48 fleetmaster

1948 chevrolet fleetmaster

beautiful chevy early in the morning. the whole reason for getting out there early.

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so i am writing from a random hotel in yreka, ca, on the second night of my road trip to seattle. driving a twelve foot rental truck full of junk, back up to my daughter, to get it out of her dad's garage and storage unit.

i have my mom along for the ride. somehow, she's traveled the world while my dad was in the navy, but has never been north of san fran. so will be visiting the space needle and pike market, and try to avoid all the meth heads that stand on the corners near the tourist spots.

last year, when i was there with my better half, they were actually sizing me up to steal something, not noticing my six-five, big man glaring at them. he's not with us this trip, so will probably park closer and not walk so far with her.

first night only got as far as los banos, due to a later start than expected. had just finished loading the truck, turned the ignition and noticed the check engine light on. waited an hour to connect with rental assistance, only to be told it would be ok to drive. better safe than sorry, but seriously? the light stayed on as far as corning. truck driving fine, so whatever.

saw a beautiful old chevy drive past on the main street of los banos as i was waiting to turn to gas up the truck. didn't have a camera ready quick enough.

i've passed a number of old cars on trailers driving on the freeway. saw an old rusty fleetline heading southbound, to a new home.

anyway, driving a truck is tedious, but i'm having fun. have made it up and over a couple of mountains so far. really loving getting to greener elevations, and away from the browner hills of central cali.

going to spend a few days there, then flip a coin to decide which route we take back. i've never driven down the northern coast, so maybe that way. drive out to the pointy tip of the state and head south.

would drive to vancouver if there was time, but probably not.

time to get some sleep. tired of sitting and my hands are sore from gripping the steering wheel.

goldie lox

1940 plymouth

at my parents' house. they're outta town at a mini family reunion. all my dad's sibs in one place, probably for the last time...it's a good thing. my brothers are there too, maybe to keep the peace, i don't know.

they're all getting old, and don't travel well. at least i know how my old people grumbled as i dropped them off at the airport. my mom would have preferred not going, or maybe a roadtrip, but then my dad would have fallen asleep at the wheel, and taken them both out. i'd really prefer to take his keys away now, even for local trips, but we'd have to pry the keys from his fingers.

mostly, he's fine. it's keeping him away from costco that'd be preferrable just now. no two people need that much food on hand that often, especially stuff that is sold in twenty-four packs and ripe right now. mostly i think he forgets that he already went shopping.

back to my point, i'm here, watching the house, feeding a turtle that is apparently not hungry and sleeping somewhere in the backyard, and an ancient bird who hates everyone that isn't my mom. it's also sort of creepy being alone in this house i grew up in. i just don't live here anymore, so i am not used to the sounds it makes. and there has been someone calling and not leaving messages all day, who also hung up on me when i did answer. probably just a telemarketer, because they're a-holes that way.

i also half expect my kid to sneak in and scare the shit out of me, since he also has a key. he used to do that to my mom, until i pointed out that he was going to literally give her a heart attack. he felt bad and stopped doing that at least. i'm tired, but don't want to turn the light off...little kid in an old bod.

there are several beds to choose from, one that's too hard, one that's too soft, and a couple that fred flintstone would have been happy to sleep on, until i bought them thick foam mattress pads to ease guests' suffering, most often that being me.

anyway, one more day and they'll be home. i'll probably miss ruby's season opener car show tomorrow, but my better half may go just to send me pics of what i'm missing. it's raining here right now, and probably tomorrow, so maybe the show will start next week, if the clouds head to whittier...

such a busy month ahead for me, i will just have to endure it, and fit in a couple of weekend shows as i can.

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i've seen this plymouth before, in previous years at chicano park. people mostly shoot it from the other side, and from the front. i got that shot too. but i am hoping to see things a little different, so here's a shot from the back. i need to post some cars from other areas of the show, than just by a mural wall. the cars are interesting on their own, without the added prop of the art. that is, unless it's more about the location and the car is incidental to the scene...

now i'm just rambling, and i should get some sleep. i'm sufficiently tired enough to not give a rat's ass if the bogey man showed up.

huffarama

quick post. better half needed me to rip my computer apart to make room for xmas decorations and rearranging furniture. had this pic ready to go when he asked. probably be down for a couple of hours.

i'll write more when i get the puter running again...made it out to the bo huff show yesterday...it was a good show...dead sled guys--thanks for letting me in early!

let the sunshine in

i've had a completely unambitious weekend so far. mostly catching up on sleep. did a little laundry.

still need to make some travel plans for next month. kid getting married out of town. those plans are done. also making a road trip out of it, so need to decide how much in debt i want to go, since it would just be me, out and about, during the holiday season. i could hole up in a random hotel somewhere, and hide out until xmas passes.

or i can just head straight home, and spend time with my better half and his mom, then head to my parents' for what is, lately, quiet xmas dinner. my brothers have moved out of state, so it's just my sister and me now.

some years, i just don't want to deal with holiday cheer; some i'll reluctantly participate. this year, i'm feeling a bit indifferent about it. no little kids around for the time being, so i can still choose not to deal with it.

i'm sure the closer to xmas it gets, the likelihood of me just saying 'fuck it' will go up.

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getting to car shows early, and catching pictures like this one, cheer me up just fine. 

oldies' san fernando high school car show in july—hasn't disappointed me yet. even if it is hotter than hell there, i try to do my best to at least have a look at every car there. except those extreme machines. hate those cars. really, i do.

brotherhood

i went to this end of the park hoping to find a car with a good shot of the sunrise coming up over the car. this club was at the far corner, under this tree. i could see good shots as i approached, but they were still moving their cars around. the parking director told them where to park, and when he wasn't looking, they tried several times to pull their cars forward to get them lined up. then the parking guy would yell at them to move them back...he had to fit so many cars in this field, they couldn't spare the space.

i think they tried a couple of times before the parking guy threatened to invite them to leave.

anyway, i saw several beautiful shots, but couldn't get them, for all the cars and club guys walking around. i'm really the one in the way—the show really doesn't open for public viewing until ten or eleven—so i had to let those shots go. i work around the edges, and get what i get.

i know that camper kinda ruins it, but i really liked the color of the light.

early bird gets the...

got to san fernando so early, that i parked on the curb near the entrance, and could have parked even closer, but held back a few car lengths. years' past there had been a line of cars down the street and around the corner. not entirely sure why it wasn't the case this time, but i needn't have worried--so many showed up later. must have been hungover, or, egads, they went to church?

i get to shows early, just for opportunities like these. no people in the shot, that glowing morning light, always chasing the light. gotta setup and shoot quickly, or you miss it. no gold reflectors needed. still, i got there too late for the transition from dark blue to purple to orange. oh well.

can't remember which club these two belong to...don't remember any club insignia, though they were later surrounded by a zillion pachuco club cars. i just know that i saw them across the field first thing, with that golden light, and went as quickly as i could to them.

loved the light hitting the hood ornament on the plymouth, and that it showed it's age, hadn't been replaced with a shiny new piece.

camera bags don't roll too good on grass. maybe they should make them with bigger wheels. that glow with fiber optic light. nah, wouldn't really blend into the background that way.

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crazy busy weekend/week ahead. day off on friday, mother-in-law's birthday; a graduation saturday, followed by a drive to vegas. a week there (any local shows besides cars and coffee?). car shows when i get back. thoughts: uptown whittier car show or bridal shower for future daughter-in-law??? hmmm hmmm hmmm.

gotta figure out how/when to take 100+ hours of vacation time before the end of the year. my mom just changed her mind and said she'd be willing to do a road trip. interesting. wait a few days...she'll change her mind.

let a little sunshine in

i used to like the holidays. really, i did.

then i spent a decade not liking them so much. i have my reasons. i'd become accustomed to it. and now, its just hard to get the spirit back. without a place to run off and be alone anymore, and with another person that wants me around, i just try to sit in the background and keep my mouth shut, or at least grumble quietly. for now. maybe it will take another decade to care about it.

does that mean i'm depressed? holidays are just manufactured traditions, or religious celebrations. not so religious, never really was, so why be a hypocrite? for now, i'll distract myself as best i can.

i see the light. i've joined the thousands that chase the light. try to catch it. it would help if i could manage to get my ass out of bed early enough like i used to for shows. other commitments now make it more difficult, but it really is just a choice. like this one. we chose to get out early to shoot. really is easier when the show is just down the road.