patient. really busy at work on weekdays, so it may take some time, but it will get up here eventually.

here’s a t-bird from the grassy knoll at chicano park. dappled shadows on a rough paint job—it’s seen better days, with that post-sunburn peeled look, sort of like my face—but the car itself is otherwise in pretty good condition.

next post is almost ready, of that red pontiac next to it. both of the lady owners asked to see the pictures. i’ll get that ready while i import my riverside photos this afternoon.

down at the ranch

a car show at vail headquarters is a good excuse to stop and see my grandkids. unfortunately, one was already napping, after a hard morning of potty training. she likes the idea of it, just won’t participate in the actual location it should be going.

the littlest one i only got to hold for a short while, before he too, went off to take a nap.

so after a short lunch with my son and his wife, i headed over to the ranch.

quick post, as i have to go stay with my daughter’s dogs overnight at my mom’s house, and they’ve just arrived. she says she’s out of oil, but nbd. maybe i misunderstood, that it’s just the light that signals it’s time for a change, and not that her engine is about to seize up. wondering why she wants me to check it and add some, if she’s just going to head over to jiffy lube? what’s an extra five miles on a dry tank?

putting this one up, since the guy sitting in the chair asked me what i do with the pictures. he obviously saw me taking it, he watched me take it.. curiosity killed the cat…

i believe he said it was someone else’s car…maybe his brother’s? must be nice to have someone let you drive their car around.

running late

so tired, but can’t sleep. got two hours of sleep last night, and took a four hour nap when i dragged myself home to my mom’s this afternoon. maybe i’m coming down with something.

didn’t turn my computer on all weekend until sunday afternoon—attempt to, that is.

after a couple of days at my mom’s, i spent the next couple in whittier. mother-in-law wants the tree up this year. last year we only got the lights on the bottom fourth, not even visible from the street, before everything went to hell and my dad died.

so i helped my better half string the zillion fruity pebbles colored lights on the thing until i couldn’t reach the branches. i have the scratches from the artificial needles and wires to prove it.

he says he’ll have the top done by the next time i get there. hopefully his mom will get in her wheelchair and supervise decorating with whatever this year’s theme is. better half would leave the tree up year round, as he used to, but his mom doesn’t do that. i think this year she said fuck it, leave it up until february to piss off the landlord.

anyway, the computer came up with some message and not wanting to load. better half finally got it going, but told me to back stuff up, as he might have to reload windows. ugh.

i was almost done working on a picture to post, when, for the first time this year, better half forgot to turn off his mom’s space heater, and started the microwave. boom. blows a fuse. down goes my computer, as i haven’t bothered replacing the battery backup that went bad.

instead of me also blowing a fuse, i just thought, “fuck,” and went and packed my bag for the days i’ll be at my mom’s, and tried to go to bed. it was close to eleven pm. didn’t even turn the computer back on…figured my file is toast anyway.

so no new pic tonight. here’s one from a show at dolphin park earlier in the year. liked the dappled light and fallen leaves around the car.

hoping i can sleep now. so exhausted.

11,579

so much walking around here, i’ve done just under five miles, or 11,579 steps.

was just stepping into my meeting, when my phone rings. had to step out to take the call. it was the guy from the rental car agency asking a favor. he was wondering if i might go to the car and check to see if there happened to be a passport in the glovebox, left by the previous renter of the car. the renter was in tears, going crazy since he needed it for his travels. told him i’d look later. he asked how far away i was, in case i did find it, and coincidently, the weepy guy is also here in vegas, in case it was in the car.

so about halfway through my meeting, during a break, i had to go back to my room, get the keys from the safe, and hike out to the car. hot furnace blast of hot air heading outside to the parking garage. hundred and six this afternoon, so quite a shock, coming out of this air-conditioned haven. up the elevator, too early for parking sharks, past some dude sitting in his car smoking some devil’s weed.

i get the rental guy on the phone and check the glovebox, center console, under the seats, and in the trunk. no luck. feel sorry for the guy.

late, i rushed back to my meeting, now overheating, to find they have continued without me. no big, they didn’t notice.

anyway, back in my room, watching the weather channel, thinking about sleep.

———

here’s a hot rod from mooneyes, for something different.

burreto

another photographer’s truck. old guy, he’s everywhere. don’t know him well, but he always says hello. knows everyone.

had to wait for his fanboys and him to go off somewhere else, so i could take a few shots. they’re ok; at least he parked off away from other cars.

hey rey. happy new year.

your phaet in my hands

sticking to cars this time. boring everyone with tales from vacation the last few posts.

i shot this car previously at the uptown whittier carshow, on one of the side streets, on a corner. pretty sure there’s a blog post about it, i just have’t looked it up to link it...i’m sure it’d show up on the search page.

here it was at ruby’s friday evening cruise. had a nice chat with the owner, who hadn’t been around at the uptown show, but had seen my pic on instagram or wherever. very nice guy. my memory is short nowadays, but i want to say he’d put new wheels or hubcaps on it, since the previous pic.

mfeo

my dad was happy to see me the other day.

middle of the night he was so sure that my sister had called to tell him that i’d been driving to whittier late at night with my daughter’s dog beast, and that i’d fallen asleep behind the wheel half way there. apparently i’d plowed into a divider at an off ramp, and both dog and me presumably died instantly.

he had the phone in his hand and was going to call her back to see if it was a joke. then decided maybe he was just imagining it.

my mom came upstairs to bed soon after, and was able to confirm it was just a really vivid dream. i guess a few days earlier it had been my sister’s turn, but i can’t remember how she met her fate.

he has been hallucinating lately, probably a side effect of one of his meds. doctor had him stop that med, so they are not happening as realistically anymore, hence he is able to stop and recognize it may just be all in his head.

but still. i don’t remember most of my dreams anymore, but when i do, a lot of them do happen. deja vu? so i sort of don’t like that he’d told me about it.

on the other hand, there is no reason i’d be driving up there with that dog, as he wouldn’t be allowed in the house. but i have driven southbound very sleepy before, and that isn’t good either.

———-

anyway, la patina and his friend here, parked in the lot behind the whittier cinemas a few months ago at the uptown car show. they seem to be made for each other, studies in rust, perseverence, and restoration.

though old, they get around easily, so probably didn’t need to park in handicap spot.

foozball cruise

big game today. totally skipping that, but i didn't skip the annual car cruise at hillco.

i've been several years in a row now, and i think it may have been one of the busiest shows they've had in a while.

i got there just as the sun was coming up. really didn't get to a car being hit by the initial sunrise the way i'd like, so just started around the circuit.

shot this mustang on my first trip around. later on, coming back around for the third or fourth time, the owner asked if i post my pics. yup.

so here it is, since you asked.