Three Two

Wish they were made here

It's been a while since Vans were made in the US. I wish they still were and I wish they were made of better quality materials too. I wish a lot of things were made here and of better quality.

I'm tired of this disposable, outsourced lifestyle.

Alas, the vast majority of folks in this country want something for as close to nothing as possible, and they'll suffer inferior quality to get it, only to use it once or twice, throw it away, and move on to the next thing. It's the American way.

Wheel & Needle

Spent a good share of our time near these lately: Ice skating, one ring circus, climbing bronze whales, the list goes on. Plenty of homeless folks around the area at night, but they don't bother us. We like Seattle Center, especially at night.

Beautiful

This was shot while driving west over the 520 bridge last week, just before Husky Stadium. No fancy PhotoShop tricks or pegged camera saturation, just a 50mm lens with a polarizer.

Fire up the Hydro

Big guy and I checked out the Hydroplane Museum today. This is him at the wheel of Ms. Budweiser from 1968. He didn't get it to go 190mph like they did back in the day, but he enjoyed the ride.



Its motivation - an airplane motor.



Even guys who like to go fast have senses of humor.

Less may be best when it comes to design...

but more is king when it comes to Christmas lights. I love our neighborhood.

Almost there

Just finished the first draft of a memorial piece I'm writing on John Shoemaker. John died a racers death last March at over 270 mph in a top fuel drag car. It was a sad day in the history of drag racing.

Writing about people's hot rods, race cars, and motorcycles is easy. Trying to represent their entire lives in 1500 words or less is not. This one's been a challenge for sure! It's a great honor though and I've really enjoyed getting to know Judee and Jim Shoemaker, along with other friends of the family. Great people!



As as a teaser, here's a picture from the Shoemaker photo archives of John's first dedicated drag car, an altered wheelbase '34 Ford.

The other pictures from the photo collection are amazing too. Basically, they're a walk through the history of drag racing, ranging from the late 50's to last year. Pending acts of God or Editors, the feature will run in the Spring 2009 issue of Traditional Rod & Kulture Magazine.