what's up?

tut tut

1939 chevrolet master deluxe

1939 chevrolet master deluxe

looks like rain.  

two hour drive home and out for a quick dinner so my better half can go shopping. 

bro flew home today. hope he made his connection. hope he can figure out uber since no one in his fam wants to drive to the airport at midnight. if i could, i would have gone with, just to be sure he’s ok. 

kid called wanting to do dinner , i.e., have me buy, but not down there tonight, so she’ll hit up gramma. 

snagged a bottle of vino someone brought back to work from a meeting. i don’t drink, but my daughter-in-law does. she said she’ll take it.


pretty paint combo on this thirty-nine out at pomona a couple of months ago. so late in the morning, and a relatively empty parking lot, still surprises me.

on my way home...

1939 chevy master deluxe

1939 chevy master deluxe

i left my mom’s late on saturday. had a few errands to run and a dog to walk.

i happened to have my camera bag with me, as i’d been asked to retake a group photo at work, and i like my lens better than the one for the company camera. one person was late, so they will reschedule some other time next week.

well there were several later-in-the-day car shows running on saturday, so i figured i’d just make a quick stop at one of them. this one on front street at the nights of columbus was a fundraiser for someone i’d never met, but i always donate anyway. may not be much, but hope it helps in some way.

just a street of about twenty or thirty cars, was just about the right number of cars for the limited time i had to shoot.

this car pulled up while i was shooting another car a few spots down.

when i was done at that end of the road, i walked back, and set up my shot. popped off a few frames, and then my camera decided to be a dick…camera error message. did as it said to do, and shut it off, and when it continued to show the message in spite of being turned off, popped the battery out to kill it.

after a few resets and continuing error messages, i resorted to another camera that i usually don’t use, except as a backup camera. the lens is an 18-105, and the zoominess on the thing forced me to stand further out in the street to get the shot.

did i mention the road was not shut down to traffic? nice of people to just drive around me, though i did get a few glares as they did so.

anyway, this is the same error that started on my other camera, that eventually rendered it useless and/or untrustworthy. it could also be that it doesn’t like the brand of memory card i was using. all i know is i can’t trust it as the main camera for a bigger show. will have to figure it out before i head to chicano park next month for sure.

so this shot is with the back up camera. did not like the color it captured, but the black and white version has an interesting moodiness that didn’t bother me so much.

recovering

1939 chevy master deluxe

1939 chevy master deluxe

sitting here in florida, in an icu room, while my brother sleeps. surgery went ok, but he did have some somewhat scary complications, so i finally booked a flight to come see what was going on myself.

he’s going to be ok, but will be moving to a rehab facility for some period of time when they release him from the hospital. already booked a flight back in a few days, so he better keep improving.

—————-

i did see an old chevy on the ride between the house and the hospital, but sister-in-law didn’t stop to let me take a pic. not really top priority for her, as she needed to be somewhere and has other things on her mind. i have her car for an hour or so, but i don’t think i’d find my way back to where the chevy was. oh well. 

it’s pretty cold here, for florida. nephew says because of a storm or hurricane coming in a few states north. pretty much feels like california now, at about seventy degrees in the daytime. almost nice, but i know the other three-hundred and sixty das of the year are mostly sweltering humidity, with some windy hurricane excitement thrown in. nah, i wouldn’t live here. i’ll stick with the occasional earthquake for one-hundred, alex.

————— 

posted this car up on instagram before i headed to the airport the other day. i know i’ve seen it elsewhere, and probably posted it. it may or may not be the same one owned by someone who chatted up my better half once in anaheim, talking about hand sanding the pieces until flour would just slide right off it before taking it in for painting, or else there is another super purple master deluxe driving around. this one has some glitter in the paint, and i can’t remember about the other one.

observations

1939 buick century

1939 buick century

a few things on my mind from the places i’ve visited on this trip, no particular order, and applies to pretty much each place:

  • airbnb owners do not provide enough toilet paper

  • especially when there seems to be no kleenex anywhere available

  • i hate the smell and feel of wicker furniture

  • mosquitos will find and dine on you while you sleep

  • i think i managed every mode of transportation except space travel all in one day, at least twice

  • cities here are like cities at home, just with older stuff and smaller streets and cars

  • most people are friendly, even if we don’t speak the same language

  • why the clothes washing machine, but not dryers? 

  • detergent makes clothes stink...or maybe the lack of fragerance and softeners uncovered how they should smell  

  • and everything enviro friendly...to an obsession

  • people are healthier/skinnier because of all the walking. some of the diet is just as bad. 

  • i do not like wine, and never have. and have reconfirmed it. smells like easter eggs coloring.

  • they like coke zero. i do not. coke “normal” seems to be mostly available

  • food is good in general, and i have tried some meals i would otherwise never have. doesn’t mean i’d ever have or cook them at home

  • lots of cheese and pasta. sauces are different. 

  • the light is different

  • dogs seem to allowed everywhere, except maybe church. restaurants, clothing stores, etc., ok. but no evident pet shops...where do they come from? and also, not really seeing them as being neutered. 

  • beggars all seem to have the same outfit and age. basket out, bandana on head, face to floor, butt in air as they kneel, scraggly skirts. kinda scary when they follow you right up to a building entrance if they think money is getting away. 

  • airbnb homes are neat alternatives to hotels. most have been old buildings, with modern european remodeling and conveniences inside. 

  • i’m a big fan of air-conditioning

  • bidets are an interesting concept

  • a lot of things just seem to be done more logically

  • guacamole withdrwals...avocados suck here

  • traveling with a family group is a joy and a hassle, at times

  • churches everywhere, and they do love ringing their bells. a lot. sometimes late at night. 

  • my back hurts

  • americans are just slobs and terrible at pulling together outfits, comparatively

  • parking is almost impossible to find, and mopeds and vespas are popular, though they typically have really torn up seats

  • hard to find a car without a ding or scratch

  • no tipping, as it is already built in to the bill, but also an extra charge if you sit versus to go

  • eat where the locals eat for the best food. don’t be obsessed by yelp or trip advisor for recommendations

  • my feet hurt, i’m exhausted, but i’ve lost some of my jiggle. just need a few more weeks of vacay, i guess

  • didn’t win the mega millions, so i guess i will have to come home anyway... 

time to find dinner, or i’d go on and on…


old buick from the last pomona swapmeet i went to. gotta get back one of these months. 

 

dream big

1939 chevy master deluxe

1939 chevy master deluxe

i had a dream last night. usually don't remember them very well, but i guess this one happened right before i awoke.

a giant t-rex stomping down our street, casually chomping on the big round-topped trees, as if they were giant broccoli. and i was happy about it. along with the trees, the damn, noisy, now-wild parrots went with them.

what i want to know, is, who released the first couple of those things, rather unleashed them? all summer, the flock flys around uptown, squawking from sunrise to sunset. keeps me from sleeping in late, with the windows open on the hottest days. 

i don't sleep well as it is. summer here is hell, with no air conditioning, but there are those fucking parrots.

guessing the t-rex came from a parody i watched on youtube. at least i didn't have to play the part of genarro in jurassic park, hiding in the bathroom stall.

maybe it's my reaction to some bad news i heard from a friend yesterday. the kind that sucks the big one, and you just want to strike back at the universe, for dealing a shit hand to good people.

now, in this scenario, who is the t-rex, and who are the parrots?


caught a fellow photog's car at the uptown show. should i be jealous of his ride, or should he be jealous of mine?

really, is there any comparison to a honda? nah, his is more photogenic. and a wee bit cleaner than mine.

captivated

1939 chevy master deluxe

1939 chevy master deluxe

another picture promised to post from last week. pretty sure it was white, but the overcast turned it as gray as the clouds above.

————

stuck here at my kid’s home with his dog, waiting for them to come home from solvang. i’d have left by now, but then he asked if i wanted any danish for my mother-in-law...so, like i said, waiting.

dog woke me up before six. i guess he either had to pee, or thought i was rather late for work. i turned over and tried to ignore him, but i could feel his beady eyes staring at me in the dark. oh well, at least everyone else is asleep, so i could take him to the park, the school, anywhere, and no one will care if i let him run around off leash. pesky rules, pesky people. 

took him to the park, walked over to the junior high school, so he could sniff out lacrosse balls in the bushes. walked around the track. everything dewy and wet from the overcast. he tried to catch a canadian goose randomly dipping for bugs on the centerfield of the track. not fast enough, and the goose honked away overhead. 

back home for breakfast. then what. figured i could kill a coule of hours by taking him to my parents’ house.

didn’t realize my other kid was back from her trip, and was just heading off to work. so, from the front, upper window, her own dog howled and barked hearing us outside. idiot, shut up before you wake the neighborhood. spastic, tall, gangly horse of a two-year old dobie ball of energy. had to run upstairs and let him out of the room. hot in there, for the snakes, who just stare at you with dead eyes. creepy fuckers. 

anyway, these two dogs don’t really get on well. the older one tolerates the dobie, but their personalities are opposite. the older, shy and only like certain dogs, and the dobie, who is gregarious, and would play with any dog, as long as they want to play chase. 

took a while to calm dobie down to a tolerable level, the other mostly trying to stay away, and/or hide under my legs. my parents didn’t hear a thing, and continued sleeping, in spite of me yelling, “asshole” around the house, trying to get the beast to stay out of things. food works. pretty sure he got fed, but i gave him more. 

i’d take them both to the big dog park, but i would not be able to wrangle both, the older not really wanting to play with other dogs, only dutifully walk the perimeter and take a requisite dump, then head back to the car. he’s only really happy at home. 

the other beast loves it there, and will run until he’s tired or overheated, whichever comes first, and never wants to leave. he does not come when you call, and mostly either have to pull him off some other dog, or wait him out. pretty sure one of these days i will break a finger twisting in his collar. little bastard. 

these are both of my furry grandkids, all i have for now. 

anyway, parents finally came downstairs, mom cooked bacon and eggs, and defended that from the tall beast, who can reach right across the counters, if you’re not paying attention. 

hung up the flag outside, for memorial day. mom was afraid she’d fall off the step stool. i was almost too short to do it in spite of the step. 

finally, judged the older one had enough of the younger dog, and headed back to the house. 

now watching game of thrones episodes, made chocolate chip cookies, and ordered dominos pizza, the whole time being stared at by this dog. no, wait, he’s taking a nap finally.  

kid still an hour and a half away, but traffic still seems to be moving. let’s see how it is when i finally head back to whittier.

avatar

1939 pontiac

1939 pontiac

chicano park 2-2812.jpg

got some new prescription contact lenses on my eyeballs today. haven’t worn contacts since the ninties. didn’t realize my better half had never known me without glasses...time flies.

got one eye tuned in for closeup stuff, the other for distance. guessing this must be equivalent to that corrective surgery they do for vision. my sight is pretty critical to my work, and my photography, so i’m a little paranoid to ever want to do that surgery. former sister-in-law went that route, and is basically blind today. others, still need to wear reading glasses, so what was the point?

my glasses have been bugging me lately, just a dead weight on my face, so i thought i’d try something different. probably should just pick different frames, but that doesn’t help when you want to wear sunglasses too.  limited selection of styles with magnetic or attachable sunglasses. color changing lenses i think would affect how i see color on-screen at work too much, so no to those coatings.

anyway, my reason for mentioning this at all, is i‘m out, walking uptown today, and it’s really weird. 

ever see those cartoons, where the characters are real small, in the driver’s seat of a robot’s head? shifting gears, pushing buttons, while looking at big screen tvs of the surroundings? 

well, i’m sort of feeling like that. feel like i’m inside a ten-foot tall being, driving it down the sidewalk.

kind of like an avatar, only i’m not blue. maybe i am. really weird and disconnected from my self. the doctor said the different prescriptions in each eye would take my brain some getting used to, but damn. 

thinking about going to a car show, but can’t today. apart from the dealings with elder care and exhausted spouse at home, i don’t see how i would be able to see in focus or tell if my picture was in focus with these eyes yet.  

maybe tomorrow. weather is perfect mix of cold and overcast this weekend. my favorite. ya, maybe tomorrow. other than that, i have plenty of pictures waiting to see the light of day... 

——- 

here’s a pontiac from chicano park last month. love them and their hood ornaments. really didn’t care for the big, flaccid bow on the front of this one. wondered if it was left over from easter, but mostly wished it gone. unfortunately, i am not a magical being, and the owner wasn’t around to attempt some yoda-like mind suggestions on, so i left it be, and took it as i saw it. 

 

deadly

1939 chevy master deluxe

1939 chevy master deluxe

so, school shooting yesterday in florida. my niece and nephew were there...that's their school. they are ok, spent time hiding in the dark, under desks.  saw stuff, heard stuff.

nephew has been doing interviews on tv; niece spoke to abc london. four of her friends died. 

other nephew on swat team, clearing classrooms. 

scary stuff. 


quiet, early morning, waiting to head in at the bomb club show at santa anita last summer.

bitch

1939 chevy master deluxe

1939 chevy master deluxe

i like my doctor. really i do. but she pulled out my stitches today, so i'm kinda hating her ass right now. she coulda numbed it out first. now this bandaid she slapped over the holes is a bit tight.  

going to go to sleep now. won't feel it or think about if i'm unconscious. at least i'll be able to scratch that skin soon. better half was threatening to put one of those cones on my head...like a dog. who's the bitch? i guess i am. 

----- 

almost didn't go to the fundraiser at montebello park. got my taxes done in the morning, and didn't get back home until after noon as it was. it wasn't far, i wanted to shoot, and if i couldn't find parking, i could just turn around. 

and my better half decided to join me. he wanted out of the house, and left his sister to care for his mom. he also needed to stop at the market for a few things on the way back. 

shockingly found a spot in the little parking lot. lots of cars still there and arriving though it was after two o'clock when we got there. 

he got to catch up with people he hasn't seen in a while, and i shot more cars i probably otherwise would have skipped, because they were parked across the street from the crowd, and i didn't know them. 

afternoon light and shadows were what they were, so shot around it or just said fuck it, and shot into the sun. a few lens flares don't bother me, if the best angle happens to get pegged by the sun. 

the car next to this thirty-nine just happened to pull out as i was walking up to it, so i had a little extra room to play. the trees blocked a lot of the direct light, but couldn't filter it all, so a few flare spots here and there.

at least no camera errors yesterday. afraid i'd be cameraless for a couple of months while they get repaired--but not really; my better half is already letting me use one of his...and i hate it, as he predicted. though it is a better camera. 

maybe i'll go

1939 chevy master deluxe

1939 chevy master deluxe

i haven't been out and about much when i'm not at work. just have other things i've been dealing with, and just haven't. 

there's a cruise tonight, and a show tomorrow that i'm thinking about going to, for a change.

i was out at pomona last weekend, and i noticed my tripod is a bit wonky, and one of my cameras definitely is out of commission. camera i think is still under warranty, so i need to look into sending that in. the other camera needs the sensor cleaned, which i can do at home.

when i find myself looking back at years' old pictures for something to work on, i know i need to go out and find something new, or a fresh look at an old car.

so maybe i'll go, out to covina before it gets dark, and shoot some cars until sunset. better half isn't going, so i won't be out late. EDIT: didn't make it. :(

now to motivate myself to get my shit together and go.


pic above from the bomb club show at santa anita. that was a fun show. i overheated before i could get to all the cars. really need to head out early to summer shows, so they don't kill me.