Rascal

A few months ago, my wife reported seeing a skunk in our apartment complex courtyard in the wee hours when still dark. I’m a night owl and she’s an early bird. A few weeks back, I saw the stinker skulking along where mulch meets cement, foraging for something. He or she, sometimes a pair, returns for nearly nightly excursions—and I worry about an untimely, unfortunate encounter with one of the other residents. There are 18 apartments and anybody going in or out—that includes late-night Uber Eats deliveries—could scare some stinky spray.

Before bed, I make last rounds to ensure the apartment is secure—for example: locked front door; gas burners off; water faucets shut. Around 12:15 a.m. PDT, today, when closing up, I spotted our striped friend, whom Annie and I call Rascal, sniffing about. Quarter-hour later, I pulled out Leica Q2 and shot several photos through the dining room window. At ISO 10000, they’re grainy as all heck and not really recoverable.

Photo by Joe WilcoxOct 1, 202110:42 am

Annie Takes Photos of New Surveillance System

Seven days ago, UPS delivered two boxes—each containing iPhone 13 Pro: 1TB Silver for me and 512GB Sierra Blue for my wife. The improved camera, over the XS, is a big benefit for Annie. In […]

Photo by Joe WilcoxSep 30, 202110:08 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Cutie

This series started on Oct. 17, 2016—as a whim. Not long before, I had surgery that recovered my eyesight and I also sought to improve my photographic skills. The two things combined into a quest to spot neighborhood kitties and to compose their portraits. I figured 30 days would be enough time, because how many cats could there be in dog-loving San Diego?

Still relatively early on, December 24 of that year, my wife and I came upon a woof-woof and meow-meow looking out a bay window. Nickname Watcher, the feline would be the first featured behind glass or screen—and by no means the last. On Sept. 26, 2021, I observed a different furball nestled inside the same window, making her the seventy-sixth seen as such.

Photo by Joe WilcoxSep 29, 20218:47 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Droopy

We stay on Alabama for the seventy-fourth feline featured from the street between boundaries Adams and Lincoln; also the seventy-fifth looking out door or window. This tired, sunning shorthair earns nickname Droopy.

I used Leica Q2 to capture the Featured Image on Aug. 4, 2021. Vitals, aperture manually set: f/5.6, ISO 100, 1/640 sec, 28mm; 10:15 a.m. PDT.

Photo by Joe WilcoxSep 28, 202111:46 pm

Parents Protest San Diego School District Vaxx Mandates

Late afternoon, my wife asked: “What is all that honking?” Annie was right. Car horns could be heard in the distance, occasionally and repeatedly tooting. We turned to one another flummoxed over the sudden roar of cheering that reminded of sporting events. What was going on nearby—and where? I left to find out, following the sounds that piqued our mutual curiosities.

Our University Heights apartment is located about .8-kilometer (one-half mile) walking distance from administrative offices for San Diego Unified School District, where a sizable crowd had gathered with picket signs. As I arrived, a woman’s voice bellowed over loudspeakers advocating against vaccine mandates and for parents’ rights to choose for their children—not the government nor SDUSD. What I didn’t understand: The school board scheduled a 5 p.m. PDT meeting to vote on a proposal requiring staff and some students to be vaccinated. How ironic: They cowered in isolation via Zoom, while parents protested in person.

Photo by Joe WilcoxSep 27, 20219:17 pm

The Hitchcockian Moment

I count more than 70 birds in the Featured Image, captured by Leica Q2 on Sept. 25, 2021. Vitals, aperture manually set: f/5.6, ISO 100, 1/640 sec, 28mm; 3:20 p.m. PDT. I came upon them while walking along Adams Ave. at Boundary Street on my way to Pet Me Please in Normal Heights. What you don’t see: There were even more of them across the way—the majority on a roof ledge and utility pole wires.

The previous afternoon, unseasonably torrential rains and thunderstorms roared through San Diego County. Flood warning alerts pinged my iPhone XS every few minutes. The official precipitation total here in University heights: 1.4 cm (.56 inches) at 5:15 p.m., after about an hour of heavy rainfall. The next morning, crows and pigeons pecked all about from fresh food washed into clumps and (presumably) fallen from trees (e.g., fruit, insects, and more).

Photo by Joe WilcoxSep 26, 20219:58 pm

His and Hers

Not so long ago, I swapped smartphones every few months. Various models and underlying platforms from different manufacturers demanded testing and review. But the pace of innovation has slowed, the overall market reached the “good enough” threshold, and I don’t write about tech on a daily basis. Hence, my wife and I have each carried iPhone XS since June 2019. That is until today, when we migrated to the 13 Pro.

The Featured Image is, appropriately, the last photo I will ever shoot with the XS. The 1TB Silver on the left is mine; the 512GB Sierra Blue on the right is Annie’s. Vitals: f/1.8, ISO 25, 1/122 sec, 26mm; 1:02 p.m. PDT.

Photo by Joe WilcoxSep 25, 20219:51 pm

I Got the Golden Ticket

My wife and I cannot find an escape destination from SoCal. The SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2)/COVID-19 pandemic proved to be massive interference—from “stay-at-home” shutdowns to insanely rising house prices as newfound work-from-homers fled the cities for more affordable areas that we also considered. Perhaps we were too compliant Californians and locked down when getting ahead of the escaping herd would have made more sense. But we still search, with hopes of vamoosing this year.

That raises question: Will I be around for San Diego Comic-Con Special Edition, which is scheduled for Thanksgiving Weekend? I ask because—oh my fraking luck—the SDCC overlords blessed me (“praise be“, as they say on Handmaid’s Tale) with opportunity to buy a pass during open registration today. How could I refuse?

Photo by Joe WilcoxSep 24, 20219:21 pm

Superhero Thanksgiving Weekend

Save the time! Tomorrow at 11 a.m. PDT, registration starts for Comic-Con Special Edition, which takes place Nov. 26-28, 2021 at the San Diego Convention Center. The homage to geek culture will be a smaller event than the typical July gathering, which was canceled this year and last because of SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2)/COVID-19 lockdowns and restrictions.

The latter still applies. Attendees, vendors, and any one else must “wear an approved face covering regardless of vaccination status”, according to the organizer. “Face coverings should completely cover the nose and mouth, fit snugly against the sides of the face, and not have any gaps”. Well, won’t that make a mess of costumes. In that spirit, I would love to see a group of vampires protesting the mandate—because they can’t suck blood while wearing masks. Or maybe someone should show up wearing Guy Fawkes mask.

Photo by Joe WilcoxSep 23, 202112:01 am

The Cats of University Heights: Ozzie

I met the seventy-third Alabama Street kitty, Ozzie, with his sister Delilah, while they were leash-walked by their friendly owners, on Sept. 5, 2021. I used iPhone XS to capture the Featured Image. Vitals: f/1.8, ISO 25, 1/305 sec, 26mm; 9:25 a.m. PDT.

About a dozen other cats live on the same block—that I am aware. Some are yet to be photographed and, thus, are not profiled in the series.

Photo by Joe WilcoxSep 22, 20218:11 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Delilah

Where do all these Alabama animals come from? Meet Delilah, the seventy-second kitty profiled from the street since the series started in October 2016. I happened upon a friendly couple leash-walking Delilah and her brother Ozzie on Sept. 5, 2021. Across the way lives Samba, who gets similarly supervised jaunts.

I used iPhone XS to capture the Featured Image. Vitals: f/2.4, ISO 16, 1/266 sec, 52mm; 9:24 a.m. PDT.

Photo by Joe WilcoxSep 21, 20218:05 pm

Bouncy Ball

I made two meaningless discoveries along Alabama Street between Madison and Mission, today: The hanging kiddie swing is gone; a child’s ball remains, but the bouncy wasn’t there yesterday. Earlier this month, toys disappeared from the front yard of the house where once lived black kitty Petri and his owner; last week a “For Rent” sign hung from the fence. So I strongly suspected that the family had moved on. Confirmed.

The ball lay on the grassy knoll between sidewalk and street before the property where once resided Giotto and where I more recently photographed Sundown. All three animals are profiled in my “Cats of University Heights” series.