Seen while biking to work. Oakland CA. January, 2012 (click image to enlarge)
I saw a new car while biking to work the other morning. I passed it by at first, and then had second thoughts and turned around. This is a quick first pass at processing.
« Posts tagged vintage
camino de la memoria
Flower of Casa del Mar
(click images below to view slide show)
A holiday get-together this evening brought us together with my late cousin’s best friend and his family. I overheard Gina talking about one of the neighborhoods in which she lived as a child. I butted in, and upon further investigation we discovered that we lived near each other and even attended the same elementary school, Del Mar, for a few years until her family moved on. She lived in the apartments right behind the school on Glenn Ave, Casa del Mar. I spent many childhood and teenage years roaming and playing in these streets. A couple of years ago I was in the area and drove by on a whim just to see what it looked like these days, and I took a few quick shots while I was at it. I know it shouldn’t anymore, but that small-world-thing still pleasantly surprises me when it happens.
After Work
Painted Hearse, Oakland CA. April, 2011. (click image to enlarge)
These past few days I’ve been too engrossed in work to make it out to stroll the neighborhood. So I’ve only shot as far as the curb in front of my place of employment on my way back and forth to my own car. But I think there’s plenty of photography to be done right there: churches, hearses, lowriders, chinese hamburger-stirfry-donut shops–you name it.
Childhood Relived, part 2
Still from It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.
Having purchased the DVD in a bargain bin a few months ago, I managed to pass on to Theo another small part of my own childhood experience just last night: It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World. I first saw it on TV when I was about 8yo. Unfortunately I never saw it in the theater, since this is shot in some crazy-wide Ultra Panavision.
I had not seen it since I was a child, which is to say, a long, long, long, long time. Consequently, this film held an exalted place in my idealized memory of childhood and of comedic film. In that sense, seeing it again after 40 years was ever-so-slightly disappointing, though I still enjoyed it a lot. (I would have enjoyed it more if we had a decent size flat screen. What we have is a small 30″ diagonal, and every once in a while, the size matters.) But more importantly, Theo enjoyed and managed to get through it despite it’s 2-and-half-hour-plus length. He even awoke this morning talking about it.
I’m still not sure who among this ridiculously huge and incredible cast steals the movie: Phil Silvers or Dick Shawn. Ok, or maybe Jonathan Winters. Or maybe it’s the automobiles! I was in awe of the array of vintage vehicles, from modest Dodge Darts to Chrysler Imperials, and most of them destroyed during the course of the film!
Still from It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.
Still from It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World.
Old Habits Die Hard
Blue Rambler / © neo serafimidis 2011
I left work just a bit early today in the hope of getting to the computer repair shop across the street from UC Berkeley, Fix That Mac, to pick up my revived laptop with the new hard drive. It went quickly enough that I decided I would try to get to the lighting shop, Metro Lighting, and pickup two pendant lights we ordered for our kitchen. I was guessing that they closed at 5 pm, and it was now 4:48. I could make it if I didn’t dawdle. I was doing well enough until I passed this guy somewhere about Bancroft and Sacramento. I pulled over, jumped out, and took a few fast photos. This was my favorite, which has me relying on the same old formula I’ve been beating like a dead horse for a couple years now. I can’t help it. I try to do something else, but cars just beckon. Then I got back in my car and drove. Yes, I made it just in time.
Dingbats and Matadors
Matador and Apartment Building
Today is another day of nothingness. But as I wander through piles of photographs that have yet to processed and catalogued, I can’t help but smile when I come across something with as much charm as this. It’s got everything one could want: hollywood junipers, rock facade, decorative concrete blocks, googie styling, and of course a thrashed Matador. Ahhh, Albany.
Lucky me. Either the AMC collector in El Cerrito sold his collection or moved into my neighborhood. Three beat Matadors and a Javelin are constantly showing up parked in different places, trying to avoid the three-day limit on parking before towing happens. They are always somewhere new, but I never seen any of them actually in motion. Maybe he does it with a Star Trek transporter. The only downside is that there are no Gremlins or Pacers. C’mon! Are you a collector or what?
Corvair Square
I recently changed the route of my bike commute to work. I was simply trying to get away from San Pablo Ave, which, while it is the straightest shot to my workplace, is also very bike-unfriendly. There are lots of cars, obstacles, freeway on/off ramps, and debris.
I decided that I would try to slide over to Hollis Ave through Emeryville, and this took me into west Oakland. The result is a new crop of photos, and some incubating ideas for future series.
Photography Art Show at Chop Salon: Auto Archeology East Bay
I’m happy to announce my next photography show, coming up very soon! I will have a series of photographs of found autos from around the East Bay on display at Chop Salon hair salon. I have the editing almost done; it’s down to two sets of images, and I’ve got to pick which one to print tomorrow. It’s definitely down to the wire but I expect the show to be all hung and ready for the reception, Friday Evening, November 6. I will be up through the end of December. I will update with start time and more details in the next day or two.
The first set consists of complete broadsides of cars found parked on the street. Set B includes cropped cars. I’m not sure which it will be at the moment, but I’m leaning towards A. I’ll be including the nine square format shots of cropped cars from the last show (yes, sadly none sold from that), and I’m thinking the complete cars will provide the right amount of contrast. Here is the first set.
Here is the second set.
The Old Plymouth
Old Plymouth off Broadway #3
I have a soft spot in my heart for Pontiac. Ever since word of its demise, I have been meaning to take a picture of the sign at the dealership on Auto Row in Oakland. I finally got around to it the other day. And while I was driving around looking for a place to park, I saw some other photo ops on the side streets. This old Plymouth was in beautiful shape. And as I just commented over on flickr, I have to admit I find it very sexy in a zaftig sort of way.
