i had a couple of reasons to be in temecula last weekend.
i’d mentioned the ramble on the ranch show a couple of months ago to my son, who lives out there.
at that time, it would be taking place after the due date for his second kid, so hey, convenient reason to pop in and see the little critter.
we had it set up that i would carry a go bag, if the wife should go into labor before the time that her mother could take time off from her day job to go help out.
i was visiting, about a month before d-day, and figured i’d just leave my bag there, so it wouldn’t have to bounce around and bake in my trunk.
well, the due date came and went. finally, they set up a date to induce, on friday, the fifth.
so i took the day off from work, to watch my granddaughter, while they went in to the hospital.
then they got scheduled for ten p.m. that night. they called before heading over; they got bumped to the next morning, due to other women that needed priority inducements, and there weren’t enough beds. please come tomorrow at eight a.m.
then bumped again, for the same reason on saturday morning. finally, telling them, they’ll try to schedule again on tuesday, if baby doesn’t show up on it’s own. mom was bummed, of course. she’s ready to meet this little person.
by this time, the mother-in-law was able to be there to help with things, so, i went to the car show, as originally intended. i was there at five p.m., and parked nearby under the shade of a tree. i opened my car door to about a hundred-degree oven-like heat.
keep in mind, that i haven’t been out much to shows lately, and i don’t tolerate heat so well anymore, which equals a recipe for fun. i pulled my gear out of the trunk, and walked a couple of rows over to the show in the parking lot.
i’ve never been to this show, but have seen pics. vail headquarters is more of an historic park, with storefronts surrounding a little plaza. it’s been around since 1867. they have car shows at least twice a year, during the summer and at winter holiday time. cars park up in the plaza, and a shit-load more are out in the parking lot, and some out the back of the area.
my son sent me a text saying his wife would like to get out of the house, and after their daughter woke up, they would head over and we could get pizza for dinner from the shop there.
i started shooting a few of the cars in the parking lot, watching more and more cars pulling up.
problem was i was sweating profusely. my arms were turning red, so i supposed my face was. felt it was awfully soon to be getting a sunburn. i felt my heart beating quickly.
then i started getting the first sensations of “i’m going to pass out.” not good. no one knows me here.
i went as quickly as i could to my car. i had water in my trunk. i threw my gear in the trunk. didn’t even put the camera away, just set it down, grabbed the water, and got in the car. turned the air conditioner on for bit. thought, if i pass out, the doors are locked, no one will notice.
that wasn’t working. i looked like hell when i peaked in the mirror. i’d tied my hair up. my face was super red. i wasn’t sweating anymore, and i felt swimmy.
i figured it wasn’t good to sit idling with the air on, so decided to move the car, and get into the kohl’s store.
left all the stuff in the car, even my purse; my id was in my camera bag, which i didn’t want to draw attention to, so i left it, and stumbled to the store. people were already sitting in the chairs just inside the door. shit.
so i looked for the bathroom, so i could splash water on my face. saw some furniture for patios in the back corner and sat down for a bit. i’d turned the wrong direction, and the bathroom was in the other corner, but i needed a minute.
the air conditioning was not helping much, but it was better than sitting in my car. wanted to move before security came over to see what i was doing, just sitting there. i think i sat for five minutes, then found the restroom.
the water from the faucet was warm. i tried another, not much cooler. better than nothing. splashed my face, my arms, my neck. i was bright red.
i went to a stall, closed the door and took my shirt off for a bit. i finally felt my pulse slowing down.
i am guessing i was starting to have a heatstroke. never had one, didn’t know anyone that had, so how should i know? looked up symptoms on my phone. yup yup yup, going down the list.
decided to go over to the plaza, and find more water. about that time, my son sent a text to say they’d arrived and were parking the car. i told them i’d meet them by the pizza place. previously, they’d parked at the back, so i headed there, where i found a slight breeze and the additional show cars.
turns out they’d parked out front. i spotted my son walking through the crowd. his wife, her mother, and the kid coming up a few feet behind him. he strode over saying he liked the vibe.
i got a hug, and told them i think i’m having a heatstroke, and i need water. we went inside and got in line. we were about to order, when the phone rings. a nurse is calling and saying they have a bed for her now. she wants to leave, but she’s hungry, so they tell her she can go ahead and eat and then head over.
they ordered pizza to go, but it was ready so quickly, we decided to just eat some there. i felt a bit better after food and water.
told them i’d stop by the house to get my bag after. i stupidly thought i’d take a few more pictures.
off they went to have a baby. off i went to grab my camera bag. dumb, i know. told them i’d just shoot the cars in the shade. or else i’d be seeing them at the hospital…
i shot for about forty minutes, before i judged that i should stop while i still felt i was ok to get back to my car. i glanced at the parking lot, which had gotten quite full by then, and sighed. i just couldn’t consider them.
i’ll go back if/when they do a holiday show. cold, i can deal with.
