Category: Photo

Photo by Joe WilcoxFeb 3, 20269:38 pm

Across the Snow

Two years ago, my sister Nanette and I discussed traveling to Maine to visit our father, whose health appeared to be declining. We made the trip, and visited with him February 17-18. He died on April 16, 2024.

As I explained yesterday, the Old Man left to me a treasure-trove of photographic slides, most of which he presumably had shot. They’re all mixed up, which makes sorting through them kind of a memorial journey—no, an adventure! The current batch is so far from 1973 and ’74, and I have seen so few.

Photo by Joe WilcoxFeb 2, 20269:10 pm

She Feels Poorly

The process of sorting through my father’s stash of photographic slides continues, sputtering along. I cannot dedicate the time necessary to sort through them quickly, nor to clean them up (if such process is possible). They are filthy.

The Featured Image has a processing date of January 1973. The young girl beneath the blanket appears to be one of my sisters, two of whom looked more alike. Nanette says “pretty sure it’s me. The eyes would be a bit crossed if it were” our youngest sister. “That’s exactly how I lay on the couch when I’m sick today. My guess is I was sick”.

Photo by Joe WilcoxFeb 1, 20269:53 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Chestnut

The owner of Bruce either spotted him or his doppelgänger the other night. He vanished over Memorial Day weekend 2023, and she and others have sought him since. He was an extremely popular cat, who was best known for his quirky personality, bowties, and walks with his caretaker and her dog.

Could Bruce really be alive and living a few blocks from his home territory? The supposed sighting occurred on historically-designated Shirley Ann Place—a street I loathe and generally avoid. There is a perpetual cultural/political war over there that manifests in the signage and other yard accouterments. As such, the street has a negative vibe. I see it, feel it, and am repulsed by it.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 31, 20269:22 pm

Hello, Baby Bird

The lasting legacy left by my father is a significant number—hundreds at least—of photographic slides that remain from those he said had been damaged by water. I don’t know the specifics of the incident that destroyed perhaps half of them. That’s what he inherited to me, and I got more than did most family members.

The co-pastor couple of his church got the family farm to hold in trust intact. They did, for a whole 13 months, until May 2025, when a sale closed and they profited from it. Fortunately, the young farmer buying the property is son of the man who had leased the land for decades; I am sincerely glad for that.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 30, 20269:45 pm

The (Honorary) Cats of University Heights: Whimsy

I often wish for the simpler days of Leica Q or Q2. One camera and one great lens. Versatile, compatible RAW files (DNG). Image quality so sharp that close-cropping substitutes for telephoto lens. But in December 2024, I switched platforms and returned to the world of swappable lenses.

I seriously considered holding out for the then rumored Fujifilm GFX100RF. Like the Q series, the digicam is built around a single lens with leaf shutter—and it’s medium format, which I came to really love when shooting the Fujifilm GFX 50R. Everything about the rangefinder’s ergonomics and high IQ checked my benefits boxes. But the 50R was so big that it scared off animals and people, so I let it go. The 100RF should have been the ideal follow-on, but it shipped later than I needed and the massive file sizes are logistically unappealing.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 29, 20269:04 pm

Getting Good Graffiti

Last Summer, I started seeing sophisticated graffiti splash upon utility boxes across University Heights. My mistake. The San Diego village commissioned local artists to dress up the boxes, and so they did to about 51 of them.

The Featured Image and first companion catch artists at work on a box located near the intersection of Florida Street and El Cajon Blvd. Both photos come from Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, on Aug. 17, 2025. Vitals, first: f/3.4, ISO 32, 1/500 sec, (synthetic) 230mm (digital and optical zoom); 3:02 p.m. PDT.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 28, 20269:19 pm

The Golden Arches

Let’s stay a day longer on the food theme. The University Heights McDonald’s is located at El Cajon Blvd and Texas Street. While walking along the Boulevard this afternoon, I looked back to see the Golden Arches framed by nearby trees—and I happened to be carrying along Nikon Zf and NIKKOR Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR lens.

I took two shots, being concerned that the first suffered from shutter shock. This is a new problem that fresh habits will fix over time. I had previously used Fuji X100 series cameras and more recently Leica Q and Q2—all of which rely on leaf shutters that are virtually silent and vibration-free. As such, I am too quick pressing the shutter and moving along.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 27, 20269:12 pm

You can Resist!

I don’t long for sweets like days gone by. Thirteen years ago in July, I radically changed my diet by vastly cutting carbohydrates and reducing added sugars to a nearly immeasurable amount. My health improved, my weight dropped, and I avoided diabetes; my doctor had been ready to put me on an insulin regime. Not necessary.

Discipline and self-control are possible, and I say that to everyone who wants a lifestyle of having your cake and eating it, too. You can’t have both. Eat your cake, or donut, and there will be consequences to your health. I love pasta, for example, and consumed it heartedly. I gave it up. You can, too.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 26, 20269:45 pm

A Simple Sentiment

The last week marks a visible atmospheric mood change here in University Heights. For example, some of the more obviously patriotic homes have turned their flying flags upside down, joining this one seen in March of 2025 that hasn’t changed direction. These are people who had appeared to support Donald Trump, but who oppose his administration’s immigration enforcement tactics, among other things.

But there is something else going on locally that has residents complaining and protesting. Earlier this month, San Diego implemented paid parking at Balboa Park, which is widely unpopular among the locals and has dramatically reduced attendance to the destination and the museums within. According to San Diego Union-Tribune, museum attendance is down 20 percent to 50 percent. Annual revenue declines are projected to be between $20 million to $50 million, which is far greater than what the city hoped to generate from paid parking.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 25, 20269:37 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Mau

I was ready to accept this tabby as Donuts, who I hadn’t seen for years. But soon after I shot the Featured Image, someone opened a door and stepped out onto a landing. Without being called, the cat raced up the stairs to a second-floor apartment—not the house a few doors down where Donuts lived.

I used Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra to shoot this portrait, today. Vitals: f/3.4, ISO 32, 1/320 sec, (synthetic) 230mm (digital and optical zoom); 3:11 p.m. PST. The shorthair’s pose makes me think stone sculptures from an ancient Egypt. So I chose the nickname accordingly: Mau, which is Egyptian for cat.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 24, 20269:24 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Teacup

Happy Caturday! We take another break from the backlog to present the one-hundred-forty-fourth feline found behind door or window since the series‘ start in October 2016.

The Featured Image comes from Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra on Dec. 7, 2025. Vitals: f/3.4, ISO 50, 1/800 sec, (synthetic) 230mm (digital and optical zoom); 10:29 a.m. PST. Location: Unknown because GPS metadata mysteriously wasn’t collected. Nickname Teacup was chosen for no particular reason.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 23, 20268:38 pm

When Less is More

When Twiggs shuttered both locations—Park Blvd in University Heights, Adams Ave in North Park—in October 2023, many locals, me included, were blindsided. The coffee shops operated for about three decades successfully—granted, changing owners several times and more recently a few years before the sudden end.

New shops replaced both storefronts. The one on Park simply took over the space, with so little changes that one might not realize that Twiggs ever went away. But over on Adams, the new coffee shop is a complete makeover. The change isn’t just dramatic; the place stands apart from every other coffee shop in the five-community locales of Kensington, Hillcrest, Normal Heights, North Park, and University Heights.