Cars

If there is anything of a material object that stirs mankind's interest, it seems to me the automobile is at the top of the list.
Who is the man who does not want a car?  A nice car with all the things he considers important?

The Ferrari.  The Ford GT.  A nice new Honda Accord is good.  We really like cars.

My first car was a used 1941 Chevrolet Club Coupe that I bought before my 16th birth date.  I paid $200 for it and it was in great shape, black with grey interior.  I sanded and prepared the exterior for a new paint job and my Dad and I painted it blue.  I drove it to school every day.  I was proud of that car and wish I still had it.

Why do we love cars so much? They are just machines after all, just a tool to get to places we need to go to. We wash the car, we take care of it, even pamper it, like it was a extension of our self, our person, maybe even our perceived personal worth.  Our perception of ourselves is often displayed in the vehicle we choose to drive.  There are men who only want a pickup and will not drive a sedan.  There are others who will not drive a yellow car, or a green one.
I cannot bring myself to buy a car with a black interior, it has to be of a brown colour.  Why is that? I don't know, it is just the way it is.  It is bigger than me, it's in our wiring from the very early days of our childhood.

If I had the means, I would buy a new Aston Martin Vantage or  a restored 1940 Ford Pickup.
Just goes to prove I appreciate all kinds of cars.  Their style, their sound, their personality, all of them have a reason to appeal to our interests and prompt us to pay big money for the privilege of driving them around.

We are a very interesting and complex people.

Surfing

I was a surfer once upon a time.
I bought my first surfboard around 1962 and was a orange coloured Hansen.  In those days of freedom from care, we would trek on down to Huntington Beach and spend the weekends goofing around with our friends.

I was able to surf in Del Mar, Encinitas, and Leucadia often as I grew older and have good memories of those times.

After a long absence from surfing, I am older still, but in my mind I am 18, so two years ago I got the crazy idea to buy a new surfboard and get on the beach again, to have a good time there.  I was so excited as I took the board out of my truck, trekked to the water and,,,, I could not "get up!"  I had lost my balance, my dexterity, and my agility and I was embarrassed by my 'oldness'.

To realize that is shocking, shocking to a man with a 18 year old mind that resides in an old body.  I went home and cleaned up the new surfboard and hung it up in the garage.

My surfing days are over.   However, I thank my God I still have my young mind.

Photography

When I was in High School, my father, who was a U.S. Navy aircraft mechanic during WW2, gave me some advice.
I asked what I should try to do when I joined the Navy, which was my plan in 1963.  What goal or job should I seek?  He suggested I be a Navy Photographer, to document Navy operations.  He told me to seek out all the education that the Navy offered and photography would be good for me.
Well, as it turned out, due to various circumstances, I never did join the Navy and I never became a educated photographer.  Instead I went into the construction industry, got married, had children, and enjoyed a different path.

I truly enjoy the wonderful work of the skilled photographers in this world.  They produce such wonderful images and I can spend hours admiring  their creative genius, a skill I wish I could have developed.
My favourite subject is landscapes, and how they draw me into the scene, making me wish I was there.

To all the photographers;  Thank you for your work.