There are 5 galleries of photos from the annual open house held each August at the LeMay Museum collection at Marymount Academy and at the family home, both near Tacoma, Washington.

The Lemay collection is huge, the biggest I've seen since the old Harrah's collection in Reno was closed. Much of the collection is at the former Marymount Military Academy and is open to the public. Much more is at the Lemay home and viewable during the annual open house and auction in August. There is much more stored in various locations around the area, too, but those sites are not publicized or open for public viewing.

I won't go into Mr. Lemay's history here, I suggest you check out the museum's website for more information. This is about being there, not about where it came from.

The Lemay collection has cars, trucks, motorcycles, buses, tools -- all kinds of vintage and interesting things. Some special, some mundane. Many are worn and original, most are restored and others are junk in the bushes, destined for sale or to be used for parts. The size and scope of the Lemay collection is really overwhelming.

The emphasis is vehicles, especially cars. Picture a long aisle with a Pontiacs per year for 20+ years parked tightly side-by-side down the left side and a matching collection of Chevy's on the right. Then multiply that by 10 and you start to get the feel of the size just at the Museum location.

As a visitor, the main problem is that there are so many things on display, there is not enough space to let you walk around most of the cars to get a real good look. But there is so much to look at, this is almost a benefit, too. I don't think there is time to really appreciate the collection in just one day.

As a photographer, the problem is bigger. Lighting is good for viewing and adds great sparkles to chrome and glass but it's frequently hard to step back far enough for a good undistorted picture and may be even harder to control reflections of people and other cars and odd colors. Do you really want a picture of a 1918 somethingmobile with a red corvette reflected in the bumper and a group of people staring back from the headlight while lavender sparkles line the hood? (I exaggerate, but only a little).

Like old stuff? Like classic cars? Wear good shoes for walking, bring a tripod and at least one flash, lenses covering from close focus to short telephoto, and lots of memory for the digital camera! But definitely visit if you can.

Also remember that in the (hopefully) near future, there will be a new museum of the motorcar in Tacoma which will showcase a small percentage of the Lemay collection.