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Some cool car pictures girls images today:
Pink Panther Car
Image by OrangeCounty_Girl
I want this exact car but with hello kitty busting out haha
Family In Blue Train Car, Union Station, Utah
Image by Pink Sherbet Photography
My photos that have a creative commons license and are free for everyone to download, edit, alter and use as long as you give me, "D Sharon Pruitt" credit as the original owner of the photo. Have fun and enjoy!
Check out these cool car and girls images today:
ReggieBellyDancersGroup4.jpg
Image by Neurofibromatosis – Reggie Bibbs
These are some of the coolest cars and people we came across during the Art Car Parade. Loved meeting George Clinton, Mayor Bill White, Wednesday of Tribal Lillies, the Roller Derby Girls and the Gold Lady.
Lot’s of really fine cars but my favorite was the ZZ Top car! Phenomenal!!!
Hope you enjoy all the crazy, wacky, wonderful people we met!
ReggieGoldLady2.jpg
Image by Neurofibromatosis – Reggie Bibbs
These are some of the coolest cars and people we came across during the Art Car Parade. Loved meeting George Clinton, Mayor Bill White, Wednesday of Tribal Lillies, the Roller Derby Girls and the Gold Lady.
Lot’s of really fine cars but my favorite was the ZZ Top car! Phenomenal!!!
Hope you enjoy all the crazy, wacky, wonderful people we met!
Some cool girls car wash images today:
car wash 08192010 127
Image by lone photowolf
A few nice hot race car girls images I found:
Good Guys Del Mar Nationals – Sunday – Breanna
Image by christopherallisonphotography.com
Model: Breanna
"THE BLACK WIDOW" Builders: Wally Olson (1952), Bill Scott (1954) and Richard Riddell (2005) The garage find of the century! How long have you been hot rodding cars–since the 1950's? Many of us got started in the 50's and 60's. (For you real old birds out there that remember hot rodding "T" roadsters with Roto-Faze ignitions, Ruxtell 2-speed rear axles, Riley 2-port heads and Laurel lowering kits, well what can we say you're a generation before us and we take our hats off to you 'original' hot rodders.) BUT for all of us "The Black Widow" is a serious piece of 1950's hot rodding annals and a benchmark for the industry! In an article in Hot Rod Deluxe, July 2008 entitled, "Tangled Web" the full-story of Richard Riddell's quest to restore the original Black Widow had its public debut. Hot Rod Deluxe reported the car's winning the 2008 Grand National Roadster Show which was a dream come true, taking "Best Early Altered T Roadster". (See also Rod and Custom, June 2008.) It was also a contender for the Bruce Meyer award at the 'Grand Nats.' Why do guys like Richard Riddell (and the rest of us) spend years (3400 hours in Richard's case) restoring a car we found in a barn? Answer: 'For the love of the sport!' All of us remember some other cars with similar names, for instance the 'Black Widow' Monogram model car ("1/24 scale model/Ford 'T' Pickup Rod/removable top" by Mattel quality hobby kits). Also, we remember General Motors/Chevrolet coming out in 1957 with their first racing version Chevy called "The Black Widow." But predating both of these historic cars is the "The Black Widow" built by Wally Olson to help keep his kids out of trouble in 1952 and first débuted in Hot Rod magazine, September 1954 in an article entitled, "Lil' Beau T", which read, "Wally Olson, Fresno, California, automotive machinist, is the lucky owner and builder. Duane Taylor was called in for the body work." It added as to why he built the car, "! What with so much current upheaval in the teen-age ranks, Wally figured that a sure-fire way to eliminate those free-time, nothing-to-do troubles would be to interest them (his 9 and 12 year old sons) in a rod. So far the idea has worked like a charm." In time the family moved on to other projects and Bill Scott purchased the car and redid it with fenders, headlights and all the stuff to make it 'street legal'—as we used to call it! The first documentation of the car being called "Black Widow" is found in the magazine Rodding and Re-styling, August 1957 issue. That article reported Bill Scott's changes to Wally Olson's car, "The front end was revised to incorporate a tubular axle and tube shocks. The new owners also equipped the car with a new power plant. The original mill is a '41 Merc bored out .100 inch over stock, ported and relieved…includes 8.5-to-1 Offenhauser heads, a Weber full-race cam, and an Evans 3-caberator manifold." [Note: The several engines that were housed in this car later varied; see final Merc build details below.] Don't you love the sound of that "ported and relieved" and "full-race cam"—when's the last time you used those terms? By the time the 1959 Hot Rod Annual was published the car-title stuck for all time "The Black Widow." Riddell's 2-Year Renovation! According to long time race car builder Richard Riddell's log he states, "Sometime in 1955 Wally sold his roadster to Bill Scott. Bill again called on Duane Taylor to turn the car into a bonified street rod. With the additional of windshield, head lights, tail lings, and fenders it was finally able to jump into his little Hot Rod and go crusin'. The pin stripping was done by none other than Dean Jefferies with the familiar cobweb and spider on the turtle deck." He reports that the car's first win was "…a five foot trophy at the Sacramento AutoRama in 1957 for 'Best Roadster'. Yes, Bill's car was having the time of its life being one of the best looking early Cali! fornia st! reet roadsters of all time." Richard states, "Bill Scott died around 1987…for several years the car languished…getting worse and worse…as is so often the case for old Hot Rods." The garage find in 2005 notes, "At a glance the roadster didn't look that bad." But the Naugahyde and carpet were shot, fenders, original wheels and hub caps to name a few problems for the yet to begin restoration. Riddell notes, "Under a somewhat decent body and paint job lurked a mess that went beyond your worst nightmare." He adds, "I began wondering how I could salvage this little beauty in the rough. Not that many people have restored an old Hot Rod but, those who have know what I'm talking about. It's much harder than building a rod from scratch. But the roadster was begging to be restored and I'm glad that I was chosen to do it."and#9472;Richard died shortly after finishing the project but happily he was able to see "The Black Widow" win the 'Grand Nats' and have a feature center-spread article in Hot Rod Deluxe. Here are a few of the Riddell-engineered refinements to this original car. and#61692; Recessed pockets had to be built in the frame rails to accept the front motor mounts which double as water pumps. and#61692; New front radius rods were built out of heavy wall chrome-moly tubing. The original ones were so poorly made that they were unsafe. and#61692; The correct master cylinder banjo fitting was not available so, he fabricated a new one from scratch. and#61692; The tooling mandral had to be CNC machined to facilitate metal spinning new brass tail pipe end bells. Hey would you agree? Hot rodding is an art form and some Hot Rod Artists have mastered the craft and Richard Riddell is one of them!!! Reconstruction points of interest: and#61656; Original steel body and doors welded shut and#61656; '42 Merc 274 c.i flathead (current engine) and#61656; '39 Lincoln-Zephyr tranny and#61656; '34 Ford rear with Halibrand quick-change center and enclosed drive shaft and#61656! ; '39 F! ord hydraulic brakes all around and wide "5" 16-iunch wheels and caps and#61656; '37 Ford tube axle and#61656; Engine by RPM Machine and#61656; Chrome by Ace Plating and#61656; Frame done by Capps Powder Coat and#61656; Body/paint by Showtime Customs and#61656; Upholstery by Brents Why is the car being sold? To quote his wife Pat, "Unfortunately, Richard passed away on March 18, 2008 and will not get to enjoy seeing the new owner drive away with a piece of automotive history." Richard's loyal wife Pat grew up around racing since she was 9 years old. Her maiden name was Rodriguez. If you grew up at Lion's Dragstrip, as she did, you may remember her father's rail? He and his brother ran an old top alky rail under the name "Rodriguez Brothers". Pat said, 'As I was growing up I often wondered how I would ever meet someone to marry, since all that our family ever did was go to the drags. Then one day Richard came along and met me at the Winternationals.' Well the rest is history. For Pat after Richard's death there are just too many memories attached to all the memorabilia, race cars and hot rods in their storage—she would like to sell "The Black Widow" to some deserving hot rodder. Terms of sale: 5,000.00. Please contact Don Burdge at DreamRodLocator or call him at 619.804.8033. You should call me before Leno does! We have hundreds of additional photos and several 50's and current magazine articles available to seriously interested buyers.
citroen racecar
Image by godzax
race car by citroen testing road
Some cool cars & girls images today:
The Speed Lube Girls
Image by Artotem
Local Speed Lube girls in Champaign, Illinois. Efficient, Amiable and Humidity-Proof.
The Brighton end of the 2012 SLSLRC London to Brighton Land Rover Run
Image by Aspex Design
Thanks for viewing my photos taken at the Brighton end of the 2012 London to Brighton Land Rover Run organised by SLSLRC – South London & Surrey Land Rover Club! Constructive comments always very welcome – Dean
Information about Dean Thorpe
Dean Thorpe on Facebook
Dean Thorpe on Tumblr
South London & Surrey Land Rover Club
Nomad Webbing
London to Brighton Land Rover Run 2012
Image by Aspex Design
Thanks for viewing my photos taken of the 2012 SLSLRC London to Brighton Land Rover Run organised by SLSLRC – South London & Surrey Land Rover Club! Constructive comments always very welcome – Dean
Information about Dean Thorpe
Dean Thorpe on Facebook
Dean Thorpe on Tumblr
South London & Surrey Land Rover Club
Nomad Webbing
Some cool muscle cars and girls images today:
Joe Rocks Road Canberra
Image by Eva Rinaldi Celebrity and Live Music Photographer
Summernats Festival delivers Canberra cars, music, girls, tourism dollars and more
The 25th Summernats festival reved up things for Canberra again today as it continued on with parade of show cars.
It wasn’t just about cars as event co-owner Andy Lopez told the press. It was more about entertainment and a more family atmosphere, but make no mistake – it was mainly about the cars…and a good dose of loud music – as if the roar of the engines wasn’t enough to burst your eardrums (earplugs are provided upon entrance to the festival – satisfying OH&S regulations).
Event numbers are understood to be up this year, approaching 90,000, up at least 10,000 from the last Summernats Festival.
Mr Lopez said "People are going to get see something really terrific…two hundred cars in convoy, beautifully managed, well presented, a complete range of all the types of vehicles that Summernats has to offer and I think pretty much the community is excited about it."
Canberra has had a bit of a love – hate relationship with Summernats over the years, but this year there was plenty of love to go around. There were loads of car lovers, even love-mobile muscle cars, and of course the Ms Summernats competition – and not to be outdone, Fever Australia girls gave the Ms Summernats young ladies a run for the money with photographers and news crews.
No, there were not any riots and a good number of police and event organisers were quick to defuse any potential incidents before they started.
New co-owner Andy Lopez, who purchased Summernats said it’s another sign the event has turned a corner.
"This isn’t a choir convention, but at the same time we’re not like a gathering of satanists either," he said.
"Ninety-nine-point-nine per cent of people that go to Summernats are there because they love what the event is about and if there is anyone else who is looking to cause trouble then we’re going to deal with it."
Mr Lopez, originally had little interest in cars, said 2012 is shaping be the most successful Summernats yet.
"We want this to be the premier street machine, modifier event in the world," he said.
"We’ll have 1200 people watching our burnout competition and that’s something you can’t do anywhere else in the world.
"If you win the summernats burnout competition, you are the undisputed champion.
"That’s what we want the Summernats to be about."
Summernats attracts many of the nations most talented motor and mechanical craftsmen, artists and all matter of other folks who are in the business of hotted up cars. They also attract news media from from across the country – and this year its been mainly positive, with the festival being pro active to remove the more troublesome aspects of years gone by. The festival also adds a much needed boost to the ACT economy, with nightclubs, hotels and restaurants all reporting business definitely being up since the car-show hit down.
Some of our favourite aspects of Summernats 2012 included:
The burnouts – big congratulations to Peter and Debbie Gray (burnout masters and celebrated husband and wife team).
Miss Summernats contestants – Canberra local Sabrina Damiano, 25, who took out the Miss Summernats honours this year from a field of 14 contestants.
Show N Shine – car enthusiasts shinned up their toys and showed them off to thousands of adoring fans
Radio Revhead – great show put on by John McCoy-Lancaster and special guest in from Utah 1060AM U.S – J.C Hackett
The music – rockin with the massively talented Heaven The Axe (fronted by Phoebe, who is a bit of a Joan Jet – Angus Young (AC/DC) hybrid in our estimation. Phoebe and her crew absolutely rock and they reved up a storm at the Jim Beam Bar
Unexpected attendance by SBS entertainers / actors Rob Shehadie and Tahir (from Fat Pizza fame)
Body ink comp and display
Sidcrome tools display
The super cool personalised number plates which accompanied all show-cars
Top 60 finalist (car) show
A big thank you to Tom and the media crew for being so helpful, and to the other great people who worked so hard to make this years event such a massive success.
It’s not too late to enjoy Summernats – it runs through to the 8th, and you don’t have to be a rev head to enjoy it. Get your set of wheels and join in the action, and please drive safely.
Websites
Summernats
www.summernats.com.au
Street Machine
motoring.ninemsn.com.au/streetmachine
Heaven The Axe
www.heaventheaxe.com
Sidrome
www.sidchrome.com.au
Rob Shehadie official website
www.robshehadie.com
Tahir official website
www.tahir.com.au
DBC2
www.dbc2.com.au
Music News Australia
www.musicnewsaustralia.com
Eva Rinaldi Photography
www.evarinaldi.com
Eva Rinaldi Photography Flickr
www.flickr.com/evarinaldiphotography
Media Man News
www.mediamannews.com
Heaven The Axe
Image by Eva Rinaldi Celebrity and Live Music Photographer
Summernats Festival delivers Canberra cars, music, girls, tourism dollars and more
The 25th Summernats festival reved up things for Canberra again today as it continued on with parade of show cars.
It wasn’t just about cars as event co-owner Andy Lopez told the press. It was more about entertainment and a more family atmosphere, but make no mistake – it was mainly about the cars…and a good dose of loud music – as if the roar of the engines wasn’t enough to burst your eardrums (earplugs are provided upon entrance to the festival – satisfying OH&S regulations).
Event numbers are understood to be up this year, approaching 90,000, up at least 10,000 from the last Summernats Festival.
Mr Lopez said "People are going to get see something really terrific…two hundred cars in convoy, beautifully managed, well presented, a complete range of all the types of vehicles that Summernats has to offer and I think pretty much the community is excited about it."
Canberra has had a bit of a love – hate relationship with Summernats over the years, but this year there was plenty of love to go around. There were loads of car lovers, even love-mobile muscle cars, and of course the Ms Summernats competition – and not to be outdone, Fever Australia girls gave the Ms Summernats young ladies a run for the money with photographers and news crews.
No, there were not any riots and a good number of police and event organisers were quick to defuse any potential incidents before they started.
New co-owner Andy Lopez, who purchased Summernats said it’s another sign the event has turned a corner.
"This isn’t a choir convention, but at the same time we’re not like a gathering of satanists either," he said.
"Ninety-nine-point-nine per cent of people that go to Summernats are there because they love what the event is about and if there is anyone else who is looking to cause trouble then we’re going to deal with it."
Mr Lopez, originally had little interest in cars, said 2012 is shaping be the most successful Summernats yet.
"We want this to be the premier street machine, modifier event in the world," he said.
"We’ll have 1200 people watching our burnout competition and that’s something you can’t do anywhere else in the world.
"If you win the summernats burnout competition, you are the undisputed champion.
"That’s what we want the Summernats to be about."
Summernats attracts many of the nations most talented motor and mechanical craftsmen, artists and all matter of other folks who are in the business of hotted up cars. They also attract news media from from across the country – and this year its been mainly positive, with the festival being pro active to remove the more troublesome aspects of years gone by. The festival also adds a much needed boost to the ACT economy, with nightclubs, hotels and restaurants all reporting business definitely being up since the car-show hit down.
Some of our favourite aspects of Summernats 2012 included:
The burnouts – big congratulations to Peter and Debbie Gray (burnout masters and celebrated husband and wife team).
Miss Summernats contestants – Canberra local Sabrina Damiano, 25, who took out the Miss Summernats honours this year from a field of 14 contestants.
Show N Shine – car enthusiasts shinned up their toys and showed them off to thousands of adoring fans
Radio Revhead – great show put on by John McCoy-Lancaster and special guest in from Utah 1060AM U.S – J.C Hackett
The music – rockin with the massively talented Heaven The Axe (fronted by Phoebe, who is a bit of a Joan Jet – Angus Young (AC/DC) hybrid in our estimation. Phoebe and her crew absolutely rock and they reved up a storm at the Jim Beam Bar
Unexpected attendance by SBS entertainers / actors Rob Shehadie and Tahir (from Fat Pizza fame)
Body ink comp and display
Sidcrome tools display
The super cool personalised number plates which accompanied all show-cars
Top 60 finalist (car) show
A big thank you to Tom and the media crew for being so helpful, and to the other great people who worked so hard to make this years event such a massive success.
It’s not too late to enjoy Summernats – it runs through to the 8th, and you don’t have to be a rev head to enjoy it. Get your set of wheels and join in the action, and please drive safely.
Websites
Summernats
www.summernats.com.au
Street Machine
motoring.ninemsn.com.au/streetmachine
Heaven The Axe
www.heaventheaxe.com
Sidrome
www.sidchrome.com.au
Rob Shehadie official website
www.robshehadie.com
Tahir official website
www.tahir.com.au
DBC2
www.dbc2.com.au
Music News Australia
www.musicnewsaustralia.com
Eva Rinaldi Photography
www.evarinaldi.com
Eva Rinaldi Photography Flickr
www.flickr.com/evarinaldiphotography
Media Man News
www.mediamannews.com
A few nice cool car pictures with girls images I found:
Linda & Stacey At The Klamath River Cafe
Image by goingslo
Where It All Started…
www.flickr.com/photos/goingslo/5770280990/
Remember when the tipster said "8 to 9 a.m. – At The Cafe – Blue Pick Up…"?
Well here we are at the cafe at 9 a.m. where Stacey is meeting my Mom, Sister and Brother-in-Law.
He’s been a good sport and I know I’ll miss him once I leave Klamath.
For those interested in learning the details,
Here’s The Whole Story…
A Short Story That Took A Long Time
The last time I was in Klamath was more than 50 years ago while on a family vacation when we camped on the Klamath River at the Chinook Trailer Park (now the Chinook "RV Resort") where Stacey Fisher was a teen-aged summer employee. On the last night of our vacation, I was standing on the dock watching the river flow by and Stacey approached from behind, putting his arms around my waist and his hands into the kangaroo pocket of my sweatshirt where I had put my hands against the evening chill…I got the thrill of my life when he grasped my hands as it was the first time ever that a boy had paid that kind of attention to me. Within a matter of moments my Mom called her kids in to dinner and then we left at the crack of dawn the next morning before Stacey had arrived at work…we were heading home and I was heartsick. My Dad took us just down the road to a little diner for breakfast but I wouldn’t get out of the car because I was crying…crying for the boy I didn’t get to say Good-Bye to. Mom said I cried half way home and we lived nearly 900 miles from Klamath so that’s a lot of tears.
A week after we got home my Dad came home from work with a letter addressed to me from Stacey. It had been sent to my Dad’s place of employment (the Los Angeles City Hall~where umpteen gazillion employees worked) in hopes that it would trickle down to the right hands and find me, which it did. The letter was innocuous enough and Stacey’s high school picture was enclosed but the words "I Love you" were written on the outside of the envelope (by Stacey or by young pranksters from the Chinook campground I may never know). Anyway, I would remember Stacey Fisher and the night he’d had his hands in my pocket for a long, long time, and I carried the memory of him somewhere in the basement of my heart until I got the call beckoning me back to Klamath to be a Camp Host at the Klamath River RV Park right on the river.
Fast forward 52 years…
When I got this Camp Host position at Klamath, I knew immediately I would have to check around to see if Stacey was still in the area. After hearing my ‘Stacey Story’ my friends jumped on the bandwagon and Googled him (found nothing) then checked the on-line white pages (still finding nothing). Upon my arrival, I began searching local phone books (a P.O. Box in Crescent City but with no address listed…how can you Stalk Someone Without an Address?), and then I began asking every local I met if they happened to know a Stacey Fisher. I told some of these locals about the ‘Hands In My Pocket’ story but I told many others, too…people from the RV Park, waitresses, gas station attendants, total strangers sitting around the campfire, anyone who would listen. Women told me stories of their lost loves in return and three of them promised to start a search for their old flames once they got home from their vacations.
My first hit was when one man I spoke with at a scenic overlook told me that he and his wife had gone to school with Stacey. His wife was nearer to Stacey’s age and he suggested I talk to her. He said she took a walk every morning on the south side of the river, out on the sand spit, her name was Diane and she had blonde hair. Next morning I’m at the sand spit looking for blonde Diane. It took me three mornings but I finally intercepted her as she came off the sand making her way towards the car. Explaining that I knew of her from her husband and that I worked at the RV Park where she stored her motor home (I had learned of this before actually finding her), I was able to overcome her apparent apprehension at having been accosted in the middle of the road by a total stranger in an old VW Camper Van. Our conversation quickly led to motor homes, the depressed economy and the price of gas. Before I knew it, I was saying how nice it had been to meet her and as I was driving away I realized I hadn’t even asked about Stacey. Well, Shoot! I’m thinking…now I’ll have to chase after her again.
We did eventually meet on several other occasions, Diane and I, and I’ve gotten to be quite fond of her. I came to learn she hasn’t really kept in touch with Stacey since her school days and she wasn’t able to fill in many of the blanks other than to tell me he was partial to jeans with rolled up cuffs and fast cars as a teen…he was pretty cool back then even though her dad stewed when Stacey came down their street revving his engine.
I struck gold when I finally asked the young waitress at our local Cafe if she knew someone by the name of Stacey Fisher. She said "Oh, Yeah, Stacey, He Comes in Every Morning About 8 or 9 O’Clock, Nice Man, Keeps To Himself, Drives A Blue Pick Up".
Well, Well, he’s still here after all these years! Everything inside me fluttered upon hearing this news.
And I’m sure you can guess where I was the next morning at 8:00 a.m….hunkered down behind a hedge with binoculars and my camera (can you picture this?) just down the street from the cafe. After a short time, out walks a not too tall, slightly pudgy, balding, flannel-clad, bespectacled man with a fairly long beard wearing jeans, a pair of suspenders and what I thought looked like a wedding ring and he was headed straight for the Blue Pick Up. I had the presence of mind (just barely) to snap a couple of shots which I put on Flickr so that my friends could see what all the fuss had been about.
I thought the waitress would probably tell him that a lady had asked about him (or maybe not) and I considered what I’d say if I ever got the nerve to approach him. But even thinking about approaching him after all these years caused my palms to go clammy. I had visions of approaching and blurting out ‘Remember That Night on the Dock 52 Years Ago When You Put Your Hands in My Pocket?’ and the next vision was of a man cautiously backing away while whispering ‘Who Is This Lunatic Lady?’ You see, I was still that 14-year-old-girl on the inside (not the mature and competent adult I like to think I’ve grown to be) and I could feel giddy just at the sight of the blue pick up parked in front of the cafe.
On one occasion I was just steps ahead of Stacey as we both walked into the local Post Office and I had the perfect opportunity to calmly turn around and say something to him…instead I put my head down as though I hadn’t noticed him, walked straight out of the building to the parking lot and into my van. I couldn’t seem to get enough air in my lungs, my head felt light, my mouth was cotton-ball dry, my peripheral vision was closing in on me and of course my palms were drenched. I was relieved just to reach my vehicle and hide myself inside.
Although I hadn’t yet mustered the courage to speak to Stacey, I continued asking locals if they knew of him. A young man who filled my propane tank, when asked, said he knew Stacey. "Good People, married to a big happy lady – they call her Mama Fish – works at Trees of Mystery…He lives just up the road, past Requa, past Minot Creek, next street on the right – way up at the end… big yellow house"…Repeating "He’s Good People".
Isn’t it amazing what people will tell you if you just stay quiet and give them the chance to speak?
Well, now I knew where Stacy lived and that he had a wife and I could go check this out if I felt the urge. (And Oh, Yeah!, I felt the urge.) Anyway, after receiving the info from the propane man and after having a serious heart-to-heart talk with myself about how ‘immature’ I was being and how there were actual laws against stalking, I decided to have a second go at approaching Stacey.
It was another two weeks before I got this second opportunity. Here was Stacey, entering the Post Office, this time three steps ahead of me, and I finally asked, ‘Excuse me, are you Stacey Fisher?’ To make a long story shorter, we stood in the Post Office talking for the next several minutes.Not only did he not remember a lot about Chinook Trailer Park, he didn’t remember me, my family, any of the kids that vacationed there or Johnny, the tall, dark and handsome kid who had worked beside him at Chinook that summer. I didn’t mention the ‘Hands In My Pocket’ incident, telling him instead that for some reason I had remembered his name all these years and thought I’d look him up now that I was back in Klamath for awhile.
I know now that my story had intrigued him because a week later he mentioned he’d looked through some old photos and he thought he had found a picture of me from that earlier time. He asked if I’d had blonde hair (I didn’t) but in another week, when I ran into him again at the Post Office, he said ‘I have something to show you’. And out he pulled from his wallet a small, faded photo bearing the words ‘To Stacey, Love Joan’. I had to tell him I wasn’t Joan, I wasn’t the girl in the photo, sending him on his way to further ponder who this crazy lady was that had wormed her way into his thoughts.
We continued running into each other at least once a week, sometimes more, usually at the Post Office or somewhere along the block that is Klamath’s downtown. I continued to see his blue pick up in front of the cafe most mornings, enjoying a little thrill each time I spotted it there. Once, as I sat sorting my mail in the Post Office parking lot, he bounced on my back bumper as a way of announcing his presence and another time swatted me on the arm with his mail as I walked by to pick up mine saying ‘Hey there, kiddo’…things he might have said and done as a teenager all those many years ago. I can’t begin to describe the effect these little actions had on me…but as insignificant as they might sound to a normal person, they meant everything to me and the 14-year-old that had returned to reside in my brain. He might as well have wrapped his arms around my waist and stuck his hands back into my pockets.
The day of his 69th birthday, instead of having his usual morning coffee with friends he walked into the cafe late (probably to avoid being fussed over for his birthday), just as I was leaving with two lovely campers from my RV Park. He asked if I wanted coffee so I sat back down and we talked for a few hours while the waitress and cook buzzed about what might be going on between us. Days later I asked if he had gotten any static from the community about being seen with me around town. He said that once as he entered the cafe, the cook called out "Hey, Stace, your girlfriend was in yesterday" to which Stacey simply proclaimed "She’s my Lady Friend".
Eventually we had some really good talks. On one occasion we sat for a couple of hours with feet propped on a plastic patio table during the heat of the day while taking a break from his mowing project, talking about events from that long interval between our first meeting and the present. He was married, had two grown children, three grand children. His wife still worked but he was retired and he had an obsession for race cars, hot rods and going fast. He’d spent his working years as a logger, cutting acres and acres of redwoods. He had a desire to be the best and fastest logger, and devised a way to install a go-kart motor on his chain saw, making him a strong contender for the best and fastest. He told of how he rescued and raised a tiny young flying squirrel that had been orphaned when Stacey cut down the tree that held its nest. Told of favorite pets that curled up next to his beard and slept there. I heard stories, many stories, some told a second time and I determined that he was a good man. On one of our talks I asked if he knew of anyone who could take me for a boat ride up the river so that I could do some photography in the pristine lands up there. I’d pay for gas if he could find someone to take me. We talked about gardening and canning the fruits and vegetables from the garden. Talked about how cutting the forests had altered the climate of the area. Talked about the Yurok Indians and the laws that allowed them to harvest salmon from the river using gill nets that Caucasians were not allowed to use even though the salmon numbers had dwindled to an all-time low. I talked about maybe buying a place in Klamath, he had a residence for sale and showed me the property. We were becoming better acquainted but never did we exchange phone numbers, relying instead on the accidental run-ins and I wondered if he even really knew my name, I had blurted it so quickly when I first approached him at the Post Office that time.
I had spent my first month in Klamath looking for Stacey and the second month getting up the nerve to introduce myself and start up a dialog with him. At the beginning of my third month, again as I was sitting at the Post Office making phone calls, Stacey pulled up in the blue pick-up stopping even with my window, shrugging his shoulders, palms up, asking ‘Well?’. ‘Well What?’ I asked back, prompting him to pump a thumb over his shoulder towards the back of the truck where I saw a boat on a trailer…did I want to go up river? I shouted that I had to go home and turn the sprinklers off and that I would meet him at the boat ramp. ‘Don’t forget your bikini’ he shouts back while driving off to launch the boat. His two little dogs came along for the ride and he complained that I hadn’t noticed he had trimmed off half the length of his long beard. This was the day after his 69th birthday and he had told me earlier he wouldn’t be shaving for anyone. The boat, he said, had been a ‘deal too good to pass up’ even though it wasn’t exactly the boat he had wanted. But here I was riding up river with Stacey and loving the ride, the scenery and the company. . .especially the company.
Another day…I am parked at the gas pump having just filled up. Stacey drives into the bay stopping directly across from my window and through his window hands me a plastic grocery bag saying ‘Now don’t drop it, its glass’. Looking inside I find jars and jars of peaches, pears, carrots, applesauce, pickles and albacore that he has canned plus the fattest cucumber I’d ever seen. ‘Its a care package for you’, he says. I had commented earlier on the difficulty of preparing home-cooked meals while living in a van. Do you see what I mean about being a nice man? I haven’t mentioned how he and his granddaughter quietly saved me a seat at the Senior Citizen luncheon where I knew not one soul other than him, or the bits and pieces of Klamath history and characters that he’s entertained me with. For a quiet man who ‘keeps to himself’ he’s been so very generous in giving me chunks of his time.
I’ve learned he usually wears a t-shirt with some silly saying or another and I’ve spun him around on occasion to read what funny thing he’s chosen to wear for the day. One shirt shows a spiky, jagged line running part way across the shirt before flattening out, then ending in another spiky, jagged portion. Under the line it reads "For Awhile There You Were Boring Me" (my personal favorite). Or the one I haven’t seen yet but he seems to be especially fond of, "I’m Not A Gynecologist But I’ll Take A Look". Or the one he’s wearing in this photo, "I Like It When You ___ My ___". I won’t even mention the " Footlong" with the arrow. Yes, they can be called raunchy but one just has to snort out a chuckle before mumbling a disapproving ‘Oh, Stacey, Really!’. A quiet man, yes, but he can make quite an impact.
Other than co-workers from my RV Park, I don’t know many people in Klamath, at least not the kind of people I can phone and say ‘hey’ to. At home I could be doing something as simple as putting out the trash and end up making arrangements with a friend or neighbor to go for coffee, see a movie, hike a hill…any number of things. But here in Klamath there is no one to do that with except when friends come to visit (my thanks to all of you who have made the trek to Klamath!!! Barb, Howard, Rob, Mary, Joyce, Doris and then the Ignatius’s again, Mom, Cak, Jay, then Steve and Mark and later Kevin and Anne). So as I finish my fourth month here in Klamath I have come to cherish the few times Stacey and I have had together.
This week my family came to visit. They informed me they would not be going home until they had at least a ‘Stacey-Sighting’ so I took them to the cafe for breakfast (rather than have them hunker down behind that hedge down the street) and I was pleased when Stacey walked in shortly after. Not wanting to bother or embarrass him I asked if he would mind meeting my family and, good sport that he is, he agreed to meet them. We had a nice little chat and my family was exceptionally well behaved, perfectly following my adamant instructions…under no circumstance were they to mention anything about anyone’s hands having been in anyone else’s pockets (and that went for my 87 year-old-mother, as well). My sister, bless her heart, used her cell phone to snap a couple of pictures making it possible to wrap up my Stacey Story here on the Flickr web site.
So I have found my man.
We have sort of become friends.
And my Stacey Saga has come full circle.
Thank you Liz, Judy, Barb and Howard for the support and good wishes…and Steve, if you hadn’t insisted on ‘Stacey Updates’ I might not have gone as far as I did with this. . .but I’m so glad I did!
For any of you who may be reading between the lines and wondering,
there has been absolutely no inappropriate behavior.
A few nice hot cars and girls images I found:
IMG_9348_pt
Image by Tomasz Wagner Mananetwork
Portfolio | Blog | Twitter
IMG_9376_pt
Image by Tomasz Wagner Mananetwork
Portfolio | Blog | Twitter
Check out these car girls images today:
F1 Photo Celeb Print Outs Girl
Image by austinhk
F1 Photo Celeb Print Outs Girl!
F1 Grand Prix Canada Weekend 2010 on Crescent And Peel Street, Montreal, Quebec
Check out these classic cars and girls images today:
over time
Image by cuatrok77
Check out these cars girl images today:
Pony Tail
Image by Brave Heart
The beautiful, sexy models of the Bangkok MotorExpo 2012
Image by UweBKK (α 550 on )
Shopping At Truck Show
Image by jwinfred
Check out these sexy car girl images today:
Just an edit of the original…
Image by Venom82
Sexy
Some cool muscle car girls images today:
Greg Tingle
Image by Eva Rinaldi Celebrity and Live Music Photographer
Summernats Festival delivers Canberra cars, music, girls, tourism dollars and more
The 25th Summernats festival reved up things for Canberra again today as it continued on with parade of show cars.
It wasn’t just about cars as event co-owner Andy Lopez told the press. It was more about entertainment and a more family atmosphere, but make no mistake – it was mainly about the cars…and a good dose of loud music – as if the roar of the engines wasn’t enough to burst your eardrums (earplugs are provided upon entrance to the festival – satisfying OH&S regulations).
Event numbers are understood to be up this year, approaching 90,000, up at least 10,000 from the last Summernats Festival.
Mr Lopez said "People are going to get see something really terrific…two hundred cars in convoy, beautifully managed, well presented, a complete range of all the types of vehicles that Summernats has to offer and I think pretty much the community is excited about it."
Canberra has had a bit of a love – hate relationship with Summernats over the years, but this year there was plenty of love to go around. There were loads of car lovers, even love-mobile muscle cars, and of course the Ms Summernats competition – and not to be outdone, Fever Australia girls gave the Ms Summernats young ladies a run for the money with photographers and news crews.
No, there were not any riots and a good number of police and event organisers were quick to defuse any potential incidents before they started.
New co-owner Andy Lopez, who purchased Summernats said it’s another sign the event has turned a corner.
"This isn’t a choir convention, but at the same time we’re not like a gathering of satanists either," he said.
"Ninety-nine-point-nine per cent of people that go to Summernats are there because they love what the event is about and if there is anyone else who is looking to cause trouble then we’re going to deal with it."
Mr Lopez, originally had little interest in cars, said 2012 is shaping be the most successful Summernats yet.
"We want this to be the premier street machine, modifier event in the world," he said.
"We’ll have 1200 people watching our burnout competition and that’s something you can’t do anywhere else in the world.
"If you win the summernats burnout competition, you are the undisputed champion.
"That’s what we want the Summernats to be about."
Summernats attracts many of the nations most talented motor and mechanical craftsmen, artists and all matter of other folks who are in the business of hotted up cars. They also attract news media from from across the country – and this year its been mainly positive, with the festival being pro active to remove the more troublesome aspects of years gone by. The festival also adds a much needed boost to the ACT economy, with nightclubs, hotels and restaurants all reporting business definitely being up since the car-show hit down.
Some of our favourite aspects of Summernats 2012 included:
The burnouts – big congratulations to Peter and Debbie Gray (burnout masters and celebrated husband and wife team).
Miss Summernats contestants – Canberra local Sabrina Damiano, 25, who took out the Miss Summernats honours this year from a field of 14 contestants.
Show N Shine – car enthusiasts shinned up their toys and showed them off to thousands of adoring fans
Radio Revhead – great show put on by John McCoy-Lancaster and special guest in from Utah 1060AM U.S – J.C Hackett
The music – rockin with the massively talented Heaven The Axe (fronted by Phoebe, who is a bit of a Joan Jet – Angus Young (AC/DC) hybrid in our estimation. Phoebe and her crew absolutely rock and they reved up a storm at the Jim Beam Bar
Unexpected attendance by SBS entertainers / actors Rob Shehadie and Tahir (from Fat Pizza fame)
Body ink comp and display
Sidcrome tools display
The super cool personalised number plates which accompanied all show-cars
Top 60 finalist (car) show
A big thank you to Tom and the media crew for being so helpful, and to the other great people who worked so hard to make this years event such a massive success.
It’s not too late to enjoy Summernats – it runs through to the 8th, and you don’t have to be a rev head to enjoy it. Get your set of wheels and join in the action, and please drive safely.
Websites
Summernats
www.summernats.com.au
Street Machine
motoring.ninemsn.com.au/streetmachine
Heaven The Axe
www.heaventheaxe.com
Sidrome
www.sidchrome.com.au
Rob Shehadie official website
www.robshehadie.com
Tahir official website
www.tahir.com.au
DBC2
www.dbc2.com.au
Music News Australia
www.musicnewsaustralia.com
Eva Rinaldi Photography
www.evarinaldi.com
Eva Rinaldi Photography Flickr
www.flickr.com/evarinaldiphotography
Media Man News
www.mediamannews.com
A few nice car names for girls images I found:
slant sex – er, i meant six.
Image by eyewashdesign: A. Golden
About three months ago, my sister discovered this beautiful 1955 Dodge Jobline pick-up truck in a local Charleston newspaper. Knowing how much I’d always dreamed of owning a 1950′s red pick-up, she rang to tell me about the listing and I located it online. We talked about how beautiful it was and of all the things we’d love to do with the truck, but the price was simply too high and over time, we soon forgot about her.
Then, about two weeks ago, our Granny passed away and I found myself back in S.C. for her burial. One day shortly after, with emotions still at an all-time high, my sister and I decided we would go kayaking where our Granny and Grandpa were born and raised. It would’ve been a great trip, except none of the weather forecasters had predicted the severe thunderstorms that ensued and we quickly found ourselves in need of alternative plans. What better to do than shop, right?
With our trip canceled, we found ourselves riding around Mt. Pleasant with a ridiculously large two-person kayak on our roof and "nothing" to do. I mentioned thinking it would be nice to go back and check out this 1960′s "Endless Summer" type canary yellow station wagon we'd passed the day before, so we headed to the garage where it was parked. After perusing a wide array of vintage vehicles, we made out way to the garage and struck up a conversation with the mechanics. We inquired about some of the vintage vehicles and mentioned we'd found a red 1950's red pick-up a few months back and asked if they'd ever seen one. They mentioned knowing of both a black and a white 1950′s truck, but no red one. As the conversation neared the ½ hour mark, one of the mechanics remembered he'd seen a red 1950's pick-up parked at a law firm not far from the shop. As soon as he said this I thought (and my sister claims I said out loud), "That's it!".
After getting a few other places / people's names who might know where to find a 1950's pick-up, we took our chances and headed to see the truck the mechanic had mentioned seeing "a while back". We had nothing to lose by looking. As soon as we saw the vehicle and drove around the back-end, I knew it was the same one my sister had found three months prior. On the driver's door window hung a sign advertising a slashed price and a phone number. After taking some photos and checking out the vehicle, my sister rang the listed number. We'd both just assumed the truck belonged to a man, so when a woman answered, she was surprised. After speaking for a few minutes, it became clear the voice at the other end was not going to "hand the phone over" (to a man). So, my sister asked, "Are you the owner?", to which the woman replied, "Yes!".
Needless to say, I think we were all a little surprised. The owner – Christine – explained she’d moved to Charleston from NYC to get into the bakery business and had bought the truck to "pick up men" – yes, that's why she'd gotten it. At this juncture, my sister looked like she’d seen a ghost. There were several reasons for this "ook". One being, she'd been born in NY and two, her sister (that’d be me) currently lives there. Thirdly, she’d been trying to figure out how to transition out of a career in radio and was thinking of starting a baking business! I’m not kidding. When she asked Christine if owning the truck had indeed helped her meet any men, she said it hadn’t, but that the truck had been rented quite a few times for photo shoots and commercials. Gears in our heads quickly began turning. And Christine was so happy that women were calling about the truck because she specifically wanted to sell the truck to a female. She told us to go into the offices and get the keys to go for a spin.
She'd also mentioned the mechanic who'd worked on the truck was close by and told us where to find his garage. After going in and speaking with a lovely woman who had some problem locating the keys, we went back outside to wait. After a few minutes, the keys arrived and the girl mentioned if we could wait, that the mechanic who'd worked on the vehicle would be coming by to pick both she and her Mum in a few minutes. Huh? Why?!? Because the mechanic was her father! When we heard this, it was like a bolt of lightening had struck. How was it possible the mechanic we'd just been told about and whom we were going to go visit would be coming to us? Things were just getting too weird, so, of course, we waited. It seemed kizmit was taking over at this juncture.
It had been a while since I'd driven a standard, though it's been my main transmission for the majority of my driving years, so I wasn't too worried. And, my sister had learned how to drive a standard shift on a tractor on someone's farm, so between the two of us, we thought we'd be okay. Not long after, the mechanic arrived. If seemed the truck hadn't been started in a while, so he had to jump-start her and we all piled in. He took us to a nearby car park and we drove around back to an empty area. My sister decided to go first and we all had a really good laugh. Next, it was my turn and after the mechanic properly explained the H-gear pattern, I did an so-so job with the ½ ton, no power steering, no power breaks slant V6 badass – though this isn't to say it wasn't nerve-racking as hell! Not only was she extremely difficult to maneuver, but somehow driving her made one's hands completely black and at some point, we'd all touched our faces and had black marks all over ourselves and our clothing. We looked like Al Jolsen in his black-face – except, in reverse!
After returning to the law firm, we said we'd be back in a few days. We spent a day trying to figure out how we could make getting this truck happen and returned to take (what we'd already named) "Big Red" to a few mechanics shops and restoration experts the following day. Before getting out on crowded main roads, we decided to get some more practice driving the truck and so, after some quick cleaning of the windows and interior, we headed back to that nearby car park.
It's a good thing my sister had learned to drive on a tractor, because on this particular 97degree afternoon, "Big Red" was akin to driving around in a 1/2 ton tractor. Driving Red was roughly the equivalent to taking part in a triathlon in 105 degree temperatures. Because she's so hard to drive, on one occasion, I had to grab the giant wheel and help my sister make a turn! Yes, it took two of us and we're both over 5"10, with plenty of muscle. Oh how I was beginning to appreciate power steering!
Jerking in-and-out-of all three gears, my sister finally stalled Big Red for a second time – sending us to a halting stop. Sweating and dirty, she screamed out in frustration, "Oh my God, I can’t do this! We're crazy! This is never going to work!". Searching for the inspirational words an older sibling is supposed to have at the ready, I turned my head and spotted this white big rig parked just beside us and nearly fainted. For, it was a Cardinal line truck with no more than two cardinal emblems – one on the cab and one on the trailer – emblazoned upon it.
You see, our Grandfather, who had died when we were very small was a country boy (related to Swamp Fox – yeah!) and his favorite bird was the cardinal. We know anytime one crosses our paths, to pay close attention. Gasping, I directed her attention right toward the "cardinal spotting" and we both nearly lost it. Tears welled up in both our eyes. My sister then took a deep breath and said, "Did you see the pair of cardinals fly past us as we drove back here?". I hadn’t and said so, but quickly grabbed my camera to capture the rig carrying the cardinal message from our Gran.
While neither said so, in that moment, I think we both knew we’d buy the 1955 Dodge- even before we took her to get checked out. Can’t go against the elders, right? We offered nearly half the original price and Christine accepted. So, if for any reason, you're in need of a classic 1955 Dodge pick up truck in fire engine red, you know who to contact!
Photographer: A. Golden, eyewash design – Charleston, S.C., July, 2008
Check out these fast car girls images today:
KA6R7085-13-04-2008
Image by Geogan
Modified Motors Cork 2008 – Canon EOS-1D Mark II, f3.5, 1/100", ISO 100, 70mm, Auto
A few nice car names for girls images I found:
dodge crop
Image by eyewashdesign: A. Golden
About three months ago, my sister discovered this beautiful 1955 Dodge Jobline pick-up truck in a local Charleston newspaper. Knowing how much I’d always dreamed of owning a 1950′s red pick-up, she rang to tell me about the listing and I located it online. We talked about how beautiful it was and of all the things we’d love to do with the truck, but the price was simply too high and over time, we soon forgot about her.
Then, about two weeks ago, our Granny passed away and I found myself back in S.C. for her burial. One day shortly after, with emotions still at an all-time high, my sister and I decided we would go kayaking where our Granny and Grandpa were born and raised. It would’ve been a great trip, except none of the weather forecasters had predicted the severe thunderstorms that ensued and we quickly found ourselves in need of alternative plans. What better to do than shop, right?
With our trip canceled, we found ourselves riding around Mt. Pleasant with a ridiculously large two-person kayak on our roof and "nothing" to do. I mentioned thinking it would be nice to go back and check out this 1960′s "Endless Summer" type canary yellow station wagon we'd passed the day before, so we headed to the garage where it was parked. After perusing a wide array of vintage vehicles, we made out way to the garage and struck up a conversation with the mechanics. We inquired about some of the vintage vehicles and mentioned we'd found a red 1950's red pick-up a few months back and asked if they'd ever seen one. They mentioned knowing of both a black and a white 1950′s truck, but no red one. As the conversation neared the ½ hour mark, one of the mechanics remembered he'd seen a red 1950's pick-up parked at a law firm not far from the shop. As soon as he said this I thought (and my sister claims I said out loud), "That's it!".
After getting a few other places / people's names who might know where to find a 1950's pick-up, we took our chances and headed to see the truck the mechanic had mentioned seeing "a while back". We had nothing to lose by looking. As soon as we saw the vehicle and drove around the back-end, I knew it was the same one my sister had found three months prior. On the driver's door window hung a sign advertising a slashed price and a phone number. After taking some photos and checking out the vehicle, my sister rang the listed number. We'd both just assumed the truck belonged to a man, so when a woman answered, she was surprised. After speaking for a few minutes, it became clear the voice at the other end was not going to "hand the phone over" (to a man). So, my sister asked, "Are you the owner?", to which the woman replied, "Yes!".
Needless to say, I think we were all a little surprised. The owner – Christine – explained she’d moved to Charleston from NYC to get into the bakery business and had bought the truck to "pick up men" – yes, that's why she'd gotten it. At this juncture, my sister looked like she’d seen a ghost. There were several reasons for this "ook". One being, she'd been born in NY and two, her sister (that’d be me) currently lives there. Thirdly, she’d been trying to figure out how to transition out of a career in radio and was thinking of starting a baking business! I’m not kidding. When she asked Christine if owning the truck had indeed helped her meet any men, she said it hadn’t, but that the truck had been rented quite a few times for photo shoots and commercials. Gears in our heads quickly began turning. And Christine was so happy that women were calling about the truck because she specifically wanted to sell the truck to a female. She told us to go into the offices and get the keys to go for a spin.
She'd also mentioned the mechanic who'd worked on the truck was close by and told us where to find his garage. After going in and speaking with a lovely woman who had some problem locating the keys, we went back outside to wait. After a few minutes, the keys arrived and the girl mentioned if we could wait, that the mechanic who'd worked on the vehicle would be coming by to pick both she and her Mum in a few minutes. Huh? Why?!? Because the mechanic was her father! When we heard this, it was like a bolt of lightening had struck. How was it possible the mechanic we'd just been told about and whom we were going to go visit would be coming to us? Things were just getting too weird, so, of course, we waited. It seemed kizmit was taking over at this juncture.
It had been a while since I'd driven a standard, though it's been my main transmission for the majority of my driving years, so I wasn't too worried. And, my sister had learned how to drive a standard shift on a tractor on someone's farm, so between the two of us, we thought we'd be okay. Not long after, the mechanic arrived. If seemed the truck hadn't been started in a while, so he had to jump-start her and we all piled in. He took us to a nearby car park and we drove around back to an empty area. My sister decided to go first and we all had a really good laugh. Next, it was my turn and after the mechanic properly explained the H-gear pattern, I did an so-so job with the ½ ton, no power steering, no power breaks slant V6 badass – though this isn't to say it wasn't nerve-racking as hell! Not only was she extremely difficult to maneuver, but somehow driving her made one's hands completely black and at some point, we'd all touched our faces and had black marks all over ourselves and our clothing. We looked like Al Jolsen in his black-face – except, in reverse!
After returning to the law firm, we said we'd be back in a few days. We spent a day trying to figure out how we could make getting this truck happen and returned to take (what we'd already named) "Big Red" to a few mechanics shops and restoration experts the following day. Before getting out on crowded main roads, we decided to get some more practice driving the truck and so, after some quick cleaning of the windows and interior, we headed back to that nearby car park.
It's a good thing my sister had learned to drive on a tractor, because on this particular 97degree afternoon, "Big Red" was akin to driving around in a 1/2 ton tractor. Driving Red was roughly the equivalent to taking part in a triathlon in 105 degree temperatures. Because she's so hard to drive, on one occasion, I had to grab the giant wheel and help my sister make a turn! Yes, it took two of us and we're both over 5"10, with plenty of muscle. Oh how I was beginning to appreciate power steering!
Jerking in-and-out-of all three gears, my sister finally stalled Big Red for a second time – sending us to a halting stop. Sweating and dirty, she screamed out in frustration, "Oh my God, I can’t do this! We're crazy! This is never going to work!". Searching for the inspirational words an older sibling is supposed to have at the ready, I turned my head and spotted this white big rig parked just beside us and nearly fainted. For, it was a Cardinal line truck with no more than two cardinal emblems – one on the cab and one on the trailer – emblazoned upon it.
You see, our Grandfather, who had died when we were very small was a country boy (related to Swamp Fox – yeah!) and his favorite bird was the cardinal. We know anytime one crosses our paths, to pay close attention. Gasping, I directed her attention right toward the "cardinal spotting" and we both nearly lost it. Tears welled up in both our eyes. My sister then took a deep breath and said, "Did you see the pair of cardinals fly past us as we drove back here?". I hadn’t and said so, but quickly grabbed my camera to capture the rig carrying the cardinal message from our Gran.
While neither said so, in that moment, I think we both knew we’d buy the 1955 Dodge- even before we took her to get checked out. Can’t go against the elders, right? We offered nearly half the original price and Christine accepted. So, if for any reason, you're in need of a classic 1955 Dodge pick up truck in fire engine red, you know who to contact!
Photographer: A. Golden, eyewash design – Charleston, S.C., July, 2008
red and orange.
Image by eyewashdesign: A. Golden
About three months ago, my sister discovered this beautiful 1955 Dodge Jobline pick-up truck in a local Charleston newspaper. Knowing how much I’d always dreamed of owning a 1950′s red pick-up, she rang to tell me about the listing and I located it online. We talked about how beautiful it was and of all the things we’d love to do with the truck, but the price was simply too high and over time, we soon forgot about her.
Then, about two weeks ago, our Granny passed away and I found myself back in S.C. for her burial. One day shortly after, with emotions still at an all-time high, my sister and I decided we would go kayaking where our Granny and Grandpa were born and raised. It would’ve been a great trip, except none of the weather forecasters had predicted the severe thunderstorms that ensued and we quickly found ourselves in need of alternative plans. What better to do than shop, right?
With our trip canceled, we found ourselves riding around Mt. Pleasant with a ridiculously large two-person kayak on our roof and "nothing" to do. I mentioned thinking it would be nice to go back and check out this 1960′s "Endless Summer" type canary yellow station wagon we'd passed the day before, so we headed to the garage where it was parked. After perusing a wide array of vintage vehicles, we made out way to the garage and struck up a conversation with the mechanics. We inquired about some of the vintage vehicles and mentioned we'd found a red 1950's red pick-up a few months back and asked if they'd ever seen one. They mentioned knowing of both a black and a white 1950′s truck, but no red one. As the conversation neared the ½ hour mark, one of the mechanics remembered he'd seen a red 1950's pick-up parked at a law firm not far from the shop. As soon as he said this I thought (and my sister claims I said out loud), "That's it!".
After getting a few other places / people's names who might know where to find a 1950's pick-up, we took our chances and headed to see the truck the mechanic had mentioned seeing "a while back". We had nothing to lose by looking. As soon as we saw the vehicle and drove around the back-end, I knew it was the same one my sister had found three months prior. On the driver's door window hung a sign advertising a slashed price and a phone number. After taking some photos and checking out the vehicle, my sister rang the listed number. We'd both just assumed the truck belonged to a man, so when a woman answered, she was surprised. After speaking for a few minutes, it became clear the voice at the other end was not going to "hand the phone over" (to a man). So, my sister asked, "Are you the owner?", to which the woman replied, "Yes!".
Needless to say, I think we were all a little surprised. The owner – Christine – explained she’d moved to Charleston from NYC to get into the bakery business and had bought the truck to "pick up men" – yes, that's why she'd gotten it. At this juncture, my sister looked like she’d seen a ghost. There were several reasons for this "ook". One being, she'd been born in NY and two, her sister (that’d be me) currently lives there. Thirdly, she’d been trying to figure out how to transition out of a career in radio and was thinking of starting a baking business! I’m not kidding. When she asked Christine if owning the truck had indeed helped her meet any men, she said it hadn’t, but that the truck had been rented quite a few times for photo shoots and commercials. Gears in our heads quickly began turning. And Christine was so happy that women were calling about the truck because she specifically wanted to sell the truck to a female. She told us to go into the offices and get the keys to go for a spin.
She'd also mentioned the mechanic who'd worked on the truck was close by and told us where to find his garage. After going in and speaking with a lovely woman who had some problem locating the keys, we went back outside to wait. After a few minutes, the keys arrived and the girl mentioned if we could wait, that the mechanic who'd worked on the vehicle would be coming by to pick both she and her Mum in a few minutes. Huh? Why?!? Because the mechanic was her father! When we heard this, it was like a bolt of lightening had struck. How was it possible the mechanic we'd just been told about and whom we were going to go visit would be coming to us? Things were just getting too weird, so, of course, we waited. It seemed kizmit was taking over at this juncture.
It had been a while since I'd driven a standard, though it's been my main transmission for the majority of my driving years, so I wasn't too worried. And, my sister had learned how to drive a standard shift on a tractor on someone's farm, so between the two of us, we thought we'd be okay. Not long after, the mechanic arrived. If seemed the truck hadn't been started in a while, so he had to jump-start her and we all piled in. He took us to a nearby car park and we drove around back to an empty area. My sister decided to go first and we all had a really good laugh. Next, it was my turn and after the mechanic properly explained the H-gear pattern, I did an so-so job with the ½ ton, no power steering, no power breaks slant V6 badass – though this isn't to say it wasn't nerve-racking as hell! Not only was she extremely difficult to maneuver, but somehow driving her made one's hands completely black and at some point, we'd all touched our faces and had black marks all over ourselves and our clothing. We looked like Al Jolsen in his black-face – except, in reverse!
After returning to the law firm, we said we'd be back in a few days. We spent a day trying to figure out how we could make getting this truck happen and returned to take (what we'd already named) "Big Red" to a few mechanics shops and restoration experts the following day. Before getting out on crowded main roads, we decided to get some more practice driving the truck and so, after some quick cleaning of the windows and interior, we headed back to that nearby car park.
It's a good thing my sister had learned to drive on a tractor, because on this particular 97degree afternoon, "Big Red" was akin to driving around in a 1/2 ton tractor. Driving Red was roughly the equivalent to taking part in a triathlon in 105 degree temperatures. Because she's so hard to drive, on one occasion, I had to grab the giant wheel and help my sister make a turn! Yes, it took two of us and we're both over 5"10, with plenty of muscle. Oh how I was beginning to appreciate power steering!
Jerking in-and-out-of all three gears, my sister finally stalled Big Red for a second time – sending us to a halting stop. Sweating and dirty, she screamed out in frustration, "Oh my God, I can’t do this! We're crazy! This is never going to work!". Searching for the inspirational words an older sibling is supposed to have at the ready, I turned my head and spotted this white big rig parked just beside us and nearly fainted. For, it was a Cardinal line truck with no more than two cardinal emblems – one on the cab and one on the trailer – emblazoned upon it.
You see, our Grandfather, who had died when we were very small was a country boy (related to Swamp Fox – yeah!) and his favorite bird was the cardinal. We know anytime one crosses our paths, to pay close attention. Gasping, I directed her attention right toward the "cardinal spotting" and we both nearly lost it. Tears welled up in both our eyes. My sister then took a deep breath and said, "Did you see the pair of cardinals fly past us as we drove back here?". I hadn’t and said so, but quickly grabbed my camera to capture the rig carrying the cardinal message from our Gran.
While neither said so, in that moment, I think we both knew we’d buy the 1955 Dodge- even before we took her to get checked out. Can’t go against the elders, right? We offered nearly half the original price and Christine accepted. So, if for any reason, you're in need of a classic 1955 Dodge pick up truck in fire engine red, you know who to contact!
Photographer: A. Golden, eyewash design – Charleston, S.C., July, 2008
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Athens, Jun 2011 – 27
Image by Ed Yourdon
This is a scene that I would have expected to see in a city like Rome or Paris, rather than Athens. Old, crumbling walls, everything looking rather bedraggled and decrepit. Certainly not clean, white, and sparkling…
Note: this photo was published in a a Jun 8, 2012 GoPinIt blog, with the same caption and detailed notes that I had written on this Flickr page.
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When we hear the phrase "first impression," we tend to think of a person. Was the politician I recently voted for as inspiring when I heard his first speech as he was years later? (More so, sadly.) Was the girl that I married as beautiful at 13 as she was years later, in her twenties and thirties? (Yes, and yes.) Did Bob Dylan's Blowin' in the Wind send more of a shiver down my spine in 1963 than it did when I heard it drifting from a car radio 45 years later? (No. It stops me dead in my tracks every time I hear it.)
It's not just people that make first impressions on me. Cities do, too, perhaps because I encountered so many of them while my family moved every year throughout my childhood. Or perhaps it's because, after seeing so many cities that I thought were different in the United States, I was so completely unprepared for the wild variety of sights and sounds and smells that I encountered as a grown man, when I traveled to Europe and South America, to Africa and Asia and Australia. And even today, there are cities that I'm visiting for the first time, and which continue to take me by surprise.
Athens is one of those cities. I don't know what I was expecting… Something old, of course, something downright ancient, filled with smashed statues and marble columns like Rome, engraved with unreadable inscriptions in a language I never learned — but probably not as ancient as Cairo. Something hot and noisy and polluted and smelly, perhaps like Calcutta or the slums of Mumbai. Something gridlocked with noisy, honking traffic congestion, perhaps like Moscow.
What I didn't expect was the wide, nearly-empty highways leading from the airport into the city. I didn't expect the cleanliness of the tree-lined streets that ran in every direction. I did expect the white-washed buildings and houses that climbed the hills that surround the city — but the local people told me that buildings in Athens were positively gray compared to what I would have seen if I had stayed longer and ventured out to the Greek islands.
I also didn't expect the graffiti that covered nearly every wall, on every building, up and down every street. They were mostly slogans and phrases in Greek (and therefore completely unintelligible to me), but with occasional crude references in English to IMF bankers, undercover policemen, a politician or two, and the CIA. There were a couple slogans from the Russian revolution of 1917, from the Castro uprising in Cuba, and even from the American revolution ("united we stand, divided we fall.")
Naturally, I thought all of this had come about in just the past few months, as Greece has wrestled with its overwhelming financial crisis. But I was told by local citizens that much of the graffiti has been around for quite a bit longer than that – just as it has been in cities like New York and London. Some of it was wild and colorful, with cartoon figures and crazy faces … though I don't think it quite rises to the level of "street art" that one sees in parts of SoHo, Tribeca, and the East Village in New York. What impressed me most about the graffiti in Athens was its vibrant energy; I felt like the artists were ready to punch a hole through the walls with their spray-cans.
These are merely my own first impressions; they won't be the same as yours. Beyond that, there are a lot of facts, figures, and details if one wants to fully describe a city like Athens. Its recorded history spans some 3,400 years, and it includes the exploits of kings and generals, gods and philosophers, athletes and artists. There are statues and columns and ruins everywhere; and towering above it all is the breath-taking Acropolis. It's far too rich and complex for me to describe here in any reasonable way; if you want to know more, find some books or scan the excellent Wikipedia summary.
It's also hard to figure out what one should photograph on a first visit to a city like Athens. It's impossible not to photograph the Acropolis, especially since it's lit at night and visible from almost every corner of the city. I was interested in the possibility of photographing the complex in the special light before dawn or after sunset, but it's closed to visitors except during "civilized" daytime hours. It's also undergoing extensive renovations and repair, so much of it is covered in scaffolding, derricks, and cranes. In the end, I took a few panorama shots and telephoto shots, and explored the details by visiting the new Acropolis Museum, with the camera turned off.
Aside from that, the photos you'll see here concentrate on two things: my unexpected "first impression" of the local graffiti, and my favorite of all subjects: people. In a couple cases, the subjects are unmistakably Greek – Greek orthodox priests, for example – and in a couple cases, you might think you were looking at a street scene in São Paulo or Mexico City. But in most of the shots, you'll see examples of stylish, fashionable, interesting people that don't look all that much different from the people I've photographed in New York, London, Rome, or Paris. Maybe we can attribute that to the homogenization of fashion and style in today's interconnected global environment. Or maybe we can just chalk it up to the fact that people are, well … interesting … wherever you go.
In any case, enjoy. And if you get to Athens yourself, send me some photos of your own first impressions.
Some cool hot cars images today:
Hot Camaro-100
Image by DonJinTX
Camaro fire on Hwy 175 @ I20….
Hot Wheels America
Image by SamismagiC
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Image by photographphil
AE86 Twincam photoshoot, Sept 2009
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Image by photographphil
AE86 Twincam photoshoot, Sept 2009
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Image by photographphil
AE86 Twincam photoshoot, Sept 2009
Some cool fast cars and girls images today:
KA6R7585-13-04-2008
Image by Geogan
Modified Motors Cork 2008 – Canon EOS-1D Mark II, f4, 1/160", ISO 800, 73mm, Auto
KA6R6888-13-04-2008
Image by Geogan
Modified Motors Cork 2008 – Canon EOS-1D Mark II, f2.8, 1/160", ISO 800, 110mm, Auto
KA6R7632-13-04-2008
Image by Geogan
Modified Motors Cork 2008 – Canon EOS-1D Mark II, f4, 1/160", ISO 800, 150mm, Auto
