Looking at it with an outsider’s perspective, this life we live must seem really odd. Buy cars. Work on cars. Go to car shows. Cruise in cars. Take photos of cars. Cars cars cars cars cars. Many people who aren’t actively participating in this lifestyle, but know that we do, surely wonder what the point of it all is. Why do we have this obsession with cars that seems to completely take over our lives to the point where everything we do is in one way or another related to them? What is it about these things that draws us in and holds on so tightly?
It’s the people.
All of the install days we host, car shows we attend, meets we hang out at, cruises we go on – all of these happen because of the cars, but are fun and memorable because of the people. Over the years we’ve made countless memories that’ll stay with us forever because of the amazing individuals we’ve all met thanks to these machines. Whether it’s relaxing in the grass on a sunny afternoon at a show, heading out to a nearby town in a convoy and taking in the scenery as we do, or even working with flashlights in the driveway at 3 in the morning installing parts, the best part of everything to do with cars is the human interaction.
Our group of friends – our car family as we call it – is a diverse mix of people to say the least. Most of us probably wouldn’t have ever crossed paths if it weren’t for cars and our lives would be poorer for it. We have different backgrounds, work in different industries, have lived or do live in different cities (or countries), and even vary in age by a few decades in some instances; but we’ve been able to build our friendships thanks to the common thread of cars.
That last note – of age – is why this post is going up today. Regular readers will know that September sees a few of us celebrate birthdays. Derrick’s as well as mine are coming up later on, but this weekend saw Jose’s (yesterday) and Mario’s (today) take place. I figured this would be a perfect time to throw some select photos up from Josè’s recent trip, ones which otherwise likely wouldn’t have been shared here.
The events, the “public” part of that weekend (All Ford and iMSS) were a ton of fun, make no mistake, but the best part of those few days was all of the time spent hanging out with everyone. We had Josè back in town, show prep to handle, and even my mother’s birthday to celebrate, so everyone was able to spend a lot of time hanging out and sharing laughs.
As compared to the polished photos from the events and installs, these are mainly just quick point-and-shoot pictures grabbed in the moment. Some are even low-res phone photos, but I’d say these are some of the best of the whole trip because of what’s in them – not the cars, but the people.
Happy birthday Josè and Mario!
-Bill