Spring 2014, I used the HTC One M8, which is an Android smartphone, with—for two years ago—an excellent, low-light camera. There are many newer handsets that are all the more capable, including my iPhone 7 […]
Category: Photo
The Cats of University Heights: Honey Bunny
Five evenings ago, October 22, I searched for felines to feature in this series, knowing how they come out at dusk. Around 6:48 p.m. PDT, one approached meowing fervently as I walked up Meade Ave. from Park Blvd. […]
The Cats of University Heights: Stretch
Seven months have passed since I introduced you to Stretch (my made-up name) and his littermate in March 22, 2016 post “Here, Kitty, Kitty“, documenting several feline sightings on North Ave.—if I rightly recall between […]
The Cats of University Heights: Frisky
On the afternoon of June 25, 2016, as I walked by the local elementary school located at Campus Ave. and Meade, a friendly feline popped out of the bushes demanding attention. Frisky is my name […]
The Cats of University Heights: Chipper
With some furballs there are second chances. I first spotted Chipper on Sept. 24, 2016 along the canyon-side of Campus Ave. where it meets Madison. But the three photos taken around 7:03 p.m. PDT disappointed—in part […]
The Cats of University Heights: White
As explained yesterday, for weeks I walked down North Ave., looking to get a good shot of The Colonel. On Sept. 25, 2016, at 7:48 a.m., in his yard I spotted a stranger, whom I […]
The Cats of University Heights: The Colonel
Easily the handsomest street roamer in my neighborhood is The Colonel—and, yes, that’s his name. I spotted the furball six weeks or so ago, meeting his husband-and-wife owners at the same time. East Coasters, like me. Even better: New Yorkers. That NYC attitude and frankness is so refreshing! Love it! They’re also renters, but a house with their first lawn ever.
Back East, The Colonel was an indoor pet, who spends more time outdoors now that he is a Californian. (Year is long enough to establish residency, right?) The cat doesn’t roam too far from home but moves about enough to have lost weight.
The Cats of University Heights: Biscuit
Felines are territorial beasts, so I am surprised whenever seeing two traversing the same space. Yesterday, we met Skull, and comparing photos you will see Biscuit (my made-up name) stands on the same ledge in […]
The Cats of University Heights: Skull
This summer I started a daily walking ritual—typically in the morning before beginning to meet the day’s demands. Recently, I often will see a black cat in the yard next to the Butterfly House, which […]
The Cats of University Heights: Woo
Woo, who resides among apartments off Park Blvd. near Meade, is a fixture. I’ve seen her, and a littermate, around the same courtyard for years. Not nearly as long as I have lived in University Heights but definitely for a good half-decade. But this summer into autumn, though, she is alone—and I wonder about the other. (I later learned that Woo’s sister was mauled by a dog, leading to her death.)
Google’s Android auto-upload photo feature saved these captures; I can find no digital hard copies anywhere. For about 28 days in autumn 2013, I owned the Moto X Developer Edition before returning for refund. I praised the camera for shooting what the eye sees, which wasn’t enough to offset huge variances in image quality, depending on lighting. I captured the calico using Moto X on October 15th three years ago. If not for Cloud backup, the pics would be lost.
The Cats of University Heights: Roly Poly
Meet the second feline featured in this limited series. From Scruffy we go to Roly Poly (real name unknown). He and I first crossed paths on July 8, 2016 at 6:20 p.m. PDT a few meters onto Cleveland Ave. where it meets Monroe. He couldn’t stay still for long—moving from rolling around on the sidewalk to pestering a black cat meowing and growling on the other side of a hedge to lying flat. He preoccupied most of the time tormenting the hidden beast that I occasionally could see behind the brush.
I shot Roly’s portrait, the Featured Image, using iPhone 6s Plus. Vitals: f/2.2, ISO 32, 1/120 sec, 4.15mm.
The Cats of University Heights: Scruffy
I begin a new series that ends when the photos are all used: The Cats of University Heights. The number of feline sightings in my San Diego neighborhood is quite surprising, and I shoot them […]