Shelby & Yasmine wanted to capture their friendship in bright colors to show no matter what you go through you will always come out shining if you have friends to stand with.
2012 L.A. Auto Show
I would not describe myself as a gear head, but I do enjoy going to auto shows when they are in my area. The last show that I attended was in Orange County, about two years ago, it left a lot to be desired. It lack all of the magic that I enjoy about auto shows, such as concept vehicles, luxury cars, and custom cars. So when my brother and I decided to go to the L.A. Auto Show we hoped we would not be disappointed again.
The show started off on a great note. A stranger approach us and said "It was our lucky day" because he had an extra ticket and he was going to give it to us. He explained that his son was unable to attend and we looked like nice guys so we deserved a free ticket. He gave us the ticket and we did not see him again. At this point we felt bad for the guy because his son did not show up, but he left so quick all we got to do was say thank you.
After my brother bought his ticket we headed inside. The show was held in the Convention Center which is a huge venue. They separate the cars into different halls. Like always, we headed to the furthest hall, West Hall, which had vehicles from Honda, Dodge, and Ford to name of few.
There was not much really to see inside of West Hall. The majority of the vehicles in this hall are already in production and on the street. The only thing that really stood out was the Dodge SRT Viper.
We then proceeded to the Petree Hall. Every time that I have attended this show, this hall only contains vehicles made by Porsche. Normally, I am not a fan of Porsche vehicles, but for the first time it contain one of my favorite vehicles of the show, a Porsche Carrera GTS. What I enjoyed about this vehicle was its futuristic feel. This car was design in the 60's but it appeared it could be releasing in the coming months.
Concourse Hall was next. This hall contained all the high end vehicles that you are not allowed to touch. Aston Martin had a beautiful display of their vehicles. For the James Bond fans they had the vehicle use in the some of the movies and a display of the tuxedos in the back.
Morgan, a line of vehicles I'm not familiar with, had a nice display. The vehicle of theirs that caught most of my attention was the little shark car. It felt really out of place but somehow it still retained its class.
Only two halls remained at this point. South Hall and Kentia Hall. We visited Kentia Hall last, it contains modified vehicles and vendors. This hall was the biggest disappointment. Noting really caught our eye, and this hall is usually my favorite or at least second favorite, but not this time.
South Hall hands down was the best hall for this show. It had vehicles from Acura, Audi, BMW, Jaguar, and Lexus to name a few. What made this hall special was the fact that it contained the majority of the concept vehicles.
The first concept we saw was the Acura NSX. This is the first Acura that I have ever liked or even wanted to own. The design of this vehicle was top notch. At this point my brother and I awarded this car of the night. Unfortunately, it only held that award for about five minutes.
Lexus snatch that award away with the LF-CC and LF-LC-Blue. Hands down this was the vehicle if I had the money and the car was available it would have been bought. The exterior was amazing and the interior was stunning. This car needs to be in production now.
Mercedes Benz Ener-G Force was an absurdity that I love. I can not fathom a place outside of movies for this vehicle. We dubbed this the goon mobile because it had the appearance of a vehicle belonging to the henchmen of a super villain.
Overall, excluding the disappointing Kentia Hall, we had a great time at this show. I was a little surprised that Rolls Royce did not have a display at the show, but they where not the only high end dealer missing. I can only assume the economy played a role in the absence of some of the dealers.
Best in show without a doubt was the Lexus LF-CC.
My Christmas Tree
Christmas is long and gone and I am happy to say that I made it through this difficult time. Over the holiday my family and I suffered a great lost with the passing of our grandfather.
Today, was my first day back to work since his passing. While walking to work I notice the Christmas tree that was place in the park was still there after Christmas. When they placed this tree in the park I knew I wanted to take a picture of it, but for some reason I never felt inspired to do so. Leaving work today I stopped and looked at the tree and I was hit with the inspiration that I needed to capture the moment.
We did not get a tree this year. However, at this point I realize Christmas was not as bad as I thought or felt because I was able to spend it with my grandfather in his time of need. This picture has become my tree because when I look at this picture it reminds me that I was able to provide comfort to my grandfather in his twilight hour. The time I spent with him was the greatest gift I could ever give or receive this Christmas. I have so many things that will remind me of my grandfather, but this picture will forever remind of this Christmas we spent together.
Thank you for everything grandfather and I will continue to be the man you taught me to be, and even in your passing you taught me another lesson about what Christmas is really about. I will always love you and will cherish the time I was able to spend with you.