Hot Rods

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As I mentioned in Wednesday's post, last weekend's Collinsville catsup festival featured a lot of hot rods and custom cars. Nothing stated about fuel economy. I prefer my hot rods from Commander Cody and His Lost Planet Airmen.

'52 Jeep

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Something else from the catsup festival. There were lots of hot rods and custom cars on display. This one was a restored 1952 Jeep, Korean War vintage. This gentleman knew everything about it but he was a bit shy and I did not get his name.

Sorry no comments yesterday. Running at top speed at work, zoom home, take Mrs. C out to dinner for her birthday, then hit the pillow. No rest for the wicked, as they say.

Happy Bastille Day to our French friends.

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Sure You Can

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There were vendors hawking all sorts of odd things at the Collinsville Catsup Festival last weekend, not the least of which were for sale at this tent. The first and middle pictures are the front and back of a tee shirt. The image is Rosie the Riveter, made famous on a World War II poster. However, Rosie's face has been switched for that of Sarah Palin (the horror! the horror!). The date is our next congressional election. The back of the shirt is, well... But I can't figure out how the law, which is made by the government, is above everyone and you will be punished for breaking it, except when you and your spouse don't agree with it, and you don't have to answer to the government anyway. And damn right that the government can't force anyone to be charitable. If it could, no one would wear this shirt.

The World's Largest Collection of The World's Smallest Versions of the World's Largest Things

Issam and Gigi were not the only interesting new friends I made last weekend. On Sunday, I drove out to the Illinois suburbs to shoot the Collinsville World's Largest Catsup Bottle Festival. (Check the link. This is too bizarre to explain briefly.) Collinsville claims to have the world's largest catsup (not ketchup) bottle, but actually it's a big fake, a model, over the Brooks Catsup plant. I plan to have it in a post in the next few days. Turns out there was also a great classic car and custom hot rod show, more about which tomorrow.

It was there I met Erika Nelson, a self-styled "outsider artist" who runs The World's Largest Collection of The World's Smallest Versions of the World's Largest Things, a stationary/mobile museum in/from Lucas, Kansas. Lucas is WAY out there on the remote prarie. I mean, my wife's family is from way (no caps) out on the prarie in north-central Kansas but Lucas is three hours further drive. She travels the country in her way-out mini pickup named Scout, attending odd arts events, for example, those involving giant catsup bottles. I'll try to have more pix of Scout on my Flickr site by the end of the weekend.

And if you're ever in the neighborhood of Lucas, Kansas, do drop by!

Scout's Left Rear Quarter Panel

WEEKEND PLANS: Wandering around the city-wide St. Louis artists studio open house and asking artists if I can take their portraits.

TOMORROW: Hot Rod Lincoln