365.138 - farewell my friend

365.138 - farewell my friend

Image by nettsu
Whenever I'm down
And all that's going on
Is really going on
Just one of those days
You say the right things
To keep me moving on
To keep me going strong
www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcUJ8y2nIps

We said goodbye to the mini last night :( It was a bit sad for both of us. We both loved this car in different ways I think and Larry has lost his car - we do have the family car but let's face it a Volvo V70 is nowhere near as fun as a mini cooper s. And the Volvo is pretty much "my" car...

My relationship with minis has been interesting. I was obsessed with them! Seriously obsessed! I was tracking every single spy picture, every news story, I even rang BMW Brisbane and begged (yes begged!) to go the product launch night (which they did - YAY! seems gay men are right in the demographic for mini's - who knew?!?!?!). I wanted a mini so bad - I really did and anyone who knew my financial position in those days probably also understands how unlikely it was that it was going to happen...

so anyway
fast forward a couple of years and I meet this really nice american guy for dinner, I tell a couple of really embarassing things about myself (I babble when I'm nervous) and Larry very kindly offered to drive me home... he owned a mini! Seriously this guy couldn't have been anymore perfect for me ;) I did think I had blown the first date - I had really bad luck with men in my dating days. I was the kind of guy you slept with, not the kind of guy you had a relationship with (or so I was told by a few people...). Anyway, I rang a friend after the date as she wanted to know how it went - the first thing I said was "HE DRIVES A MINI" (sorry honey!), not how smart, attractive, witty, romantic, gentle, amazing he actually is - just that he drives a mini...

I re-learnt how to drive a manual in this car...
It's given me both one of my best and one of my most viewed photos...
I have my own special memories of it. I guess that's why I feel groove armada's my friend was appropriate. it's a melancholy but uplifting song.

The mini has actually gone to a young guy who I am sure will drive it a lot more than we did. It's just a little bit sad to say goodbye (which is weird when you think it is just a material posession).

Sassy at Any Speed

Image by Refidnas
Soon after I took the photo of Isaiah, I spied this beautiful Chevrolet Corvair up the street and rushed to photograph it. After the driver finished parking and got out, I complimented her on her car. She told me that this is the second Corvair she's owned---she had one years ago and acquired this one recently.

Today's cars may be safer and better for the environment, but in terms of style there's just no comparison--the cars of this era are in a different class altogether.

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Yashica-Mat LM with Yashinon lens, f/11, 1/250 sec. Kodak T-Max 400, stand developed in Rodinal 1+100 for 1 hour at 20°C.

Spy Photo: Maglev Test Sled

Image by n8.laverdure
Inside the Strength of Materials lab in Kaufman Hall at Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA.

Glen on his bike

Image by zzazazz
This is a Charlotte character that travels on his bicycle to library branches to have staff look up on the internet spy photos of future car models.

In this photo he is turning his head to yell at the car that almost hit him. Glenn was crossing the street against the light.