Category: Culture

Photo by Joe WilcoxAug 30, 20238:57 pm

I’ve Heard of Christmas in July, But August?

Earlier in the month, I was surely surprised to see Christmas decor and paraphernalia for sale at my local Costco. The warehouse bustled with shoppers—so many that no photo opportunity presented. But the place was quite desolate when I returned tonight.

We aren’t even to Labor Day yet, and gingerbread houses, Grinches, lighted fake trees, nutcrackers, and wrapping paper and ribbon adorn aisles near the front of the store? What about Halloween? Back to school? Sure something’s there, but wouldn’t there be more timely goods if not for Santa’s shop.

Photo by Joe WilcoxAug 26, 20239:26 pm

Farmer @Work

In my Aroostook County hometown, students grades 9-12 returned to school last week (August 16). The summer start is so teenagers can go on break to help with the potato harvest: 10 school days, or effectively two full weeks, starting at the end of classes on September 22. During my growing up years, all the schoolkids had recess to help bring in the crop.

Confession: I hated picking potatoes, which perhaps explains the traditional basket kept as souvenir. A picker would fill one with spuds pulled from unearthed vines and then lug them to a barrel and dump in the load.

Photo by Joe WilcoxAug 3, 20239:17 pm

Big, Possibly Temporary, Win for Single Family Homeowners

Today, San Diego Planning Commission unanimously approved Housing Action Package 2.0, which further eases development and redevelopment of properties to increase population density (real intention versus stated objective of creating more affordable housing).

But, the most controversial portion, which had garnered protests for and against, stalled: California State Bill No. 10, which became law last year. Localities choose whether to adopt the provision, which would essentially enable eradicating portions of single-family neighborhoods for the construction of up to 10-unit residences on as little as a single lot. Location must be in a “transit-rich area”, which is a bit misleading. According to the bill, that “means a parcel within one-half mile of a major transit stop” (e.g., city bus).

Photo by Joe WilcoxJul 27, 20238:52 pm

Crisis is the Best Measure of Character

One of my direct neighbors—meaning living in the same apartment building—had her SUV stolen four nights ago, while visiting a friend in Mission Valley. We live in University Heights, which overlooks that San Diego community. Also taken: Cell phone, purse, and wallet. To say the least, this is a devastating event.

Rather than rant, or be angry, she nervously laughs about what happened. I understand. There’s an absurd, “this can’t be real” quality that is tragically laughable. She takes charge of the situation and doesn’t whine “Why Me?” or seek sympathy as a victim. She is determined and matter of fact in her resolve to recover life quickly.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJul 21, 202310:01 pm

Should I Go Back?

The last time I ventured into the University Heights branch of San Diego Public Library, the elderly lady greeting folks and completing their purchases evicted me. She insisted that I wear a face mask; I responded that the county had ended SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2)/COVID-19 mandates. She demanded. I refused and captured the moral ground. She won the war, because my butt got booted.

The third Saturday and Sunday of the month are this weekend, and the book sale will once again be open. Should I go? Here’s the thing: later that same day, Oct. 15, 2022, I returned with Leica Q2 to take the Featured Image. Not until tonight, when taking time to finally process the photo, did I realize that no one shopping for books wears a mask!

Photo by Joe WilcoxJul 19, 20239:21 pm

What’s More Inclusive Than Welcome?

On July 14, 2023, as the prideful descended upon San Diego for the annual alphabet-letter parade the next day, I stopped with my wife to gawk at the fence, along Adams Ave. in University Heights, that is subject of the Featured Image.

The “Welcome” sign and homage to the “brave”, along with an American flag out of frame, stood starkly—proudly and patriotically—in contrast to the many rainbow flags we encountered nearby along Panorama Drive. (Say, why do these banners have six colors when the real deal in the sky is seven?)

Photo by Joe WilcoxJul 14, 20239:30 pm

Blues and Americana at Old Trolley Barn Park

July means live music Fridays at Old Trolley Barn Park, here in San Diego neighborhood University Heights. Despite feeling crappy all day, I walked over tonight for a look and some photos—oh, yeah, and surprise. Performer: Chickenbone Slim and the Biscuits. Perhaps you remember my sharing about the blues band back in November 2021, after finding them performing impromptu outside our auto mechanic’s shop, which is closed weekends.

The venue and crowd was way bigger this evening. Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra didn’t deliver the kind of shots I have come to expect. Highlights are blown out and color is way oversaturated for the dozen captures. Details are muddy, too, as you can see from the Featured Image. Vitals: f/4.9, ISO 200, 1/60 sec, 230mm (film equivalent); 7:38 p.m. PDT.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJul 12, 202310:06 pm

The Winslow

Sometime soon, I will share more about the evolution of the apartment complex that now occupies the property where was New Vision Christian Fellowship. I remember when families and old folks lined up for free food Fridays. Now the church’s former location is a cathedral for, according to promotional material, a “truly timeless, amenity-rich living experience”. Oh yeah?

The massive, block-long mixed-use structure, Winslow, packs in 379 apartments, which will lease in staggered fashion over the coming months. At a time when San Diego touts new buildings like this one as being the forebears of more affordable housing, Winslow rental prices sure make me wonder how.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJul 10, 20239:55 pm

Delivering or Removing?

I don’t drink beer—or any alcoholic beverages, for that matter—yet for the second time in a fortnight, I write about boycotted Bud Light. The first followed a discarded can’s meaning as July 4th approached and Anheuser-Busch offered $15 off cases of 15, essentially bringing the purchase price to zero, or near it. Desperation makes sense: For the week ending July 1, 2023, sales slumped 31.2 percent year over year. Yikes!

In what I would call a pathetic plea, Anheuser-Busch chief executive Brendan Whitworth asks beer drinkers to have heart and think about the company’s 65,000 employees; no sales, no work. I’m all choked up; give me a minute to grab a hanky. Because I know what corporation would be so heartless as to put profits before employees? (Someone grab a bucket to catch all the dripping sarcasm.)

Photo by Joe WilcoxJul 6, 20238:48 pm

Christmas in July

I can’t say that I will jump through hoops seeking the ultimate sale-priced goods during Amazon Prime Day next week (11th and 12th). But keeping with the concept of Christmas in July and opportunity for me to share a previously unpublished photo, here we are together. Shop if you want.

The Featured Image comes from Leica Q2 on Dec. 21, 2022. Vitals, aperture manually set: f/5.6, ISO 100, 1/320 sec, 28mm; 12:24 p.m. PDT. Location: Maryland Place in San Diego neighborhood University Heights.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJun 30, 20239:44 pm

He Waits for What?

We end the month, and first half of the year, with a somber Featured Image captured tonight. I typically avoid taking photos of San Diego homeless, out of respect for them and their plight. With the high cost of housing, anyone could end up in their situation—particularly with the rising number of renovictions: landlord removes long-time tenants and makes upgrades to justify drastically raising rents.

According to the Regional Task Force on Homelessness, number of the city’s—what I will politely call—street dwellers is up 35 percent from 2022. Broadly, across San Diego County, people aged 55 or older make up 29 percent of the homeless population and about 46 percent are newly in this condition. That circles back to long-time tenants, sometimes for several decades, living in rentals they can manage but being evicted and unable to find affordable housing.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJun 26, 202310:32 pm

‘Hey, I Thought There was a Boycott!’

So said I to my wife when we passed by the discarded can today. I don’t drink beer—or any other alcoholic beverages—and am only aware of the Bud Light boycott because it blasted across every avenue and alley along the Information Superhighway (yeah, call me archaic), starting in April 2023. Anheuser-Busch made the marketing mistake of aligning with a transgender TikToker.

Sales plummeted, and the brewer stumbled into “damned if you do, damned if you don’t” territory. Distancing damage control precipitated a backlash among the Rainbow coalition of gender-identifying letters. Along the spectrum of staunch conservatives to prickly progressives, Anheuser-Busch managed to offend just about everyone who drank Bud Light, which was the most popular beer in the United States before the fiasco’s start.