The Photography of Dr. Jeffrey P. Harper

74 Years Living Out and About in Germany, The USA, The Congo (DRC), London, Singapore, Denmark, Scotland, and Bangkok

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Entries in Olympia, Washington (3)

Hot Rods!

Wednesday, May 9, 2018 at 6:51AM

I had the pleasure this past week-end to take a 1955 Chevy street rod to two different 'drive in' car shows in Olympia and Lacey, Washington State, USA.

The Hot Rod is a distinctly American Art Form . . . stereotypically characterized by painted FLAMES.

I saw many fine, and some famous, hot rods.

Wild 40 Willys coupe street rod . . . WOW!

Scalloped flames on a 1939 Ford Hot Rod.

The '1939 Ford had a beautifully detailed, polished and painted engine. I liked the mirror firewall.

My friend and neighbor, Ken, had two hot rods at both shows: a flamed mint green 1935 Chevrolet and a black 1946 Chevrolet . . . both have 'chopped' tops.

Among the traditional 'hot rods' were some very rare 'muscle cars' and more recent vintage 'street machines.' This is a 1 of 31 made "Street 426" Dodge Polara . . . looking like new.

For Sale - only US$100,000.oo! Full new custom frame, new Corvette suspension, NEW steel body stampings, New interior and gauges, NEW all-aluminum 800hp big block engine and 6-speed transmission. Essentially a brand new 1967 Chevrolet Camero.

The engine, like everything else on the 'new' 1967 Camero, was spotless.

These are NOT restored standard cars. The Ford Starliner had a mega-horsepower engine and racing underpinnings. It is a Hot Rod in sheep's clothing . . . a classic 'sleeper'!

The nice thing about hot rod shows, and hot rodders in general, is that there are many different categories of modified cars present . . . and appreciated. Here a very rare 1958 348 cubic inch, three carburetor V8 . . . restored and modified.

The 'tri-power' 348ci V8 in the 1958 Chevy (above). This car is a 'daily driver.'

One of my favorite cars in either show: a 1956 Ford Fairlane. The owner was an 82 year old custom car upholsterer . . . and this car had a fantastic interior!

1956 Ford Fairlane custom interior . . . by owner.

A 1955 Chevrolet done in the style of a 'Gasser' from an earlier era of championship drag racing.

Another nice 1955 Chevrolet . . . a favorite car to Hot Rod when I was in high school.

This 1955 Chevy I brought to the car shows belongs to my brother. It has a modern 383ci V8, TH400 transmission, Ford 9" rear end, modern power disc brakes and modern power steering . . . otherwise it is all stock in appearance. I spent weeks polishing and cleaning everything inside and out in preparation to show it.

The engine compartment of 'my' 1955 Chevy.

Another category of hot rod is the 'Rat Rod' . . . . ugly and untouched on the outside (left exactly as it was found in the field), but with modern high performance engine, transmission, chassis, steering and brakes. This is a 1953 Ford pick-up.

The interior of the Ford pick-up 'Rat Rod' had a lot of fun stuff in it!!!

A rare body style 1949 Ford with a 'built' flathead V8.

A beautifully prepared 4bbl flathead V8 in the 1949 Ford.

A pair of 1939 Chevys . . . one a business coupe and one a 4-door sedan.

A very nice 1941 Chevy with a perfect body and perfect paint.

One of my favorite rods from the two days of shows . . . Model A pick-up.

I like the big 'fat fendered' four door hot rods . . . so practical.

The classic hot rod, the '32 Deuce Highboy.

A '33 Ford full-fendered hot rod. Nice flames . . . very traditional.

Very nice display with this '35 Chevy . . . the burger drive-in window window tray from Bob's Big Boy.

"Dare to be different" - 36 Plymouth hot rod.

Another unusual make and model: a 40 Buick.

An amazing '41 Lincoln V12.

Everybody loves a 1959 Cadillac. A nice collection at the parking lot car show in Lacy, Washington.

Caddy tail lights and classic hot rods.

"Low Rider" car culture was represented by this amazing 1964 Chevy Impala . . . it won the 'Best Engine' Trophy.

The prize-winning engine in the 1964 Impala. Wow!

Car owners often displayed plaques that itemize the various modifications and custom parts.

Certain cars from the 'Muscle Car' era are considered 'Holy Grail' cars. This 426 Max Wedge is a Holy Grail collector car.

Perfectly presented 426 Max Wedge engine . . . essentially a race car engine offered in a street car.

Another of my favorite cars. The paint and interior on this VW were absolutely amazing.

The interior on the brown Bug.

There was a motorcycle category at the show too . . . this Honda won the trophy.

Another classic Deuce Highboy . . . in red. Tidy.

Winner, Best in Show . . . custom '49 Mercury convertible. WOW!

The dashboard on the Best of Show '49 Merc.

A beautiful customized Hot Rod. Classic!

Another of my favorites, and winner of the Best Truck in Show, was this Ford Econoline pick-up. It was a real crowd favorite too.

The Ford Econoline interior.

Cute 'eyelids'.

Nice old Buick hot rod.

Another Buick . . . custom Riviera.

I had a lot of fun walking around the car shows . . . talking with the car owner/builders about their pride and joy . . . and answering questions about my brother's '55 Chevy.

It had been many years since I attended a hot rod show . . . and now I have my fill!

Dr. Jeff Harper |

The Procession of Species

Wednesday, May 2, 2018 at 12:15AM

An annual parade in Olympia, Washington State, USA brings families, teens, and old folks together in celebration of the life on our planet.

A popular event in Olympia, Washington is the Procession of Species. The townsfolk arrive early to grab the best viewing spots along the route.

For families, the parade is an opportunity to dress up and walk down Main Street together.

Groups of friends, of all ages, gathered hours before the official start to practice their street routines.

For the children . . . heaven!

The parade rules were simple: any species that lives in the air, under the sea, or on the land . . . and NO motorized vehicles.

I wandered the pre-parade staging areas for these portraits of the communities' creativity.

The kids were ready. Cute.

The city came around with wagons full of colored chalk for the children . . . . and came around later to collect the unused chalk.

Bird Girl!

Floats . . . getting ready to parade.

Stilted sea creatures arriving for the parade.

Final adjustments for comfort before the long march.

Some of the children 'street artists' were very good.

A large crowd began to assemble for the parade.

Wherever you have a large crowd, buskers will appear.

The clouds looked threatening . . . .

The Olympia city center was closed for the afternoon.

Olympia, being a state capitol, is a political town.

Town characters . . . The Goddess of Trash, "One day, everything you have will be mine!" she exclaimed.

Old Olympia.

The crowds began to gather around the town square in front of the old state capitol building.

A marvelous xylophone band played in the square gazebo . . . . . and then . . . and then . . .

. . . and then a break-dancing Superman entertained the crowd . . . and then . . .

And then the Boys in Blue separated the crowd to the sidewalks . . .

And then there was a buzz in the air as the start of the parade approached.

A fantastic scene approached!

A parade of homemade costumes and floats. America celebrating itself.

I loved this Mantis costume . . . and wanted one too.

Citizens parading.

Its fun to dress up in a costume and walk through your town.

The families that 'floated' together were my favorites.

The ladies I saw practicing before the parade did well . . . and garnered much applause.

Some of the costumes were very creative! The Human Fly really scared some of the children . . . in good fun.

OOOOO! BBBBBZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ!

A fly eye! Spooky! Creative.

Even the morose teens joined in!

Jellyfish were very popular.

Fantastic colors of the jellyfish!

Some of the jellyfish were simply beautiful.

These jellyfish were very creative . . . they would rise, fill with air, then propel themselves around . . .

Lots of jellyfish . . . and a narwhal.

The sun finally came out and dried off the dampness. There were many troupes of dancers.

With the dancers came the drummers . . .

And more dancers!

Having fun with your chums. A good day.

Getting into it!

Parade parrot.

A fish when closed, a butterfly when open.

Some of the 'species' were very large . . . like this frog . . .

23 people were needed to manipulate this giant peacock down the avenue. Beautiful!

A very large flying insect buzzing around.

Just plain folks out having a good day.

A couple of wizards showed up as well.

Fun for the whole family.

Sister mushrooms?

A creative starfish.

A great day out frightening the kids . . .

A rare 20 foot street shark . . . they would drag the crowd with the tail . . . as the children would scream!

How much does it rain in Olympia? So much, that they have to actually carry the sun!

For a few, it was a long day . . . . might want to use larger wheels next year . . . and grease those bearings too . . .

This group were fantastic dancers with a wonderful routine.

An energetic and diverse group of very good dancers having a ball!

And then the last of the floats passed by . . . and the parade was over.

Time to go home . . . and enjoy the sweet memories.

But I don't want to go home . . .

Do we have to go home NOW!

And that was that, as they say.

Dr. Jeff Harper |

Summer 2013: From Bangkok to Aberdeen, Scotland

Friday, July 19, 2013 at 1:45AM

We spent the last five day in Bangkok high up in the Grand Centara Hotel . . . thanks Marc for the upgrade! The view from our 51st floor room was beautiful in the daylight . . .

. . . beautiful in the evening . . .

. . . and beautiful at night. Good-bye Bangkok, it has been a fantastic 17 years! I'll be back in Thailand for retirement one day . . . but first . . . a summer vacation in:

The Pacific Northwest, USA

Olympia Washington: My sister-in-law Mary is a great gardener. She grows everything. It is always a treat to go from the steaming tropics of Thailand directly to to cool climes of the American Pacific Northwest.

I still had Internet access, so I had fun with my big camera in the Mary's garden.

Very sweet.

We all took several long nature walks along the shores of Puget Sound. The blackberries were not ripe yet . . .

. . . but the salmon berries looked inviting.

The essence of the Pacific Northwest.

New life everywhere under the forest canopy.

A nice morning to row about on one of the arms of Puget Sound. An old log loading pier still stands.

It Doesn't Get More American Than This: The Monmouth, Oregon 4th of July Parade.The Monmouth, Oregon Parade is open to anybody from the community who wants to 'parade' themselves.

It's a great opportunity to crank up that old tractor you lovingly restored, and drive it down Main Street. I love this little town: I attended two years of univesity here.

An old Mac Truck. Nice. Brought back memories of El Paso, Texas at 3:00am in 1958 for me.

As is my personal tradition, I ingest The National Dish on the 4th of July every year. Yep, it was great.

What would a parade be without a car show? I met my Hot Rod photo quota for the year.

I LOVE these flames!

I prefer the 4-door fat fender hot rods . . . you can take your friends.

Silver Creek Falls, Oregon My good friends Jeff & Sharon under Silver Creek Falls. It was a good day for a trail walk in the foothills of the Oregon Cascades.

Oregon.

Delicate new growth.

More ripe salmon berries.

A beautiful trail through the forest along Silver Creek.

A serene mountain stream.

Upper Silver Creek Falls is somewhat unique because the trail takes you under and behind the falls, making for unusual photo opportunities.

Loud and beautiful.

You can judge the scale in this photo by noticing the size of the hikers on the trail.

A perfect day.

Looking out from behind Upper Silver Creek Falls.

Philadelphia, PennsylvaniaI visited my daughter near Valley Forge.

We all went to the Longwood Botanical Gardens for a morning stroll with my new grandson, Torin.

Scrumptious cacti!

Lovely flowers everywhere.

Touching.

Longwood had formal Italian gardens too.

The tropical greenhouses were interesting.

I remember seeing these same lotus pads in Jogjakarta, Indonesia a few years ago.

I had to laugh when I saw these wax flowers . . . I came half way around the planet to see a flower that was growing in my back yard in Bangkok!

Lovely early summer day in Pennsylvania.

Ocean City, New JerseyA strangly cold summer in Ocean City New Jersey. We took a walk with our freinds, Bud, Gaile, in the gathering gloom . . .

Night falling over Ocean City.

Last Light.

New England VillageI won't reveal the exact location of this village in New England, except to say that it was the perfect New England village. Our good friends from Bangkok, Joe and Nancy, recently retired there.

A dream . . . more like a living calendar! Just too perfect.

Rural Colonial New England.

Mmmmm.

House Proud New Englanders sure know how to spruce a place up.

Around Nancy's garden.

A friend's home.

More old barns than I had time to photograph . . .

I could have stopped a hundred times . . . but Bud and I had more important things to do . . . .

NASCAR at New Hampshire SpeedwayYep, Bud and I joined 40,000 of our best friend and at the New Hampshire 300. Bud commented that the people watching here was like looking through a 1920s physiology text book, so varied were the physiognomies of the gathered throng.

We rooted for Juan Pablo Montoya . . . . and I think we were the only ones who were. We rooted for him when we saw him at the Chinese F1 race in Shanghai years ago too.

It was an unseasonably hot day with the threat of rain that never materialized. It was a good, tight race with surprising results. Loud and fast . . . just the way I like it.

Loudoun, New Hampshire. Pre-race ceremonies were colorful, to say the least.

Dr. Jeff Harper |