what's up?

dreary, deary

saw this last summer, at front street. overcast, and darkish, sort of like today. red cars are a pita. the color usually sucks out all the details. maybe the camera sensor doesn't like red. gotta push the color around to give me what i want. clean car.

been busy, as usual. no one reads this anyway, and things i have to say wouldn't be all that interesting to anyone. or would they? nephew is in a magazine today. i can say i know him...sort of like when my better half's nephew danced around and said, "i know her," when i won my first ribbon at the county fair for one of my pictures.

the other day, i was contemplating that i don't own any work clothes anymore. i mean, more specifically, dresses and suits, you know, business attire / girl clothes. company went casual several years ago, and as i outgrew stuff, i didn't replace it. i really hate shopping.

noticing now that i need to buy new casual stuff anyway, it's wearing out. jeans are wearing through. the quality of clothing now is crap; those clothes aren't that old.

now, wondering what i would wear if say, i needed to go on an interview, and/or found a new job, or hey, i'm surrounded by older people in the family...what if...i need a darker outfit?

then my thoughts go to the undergarments.

wore a thong the other day. not sure why i even bothered, as it really didn't cover anything up, make a pair of old pants look better, or protect the parts from irritation.

hey, where's the cotton crotch? how can it 'breathe'? ...does it need mouth to, ya know...resuscitation?

sure my better half loves when i wear them, or nothing, but under the clothes at work, he's not around to see.

and no one wants to see ye olde grannie panties...leave those to my mom.

who is the evil person that thinks they should construct jeans that only go so high up on the hips, so you have to keep yanking them up, or get used to the sensation of them constantly slipping down, and showing the world your ass crack. wait...dudes get away with that look all the time, but at least their boxers cover their butts most of the time.

long brain dump about nothing, sorry. that's what's bouncing around my brain. having to face up to admitting i have to go to the mall. where, i won't find anything that fits, or i like, or is just hideous. i need to learn to sew.

hello gorgeous

saw this one very early in the morning, and couldn't quite tell if it was all black or what i thought i saw, a little purple tint. the light was muted by clouds, so i thought my eyes might be tricking me with a reflection of something else. what that would be, i dunno, since there wasn't a purple car nearby.

here, i found it later in the morning, and with the sun hitting the paint, i see that my eyes told the truth. it is purple and black. and simply, gorgeous.

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just got some emails. only got three pictures accepted into the oc fair this time, and those were not the ones that i would have expected. the one entry that i totally thought would get in, didn't. oh well, winning there isn't the thing to obsess over; just getting on the wall is the big win. anything else is frosting on the cake.

stepped up

staying at my parents' house this evening. went out for a walk after work. felt good to get out, though it was hotter than the last few days have been.

decided i needed a destination--seems to be the only way to make me take that first step. i needed dinner, so headed to sonic for a burger. i know, doing something good to get something bad, but i don't eat the whole thing, and only a few fries, so sorta ok.

well, my phone shows just under five miles to show for my trouble, so, got more than the mythical ten thousand steps the mythical "they" recommend.

therein lies the problem: finding the time to do it consistently and often. say if i don't post a picture unless i've put in my steps, i'd probably post as often as my better half...not anymore. easier to do at my mom's because there's no computer here for me to work on my pictures.

but then, i have my phone or my ipad, and a couple of pictures all ready, waiting for some words to go with them, however meaningless. my blog, my blather, doesn't matter.

this couple, (or brother and sister?) asked me to take a picture of them over by this car. not theirs, i think, but a friend's. no time to set up a typical shot of the whole car, and lots of people walking around at the time, so opted for my macro lens, for more of a quick portrait.

probably not what they wanted, since they posed in front of the car. guess i should have clarified that it would take a few minutes to set it up, change my camera settings, etc. maybe another time. i could have just flipped it into auto mode i suppose. brain wasn't clicking quick enough to flip from cars to people. stupid, right?

anyway, nice people, and have since let me know they did like their picture after all. and i had taken a picture of the friend's car earlier. turned out ok. maybe i should enter it in the fair.

wanderlust

flipping through pictures from a few years back. looking for something interesting i may have overlooked, or just never got around to posting. cars that have been sold, or just don't go out to the shows anymore.

this one from two thousand thirteen, i think i've seen elsewhere, but i thought it was a decent shot.

..been crazy busy at work again. the holidays are definitely over. busier i get, the more my mind wanders, to memories of past road trips, future travel, pretty much anywhere but the office. even thoughts of what i will do when i get my house back from my kid—gutting it, repainting it, what furniture to get...

today, mostly thought of the trip to seattle last year, driving through the redwoods.

and every day, when i get on the freeway to go to work or heading home, when i get to my exit, i always have the briefest of thoughts to keep going, keep driving, get to somewhere different. i could buy clothes and whatever else i might need on the way.

and i would do it, except for these pesky responsibilities like a mortgage and a job, and oh ya, the better half. i'd have to stop and convince him to get in the car...so let's go. and he would have the same argument in his head. until he would call his sister to come and watch their mom...he would go...but not for any extended length of time.

one of these days...i'm going to do it. and call and say, "oops, i must have taken a wrong turn..."

watchin’

1941 chevy special deluxe

i do like cars when they are parked near overhanging trees. easy to frame up something nice.

others were shooting a group of cars farther down the parking lot, just out of the frame. i took the opportunity to shoot other cars, while everyone was over there watching the commotion.

almost everyone. at least two were left, watching me, shooting this car. caught them in the reflection.

we live in an older house. no air conditioning in the summer, and an ancient heating system for the winter. i get hot flashes more often than not, so i suffer through the heat of summer, and the old wall heater in the back room is basically dead in the winter. i put off using a space heater in our room as long as possible. the thing makes me paranoid that it will tip over and start a fire, and it also heats the room up a fair amount.

my better half used to love it cold; i called him a polar bear. now he is less enthusiastic about it, especially when he wants to sleep. so we are at odds, now that winter is coming. it has been in the low forties at night, and our room has a lot of windows.

some nights we run the heater, and i alternate being under the blanket and throwing it off. sometimes it wakes him up, most times not. he has slept up on the couch a few nights, so i could see how it was without the thing on. it was great, and i slept fine.

i think he didn't mind the couch either; house heating system works well up there, and i secretly thinks he likes being up there, sleeping with the xmas tree lights on...a big night light. but those elf on a shelf elves, that it is covered with would freak me the fuck out.

heard my better half had joked to his mother that an exorcism was going to be needed in the back bedroom. he could almost see his breath when he walked in the other morning.

told you it shines

1940 chevrolet special deluxe

how'd it get so late?

quick post, then to bed.

ran into my friend ernie and his wife at the dia de los muertos, uptown last week. they said it was the first one they'd participated in, and i don't think any of their other club members were there, unsure that it would be worth the drive.

they offered me a bottle of water, which i gladly took, as i was overheating about that time, and still hadn't had breakfast.

they took a picture of me, so i took a couple of pictures of them. camera wasn't quite the right setting, and it's not quite sharp as i know that lens can be, but it's ok.

i think they might just have had the best spot on the street, as far as shade goes. probably had shade most of the day, which was quite pleasant on a hot day. being their first time there, they didn't know if pop-ups were allowed, so they lucked out.

i told them their car was glowing, with the light sifting through the tree branches. not sure if i captured it, but there's at least a hint of it here.

to the other couple of people who offered me bottles of water, thank you so much if i refused it—i'd just chugged one right before you asked...

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.

memorialize

1941 chevy special deluxe

quick post, still unpacking and unwinding. trying to convince myself that i want to go to work tomorrow.

thank you to any and all who have served our country, which includes my dad, brothers, uncles, and grandfather.

simple green

1941 chevrolet special deluxe

pretty as a picture. gotta get to bed, so i'll just leave it at that for now.

first up

1948 chevy special deluxe

quick post, since it's late, and i'm crazy.

first shot from sunday's super cruise. lots of cars, but not enough of these. or would that be too boring? well, i did shoot a variety of classic cars. skipped the newer stuff. and what's with the datsuns at the front?? going to put the v dubs up there next year??

got there just before the sun got over the horizon. had scoped out parking last year, and found a good spot. walked over to where the duke's club always parks. thinking someone works in one of the businesses over there, or at least has a buddy that does.

this one was parked at such a good angle to catch the sun when it did start peeking over the buildings.

glad i got it here, because i saw him driving away not to much later.

side note, since it's funny and has bugged me all day: was running late this morning, because the clock in our room is running slow...stopped for a quick breakfast after driving out of my way to avoid a friggin sig alert this morning.

after getting my food, i noticed on the receipt that the lady at the register, who can't be much younger than i, had given me a senior discount. i'm not there yet. i appreciate the sixty something cent discount, but seriously?