Hot Rods Quotes to live by...

“I don’t need a vacation….. I live one!”

Hello,

Living as we have been for all of these years just seems like it was yesterday. In reality, the way we looked at society and how everyone reacts to the little things, made us choose the simple life of not wanting much, spending what we could afford and it was not a big thing to have the latest whatever.

It was difficult as most women always like to have “stuff.” But in reality, the mantra of, “If you did not use it last year, then out it goes…” to the charity box or such local organizations has made our lives rather simple with little to no “wants.” Except for the perennial “world peace,” a happy life for the both of us and our son. Now, it includes our granddaughter, too.

Hot rods, the beach and road trips did play a major part of our lives. But, these days, we are settled in for the long run. As long as we stick to our simple routine, we are healthy, have met most of our major goals and look forward to be involved in our granddaughter’s life, as long as it is necessary or wanted.

Jnaki

As some have said, we have played our cards right. We are happy that what we are doing is a great routine and will continue to be such. There are plenty of back ups for any emergency, as well as security for our son and granddaughter. No need to save and plan ahead for 40 years, just let it happen, keep the goals simple and reachable. Something that is not reachable, will cause hardships now and down the line. YRMV

 

Women who carry a little extra weight live longer than the men who mention it to them!

 

{ One day at a time } The one I kinda live by. I'm not very good at setting goals, or keeping them. I do love making memories. I'm not a collector, and don't even look on Flea Bay ect. I do love junkyards, swap meets, toy shows, ect. So stuff just seems to find me. I am a little bit of an organized hoarder. Everything has a story, and a memory. Also I'm the most sentimental person who ever lived. I kept my dad's 67 Bonneville convertible, and even my Corvette from high school. I kept most of the toys that I had when I was a kid. My 29 coupe, and 34 delivery I've had for over 40 plus years now. I married my sweetheart 46 years ago. I play with the grandkids every day. Some day they will have all my junk. They can keep it or sell for $$$. I try to live each day like it's my last. My dad in the photo just turn 90! There's no guarantees for tomorrow. Ron......

 

Jnaki, you mentioned you wore Levi’s and t shirts and sandals in high school, well, that was close to me! I wore tee shirts, tucked in , Levi’s and boots! If you meet me today, fifty years after high school, you will see tee shirts, Levi’s and boots! If it’s summer! Some things never change!








Bones

 

I spent most of my money on whiskey and women, the rest I just wasted.

 

Levis, Desert Boots and Pendleton shirts instead of a blue nylon jacket. I watched at the fence, as my brother was ready to race his 58 black Impala.

Dragstrip garb

Hello,

The era seemed like the Levis and white T-Shirt was just the standard for all of those people that built the drag race cars, worked on them as a crew, raced them and just wandered around the whole dragstrips grounds.

The time period always had to be what was the garb for hot rodders. That meant white t shirts, Levis, desert boots, and a blue nylon jacket or a Pendleton shirt. We also had Dickies denim pants as an emergency backup when those Levis were grabbed by our mom to wash on Saturdays.

The Lion’s Dragstrip pits, as well as other dragstrips in So Cal were inundated with Levis and white t shirts. The driver put on a jacket over the white T-Shirt. No fire suit rules until the 61 to 65 era. But, underneath the fire suits, the favorite Levis and white T-Shirt.

Bakersfield Smokers March Meet 1960

But, as we started high school and our teenage activities included surfing, the sandals called “J.C.” style were the ones to wear. (open toe strap over the whole arch area and an adjustable buckle on the rear heel strap) We even wore socks underneath when the school authorities did not approve of being sock-less. They had a clothes check at various places in the morning. At lunch, the socks came off and for the rest of the day, we were sandal wearing teenagers.

The “non official dress code” emphasized denim pants and button down shirts, tucked in the pants, with hard sole dress shoes for boys. No tennies or sandals. But, as the denim pants stretched to include Levis, the “dress code” (no official dress code until the 2000s) standards continued, as the administration told our parents, they wanted to emphasize those denim pants and button down shirts.

Some kids wore those all through high school. We started to wear Levis and sandals as the years rolled on to the senior year. By then, the school relaxed a bit and we were allowed to not wear socks, since the girls were allowed to wear sandals and no socks. Reverse equality standards, in 1961 no less…

Jnaki

The early days of drag racing, the guys wore Levis and white shirts. No sandals or work boots or for us at the drags. Desert Boots were the accepted style. Levis were the standard. Some went as far as getting the Levis so stained that they stood up by themselves. That was the joke of the day.

"You are what you wear."

 

I have evolved a little….I have switched to Wranglers, they fit my old ass better! I have added a Buck Knife with a Mag lite to my belt, along with a chain drive billfold! I had the Buck and chain drive early on and for years, but the Mag light was added recently, due to vision problems in my old age! Lol In the Winter you will find a maroon Wrangler Western long sleeve shirt covering my tee shirt! I guess I am resistant to change! Basically the same out fit for over fifty years!









Bones

 

“Age is a peculiar kind of thief. It slips up on you and steps inside your skin. It is then so quiet and methodical in its work that you never realize it has stolen our youth until you look in the mirror one morning and see a man/woman you don’t recognize.”


Hello,

My, how time flies when you are having fun. There was never a time when my wife and I were not having fun being together. If we could go back in time, we would go to the 20 something days and start again. It was a time for exploration and development of character, for both of us. It would also lead us into our lifestyles, whatever it was supposed to be at the time. Luckily, we ended up good citizens and neighbors.

With all of the fun in hot rods, drag racing, surfing road trips and other long distance photo journeys, we had always been on the same page and it was/is tremendous. How in the world did I do that task?

Jnaki

The frightening thing was that one day the mirror showed someone that was unrecognizable from those good old days. Our lives had been great and continues to be so with the inclusion of our teenage granddaughter being in our lives, since living with us from 6 months old. It gave us a time to reflect on being parents (in loco parentis) for a second time. It is/was an eye opening thing and the mirror did not lie about who was looking.

We were fairly active, keeping in good shape, “youngish” in style and were taking good care of our fast growing granddaughter. So, it was a surprise as the years rolled on that now, a stranger is looking back at us.

Great Scott… “beam me up…”

 

“Yesterday I was a young boy… Searching for my way… Not knowing what I wanted… Living life from day to day”

Hello,

This song lyric was a quote as far as I was concerned. My college years were coming to a close and there were too many roads to take, too many decisions to make, and a tinge of emptiness in this big world ahead. I had no plans for the future, except to stay with my girlfriend, then became my wife and we would hit the road together. We would end up somewhere, but at least, we would be together.

Aimless was a good way to look at anyone’s future. We did not plan for the beyond, there was just too much to enjoy and get involved in during this time period. We had options, but each was a little limiting.

Our first job for the future: We would be a nanny and a mechanic/driver for families. We would live in their huge house and have the run of all vehicles. The vacations with the family would also be part of the package. We had two families lined up and almost went down that road. But, we did not like the idea of being bossed by people who did not want to take part of their own lives… so much for that future.

Jnaki

The important thing for both of us coming from fairly sheltered lives was the ability to make our own decisions and suffer the consequences of each one. We made some mistakes, but by being together, our decisions have played well with our lives up to now.

So far, so good in today's limited, pandemic fueled adventures, in 50+ years of family and friends.


Coloured Rain Traffic 1967

Coloured Rain (Broadcast live: 1 Oct 67)

Traffic

Yesterday I was a young boy
Searching for my way
Not knowing what I wanted
Living life from day to day

'Till you came along
There was nothing but an empty space and a pain

Feels like Coloured Rain
Tastes like Coloured Rain

Bring on Coloured Rain
Yeah!

I can see a sail of changing
Filling with surprise
United with a feeling
Bringing love into my eyes

Till you came along
There was nothing but an empty space and a pain

 

“Fear is the enemy of love and faith. It robs us of all serenity.”

Hello,

When we lived on the Westside of Long Beach, it was a great place to grow up. Lots of things to do, no worries about getting lost as tons of neighbors and friends were always around us. A short walk to school, living in the same house for all of the school years from kindergarten to high school and beyond.
51 Oldsmobile sedan in the garage.
It was just a nice place. Yes, we have all heard of the terrible Westside of Long Beach, it is true as the temperament of the area was getting different each year. Friends were moving out and relocating to other parts of the Long Beach area and neighboring communities. Why?

Throughout our elementary school years, it was acknowledging the community as a giant playground and area for exploration. During junior high school it was the same, but now we had Lion’s Dragstrip and all of the hot rod speed shops popping up all over the place in the industrial locations near our house.


But when the later years rolled around after high school, a little turmoil started to creep into all neighborhoods. Something was in the air and it was not good. “Something going on and we don’t know what it is…” song lyrics made us take a second look in old neighborhood.

Jnaki

So, fear of the unknown or known, is a factor to replace the quiet life that we all grew up knowing. Living in one area for so long was a good thing, as one gets to know people and the locations of places. So, that is a plus. But, our mom was getting to the point of becoming fearful of the area. Some bad things were happening and it was not the location from our happy times in early hot rods/drag racing. So, we began to look at areas closer to our own OC neighborhood.

Times were changing and people had to adjust or leave. Fear overrides serenity unless it can be controlled to a certain extent. And… “you can’t go home again…”YRMV

 

“Everybody has someone out there in the world who could pierce their heart like a bullet.”


Hello,

Something just happened many years ago. Was it fate? luck of the draw, or just two college age kids doing what came naturally on a seek and wonder mission. What ever the case, it happened, it was outstanding, and changed my outlook on life. The wonderment of being in a solid relationship went along with our enjoyment of each other and things that we liked together.

Not everyone has the good fortune of meeting that person, yet, or being that person. Not everyone could hold on to that person, if they did meet. To me, there has never been any doubt. In our pandemic history, the locked in place brings back memories in our discussions. I never had the good fortune of long lasting relationships. Different colleges in different areas did not always have good outcomes in a “togetherness” attitude. So, I thought it was just something we read about in novels.

I was just getting my post drag racing scene in order, still with dreams of doing another hot rod build with my brother. But our lives were hectic enough and the time together to do what we wanted to build would be a long drawn out adventure. We were in different areas of California and the summers were not long enough to get started with what we may have decided.

So, college classes were leading to a degree and what ever was going to happen in that area. Luckily, I happened to be in a class with my future girlfriend/wife without even knowing it. I thought about it, but just told myself to get past the class, have fun in college, surf, and get my degree.

Hot rods were still active, but now, not being a teenage high school kid without any money, or little money was harder. A college guy without any extra money for spending on a hot rod build, as much as desired, was not in the cards.

Jnaki

A concentrated effort of finding a relationship and developing that scene was important. The dating scene was always a challenge and several were thought of, for that long term situation. But, this new girl just had a different feeling from the start.

In that college class, my friends sat next to this college girl and later explained that she was a good one to get to know. I sat in front with a girl I knew from the early days and everyone thought we were a couple, since we always walked into class together. The thought was “I wish” came into play. So, how was one to know what is pointed your way?

The unknown one sitting in the back, did pierce my heart and has lasted to this day… through thick and thin.


Anyone who can instantly (a spur of the moment) take a 35mm color slide photograph like this one is definitely a keeper and has been in my life. YRMV

 

“The hard times define us and how we use the memory of it, defines our future.”

Hello,

In our existence of our lives growing up in So Cal, or for that matter, just about anywhere, we all had “hard times.” My wife and I laugh at our early days of 20 somethings with not much to show for being just married and living the low-key life. Perhaps that started it and we continued on to this day, of an easy going lifestyle we had created “waaaay back then” that worked itself into our daily lives.

It was surfing, beach road trips all over, being together and rock/roll music of the times, 1968 era. But, in looking back, it was hard times. We did what we had to do to continue living together and enjoying all that was coming towards us at the time. Money was not a factor as there wasn’t much. We just limited ourselves to cope with the difficulties. We were insistent on getting the lifestyle going and making adjustments to be able to live together.

Somehow, my wife was able to save enough money to be able to plan on a month’s vacation with my brother and his wife in the Virgin Islands one Summer. What we hoped would be a month’s vacation turned into a week’s vacation and we flew home penniless, but our customs import allowance was full to the brim.

Much later, when we had an addition to our family, we had to sell the 1940 Ford Sedan Delivery, move to a different house with a yard, and consequently, the monthly expenses just for the house were half to 3/4 of our income. That was cutting it close as possible while living a low key lifestyle.

Jnaki

We knew from past experiences that our income would eventually rise with different jobs and resources. So, we were accepting the situation as much as possible. We were together facing the difficulties and that made it better. Our philosophy of "going against all sources and problems together" made it work.

With the experiences of our 20 somethings, working for being 30 somethings, it just all seemed to work out in the long run to this day. The key was being able to adjust to anything with our combined thoughts, effort, and desires.

We made it work, are happy with the long term effort, and are extremely happy with the situation, as it is happening, today. (Despite the pandemic…) YRMV

 

From Bill an old work colleague- you can’t fart against thunder.

 

My grandfather would almost always say as I was leaving, "Be careful, you might meet a fool!" He died when I was in my twenties but those words have echoed in my mind ever since. And believe me, I have met a few of those fools he was referring to!

 

on our wedding day wifes uncle said "marriage is great institution but then who wants to live in an institution all their life"

 

"would you put your name on that!"

 

worked with a guy years back. when he did a lousy job on something Id say you gonna leave that like that? he would tell me "you cant see it form my house"

 

"The hell fire boys! Nail it 'fore it rots! It ain't a goddamn piano."[/QUOTE]

 

" looking at your profile I thought you were smuggling basketballs" Jim Jordan alias Fibber McGee

 

It's these old clothes that make me look dumb.

 

a friend of mine big guy 6'4' or so 250 lb blind in one eye it wobbled a bit, if you didnt know him you couldnt tell which eye he was looking at you with. had an aggressive personality wasnt afraid to say anything to anyone. we had a lot of fun together. I always told him he was crazy. he would look at me with that wobbly eye an reply
"Im crazy and your alright, right"
always walked away thinking

 

My good friend Jim was helping me roof my shop years ago. I was toting bundles up shingles up the ladder and Jim, who had been a roofer all his life, was putting them down almost as fast as I could carry them. It was about 90 degrees, sun was hot and I was suffering. I was bitching about the heat and asked him if he wanted to knock off for the day. He just said, "we'll get 'er done, we always do." And we did.
Jim passed away from cancer not long after that due to his lifetime of asbestos exposure. Every since, when I'm struggling with a hard job I hear Jim's voice saying, "we'll get 'er done, we always do."

 

Dad always told me "dont start something if you dont plan on finishing it!"

 

Kids are like farts.....you cant stand nobodys but your own

 

And if they come with the bride the standing is limited.

 

I ask a 105 year old man: what is the worst part of getting old? He said ; " Thinking that my friends in Heaven are thinkin' I never made it there !"

 

my boss and I were working on a metal fab project he wanted to get done in a hurry. he says " we're not f#$kin this pig and we're not taking it to the fair so lets get it done"

 

a friend of mine, died some time ago. He was married 68 years, to same woman. I ask "Mac, what's it like having one mate your whole life? He said : "I will ask Alice, and get back to you "

I said: "you Ol' son of a bitch" He said " If you can handle the answer, don't ask the darn question!!!"

 

“There are those that can have the courage to embrace the past and give it life and a voice in the present.”


Hello,

When I was filming in those old drag racing days, I had no idea there was going to be some future of digital editions and creating some different drag racing history. Those old films sat in a box in our attic due to the fact that my brother did not want them as a memory of drag racing. (We all could see that one coming…even as a high school sophomore.) So, those old metal reels and films stayed in a hall closet from 1960 to 1998 when my wife and I had to clear out my mom’s stuff from the recently sold house.

I had taken the short films that I took of our Willys Coupe at Lion’s Dragstrip in 1959-60, but it was to make a VHS tape from the 16mm color reels. It was something that was just starting in the business world and I wanted to see it on our New VHS player/recorder. The local shop was doing a bang up business and so, I had a copy. Now, we had our own little theater with the largest screen we could afford, a “giant 32 inch” super heavy TV. Ha…giant, that was a good one, compared to my current desktop monitor that is 31 inch and paper thin.

Jnaki

At the time, VHS was “the thing.” Access to tapes was easy, there were multiple storefronts renting tons of VHS, the tapes themselves were inexpensive for good quality. So, that was to be the future. I viewed the VHS 40 Willys Coupe tape a couple of times. The family times did not allow me to have all of the 16mm color films transferred over to VHS. So they sat in boxes in our attic. They survived several house moves, a storage facility, and through it all, remained a portion of our lives that played an important part, but the current family life was our future.

As the digital age started showing up and I kept seeing old photos of drag racing back in the 1958-64 time period, I was now curious about what was on our own films. So, the cost of transferring 16mm films to digital DVDs and flash drives was the “in” thing to have done with old films and photos.

Now, I wanted to see the mess I had filmed back then. It was to be just some digital DVDs to watch on the latest technology for my wife and me. It was a great way to laugh and see some history. I had no idea of what was to become of the films. They were family films and I knew I wanted to give my brother some validity/acknowledgement, so I searched and found You Tube. But, the original idea was to make a folder of all of the digital files for my brother’s two sons.

They had no idea of the history in drag racing for my brother. He was a family guy with great mechanical knowledge, a good surfer, an avid high powered street motorcycle fanatic and overall nice guy to his sons. Now, they have the files and films to showcase a different part of their own family history. From that idea, it moved on to drag racing history for everyone, since there were only a few films that were available to the public during this time period and beginning film photography.

Thanks, James…

Being from the Westside of Long Beach and happen to frequent the nearby shop of Joe Mailliard, this converted 16mm color film with added original sound from the same year is one of our favorites. The Sidewinder as shown from Joe Mailliard Engineering, just a few blocks from our house.

(The films were taken in the Spring and Summer of 1959 at Lion's Dragstrip. The sound was the original Sidewinder making a run at the September 1959 U.S. Nationals in Detroit, edited to create a composite film.)


Sound from The Sidewinder 1959