Tag: decor

Photo by Joe WilcoxOct 24, 202310:00 pm

Monster Mash

Since moving to the San Diego village of University Heights 16 years ago, I have given little attention to Halloween decorations. But in 2023, they are everywhere—and in exponential numbers. Some neighbors seemingly try to outdo others. Ostentatious, expansive, nightly-noticeable are the prevalent themes.

But a few seasonal adornments stand out for being tastefully austere, like these in the windows of a house along Lincoln. Coincidentally, in January, I wrote about the property then being the most costly rental ($5,950) in the neighborhood.

Photo by Joe WilcoxOct 22, 20239:40 pm

Is That a Threat or a Promise?

As Halloween approaches—and the number of ghoulish yard decorations explode like no other year—we return for more. I used Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra to capture the Featured Image, last night. Vitals: f/2.4, ISO 1000, 1/8 sec, 70mm (film equivalent); 7:52 p.m. PDT.

The grave stones are quite elaborate, running outside the cement enclosure and facing the sidewalk. I returned about an hour ago, with Leica Q2, for a sharper shot—but illumination is orange and nowhere as striking as the blue. So I passed the opportunity.

Photo by Joe WilcoxOct 20, 202310:08 pm

Now That’s Frightening

Welcome to another blast from the past. I captured the Feature Image on this date in 2012, using Galaxy Nexus, which was codeveloped by Google and Samsung and manufactured by the latter company. Vitals: f/2.75, ISO 50, 1/115 sec, 3.43mm; 3:40 p.m. PDT.

Location: Monroe, between Cleveland and Maryland, in University Heights. The property is good measurement of San Diego’s changing housing market. The place sold for $520,000 in June 2011. The family living there moved to a larger home and put this place on the market, where it went for $617,500 in September 2013.

Photo by Joe WilcoxOct 14, 202310:18 pm

Hungry Eyes

Who could guess that we would return to the “1917 House” for another look (seriously, no pun intended; maybe) at Halloween peepers just four days later. My previous daylight shot simply misses everything that makes the scene in darkness. I unexpectedly happened by this evening; 8:27 p.m. PDT.

The Featured Image is the last of three and surprising choice from Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. I had expected to share the 50-megapixel capture, but the 12MP is more detailed and truer to color. Vitals: f/1.7, ISO 1250, 1/25 sec, 23mm (film equivalent).

Photo by Joe WilcoxOct 10, 20238:39 pm

Eye See You

The “1917 House“—as my wife and I call it—is decked out big-time for Halloween. Passing by today, I stopped for a couple shots of the most mundane, but menacing, part of the display. The place was full of “Scaredy Cats” two years ago, and I may have breezed past them on this sunny Tuesday.

The Featured Image comes from Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, but too much is lost in the busyness. Zoom in and you will see ghosties and orange lights that showed up better to my eyes than they do from the digital capture. But I am pleased enough with the crowded composition. Vitals: f/2.2, ISO 50, 1/120 sec, 13mm (film equivalent); 5:04 p.m. PDT.

Photo by Joe WilcoxSep 30, 20239:59 pm

Ghosts Light Up the Dark

Bouncing about San Diego, I am surprised to see some neighborhoods deck out for Halloween and others for Christmas—either/or and neither. Here in University Heights, the former is choice du jour and many residents rarely wait beyond mid-September to decorate their yards.

Yesterday, while walking after dark, I came upon ghostly decor outside an apartment building; this kind of showcase is common among homes but much less so before multi-resident dwellings.

Photo by Joe WilcoxSep 18, 202311:04 pm

Oriental Garden

The Featured Image has undergone numerous edits—none of which satisfies me. How about you? Problem is busyness and there being no obvious thing upon which eyes can focus. That said, I kind of like the clutter, for there is plenty to explore if you take the time.

The setup is part of the front entrance and lawn area of a house situated along Alabama Street in San Diego neighborhood University Heights. Location is the same as dusk captures “Light the Way” and “Night Garden“.

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 WilcoxMar 26, 20239:24 pm

‘How Does This Neighborhood Exist?’

The title of this post is the question I kept asking myself while walking along the streets nearby the hospital where our daughter recuperates. Charming. Quaint. Throwback. All are appropriate. Many of the houses are older, with bountiful yards teaming with plants, trees, and wildlife (mostly birds and butterflies). The smells and sounds are so idyllic.

I saw nothing but single-family homes, at a time when across San Diego County so-called Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs) pop up in backyards faster than and as abundantly as mushrooms after the rain. Buildings are leveled to make way for multi-resident housing. Renovations turn homes with character into caricatures.

Photo by Joe WilcoxDec 26, 202210:35 pm

The Mouse House

Almost every holiday, the residents of this house located along Campus Avenue in San Diego neighborhood University Heights bring out decorations galore. My wife and I passed by on Christmas Day. Walking on without taking a photo would have been absolute negligence. The Featured Image, composed as shot, comes from Leica Q2. Vitals, aperture manually set: f/8, ISO 100, 1/125 sec, 28mm; 10:17 a.m. PST.

I am not an overly enthusiastic fan of all things Disney. The Magic Kingdom lost its spell about the time I reached adulthood. That’s not a criticism. We all grow out of something.

Photo by Joe WilcoxDec 1, 202210:13 pm

Christmas Bird

To celebrate the new month, and last one of the year, we turn back the clock to Dec.5, 2020, when I used Leica Q2 to capture the Featured Image. For the previously unpublished shot, I take some risk now; the Christmas bird blends too well into the tree’s foliage. Vitals, aperture manually set: f/5.6, ISO 100, 1/320 sec, 28mm; 3:22 p.m. PST.

I don’t recall seeing the decoration in 2021 and I must watch for it this year. Perhaps its owners flew off to another state—as so many other folks did—during the SARS-CoV-2(severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2)/COVID-19 lockdowns.

Photo by Joe WilcoxNov 12, 20227:50 pm

Birds of a Feather That Don’t Flock Together

Around the turn of the last century, Bentley Ostrich Farm relocated to my neighborhood but closed in 1929. The feathers were less in demand as a luxury, and economic crisis began its grip on the nation. Many, but by no means all, of the birds were relocated to San Diego Zoo.

One of the fixtures—or monuments to the past—is this ornamental ostrich located outside a home on Mission Cliff Drive. I walked over there today after seeing a sign that Cupcake—one of the “Cats of University Heights“—disappeared on Nov. 8, 2022. Coyote sightings are way up, and the Norwegian Forest Cat’s owners live nearby along one of the canyons. I hope that Cupcake simply is trapped somewhere.