Big-Print Blow Out Sale!

Cruisin' Photography has just started a "Big-Print Blow Out Sale" with major savings on large prints. An 11x17 print from the Digital Auto Art gallery is now just $25. A commissioned 11x17 Digital Auto Art print of your car is now reduced from $80 to $45. This sale will not be on for long so take advantage now! Check out the Sales page on the website at www.cruisinphotography.com for more reductions.

Rhinebeck Ramblings

Rhinebeck - every time I had heard that name when I lived in England, it meant two things to me. The first was the historic air shows containing the World War I replica aircraft. The second was that they held car shows there, BIG car shows, with the quality of cars normally in the major leagues. I had seen pictures on the Internet and in American magazines, but not once did it cross my mind that I would ever go there.

Monday, June 21st saw my sore English skin and I recovering from a baking at Concorso Ferrari at the State Capitol in Hartford. I fired up the computer to do my regular e-mail checks and saw an intriguing message called “Rhinebeck Car Show”. It had come from my friend Jeff Strong of Strong Keepsake Images. Jeff said that he was going to the Goodguys 19th East Coast Nationals on Saturday and Sunday and would I like to take the trip with him. I grinned and read the message to my wife, Kathy, who replied: “What are you waiting for? Tell Jeff you’re in!” I hit the reply button and the deal was done. During the week, Jeff sorted out the accommodations and we met up with him at the Tri Town Cruzers show in Vernon on the 25th to finalize the arrangements. I love it when a plan comes together!

The journey soon passed and we were in the parking lot. Jeff and I arranged a meet time back at his car and went our separate ways. I made a check on my camera settings and took a long look at my surroundings, the Dutchess County Fairgrounds, home of the mythical Rhinebeck car shows.

I was probably 10 yards from the entrance and already I had no idea which direction to go in. Every direction held a superb looking car. Any preconceived plan of how I was going to work the show quickly evaporated. Shiny things continually distracted me

This was something else. I had never been to a show like this. I stood in front of what I think was a Fad T roadster. I say I think because this looked like no T Roadster I had ever seen! It had a stretched wheelbase; the body was channeled over the frame to give it just about enough clearance for a worm to crawl under it; and the engine was blown and had dragster- style, straight-through headers.

I carried on enjoying the cars. I passed by a few familiar ones bearing CT plates and saw a few faces that I recognized from cruise nights. I bumped into Jeff who asked if I had been up to the field yet. Field? There’s a field full of cars as well as these? Oh geez, here comes shiny distraction overload! It seemed like everywhere I went there was a supercharger poking through a hood, or a flame paint job or a sweet pickup truck to distract me.

I made my way up to the “field” and was greeted by another mass of cars. In among the awesome selection, a couple of familiar body shapes caught my eye. The first was a gasser-style Ford Mk1 Cortina, with the obligatory blower poking out of the hood, a straight-tube axle giving it the traditional high-riding gasser stance, a roof chop and deep red paint. It was a brutish-looking car. Sadly I could not track down the owner, as I would have loved to find out more. I owned an Mk1 ‘Tina years ago, but it never looked like this! The next shapely body to distract me was a Ford Anglia. I have always had a soft spot for the Anglia, or “Popular” as it was known in England. This red-and-black beauty ticked all the boxes. It packed a small-block Chevy and as the owner explained, in a car with such a short wheelbase, that was all you needed for some real fun!

The skies thickened as the afternoon progressed and a few spots of rain fell. This prompted a mass departure by many of the show cars, so I made my way to a prime spot to photograph the cars as they left the fairgrounds. It was quite a sight believe me, as rods, customs, trucks, roadsters, muscle cars and rat rods made for an enjoyable traffic jam!

After a comfortable overnight stay in Copake and a great breakfast in the “An Apple A Day” diner in Red Hook, we made our way through the gates for Day Two. It was clear, even at 8.30am that this was going to be a quieter day. Saturday’s attendance was around 1,275 cars; Sunday’s looked to be much less. In many ways this wasn’t a bad thing as it gave me more working room around the cars to do them justice and to grab a few words with the car owners.

The temperature was more comfortable than the day before and the spectator figures were lower. All this made the experience even more enjoyable, in my opinion. I had noticed a Ford Econoline van on Saturday but never got the chance to get a proper look at it. Super Vanarchy, as it was named, looked good in its green and black paint. Jim, the owner from Thompson, CT, told me that the van had 213,000 miles on the odometer and that it was restored to its present condition in just 60 days!

The next car that caught my eye was a superb 1956 Chevy Nomad. The copper- colored car was just amazing. The owners said that it had taken 15 years to restore and rebuild. It was time well spent believe me. They also mentioned that they were considering a road trip in it to Niagara Falls. I offered the services of Kathy and me as navigators and car security for the trip but they politely refused my offer! The previous day, the Nomad had been invited to be displayed in the coveted “Builder’s Choice” section, and rightly so.

Sunday continued much as Saturday did, with shiny distractions and rumbling engines. Sadly, the previously arranged departure time for Jeff and me came ‘round way too soon. I had over 900 images to process, a sore shoulder from carrying my camera bag, sore feet, sunburn, and, best of all, a huge grin! These words only scratch the surface of the show. My first Rhinebeck experience was great and one that I would readily repeat. Now all I need are some blinkers to stop me from being distracted by so many shiny objects!