Monday, July 29, 2013

A Custom More Honored in the Breach than the Observance: July Flatness foiled!


This month was becoming another New England July (hot, humid, flat). But this year we had a happy break from tradition, at least for the past week or so.
DSC00877
And my favorite sand bar provided loads of fun, long, and speedy lefts for days. The “chamber of commerce” weather and 72° water (22° Celsius) all added up to redeem an otherwise abysmal few weeks.
DSC00875 DSC00863 DSC00860 DSC00866
The Hansen 50-50: still crazy after all these years.
DSC00882

Foggy lap of Cape Ann feels so good


bike-gloucester

Tuesday, July 23, 2013

Drive South Ends Wave Drought

_MG_2646
_MG_2637

July is historically the worst month for surf, of course, the water’s warm, the temps ideal. This is New effing England, there’s always a catch. And for us it’s no waves during heat waves, no waves when the conditions resemble Cabo more than Fairbanks.

But for the dedicated and just plain lucky (me) , fun clean waves can be found. The water temps were 75°, air temps 86°, and the wind never went onshore. Imagine, late-July, it’s 1:30, fun longboard sets coming through, just trunks for the guys, bathing suits for the wahines, and a great vibe all around (just keep away from the lsd).


_MG_2642
_MG_2656

Musclecar Monday - Firebird in Verdoro Green


It's unfair to say the Firebird was just a rehash on the Camaro, the early ones were legitimate Pontiacs, but at the same time there would be no Firebird were it not for the Camaro.

Despite using the same front fenders, doors, and rear fenders as the Camaro, the Firebird's pretty front grille, and slitted taillights gave it a very Pontiac vibe. But the big difference was the range of Pontiac, not Chevy motors. I wonder if this has the special "H.O." (High Output) version of the 326 V8?


This one is super clean and the vinyl roof is especially authentic.  They were a popular option back in the day.

Lastly - roof racks are usually points off for me, but these are like those old school Aloha brand racks for side-by-side log haulin'.

This gem spotted on Sunday's trip south of the border...a great segue into the next post.  Is it a '67 or '68?

Friday, July 19, 2013

keep paddling it's flat!

As the flatness continues so does the paddling. But there have been a load of gorgeous sunsets, and the water must be around 70°. These are all film pics taken with the Nikon Action Touch.
12650008 12650011 12650021 12650006

Musclecar Monday – Bastille Day Edition - Facel Vega


FACEL (Forges et Ateliers de Construction d'Eure-et-Loir) was initially a metal-stamping company but decided to expand into car manufacturing in the early 1950s. Facel entered the automobile business as a supplier of special bodies for Panhard, Delahaye and Simca.

Vegas appeared in 1954 using Chrysler V8 engines, at first a 4.5-litre (275 cu in) DeSoto Hemi engine; the overall engineering was straightforward, with a tubular chassis, double wishbone suspension at the front and a solid driven axle at the back, as in standard American practice. They were also as heavy as American cars, at about 1,800 kg (3,968 lb). Performance was brisk, with an approx 190 km/h (118 mph) top speed and 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in just under ten seconds.

1959 models had even bigger engines, a 5.8-litre and later a 383 cubic inch Chrysler V8, and were quite a bit faster despite their extra weight. The final evolution of the V8 models came in 1962 with the Facel II, which was lighter, with sleeker, more modern lines, and substantially faster.
Facel Vega owners included Pablo Picasso, Ava Gardner, Christian Dior, Joan Collins, Ringo Starr, Max Factor Jr, Joan Fontaine, Stirling Moss, Tony Curtis, Saudi princes, Dean Martin, Fred Astaire, Danny Kaye, Louis Malle, The President of Mexico, François Truffaut, Robert Wagner, Anthony Quinn, King Hassan ll of Morocco, Debbie Reynolds, The Shah of Iran, Frank Sinatra, and French Embassies around the world. Race-car driver Stirling Moss would drive his HK500 from event to event rather than fly.
Facel left the car market completely in 1964 when the French government scuttled the endeavour.

Friday, July 12, 2013

Heatwave Flatspell Update


09300011
July flatness is upon us – time to break out the SUP and explore around.  Cycling? As much as I’m dying to get out and ride my ass off, recent 90 degree (30+ C) plus heavy-as-stone humid air has ruled that out for now.
DSC00819
DSC00816
One paddle of note – gliding up the Annisquam River along the salt marshes.  Lovely, serene, etc. until the sun hit a certain angle.  Then the mellow glide was a 2 mile sprint paddle in a failed attempt to outrun the mosquitoes.  The welts on my face have gone, and it was pretty. DSC00843

And the film fun continues – the local CVS will dump their film processing any day now so I’m getting my pix in before “progress” coerces us into the man’s preferred  digital format. 09290007 09290001 09290008

And I’m getting more and more stoked for my new digs!! C’mon by when I move in – August 30 is the day.

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Tyler Surfboards - man bear pig


Mike was/is a buddy from those crazy LA dayys. He ripped then and rips now, and it's good to see he's keeping true to his roots. Cool board too!

Monday, July 8, 2013

Musclecar Monday: 1970 Chevelle SS 454 - the baddest Chevy of them all


The Chevrolet Chevelle SS represented Chevrolet's entry into the hot midsize muscle car battle. The Chevelle SS was the high performance version of Chevrolet's Chevelle, and had its own line of engines and performance equipment. At first caught napping with just a 327 V8, the Chevelle SS would soon sport powerful 396 V8s and eventually the most powerful rated engine in muscle car history, the LS6 454 in 1970. The Chevelle, along with the Pontiac GTO, remains one of the most popular cars from this era and with good reason. Its strong performance at a reasonable price made it popular on the street and at the track.

1970 saw the introduction of the most powerful Chevelle SS of all time. Responding to the lifting of GM's ban on engines larger than 400 cid in midsize cars, Chevrolet responded by dropping in a new 454 cubic engine into its Chevelle SS. The top engine choice was the LS6 version with 450bhp. No production engine ever had a higher factory horsepower rating. Optional was a new cowl-induction hood, which had a rear facing flapper near the base of the windshield to feed air into the engine.
The pinnacle of Chevelle SS development and a seriously badassss machine.
1970 Chevelle SS 454 Performance: LS6 454/450: 0-60 in 6.1 sec, 1/4 mile in 13.7 sec @ 103mph - straight off the lot: incredible considering the horrible tires of the time.

Sunday, July 7, 2013

"Some of the Cats Are Outta Sight" despite an unfortunate shot of shmaltz: 1966



the womens' heat is pretty cool - this is 1966 but attitudes about women were still circa 1866.

"Some of the Cats Are Outta Sight"

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

more old timey self-indulgent photographs

Because I know how much y'all love looking at me!

My family has had 6 real estate transactions in 1 year, after spending something like 60+ years in the same places. That means a lot of old shit bubbles to the surface during the many moves.

The stuff ranges from amazing to useless, from piss-poor to very nice, but all the memories are fond ones. So one last look back before moving forward, looking to the future.

Some "hye-lights" (sorry)
johnAndDog
A man and his dog, 1976 - her name was Maxine (or just "Max!"). A sweet pup but awfully skitterish. Not an alpha dog by any means.

Fisheye
Ennui through a Fish-eye lens

Kitchen
With a donation of just $2 a day little Johnny will receive medical care and a hot breakfast, won't you please help?

WadingOut
Paipos? Alaias? Surfmats? Bitch, please! 1972: I'm getting ready to charge the heavy cloudbreak outside on my plastic kickboard shaped to resemble a manta ray - the gill slits aren't visible. Kustomized with STP stickers from Saf Steven's Esso station. What I'd do to have that hanging in my man cave/quiver room today!

Thanks for bearing with me!