Magnolia: My First Rodeo Car and the Early Days on the Road

In the early days of my photography journey, I had a trusty sidekick—Magnolia, a 1962 Plymouth Belvedere I bought from an older woman in Seattle for a thousand dollars. With her baby-blue interior, push-button transmission, and the smoothest, quietest ride on the road, Magnolia was my dream car at the time and quickly became my first true “rodeo” car.

Together, we crisscrossed the West—Seattle to Idaho, Wyoming, Oregon, California—mile after mile with no air conditioning, no cell phone, and nothing but film cameras riding shotgun. It was a different kind of freedom, when the road stretched out endlessly ahead and detours often became the real story.

I can still remember the feeling: the hum of the engine, windows rolled down, music on, and yes—the unmistakable 80s fashion of shoulder pads in t-shirts. Magnolia wasn’t just a car; she was a companion, a time capsule, and the vehicle (literally) that carried me into the work I still create today.