Auto salvage yard



Visiting the auto salvage yard was not what I expected. I knew there would be really interesting photo opportunities, and there were, but at the same time, I did not want to stay too long either. I've been to salvage yards before and I never remember it bothering me. Maybe it was because the man running it told me he wanted to look over all my images before I left. I didn't ask why but he told me that some of the cars were involved in fatal accidents and they didn't want any images that might upset family/friends of those people to get out there. I know that made me a bit wary to peer too close into any of the cars with deployed airbags, collapsed roofs, and really smashed in fronts. Maybe it was that so many of the cars looked newer than my own two cars (and ours are not that old). Maybe it was knowing that every one of those cars, now slowly being stripped and decaying, was once something so exciting so someone, somewhere.

Despite the weird vibe I had the whole time I was there, I did get some pictures I like.

I really liked finding the handful of truly old cars. I found a couple of 1960s Thunderbirds at the very back of the yard.



I was amazed to find the chrome headlight of this old car still so shiny after 30+ years.



Then there were car parts you do not usually get to see on a working car.





I only spent a little over an hour at the yard. I hope to find another one with more 1970s and earlier cars.

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The beauty of rust

I drive by the auto salvage yard several times a week and last week the idea came to me that it would be such a great photo opportunity. I love old and rusted things as photographic subjects. I finally got my chance to go to the salvage yard this week.

The only picture I really had in mind that I wanted to get when I walked in to the yard was a close up of something rusted. I think rust patterns are so interesting. At first, I was worried I might not actually find what I was looking for. The cars near the entrance were almost all newer than the two we own (which was a weird thought because our cars are not that old). A little deeper in to the yard and I found it.

Here are a few shots:







What could be better than rust? How about rust plus fire damage.



I thought it was ironic that one of the most beautiful rust patterns I found was on one of the handful of operational vehicles in the yard. This is from the back of the yard's fork lift.



See them all plus the rest of the images from the yard (as soon as I upload them) here.

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The Huntington Library

While visiting LA recently, we decided to spend the day at The Huntington Library... well actually the Botanical Gardens. The Art Gallery was closed and it was too nice a day to spend inside. Plus we had 3 small children with us, which is no fun for being in anything called a Library.

I have always loved the Japanese Garden at The Huntington. I think it is the bridge that always catches my attention.







I have always wished I would have a garden that looked like this. I just need that $10 million invention to give me enough money to do it.

This time I took some pictures of some lotus flowers in a pond. I have looked at them many times but never really tried to capture them. I am glad I did because I got my favorite shot of the day there.



After the lotus we went to the cactus garden. I had never spent much time in this part of the garden before and again we caught it at the end of our day and had to rush through. It is too bad because there were so many amazing views.







Next time we'll have to start with the cactus garden and make it to the new Chinese garden as well.

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