We reach a little ways into the backlog to Aug. 11, 2025 for an unusual putty-tat. Look at those ears, which inspired the nickname, Oren, translated from the Dutch. Oren is the eighty-third cat found behind door or window, since the series‘ start 10 years ago.
I used Nikon Zf and NIKKOR Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR lens to capture the Featured Image, which is close-cropped. f/8, ISO 560, 1/400 sec, 400mm; 3:01 p.m. PDT.
Our zoo membership expired yesterday; we chose not to renew. My wife and I hadn’t gone in months, with paid-parking changes one of the major factors keeping us away. Technically, members don’t pay to park, but confusion and congestion diminished the attendance experience.
I wonder how many members the zoo has lost because of the end to free parking for all. Matters are worse at Balboa Park, where many museums report attendance declines of 20 percent or more. Technically, both places are walkable destinations from our apartment: 3 km (1.9 miles) to the zoo, 3.3 km (2 miles) to the park. But the aforementioned confusion and congestion remain deterrents. Sigh.
Sometime last year, this historical sign appeared in Old Trolley Barn Park, here in University Heights. When I scan the area with my eyes, my mind can’t imagine what the place looked like a century ago, when Trolley cars traversed Florida to the structure at Adams that would hold 100 of them.
In the 2020’s, the area is a calm green space beneath towering, majestic trees. A swing set and kids play area also add to the park’s charm and usefulness.
Last night’s shooting inside the Washington Hilton was unequivocally an assassination attempt against President Donald Trump. Today, one of my neighbors casually brushed off the incident as being nothing really. I disagree.
Anyone who follows me should know that I used to live in the District of Columbia and suburban Maryland. As a quasi-retired journalist (covering the high-tech industry). I can assert with certainty that for many reasons, including exclusivity of attendees, the White House Correspondents’ Dinner is one of the most secure events–or should have been. That the assassin ran across the hotel lobby, firing weapon(s), is an unprecedented breach that reminds of Ronald Reagan, when he was nearly murdered outside the establishment in March 1981.
I surprisingly get good value from NX Studio, which is a much superior workflow companion than Adobe Photoshop Lightroom for editing photos taken using Nikon Zf. Big difference: I am rediscovering photos that are much better potential keepers than previously evaluated.
The Featured Image is the littlest example. This was initially a large crowd shot that I cropped closely. I hemmed and hawed, as the saying goes, about whether to close-crop to emphasize the gentleman turned left.
One of Nikon Zf‘s benefits is the ability to shoot monochrome with the turn of one little dial. NEF (e.g. RAW) files are captured in color, and the JPEGs are strictly black and white.
While a convenient contrivance, the feature is an imitation of what Leica Q2 Monochrom, or its successor, can do. By removing the encumbrance of the RGB-color overlay, Leica delivers a camera that shoots photos with superior IQ (image quality), relatively little noise in low-light, and rich tones and dynamic range—all editable in the actual RAW file.
I am the long-time critic of the roundabouts (e.g. traffic circles) that San Diego is placing at intersections across the city. The euphemism for them is “traffic calming”, by official parlance. I call them danger zones—directly when you go through them and indirectly how they negatively change driving behavior.
The Featured Image and companion are evidence of the first. Two SUVs collided in what looks like one driver failing to yield to another already in the circle. This kind of confusion happens frequently.
This is a Featured Image too long delayed in sharing. The view is from the Skyfari Aerial Tram at San Diego Zoo. Building in the foreground is the California Tower, which is located in nearby Balboa Park. The structure was built in 1915.
I really enjoy the zoo, but we haven’t visited since December. The new parking fees, for which members are exempt, created inertia we never overcame. Parking is more complicated now with mixed free and fee, bringing about congestion and confusion.
I am surprised that anyone would want to fly a kite at Old Trolley Barn Park. Trees abound, making high the likelihood of entanglement. But as you can see from the Featured Image, someone attempted to get a kite meaningfully airborne on April 5, 2026. He didn’t succeed while I watched.
Nikon Zf and attached NIKKOR Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR lens captured the moment. Vitals: f/7.1, ISO 320, 1/500 sec, 145mm; 3:20 p.m.
We love the book sale room, which is open the third weekend every month at the University Heights branch of San Diego Public Library. Most hardcovers are a buck a piece. Paperbacks are a quarter or five for a dollar. Prefer movies? DVDs are $1 a piece and Blu-rays are two bucks.
But who can keep track of what he or she past-purchased? The five paperbacks in the Featured Image are duplicates on their way to some LittleFreeLibrary here in UH. For each, I later bought a copy in better condition, typically new or near new.
Well, that’s what Google Image search claims are the pinkish flowers. Also known as the chandelier plant, or Kalanchoe delagoensis, the succulent is native to Madagascar.
I used Nikon Zf and NIKKOR Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR lens to capture the Featured Image, on April 4, 2026. Vitals: f/6.7, ISO 140, 1/250 sec, 105mm; 1:04 p.m. PDT. Location: Panorama Drive, in San Diego neighborhood University Heights.
You may not like the Featured Image, but I do. On April 4, 2026, as I prepared to go out on a photo walk I pointed Nikon Zf with NIKKOR Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR lens attached towards the Kit-Cat to check the battery level. The moody lighting unexpectedly appealed to me, so I clicked the shutter button.
The clock hangs to the left of the Casabelle Mail Center that I purchased from Pier 1 Imports 17 years ago. The retailer went out of business during the SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 lockdowns, closing the last stores in October 2020. But the desk remains and is back in full service. Our daughter is staying with us, and I abandoned my home office for her to use as a bedroom. Cluttered and cramped best describes our 772-square-foot apartment right now. But we’re glad to have her here, and using the Casabelle is small sacrifice.