I have a history of buying crap you see on television and then being disappointed in it. Ab Cruncher, Egg Rings, the Esteban Electric Guitar. Well recently at the Good Guys car show, we came upon a vendor selling products that are undoubtedly over-priced and destined to disappoint. But, one of them offers what quite possibly could be the solution to a problem I’ve had since the very first day I rode my own bike across the Mile Bridge at Saylorville Lake: I’ve been looking for a way to safely take pictures of my beautiful state, from the bike, without having to coordinate a pull-over of the whole merry band and without having to fumble for a camera stashed in a pocket.

Maybe the solution is “Mobile Eyewear Recorder,” a pair of sunglasses with a tiny still and video camera embedded between the eyes.

Let me say that after my many experiences with “As Seen on TV” products, I was skeptical. The printed instructions for the glasses did little to boost my confidence, proclaiming:

“Use USB line connect computer, click can to moved computer on the tabletop playing (when will to use PC Camera, must standby status.”

Ultimately we decided to take a chance given the price. We took the glasses for a test ride on July 4 and as these pictures prove, I still have a little to learn about getting decent results.

This photo of a rustic barn illustrates the need to snap the shutter button just a tad sooner.

This photo of Steve on his bike illustrates the point that the center of your forehead doesn’t see what you may actually be seeing in your peripheral vision.

This photo of Saylorville Lake illustrates both of the above points, and also shows that the color captured by the camera may not be the greatest. (But hey, it’s a pin-hole camera embedded in sunglasses, not Ashton Kutcher on the back of the bike taking coolpix with his Nikon.*)

Finally, I took a few segments of video with the camera too. This taught me a couple of things as well: a). I move my head around a lot when riding – and that’s good, it means I’m always looking for potential hazards on the road. And b). Watching video taken from the center of my forehead makes me queasy. The one advantage of the video? Well it appears I can snag some pretty good still shots out of it (examples below).

*Note to self: investigate Ashton Kutcher solution ASAP.

Here’s how we spent the first part of our July Fourth weekend… baking in the sun at the Good Guys Rod & Custom Heartland Nationals! Twentieth year in Des Moines – we’ve gone to (and had a car in) every show but one since they’ve been here. I posted a Good Guys 2011 photo album on Webshots with all the pictures I took, but here are a few of my favorites!

When we first started “rodding” a little more than 20 years ago, the paint trend was quickly moving toward bright colors that were a far cry from the subdued tones of everyday cars. I’m glad to see this “trend” still holding its own!

These old Caddy’s are LOADED with style and fab-fifties FINS!!

Not every car at the show is painted… there was a slew of “rat rods,” some clear-coated and some not, but all exhibiting their natural rusty goodness. I really dig those wide-white-walls and wire wheels!

Not even a rat rod… just a great old Studebaker in a condition I like to call “Faded Glory.”

Love this Willy’s coupe…

This is an early 60′s Nash Metropolitan – I had a project car just like this for a year or so, but eventually sold it to gather the cash to buy… a motorcycle! This one’s for sale for ten grand… might be a tad pricey, but man they are NEAT little cars! I’d love to have one again.

Here’s a view of the main drag – the “Grand Concourse” of the show.

And finally – it was a little painful for me to see this ’37 Chevy 2-door sedan. We owned this car – in fact we BUILT this car. This is the first street rod my hubby and I built back in 1990-91, and the car in which we had all of our first ten years’ worth of rodding adventures, and the car in which our now-grown daughter took all her early car show trips. We sold the car about ten years ago and haven’t seen it around town at all – except this weekend, at this show. I looked in the windows – the guy hasn’t changed a thing since he’s owned it. It looked exactly like I remembered… like I could open the door and put my baby girl in the back seat with her Crocodile Dentist game, and take off down the road for a small-town show or even the Street Rod Nationals in Louisville. I got a little emotional looking at the car after all this time – pretty much a time capsule holding a LOT of great memories!

Just thought I would share a few pictures of the 65 Corvair Convertible that’s been occupying my hubby’s time for the past couple of months. He has spent countless hours on bodywork, painting, polishing, trouble-shooting, repairing, fixing, fussing, screwin’-and-gluin’… our whole family is looking forward to the Good Guys Rod & Custom Heartland Nationals this weekend!

Selected via Random.org, the winner of the J&P Gift Card is….

Comment #4, Froggi Donna!

I honestly wish I had more of these to give away – I REALLY enjoyed reading everyone’s comments and I appreciate each of you popping in to enter the contest!

UPDATE: The J&P Gift Card Give-away ends at 10 pm central, June 8! Click the link below for your chance to win!

Just a quick reminder that the J&P Gift Card Give-away ends June 8! Click here to enter for you chance to win!

Thanks to all who left comments on the J&P gift card post! We had 23 comments, and I used the random generator over at random.org to select a winner. And that winner is….

WENDYVEE, comment #11!

Congratulations, Wendy – the folks at J&P will be in touch to get you the gift card!

I really do appreciate each of you who took time to participate, and all who spend time reading and commenting here! And, I thank J&P Cycles for thinking of me in facilitating their give-away!

One of my favorite vendors of bike-related accessories is J&P Cycles, based in Anamosa, Iowa. Great store, great catalog, friendly/helpful folks… and enough chrome and leather to keep a girl shopping for a LONG time!

Well this month, J&P is spreading the Daytona Bike Week love – not only at their Anamosa and Daytona locations, but also around the blogosphere by offering $50 Gift Cards through several bloggers. And, I’m lucky enough to snag one of these cards to give away to one of you!

SO – if you want to win a $50 J&P Cycles gift card, good for motorcycle parts and accessories purchased online, via their catalog, or in person at one of their locations, here’s all you do:

Leave a comment on this blog post, letting me know what you’d like to buy from J&P if you win. (One comment per person please.) Be sure to include your email address so I can contact you if you win, and be sure to git ‘er done before midnight, March 14.

The winner will be randomly drawn from all comments, and will be notified by email.

One of my favorite patches, currently awaiting the opportunity to be sewn to my leather vest, is the embroidered version of that famous World War II poster showing a woman flexing her biceps and proclaiming “We Can Do It!” The character, which came to be known as Rosie the Riveter, embodied the spirit of America’s working women who filled the stateside factory jobs vacated by men who were called to war.

I was interested to learn that a real person was used as the model for that now-famous poster: Geraldine Hoff Doyle was just seventeen when she took a factory job near Detroit, Michigan to support the burgeoning war effort. A photographer for United Press International snapped a photo of Geraldine, and that photo was later used as the basis for a poster supporting an anti-absenteeism campaign at Westinghouse. The image was not widely circulated because Westinghouse’s campaign was an internal employee-focused effort, but later was embraced by the American feminist movement.

The muscular young woman depicted on the poster was not originally named Rosie. The poster began to gain some popularity among women workers and a song titled “Rosie the Riveter” received frequent play on radio stations. Around the same time, Norman Rockwell published an illustration of a hard-working war-time gal whose name, ‘Rosie,” was emblazoned on her lunch pail. All of these influences converged, and the girl shown on the poster began to be known as Rosie the Riveter.

Ms. Doyle left her factory work after only a few short weeks, and took a position at a local soda fountain. She married and raised a family, and had no idea she was the inspiration for the now-famous poster until the 1980′s, when she happened to find an article about it in an AARP publication.

She passed away in December, 2010, at the age of  86, from complications of  arthritis. Her iconic image continues to not only inspire women; it represents a true turning point in American history, when women first began in earnest to prove their worth in the male-dominated workforce.