Tag: San Diego

Living by Joe WilcoxJul 18, 201712:27 pm

Don’t Believe Housing Market Lies

I once again see disturbing trends rearing their ugly heads in the U.S. housing market. Twelve years ago, I warned about the housing bubble long before it burst—then living in the Washington, D.C.-metro area. Now my vantage point is San Diego, where home prices soar and sales (finally) start to stagnate.

Justification, set against measurable trends, often is a fantastic measure that something is amiss.

Metaphor: In film “The Big Short“, set during last decade, a Florida real estate agent drives around a group of Wall Street investors trying to discern whether or not there is a housing bubble. As they pass property after property for sale, she explains: “The market is in an itsy-bitsy little gully right now”. Eh, yeah. That gully later became a giant sinkhole. This morning, I received a newsletter from a local realtor that claims: “Pending home sales were sluggish in April as low supply reared its head”. Crazy thing, I see plenty of inventory for sale—and for increasingly longer times today than four or five months ago. The newsletter’s assertion rings like a justification worth concern.

Living by Joe WilcoxJul 10, 20172:34 pm

A Hillcrest Homeless Story

This afternoon, I’m walking down University Ave. in San Diego’s Hillcrest district, not far from Bank of America. Before me, a clearly homeless guy carries a white trash bag full of aluminum cans, which are […]

Photo by Joe WilcoxJul 8, 20176:14 am

The Cats of University Heights: Shadow

The Leica Q has one of the best autofocus systems of any digital camera that I have used (and the list’s long). But when there’s failure, the scale is grand—as was the case yesterday morning where Adams Ave. ends at the overlook adjacent to Golden Gate. I hadn’t planned to stop there, but beyond the automobile guardrail and wire fence, I saw the clear shape of a cat sitting back to me. That put him on the canyon side, which would be a treacherous place from where a human could fall. He contently watched wildlife, mainly birds, with little care about me—although he moved away some when I approached to the side for better sight to shoot. The feline could have been looking out onto the Grand Canyon, for the scale set before him.

The kitty is blurry in every one of the seven shots, even the three where I manually focused. The auto-system stopped at the fence. I did only marginally better for the last capture, before the cat sauntered off. Problem: While only 8:31 a.m. PDT, the sun seared fiercely ahead of a heat wave, compelling me to wear sunglasses that make the electronic viewfinder’s visual focus cues difficult to make out when rushed—as I was. I fumbled to safely put down the protective eyewear, as the beastie waddled off; having stepped partly over the guardrail for better vantage point, I could have carelessly let the glasses fall away.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJul 6, 20179:20 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Levi

Do you remember Pepe, whom this series featured on March 9, 2017? Tonight, while out walking and chatting with some of our great neighbors, I met his housemate, Levi. His owner described him months ago, and I had been on the lookout since for the “shy” shelter cat who is about four years old. Levi came to his owners with a heart murmur and some uncertain problem with his hind end. He often leans forward when sitting and resists being held. I shot a dozen portraits, choosing this one for how he pushes up on his forelegs and for the personality that his mesmerizing eyes express.

Levi lives next door to my neighborhood favorite, Fess, a handsome, cunning Maine Coon. I look for him any time passing his house. Sadly, my other favorite, The Colonel, is gone. The majestic longhair succumbed to “the cancer”, his owner told me last month. I will feature the family’s new cat, Charlie, soon as he lets me make a good portrait.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJul 5, 20176:19 am

The Cats of University Heights: Still

On June 30, 2017, at 9:44 a.m., as I walked down the alley at Adams Ave. behind Park Blvd. and between North Ave., something statuesque caught my attention. The furball stood so still, I wondered if she might be a stuffed animal. But when I once changed position for closer capture, her head moved to follow. Google Pixel XL made the moment—and a difficult shot for the autofocus system through glass and mesh screen. Vitals: f/2, ISO 55, 1/461 sec, 4.67mm.

There is something savagely voyeuristic shooting outside a window into a residence, even though, as you can see, not much more than a few obvious desk-top items and the cat are visible. There is always risk of reprisal, as a misunderstanding neighbor storms out confrontationally. Fortunately, all was peaceful.

Living by Joe WilcoxJul 4, 20171:20 pm

Sign for the Times

The alley behind our apartment building exits onto Monroe Ave., which across Maryland rims residences along a canyon. The street becomes Arch before circling back and changing to Meade. Near the turn is a lovely, […]

Photo by Joe WilcoxJul 1, 20176:23 am

The Cats of University Heights: Betty Too

This series seeks to promote one feline on one day and never again. But sometimes uncertainty lurks like a furball under a car, which brings us to what could be a repeat. I give the odds as 50-50 that today’s beastie is Betty, but I’m betting not or there wouldn’t be a featured shot. I met her on Nov. 11, 2016, in the alley behind North Ave. closer to Madison. She rolled around, grubbing attention from a neighbor who knew her.

The cat I call Betty Too (just in case they’re the same) was spotted on June 29, 2017, in a gated apartment courtyard opening into the same alley but closer to Monroe—street at the other end. I had walked down searching for a black cat that crossed the alley; hence how I saw this other blackie, way inside beyond the locked door-gate. I never did find the other one. Betty Too came up to visit, but she couldn’t get pats through the grates. Sorry `bout that, kitty. Like Betty, she is black, was sighted off the North alley, and wears a blue color. What are the chances they’re the same?

Photo by Joe WilcoxJun 30, 20176:21 am

The Cats of University Heights: Tabby

On the morning of June 26, 2017, I took an unusually early walk through the neighborhood. Along Mission Cliff Drive, approaching Park Blvd., a pretty tabby moving in the shaded greenery from yard to yard […]

Photo by Joe WilcoxJun 15, 20176:19 am

The Cats of University Heights: Spry

In the alley beyond Alabama going towards Park Blvd., about midway between Monroe and Meade, I spotted a lanky, grey short-hair sprawled on the pavement; June 13, 2017. She slipped away as my wife and I approached, among cars against a garage, resisting me and the Leica Q. The Featured Image shows her hanging on the fence, at least a six-footer and taller than me, following a dramatic leap. She balanced there long enough for four clicks of the shutter. This is the third shot.

Once again, the mirrorless camera’s 28mm, f/1.7 Summilux lens and 24-megapixel full-frame sensor deliver super sharp detail enough for a close-crop. Vitals: f/8, ISO 100, 1/125 sec, 28mm; 6:36 p.m. PDT.

Apple by Joe WilcoxJun 13, 20173:47 pm

Say, What Is That Suspicious White Van?

The photo’s composition isn’t great, but I was rushed to capture anything at all. I spotted this Apple Maps vehicle on the loose today. The poke-it-to-the-fruit-logo-company opportunities are so many, I barely can get any out. For starters, the vehicle clearly was lost, turning down a street that dead ends at a pedestrian bridge. If you’ve ever been misdirected using Apple Maps, imagine the dude driving around with the camera car in similar state. Maybe he’s the blame for your SUV plowing into that lake last month.

Of course, I would see this thing on the day when news orgs everywhere are reporting that Apple CEO Tim Cook confirms the company is working on a self-driving car. Yeah, well not this vehicle. Zoom in on the Featured Image and see the bewildered guy in cap who just barely executed a three-point turn without taking out a swath of local walkers (my wife and I among them) and in process making news headlines across the globe. Lucky for him, the LGBT protests against President Trump were a day earlier. Blinded by bright rainbows, he could have plowed into anything, or anyone!

Photo by Joe WilcoxJun 11, 20176:08 pm

Christmas in June?

I spotted Santa Claus while walking in Balboa Park this afternoon. He was out for a stroll—to where is anyone’s guess. An elf helper tagged along, so surely there was some purpose. After passing him, I stopped. Hesitated. Stepped forward. Then turned around and approached Mr. Kringle, rather than let the moment pass. I asked to shoot a portrait.

As you would expect, Santa responded jovially, accepting the invitation. While couching low with Leica Q, I asked about his presence, joking that it wasn’t Christmas in July. He smiled and said something about Christmas being every day for people who keep it in their hearts. Now that is a lovely sentiment.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJun 6, 20176:23 am

The Cats of University Heights: Little Miss

Not long after seeing a furball I call Dainty under a car, another kitty greeted my wife and I as we walked down Lincoln near the Vermont Street bridge on June 4, 2017. Look closely at […]