Tag: Galaxy S26 Ultra

Photo by Joe WilcoxMay 23, 20269:32 pm

A Courageous Man

This is supposed to be Dr. King—Martin Luther, Jr.—yes? I came upon the face mural on May 11, 2026, when walking through San Diego neighborhood South Park. GPS and Google Maps puts the location as along 30th Street between Redwood and Thorn streets.

I really like South Park, which chirps community charm. Small businesses tuck in everywhere, and many are located in what otherwise would be single-family homes. Few structures are taller than two-stories. The atmosphere is other-worldly small town, punctuated by an eclectic mix of bungalows, cottages, Craftsmans, and other vintage single-family homes. Estimated population is a few hundred short of 6,000.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMay 22, 20264:24 pm

From Mother’s Day to Her Birthday

For Mother’s Day, our daughter bought Baby’s Breath for Annie. The flowers often accent others and looked kind of lonely in the IKEA TILLBRINGARE pitcher. Molly’s mom has a birthday and roses to fill out the make-shift vase.

I used Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra to capture the Featured Image and companion. Vitals for the first: f/1.4, ISO 160, 1/120 sec, 23mm (film equivalent); 11:16 a.m. PDT, today.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMay 20, 20269:30 pm

Heavenly Calendar 2026

The faith that I belong to uses the “Heavenly Calendar”, which mirrors the lunar calendar. Today is the fourth day of the fourth month of the seventeenth year.

The U.S. headquarters did not produce a calendar for 2026, but the Korean church did—or so I discovered yesterday, and a PDF was available to download for donation. I snatched one and contacted FedEx Office about printing it up. One emailed file and follow-up phone call later and the print job was set for overnight. I paid for and retrieved the thing this morning.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMay 18, 20269:41 pm

It’s Not In-N-Out, But, Okay

I apologize but it’s a quick post this evening. Our daughter demanded some tender loving care, which was overdue—and the day stopped being mine late-afternoon. She is time well spent.

We walked to Sonic, uncustomarily, because it’s a Fifties/Sixties-style carhop joint. We brought no car, which made ordering food on my phone almost ridiculous. To check-in, I had to designate a stall; Sonic provided no lobby option. So. we stood in No. 4, and someone roller-skated out with the meal.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMay 15, 20269:46 pm

Nasty ‘Business’

This is new. The people running the daycare located at Louisiana and Madison in my San Diego neighborhood of University Heights have a message for somebody—hopefully that’s not you. I came upon the chair-mounted, make-shift sign today.

Take a close look at the Featured Image and read for yourself. I interpreted “personal business” to mean peeing or defecating—distinctly possible occurrences with more homeless folks milling about. But a nearby used condom suggests another explanation: Two or more people engaged in sexual activities, possibly in the grassy area along the establishment’s fence or inside a vehicle parked in one of the many public spaces.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMay 14, 20269:46 pm

Lilies of the Street

The Featured Image isn’t the first Fortnight Lilies shared with you, and I suppose no new are necessary. But as I walked past these three, the potential composition grouping piqued my interest. So, I hauled out Galaxy S26 Ultra, switched to Portrait mode, and took the shot. Vitals: f/1.4, ISO 64, 1/5000 sec, 23mm (film equivalent); 12:35 p.m. PDT, yesterday.

Putting aside a few early-on complaints, this Samsung is the best smartphone that I have ever owned. The physical balance in the hand is exceptional, and it’s comfortable to hold. I carry my phones bareback; no case, so consider me a connoisseur about physical balance.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMay 13, 20269:57 pm

Welcome to (burp, belch)…

On my walk home to University Heights from South Park on May 11, 2026, I came across a decorative utility box that demanded my photographic attention. But as I reached for Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, a woman walked out of a business dragging a can of empty beer bottles, blocking full view of the mural. As she returned to the establishment, a gent came out with another container half-full. She started dragging a third one.

That was my cue to abandon the shot, and then I rethought the opportunity: The can of bottles makes more interesting composition and creates speculative storytelling opportunity. Welcome to, ah, tippled South Park. Correct me for saying, but isn’t that quite a lot of empties for one night’s business? How many people were getting drunk?

Photo by Joe WilcoxMay 11, 202610:04 pm

A Story of Two Meals

Confession: The family, spurred on by our daughter, is taking almost too much advantage of the Too Good To Go app—Android for me, iOS for her. Local eateries offer up food, presumably what wasn’t sold during typical business hours, for significant discount. Most places offer grab bags.

Today, my wife drove us to the Pop Pie in South Park, where I had reserved a bag with two savory pies. They typically sell for $12.50 a piece but were $$8.66 before tax together. These babies are tasty, too, and premium ingredients. Another location is closer, a few blocks away here in University Heights, but Pop Pie South Park is where I beat out others for the reservation (stated differently: goods move fast).

Photo by Joe WilcoxMay 10, 202610:02 pm

Mother’s Day Starter Kit

“If it lives, kill it” might as well be the axiom across San Diego city and the close-in communities, like the Village of University Heights or nearby Hillcrest and North Park. Insecticide is spread among so many properties that I am surprised there are any insects at all. Butterflies still flourish as do house flies, crickets, and some spiders. But they don’t thrive and their numbers are diminished.

Far more serious is the carnage among things that grow. Homeowners chop down trees, tear out grass, and replace lovely green spaces with cold concrete and wood structures, so-called Accessary Dwelling Units, or ADUs. The city wants them, and residents are rewarded for erecting ADUs. Other folks keep the lawn space but replace grass with wood chips or sand; trees of every kind, even those bearing fruit, are destroyed and replaced with succulents.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMay 6, 20268:56 pm

Why Wait for Mother’s Day?

Our daughter brought home Baby’s Breath as an early Mother’s Day gift. I write on Wednesday, the holiday is Sunday. I take full blame for the haphazard way the flowers are crammed into the IKEA TILLBRINGARE pitcher. Annie, the artist, can make any changes tomorrow.

The Featured Image, cropped square from a 4:3 original, comes from Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra. Vitals: f/1.4. ISO 160, 1/120 sec, 23mm (film equivalent); 8:11 p.m.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMay 4, 20269:44 pm

What’s in a Grocer’s Name?

I made an organic milk run this evening and decided to take a stock shot. One of the many improvements that Samsung makes with the Galaxy S26 Ultra: Wider-aperture telephoto lenses that let in more light, which improves night shooting. The Featured Image, unedited and composed as captured, is good example. Vitals: f/2.9, ISO 640, 1/120 sec, 115mm (film equivalent); 8:51 p.m. PDT.

The choice of Sprouts is deliberate, and not just because I shopped there. The grocery store prohibits taking photos onsite; any attempt indoors will summon an employee lickety-split. In fact, if you need assistance and can’t find anyone around, pull out your phone and pretend to photograph something. It’s like rubbing the genie jar and poof.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMay 3, 20269:23 pm

Pumps for Trump

Something’s not right when your local, normally reasonably-priced filling station sells gasoline above the statewide average. According to AAA, as of today, the national average gas price per gallon is $4.446. We pay more than any other state, $6.101, which as you can see from the Featured Image is about 10 cents higher. The station is located at El Cajon and Texas on the North Park side of the street. The Arco on the University Heights side of Texas is a dime less per gallon.

As the conflict, let’s call it war, with Iran continues, the long-term consequences are all guesswork, and plenty of pundits try to do just that. I suspect the immediate impact will be diminished in the United States because of domestic energy production and what the Trump administration can siphon off from Venezuela.