what's up?

old geez

old car. i like these from the back end. and sometimes the big ass headlights.

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i may not have made it to a car show today, but i kinda have. at least a half dozen very nice cars have passed through the intersection so far. didn't see them uptown earlier, so i have no idea where they are going, but at least i get to see them for a moment.

fifty

ok, mustangs really aren't my thing. probably because my sister had a boyfriend with one back in the day. and i didn't like him much, but what does a kid know? 

i usually don't give them much more than a glance at shows, this one included.

i had walked past these and was happily shooting some old pos truck, covered with rust, when some guy walked up and asked if i had shot his car yet. i asked which one, and he pointed over at the 'stang, or should i say 'stangs. both of these are his.

told him i hadn't shot them, probably wouldn't because they just aren't my thing, aren't old enough.

he argued that i probably had seen this, and probably wouldn't very often. his point was that there is a fifty year difference between these two models, and they are both his. the story was that he'd bought the '65 when he got married in '65, and had bought this stinking new mustang this year for their golden anniversary.

it is a big, beefy model. i'm sure it purrs when he drives it. i had a rental mustang a couple of years ago, and i couldn't stand it, but maybe this is a little better.

so i took a few shots. not bothering to post the new model by itself, cuz, you can just go see one of those at any ford dealer today.

happy anniversary, btw. i forgot to tell the guy.

vibrant

this is from last week's show in norco. almost as soon as i walked into the show area of the lot, i heard, "kathy!" for all i know, they're calling to someone else, cuz they usually are, but not this time.

it was an old acquaintance, my buddy, gary. hadn't seen him at a show for a couple of years. and you know with old guys...you start to wonder...

last time i saw him, was at the riverside show-n-go. he'd had his chevy there the first night, but not the next day. his friends told me his starter had stopped. on the car, that is.

and then i didn't see the car or him there last year. really at any show in riverside last year.

but here he was in norco. with a new car. no wonder.

said he still has the chevy, but now has to decide which one to take out.

so of course, i had to take a picture of his new baby. so hey, gary. what's with the bright, bright colors on your cars?

and what the h...this is like my third or fouth post in a row with a turquisey color vehicle.

lucy lucy lucy

been a crazy week at work. i do have some deadlines i gotta work toward this weekend, but i'm still trying to have "a weekend." 

spent the morning in the oc, watching my kid play in one of his alumni baseball games. unfortunately, both high school and college games were today, so he picked high school. probably because his best friend, and former team mate was in town, before heading off for spring training for his minor league team.

another of his former roommates should be starting this year in the  major league. maybe i can weasel some tickets from him. my kid chose to pursue a law degree, and is about to graduate. he should pick one of his friends, and work on their contracts.

anyway, after the game, figured i had options for the balance of the day: go home and work on my deadlines; get some lunch and go home and work on my deadlines; or i could drive out to norco, to see if there was anything worth seeing at the all american working iron show. guess what i picked. its called avoidance.

i don't miss the drive out toward riverside. anyone else feel like they're driving in the wild wild west going east on the 55 freeway? there always seems to be accidents, and people drive even more like idiots than other freeways. like there are no lane lines, swerving around the semi trucks. for get physics of stopping that much weight.

been a while since i've gone out to that big boy, and the parking lot was busy, but not crazy full like other shows they have there.

this one mostly had trucks, vans, and any cars that may have been used on farms back in ye olde times. and old cars were welcome too. unfortunately, many of them had their hoods up, so that cut my stay time by a lot.

i was about ready to leave, not finding a lot to keep me interested in shooting, when this car drove through the lot. was hoping it wasn't leaving, and happily saw it park way at the end, away from most of the show. i headed back that way directly, just in case.

owner was still sitting inside, on a cell phone. he jumped out when he saw me setting up. wasn't necessary, i was low, and he wouldn't have been in the shot at all. anyway, i took a few angles of it, and liked this one best. silhouettes up on the light pole, and the side view of the car; seemed appropriate.

one of the things i noticed when it originally went by, was that there was a big ole' lucille ball on the trunk. i couldn't get a good straight up shot of her, because he'd backed up against some plants i didn't want to totally walk around in or on.

owner said his wife really loved lucy—didn't everybody? he said he just happened to be driving by, wasn't really there for the show. can't remember where he said he lived, but i think he was just as far from his home as i was.

i shot quick. he had been on the phone with his wife, and had to get going. thanks for waiting while i got my fun on.

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back home now, and decided not to do any work today at all. that, and also cuz my better half had my computer set up all taken apart, in order to put a battery backup on it. if his mom has her heater turned on, and someone runs the microwave, it blows a fuse. which means, my computer crashes. has happened one too many times. 

and i got a new back up drive, that i'm filling up as i type. gotta make sure its working. still has not quite three hours out of five left just for all the pictures i took last year, and january this year. 

gotta go clean my camera sensors now. hoping to wake up early and head out to hillco for the super cruise before the big game. hard to get parking for that thing.

after that, then i really do have to get my job done. meeting on monday morning to present the designs.

 

smelled like pussy

as we were walking home from the art show uptown, we found this ford was parked a half block down. i had already taken a few shots of it, when the owner walked up and wanted to grab a jacket out of the car.

better half, who had assigned himself as my bag boy/assistant by this point in the evening, asked him what the story on this car was. 

if i remember right, he's had it for about seven years. said it was a complete mess when he got it. said it smelled like cat, or cat piss, fairly unbearable. took four months to air that out somehow.

he cut out that oversize sunroof and smoothed the edges. i think he said when needed, he can pop in the old piece to cover it up, and i suppose keep the rain out. but maybe he doesn't take this out in the rain.

anyway, cool car now. check out that paint job.

and i apologize for the title...better half dared me.

screaming meemies

i don't know why i shot this car or more, why i'm bothering to post it. no idea for sure what it is. it has some ford looking headlights and grille, but it's had some over the top cosmetic surgery.

i think what i enjoyed more than taking a picture of this thing, was the elderly asian couple that had been taking pictures of each other in front of various cars, this one included. suddenly, the old guy started screaming at the wife loudly in whichever language they spoke. kinda like a car wreck, i stared for a while, facinated like watching foreign soap operas on cable.

at this point, i can't remember if the old lady gave as good as she got, or if she just ignored him. i suspect the former.

they were still yelling when i left the area. maybe she didn't get his good side.

tonight, tonight

went uptown for dinner tonight. saw a couple of very nice cars. took pictures with my cell phone. i put those up on instagram: #randomcarsuptown. service in the restaurant was soooooo slow.

this one was sitting across the street from the restaurant. i kept an eye on it through the window. it was still there after the meal. got all the way home, and decided to get the camera and wander back uptown, to see if either car was still there.

my better half came along to keep an eye on me, i suppose. or maybe he just enjoys my company. he was suggesting i try shooting some different settings, being that it was night time. told him i'd give them a try after i shot them with my typical settings.

guess i got lucky. they both were still parked. just barely. shot a couple of a pontiac before the owner came back and took off. then continued down the street, to see if the other car was still there.

yes it was. this really cool ford. but the owner was sitting in the driver's seat. looked like he was texting, so i went ahead and started shooting, hoping he wouldn't leave before i was done. takes longer exposures when its dark.

i guess he saw me set up, and was just stalling until i was done.

my better half got his attention, mainly to thank him for waiting me out. he got out and introduced himself, and we got to talking about all the work he'd put into the car, and the plans he had for improving it, and making it go faster. dude just got his hair cut and was dressed for a night of cruising, i guess.

a few random facts, that i can remember: same owner for fifteen years and his daily driver; suicide doors; working on a bigger engine to drop in -- 400 something, sorry don't remember the specific model. (if only my bro were in town with his photographic memory); will be adding additional exhaust pipes on the sides with laser engraved skull and bones; chopped three inches; no back window; flames look fairly prominent here, but earlier were more of the ghost variety; after market racing skirts on the rear wheels.

talked quite a bit about the paint job. said he should have listened to the paint guy about the clear coat. apparently he opted not to follow the guy's advice, and there's some rust starting up under the paint. i suppose he'll eventually have to redo the paint.

i didn't shoot it from the back end, which i should have done while my better half was talking him up. had really unique tail lights. rare, he said. after market add-ons from the fifties, that he got lucky and found on ebay from the original owner. original packaging and screws even. some old dude cleaning out his garage. it happens sometimes. anyway, haven't seen another like it anywhere.

so much info, and i had hurried out of the house without my phone, so couldn't type in some quick notes, before the details fell out of my head. so this is the best my recollection of the info. can't remember the engine specs, but the new one will definitely be faster.

very nice guy. kept him talking about his car for a good fifteen minutes. all the while, he kept ignoring his cell phone ringing; hope his girlfriend didn't get too pissed. really appreciated him taking the time to chat. hoping to see him and the car at the dam on new year's day.

i'll put up the other car tomorrow.

just another day

so its kind of trying to rain outside. just rain already.

vacation time is way better when you've got something or somewhere planned to be. i got nothin. maybe if it was spending the time in my own house, rather than my better half's. but my kid is still living there for at least one more semester.

i guess i'm looking forward to freeing all my stuff from storage. it will be like christmas. then deciding on what i don't really need anymore—been without it for four years—so how much of it is just old baggage from a past life?

meanwhile...three more days to figure out what to do with. still doing backups and copyright filing.

thought this one from bob's big boy was ok. this car parks here a lot. if he's handicapped, that would be the reason. anyway, the car sits, i move. i liked this angle this time.

wondering if more than a few cars show up at the broiler on wednesday nights anymore. might just go over tomorrow if its not raining. week before xmas, used to get the lights on the drive-in and wreaths on the cars, so...

©2024 kathy gonzalez