CREATOR
POST CONTRIBUTORS: All | A.D. Cook | Bob Barnes | Frank Mallinder
You’ll want your volume up for this one. I love this tune, RAT ROD BOOGIE, by GREASE GUN, so I contacted the band, who permitted me to share it with you. The music perfectly complements my photos from various car shows. This video is about the muscles and creativity of rat rods and draggers. Power and noise make these things sound great, and their bespoke design makes them something beyond cool — they are rolling art!
I recently pulled a couple of paintings from my archive to share with someone with a similar taste for figurative artwork and fine art nudes. I haven’t seen the paintings I unboxed in years, so witnessing them with fresh eyes was nice — the kind of nice that required a fresh coffee and a little time to sit and enjoy some art I created several years ago. One of my recently unboxed paintings, in particular, is a huge favorite of mine.
I always enjoy catching up with my Las Vegas buddy (and fellow writer) Bob Barnes. Over the years, we have shared countless laughs and memorable moments, and our conversations often span a wide range of topics, from the latest books we’ve read to our aspirations as writers. However, since I moved to Phoenix just a few months ago, Bob and I have had precious little opportunity to catch up over a nice craft beer (or two), especially since Bob continues to call Las Vegas his home.
These past few weeks have been an absolute blast as I’ve had the incredible opportunity to explore the vibrant and diverse Arizona car show scene in depth. Each event has been filled with unique and meticulously cared-for vehicles, passionate and enthusiastic car enthusiasts, and an electric atmosphere that truly captures the essence of automotive passion.
Today, I posted over sixty-five awesome pictures of everything from old street rods and classics. If you’ve been following my car show posts, you may have seen a few of these cars already, but there are plenty of new vehicles to see since the Valley is robust in cars with no shortage of stunning examples of every variety.
I must have heard it a dozen times, maybe more if I heard it once. “You gotta check out the QUEEN CREEK Cars and Coffee car show.” I was told it was the most prominent car show in the valley, and from what I could tell, my intel was spot on. This show was HUGE! While I shot hundreds of photos during my three hours there, there was no way to catch them all.
INTRO BY A.D. Cook Most lately, I’ve been working with my friend and mentor (and contributor to this website) Frank Mallinder on his particular project, his workbook titled LIVING YOUR EXCEPTIONAL LIFE. His forthcoming book covers a lot of ground,
Since moving back to Arizona, I’ve been visiting car shows—lots of car shows. It’s no secret that I love cars, and walking and photographing car shows have always been among my favorite pastimes. I see cars as art, and in many ways (most ways), I’d rather attend a car show than an art gallery. Cars and car people inspire me to create my art.
The Gilbert Cars & Coffee was probably the most diverse car show I’ve been to in a long while, maybe ever. Vehicles of every design were on hand at the Famous 66 American Tavern, 1026 S. Gilbert Rd. in Gilbert, AZ. It doesn’t matter what you like; it was there — hot rods, rat rods, bugs, sports cars, and a few Hummer military rigs.
Nevada Breweries Win Big at Great American Beer Festival, Vegas Beer School, Tenaya Creek Brewery, Aces & Ales Opening Brewery at The Bend, and New Yard House at Sunset Station.
Yesterday was perfect—the weather was excellent, and the setting was spectacular for a spectacular car show in Gold Canyon. There were plenty of unique cars and trucks, food, vendors, a raffle, T-shirts, music, family photos, and trick-or-treating for the kids.
I first visited the East Valley Cruisers Cruise-In just two weeks ago. It was only their second weekend of the season, and the previous Friday was drenched in rain, so that was a no-go for me. However, my first experience with their club on October 11th proved worthwhile, even though the temperatures were still over a hundred degrees. I was told the cars and crowds would grow as the season cooled, so I remained optimistic. Today, my optimism paid off.
Copyright © 1996-2025 A.D. Cook. All rights reserved. All images are for viewing purposes only.
Site created and maintained by A.D. Cook