The second of two kittens seen frolicking on Nov. 22, 2021 crouched beneath a car after another vehicle passed loudly by—hence nickname Scooch. I stooped low with iPhone 13 Pro to capture the Featured Image. Vitals: f/2.8, ISO 32, 1/314 sec, 77mm; 11:35 a.m. PST.
My wife and I each separately spotted one of the kittens; my eyes followed Springer. We have yet to see them again. But we’re watching!
Where Cliff Street and Panorama Drive meet, my wife and I independently each spotted a kitten on Nov. 22, 2021. Our approach along the sidewalk separated the two frolickers, unintentionally. I barely managed to snag portraits of both, using iPhone 13 Pro. Today we present the first; tomorrow the other.
The tiger tabby earns nickname Springer, for the position of its back legs as seen in the Featured Image. Vitals: f/2.8, ISO 32, 1/234 sec, 77mm; 11:33 a.m. PST.
Day before yesterday, in the alley separating Alabama and Mississippi, not far from cross-street Meade, a black-and-white kitten approached my wife and I—and, oh, what constant meowing; hence the nickname. From apparent age, colorization, and vocalization, I wondered if Squeaky had wandered over from Louisiana. But quick photo comparison unquestionably identifies two different kitties.
Today, we saw the youngster yet again, but on the front-side of the apartment building, facing Mississippi. But unlike the Featured Image and companion, where Meowy wears a collar, there was none today. The cat clearly wanted something; perhaps food, its human caretaker, or both. We couldn’t guess, even after the kitten settled down on a welcome mat outside an apartment door.
For the first post-Thanksgiving Caturday, we present a kitten nicknamed Squeaky for its high-pitched mewing. I met the little squirt once, and not since, on Oct. 20, 2021, along the same stretch of Louisiana where lives Honcho.
The Featured Image and companion come from iPhone 13 Pro, captured in Apple ProRAW and converted to JPEG after being cropped 3:2 and modestly tweaked. Vitals: f/2.8, ISO 50, 1/122 sec, 77mm; 2:37 p.m. PDT. The other: f/2.8, ISO 32, 1/283 sec, 77mm; 2:38 p.m. Squeaky came close for a visit, but we never connected; a roaring vehicle scared back the kitten.
Our seventy-eighth kitty from Alabama, between boundaries Adams and Lincoln, is also the seventy-ninth seen behind door or window. Meet Parker—and, yes, that is the kitten’s real name. In the Featured Image, he sits overlooking the alley that separates the street from Mississippi.
I used Leica Q2 to capture the portrait, on Oct. 3, 2021. Vitals, aperture manually set: f/5.6, ISO 100, 1/1000 sec, 28mm; 9:14 a.m. PDT.
I presume, but cannot yet confirm, that the kitty seen on several occasions in the window of the property where roams Boxer is this pretty Tortie, who earns nickname Pixie for no particular reason. My wife and I first saw her on Halloween, along with Boxer. The Featured Image, taken on Nov. 6, 2021, is from when I spotted her alone. The alley house has an Alabama address, making Pixie the seventy-seventh feline found on the street between boundaries Adams and Lincoln.
The first photo comes from Leica Q2. Vitals, aperture manually set: f/5.6, ISO 100, 1/250 sec, 28mm; 12:19 p.m. PDT. The second uses the iPhone 13 Pro telephoto lens. Vitals: f/2.8, ISO 32, 1/1623 sec, 77mm; 3:02 p.m. PDT, October 31.
Years ago, a striking dark-fur sprinted from view as I walked by. The owner happened to be outside, so I inquired. “That’s Jack!” she answered. The property is adjacent to where Reddy now calls home, with Zero. I frequently mosey down the street, looking to visit either, never really expecting to see their neighbor once more or to have chance to shoot a portrait.
But Jack appeared, and posed, on Oct. 22, 2021. A few occasions since, I almost added him to the series but restrained hoping to see his owner and confirm the identity. Few days ago, I came upon her lugging tires and she did just that. So at last, we present Jack.
In a neighborhood dominated by renters, residents come and go—and that’s one reason for the apparent number of kitties. Likewise, they leave with their owners and arrive with new tenants. Such is the case with this cute Calico, who appeared in the same window as the black nicknamed Night—profiled in August 2018.
The Featured Image comes from iPhone 13 Pro; captured in ProRAW; cropped and edited in Apple Photos on 16.2-inch MacBook Pro then exported as JPEG. Vitals: f/2.8, ISO 32, 1/424 sec, 77mm; 10:05 a.m. PDT, Oct. 24, 2021. The seventy-eighth feline found behind door or window earns nickname Damsel.
Blind kitty Petey shares space with Spartacus—and, yes, both are real names. Their residence is just a few doors down from the Schoolhouse, which my wife and I almost bought in late-summer 2017. Click the link for an education in home buying that unfortunate experience teaches better than anything from the classroom.
I used iPhone 13 Pro to capture the Featured Image and companion, on Oct. 24, 2021. The original files were RAW imported to Adobe Photoshop Lightroom Classic, cropped, edited, and exported to JPEG. I am dissatisfied with the color profile changes applied during import for the smartphone and will likely use different software in the future. Vitals for both: f/2.8, ISO 32, 1/602 sec, 77mm; 10:28 a.m. PDT.
A few doors down from the Schoolhouse, I heard, and then saw, a meowing orange kitty on Oct. 3, 2021: With no eyes. I worried that maybe he got loose. After prowling about, cautiously, the shorthair moseyed into the building’s courtyard and through the open door of an apartment. I knocked and yelled, asking if someone owned a blind cat. I got an affirmative answer to which went my reply about the animal being outside but now gone in.
Assured by the owner’s calm voice, I resumed my walk to the grocery store and deliberately returned along the same route. Timing was excellent, because I met the man who responded to my query. He told me that about four years ago disease crippled the animal’s eyes, which caused so much pain they had to be removed. But despite the handicap, the kitty is adept at finding his away around.
Early last month, I passed by a yard with a white kitty lounging. But barking dogs—two of them—convinced me to move along. Quickly. On September 15, the shorthair appeared again, and I haven’t seen it since. The Featured Image comes from Leica Q2. Vitals, aperture manually set: f/5.6, ISO 100, 1/400 sec, 28mm; 10:13 a.m. PDT.
This fine feline, who earns nickname Winter for coat color, lives on Panorama Drive along with: Brick; Buff; Cobby; Gem; Glory; Hawk; Herbie, The Love Bug; Poinsettia; Roadie; Sparky; and Stern. Yikes! There’s that coyote, too.
On this date five years ago, the series started with a kitty nicknamed Scruffy—seen once and never again. A few months earlier, surgery in both eyes recovered my vision, remarkably also making it better than anytime earlier my life. Adjusting to a new way of seeing and also wanting to improve my photography skills, I chose cats as objects for my camera (and smartphone).
But I expected the project to be short-lived. As stated on Oct. 17, 2016: “I begin a new series that ends when the photos are all used”, thinking something like 30 days at most, given the pics already taken and the few additional to follow—because in a community dominated by dogs surely few cats could be found. Obviously, I was gravely mistaken; happily, if you prefer.