my shady side

i’ve shot this car before. it’s really a beautiful car. owner has a long story about the paint color if you ask, but it ends up being some year of honda and some year of nissan greens, with a bit of pearlescent thrown in. really catches the light.

as i listened to him telling the tale of the paint to another random photographer/spectator and myself, the sun hit it just so, and it really was glowing.

unfortunately, i was busy listening, and not set up to take a shot then.

i’d already been by and found it earlier (above), and it just isn’t doing it justice. i mean i like the angle, the sky, the everything…it just isn’t catching the color. maybe the yellow car next to it is reflecting too much, and i’m on the shady side, (he was parked under the overpass but you can’t tell from this angle) but it just isn’t there.

oh well. posting this, and hoping maybe i’ll see it again sometime this summer. there’s always next year at chicano park…

a weekend | pt 2

part 1 | part 2 | part 3 | part 4 | part 5

arrived in san diego around five, and only needed to cross a set of tracks to catch the red train to my hotel. i still had a fare card for them from a year ago, so just needed to add days to it.

the train was due to arrive within minutes, so i hurried through the add days menu. paid for a one-day fare, then thought, duh, here for two more days, and added a two-day fare. that gave me a dollar off vs what i paid for a one-day fare. wonder if there was a three-day fare, now that it was too late to fix.

whatever. figured i had a total of three days on the card, so the fare-checking police could scan away and pass me by.

this time around, i stayed out in the gaslamp district, since they had lower rates then where we usually stay. nicer neighborhood too. since my better half couldn’t go, i’d offered up a free weekend with me to my daughter and her dog...city is very pet friendly...she had to work, then hit a funeral the next day, so no. mom wouldn’t go and leave my dad behind, since he’s feeling poorly healthwise, and he just might burn down the house if left on his own. sister is on a group vacation in peru, apparently. son and his wife had relatives visiting. even mentioned it to my bro on the east coast, but he wasn’t flying this way until next month.

i’d reserved a basic room, with an option to upgrade if the executive type rooms were available. with the padres on the road, of course the upgrade was available. pretty sure that room had about the same or more square footage than my condo. at least it felt that way. king-size bed, sunken tub, separate sitting area with couch, chair, big screen tv, bigger than a mini fridge, dresser, marble shower with marble bench, high ceilings, and overlooking the main drag of the gaslamp. pretty damn nice, but sucked since it was only me in it.

being that i’d only had about three hours sleep the night before, i set out across the street for dinner, then back to the room for a shower, and a hot bath. checked the cameras, charged batteries, and pretty quickly passed out in that king-size bed.

to be continued...getting ready for work...

cornfeed run

early light makes getting out of bed in the dark worth the trip. out to chino, for the cornfeed run. heard they had maxed out at eight hundred cars, and were turning them away. saw quite a few random, beautiful cars parked on the residential streets because of that.

better than last year, when it was overcast and started to sprinkle.

when the sun gets going, you really just have to get in front of a car and start shooting, or it's gone. this will do.

i think i was there for about four and a half hours, before i started to overheat, and felt the need to chug a bottle of water and get something to eat.

really only went around to all the route of cars and parking lots once this time. the light changed, and it wasn't fun anymore.

pretty sure i'm going to need to get a new ball head for my tripod pretty soon. i've pretty much worn it out, and it's a bit on the loose side. so, one camera repair, one new ball head—time to dip into the rainy day money, i guess.

especially deluxe: la green eyes

1942 chevrolet special deluxe

sitting uptown in a small eating establishment. no one dining here except me for a long while. i guess since the college kids are gone for the summer... now if they would just turn on the air conditioner, i'd be extra happy. its late enough, just having the front and back doors open, is bringing in a cool enough breeze--as long as i sit still.

better half is at home taking a nap. he's had an exceptionally busy week at work, and had expected to stay late tonight. he said the team he was waiting on said work from took off to treat themselves to dinner, and didn't invite him. they never do; easy to forget the lackey producing all the artwork when he sits on a different floor--out of sight, out of mind. so he promptly said forget you, and came home. he'll do it tomorrow, or at worst work from home.

sorry, no time for a long story. this evening. unless you want to hear about how many biscuits it takes a dog to eat before it blows...and my kid sends a snarky text message thanking me for having to clean up after it at four in the morning...nah. i didn't think so.

seriously, there were several shows advertised last weekend, but the one sponsored by bombs magazine, was the one we went to...they had me at bombs...

got there early, but still too late when the sun seems to be rising at five-fifteenish in the summer. was a hell of a hot day to spend on blacktop. my better half gave out before i did, but no shocker there. i was having fun, even toward the end, but those last couple of rows really tested my endurance. thanks to 39jimbo for that bottle of ice cold water, or i think i would really have had a heatstroke. got to the end of the last row, stood in the shade for a few minutes, and used up the last bit of energy i had before i melted, to get back to where my better half was waiting.

sorry if i took even less time to chat or say hello. i was overheating quickly. maybe i'll just break down and wear shorts for a change. just more skin to burn, but cooler.

still, the sun high in the sky does make cars glow just so, when the light hits them right. saw this fleetline on the way out, and quickly took this shot of it. just, a beauty...

owner says he bought 'la green eyes' in 2014, delivered in 2015 after new years. out for a face lift and back just in time for this show at chicano park in 2016.

butts

supposed to rain again tonight. guess i'll head to my mom's house for a couple of days. also, my daughter will be flying in mid-week. i'm already overloaded with work for the next couple of weeks, so i should be insane by next weekend.

posting one from the fairgrounds, since i didn't go to the swap meet today. true, it was raining at five in the morning, but it cleared up by lunchtime.

just love the curves on the back ends of fleetlines. bridgetown is always found here, along the bleachers. like they must always be first in line at the gates, at five in the morning. actually earlier. i get there at five and they're already in place, at least a few, staking out the row.

way to start the year

back home, but to compromise, i am mostly wearing a face mask. feeling like a strange tourist in this place, in time. so, fun times. better half follows me making darth vader breathing noises. i'm tired, cough mostly at night.

feck it, says i. i walked uptown to get lunch. without the mask. quietly sat and watched an episode of breaking bad on my phone, while munching a slice of pizza. wasn't hungry, but just enjoying the time out. sun was out, sky was overcast, it was cool enough to wear the big, baggy pepperdine sweatshirt my new daughter-in-law bought me for xmas.

and after a cold to start the new year, better half's uncle died yesterday. not unexpected. it was a mercy. i only met him once. nice man. the family is mourning.

saw this car sitting by my friends from the old times car club at the new year's show. waved at them, but didn't go over to chat. probably saved them from catching this cold.

i'm pretty sure i've shot this one before. i like the rough edges, the unfinished feel. that visor is kind of killing it though. probably the bright primer.

tweakedpixels

what's up?