Saturday, May 2, 2009

Pink Cadillac

Click on photos to enlarge


I had my first Saturday off in ages today, but true to my profession I could not leave the house without a camera, despite the protest of my husband.

For over two years I have been passing this pink 1958 Cadillac Eldorado Biarritz, dying to stop and take a photo, but I was either on my way to an assignment or on my way back home, trying to beat my deadline.

Today, I had time on my hands and the light was right. I had my husband slam on the breaks, over protest of course, and I got out and knocked on the door. A sweet young woman opened it, her toddler and dog following behind her.

The young woman explained to me that the car belonged to a friend and that he had been working on it in their yard, restoring it a little at a time. Neither her husband nor the owner of the car were there. But I had time, a pretty woman, a cute kid, a dog, and a pink Cadillac. What more could a photographer asked for? I pleaded.

At first, she was a little suspicious of someone tromping onto her property wanting to take photos, but once she realized that I was a harmless romantic photographer, she was more than accommodating.







This photo was not taken in Crisfield, but it was still in our county. When you visit and try out all our restaurants and shop in all our stores, and enjoy our beautiful bay, there are gems to be seen all over Somerset County. Come. Eat. Enjoy. Explore. And come back again!

I want to thank the young woman, whose name I did not get, for posing for me. Photographers know that sometimes kids don't want to corporate, but this little boy was a real camera ham. And there was icing on the cake; even the dog posed.

I can't tell you how many feature shots I have taken for newspapers when a dog did not want to cooperate, meaning I would see someone jogging with their dog or riding a bike with their dog running along side them. The kind of perfect composition that makes you wear down those breaks. But once I got out of the car, the dog would run off in another direction or towards me, or if on a leash, would break step and move in another direction.

Some of you may remember Bruce Springsteen's Pink Cadillic song, written in 1998. Even though it was written it '98, I am posting the below lyrics in honor of a time when fins were king, and cars cruised the small towns of America, the guy at the wheel, his arm around his baby, and the AM radio playing sweet songs. Small towns still had theaters, mom and pop stores, drive-in theaters and restaurants, and soda fountain drug stores.

If only cars could talk. I am such a romantic when it comes to old cars.

"You may think I'm foolish
For the foolish things I do
You may wonder how come I love you
When you get on my nerves like you do
Well baby you know you bug me
There ain't no secret 'bout that
Well come on over here and hug me
Baby I'll spill the facts
Well honey it ain't your money
'Cause baby I got plenty of that
I love you for your pink Cadillac
Crushed velvet seats
Riding in the back
Oozing down the street
Waving to the girls
Feeling out of sight
Spending all my money
On a Saturday night
Honey I just wonder what you do there in back
Of your pink Cadillac
Pink Cadillac

Well now way back in the Bible
Temptations always come along
There's always somebody tempting
Somebody into doing something they know is wrong
Well they tempt you, man, with silver
And they tempt you, sir, with gold
And they tempt you with the pleasures
That the flesh does surely hold
They say Eve tempted Adam with an apple
But man I ain't going for that
I know it was her pink Cadillac
Crushed velvet seats
Riding in the back
Oozing down the street
Waving to the girls
Feeling out of sight
Spending all my money
On a Saturday night
Honey I just wonder what it feels like in the back
Of your pink Cadillac
Now some folks say it's too big
And uses too much gas
Some folks say it's too old
And that it goes too fast
But my love is bigger than a Honda
It's bigger than a Subaru
Hey man there's only one thing
And one car that will do
Anyway we don't have to drive it
Honey we can park it out in back
And have a party in your pink Cadillac."

_______________________________


Some top songs of 1958


At The Hop, All I Have To Do is Dream, Bird Dog, It's All In The Game, It's Only Make Believe, Poor Little Fool, Twilight Time, Bye Bye Love, Sweet Little Sixteen, Tears On My Pillow, Who's Sorry Now.



I want a ride in that car when it is ready for the road.

26 comments:

A Scattering said...

Hi Patty, all the photos are great but the first one is classic!

J9 said...

Patty - the composition on that forst one is perfect, and the color balance amazing!

Joanne said...

The first thing I thought of when I saw these amazing photos was Springsteen's song. He played here in Hartford last week; we tried to get tickets the day they went on sale, but they sold out in minutes and we were out of luck :(

gigi said...

This was just a perfect post. Great husband, but then I guess he is use to it. That is an awesome restoration and pictures Patty.

Sarah Lulu said...

Ohhh how wonderful a pink cadillac...love it love it!

Chef E said...

I can hear Bruce Springsteen singing that as I opened the post! What a great great freaking photo op! I too am the sort that is not afraid of knocking on the door, or screeching to a halt for the moment to enjoy life's hidden (to the normal and busy) treats...you rock girl...

Tatieva said...

Woooooooo, j'adore les Cadillac, fantastique voiture rose, ce qu'elle est belle !
Je craque aussi sur la Mustang jaune 1957.
Que de belles voitures et l'intérieur est magnifique, tout est beau, dans cette Cadillac !
Kisses from France,
Tatieva

Elizabeth said...

This is some car!
Totally love it and your color co-ordinated young woman.
I think there cars are a part of the American iconography.
Wonderful.

pizzapizza said...

Great pictures. I think I will take some of a old red Honda and post them. I just have to find a good looking woman to sit on the hood

bARE-eYED sUN said...

ya know, you really, really tell a good story. loved the set as well. (great choice that last b&w, wadda closer!)

methinx many folk w/mullah will be making their way to Cuba (when/if relations are normalized)just to get their hand on some of those great fifties cars which they keep still keep on the road.
wurd iz, that they run on water.

pink Cadillacs 'r cool, but our personal fave?
= a baby-blue '57 Chevy Bel-Aire with white trims. yum-yum! :-)

thanks again for a great post. :-)

..
.ero

The Pink Birdhouse said...

uhhhhh, this pink-loving gal is loving the photos of the pink cadillac!! It is awesome. Can I still use that word? Wouldn't you just love to have a car like that!! I am glad you stopped and begged for the photos, other wise we would have missed out on this great post. have a good sunday, Debby

Midlife, menopause, mistakes and random stuff... said...

Lurve it gal!! Hey, did Elvis give it to them???

Steady On
Reggie Girl

Anonymous said...

Absolutely Loved the pink Caddy!! DH & I are "motorheads" & love Nascar & Love to watch The Barrett Jackson Auctions! The interior is gorgeous!!
DH wants a 57'Chevy, red & white & I want a pink 57' Baby Bird! :)
Have a great rest of the weekend!
Love,
Marilyn
xxoo

Unknown said...

awesome car!! I bet that girl was a little leery of you at first. That is a day she will never forget. Great post!

aurbie said...

Thanks for all the nice comments. I can't wait to get a ride in that pink Cadillac.

Patience-please said...

I almost feel guilty for reading this blog - and this post is a perfect example - for free! Delightful.

willow said...

Fun post! The first photo is amazing. Even the little dog is in the perfect spot!

Bagman and Butler said...

Thanks for the color and black and white versions -- like two different pictures entirely.

Girl Tornado said...

I just couldn't believe the first photo when I saw it... I had to read your story to find out how you got such an awesome photo! And you're right, even the dog posed for you - amazing. What a great photo. And the pink cadillac is truly beautiful.

Jess said...

This is such a cool post, Patty! I love it! Don't you love finally getting to shoot something that you've been dying to capture? such a great sense of relief haha.

aurbie said...

Jess, Yes. It was a fun shoot. Classic.

Noe Noe Girl...A Queen of all Trades. said...

Classic shots!

aurbie said...

Oz Girl: Thanks for the comment. It was a fun shoot, and I was so happy to have the time to stop by.

aurbie said...

Butler and Bagman:I like the contrast of the two photos. Yes. They are two different photos.

Willow: I love the first photo, too. It was a fun shoot. I am going to back and do another shoot.

Patience-please: Thanks for the post. You can send me a penny if it makes you feel any better.

Marilyn: Hope you find your pink Chevy. One of my boyfriends in high school had a restored 59 Chevy - black and white. But I won't go there.

Doreen: She was a sweet young woman. I gave her my card, so I hope she can enjoy the photo.

Reggie Girl: After we go for a joy ride in Butler and Bagman's car, we will take on the pink caddy. Won't we look swell going down the road with our matching pink tops on, hair blowing in the wind? Whoo hoo!

Pink Bird House: I know you love pink! Yes, you can still use, "Awesome." A better description would be, "Cool, man."

bARE-eYED sUN: I so want to go to Cuba. As a member of the press, I could get permission, but there is a lot of paperwork involved.

If I ever get there, maybe I will bring back a one of those 50's cars. They run on water, eh?

Pizzapizza: I will sit on that Honda of yours. With 300,000 miles on it, I would look pretty good perched up there.

Elizabeth: My eyes about pooped out of my head when she opened the door and I saw she had on a pink top. How cool was that?

Tatieva: I don't know what you said in French, but it sounds romantic.

Chef E: Awesome that you, too, are not afraid to throw yourself into the middle of something. You rick, gal!

Sarah Lulu: I think we all love pink caddys.

Gigi: Yep. I have a good husband, and he is used to to breaking. I need a bumper sticker that reads, "I break for photos."

Joanne: Too bad about Springsteen. I love him, too.

J9: That was one of those perfect moments where you did not have to work with the light. It was waiting for you.

Elaine Dale: I agree. That first photo says, "Americana."

Mary said...

Patty,

I followed your link from Ann's comments and am so glad I did. What fantastic photos of the pink Cadillac. I remember those. They were awesome.

Enjoyed the Top Ten of '58. I remember all of them. Thanks for the memories. Drop over for a visit when you can. I'd enjoy getting to know you better.

Blessings,
Mary

Ann, Chen Jie Xue 陈洁雪 said...

I read your post and oohh ahhh when you first posted it.

I have this thing about big cars, cause when I was little and squeezed into our small car, Dad always said, "when I strike the lottery, I will buy a Mercedees. Sadly, he never strike anything big."

The funny thing was when he died at 84, he had a supersized Mercedees hearse, and the boys accompanied him in it, and the girls and daughters in law were in this big Mercedees stretch limo. We joked about Dad finally getting his Mercedees and we no longer had to squeeze into our little old Fiat.