trailer of dreams

holidays coming, my least favorite time of the year. but maybe i’ll find time to post a few more images more often.

helped the better half sift through storage this morning, to pull out the boxes of xmas decorations—from the back of the storage unit—of course. jammed my thumb helping to shove the perinnial, ancient xmas tree into my back seat. bent the nail back a bit, and now have an aching bruise going on the end under the nail. so adding that to my list of why i don’t want to bother with holidays.

makes my better half feel happy to decorate, but the pain involved wrapping the five- to ten-thousand lights on the damn thing sucks. guess he plans on the toy story theme this year, so it will also be covered with toys.

it does look good when it’s done, but the process makes me want to find some way to be able to throw it as is in a box every year. no way we could, though…the lights make it too heavy to even move. i’d consider just leaving it up year round, but our front room is too small here.

anyway, my mind is drifting to past and future trips. i think i’ve officially attained burn out at work yet again, but with the holidays, the work load is expected to be light through to january.

saw this truck full of project cars in october, out in seligman, arizona. the driver, who was across the street, spotted me shooting pics of his rig. he walked up and noticed i had a “real” camera. he was cool. said he and his brother—who had another rig full of these cars around the corner—were heading to southern california, delivering project cars to eager owners.

hope to see some of these at shows someday, but i’d never recognize them, probably.

payback isn't always a bitch

one of the first cars i decided to shoot at this show, and oh how i wished the photo album was off the hood. the owner did finally come over and offer to move it, but i was already done with his car, starting to overheat and running short of time. chatted a bit, showed him my book.

he said he'd helped the original owner paint this car, i think back in the '70s. turns out he'd inherited it from him a couple of years ago. if i remember what he told me, i think he's still tweaking the engine, but it looked nice, glittering in the sun. glitter and pinstripes. not a bad way to say thanks for your help.

diamond in the rough

i've been going to work all week not quite sick enough to stay home, particularly with deadlines to meet. i think i caught the "sinus infection" that my dentist's hygienist was telling about while cleaning my teeth the week before, while coughing with that little white cotton mask over her face. ya, i don't think it filters out the germs much, so thanks for that.

somehow i would make it through the day at work, then drag my sorry ass home to bed. to the house away from my mother-in-law, and away from my computer. so basically, i couldn't post if i wanted to, so sorry about that. i really miss playing with my digital garage when i can't get to it. better that i got some rest anyway.

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best part of traveling is the chance to see some different stuff. like this here truck. i've never seen one. it was just distinctive and old enough to catch my eye. and it had an old harley in the bed in a matching paint job. too bad it was parked in the shade.

yaffe taffy

this is a bike like you've never seen, unless you caught it on AZ highways tv (you'll have to find the one titled "paul yaffe" - can't seem to get the direct link to it. it's a custom harley bagger by bike designer paul yaffe.

can't image that anyone would want to ride it, with the possibility of a dent, a chip, mud, etc., hitting it, but really, what's the point of spending all that cash for a piece of art like this, if you didn't want to be out there for everyone to gawk at. got me to shoot it, and i don't bother with many bikes.

wish they hadn't parked it in the shade, the colors are really incredibly vibrant, and they're kinda muted here. seems like if it wasn't chromed and etched, it was covered with this hand painted imagery. check out these details:

 you thinking what i'm thinking: holy shit!, right?

crackle

i admit that i wasn't going to shoot this car. i had ducked under the overhang to get out of the sun and was contemplating packing up my cameras. the hood was up for one thing, and it was half in and half out of the shade. oh, and the owner was sitting in it with the door open, chowing down on some fries, and perhaps what were the remains of a hot dog.

he made some comment about my hair, i think. something to the effect of how it was so red. i told him it came from a bottle. he asked what color my hair really is, to which i had to say, that it's been so long that i've made it various shades of red or blonde, that i can't say for sure. let's just say, the pictures from high school have me with light or strawberry blonde, and be done with it.

anyway, some other car with flames painted on the hood drove in at that moment, so i was going to follow it to wherever it was parking. unfortunately, after backing into a similar space, half in the shade, the car was instantly surrounded by the crowd, and owner promptly popped the hood, and that was that.

the owner of this car noticed me still standing there, and inquired about my photography. i told him not without the hood down...and he volunteered to close his hood. it's like magic sometimes. my better half has been to shows with me, where a group of guys will wonder aloud why i always pass their cars by, to which he tells them, if the hood is up, she won't even bother. at which point, there is a quick slamming of hoods...lol.

so, since i still had some time before i had to leave, i took several shots, from several angles. had to move at one point, as another car pulled into the empty space next to it. i liked this view, and also another from the front, a vertical shot.

i think he said the paint on this puppy is at least 30 years old, and he for some reason kept apologizing about the chips and cracks in it. i kept telling him, i love it, and it gives it character, i wouldn't change a thing. hell, if it really bothered me, i could kill it in photoshop, but i like it just the way i found it.

i handed him my card. told him i'd post it, if he wanted to see what i did. he asked why/what for? strange question; most people are curious to see their cars here. i guess he was suspicious, maybe that he would have to pay. no, no, nanette. it's here because i liked it, because you took time to chat with me, and tell me a story or two. so thanks for that.