Tag: San Diego

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The Cats of University Heights: Herman

On Christmas Day, while walking down Campus Ave. from my father-in-law’s apartment, I spotted a kitty. Then another. And another. And another. Their owner, JoAnn, lets outside her four furballs for four hours three days a week—Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. She sits in the courtyard with them, as they race around chasing and playing. Look for the others tomorrow and rest of the week.

Her favorite is Herman, who may be the cat I previously featured as Frisky. He visited me on a June Saturday across the street but down the block from JoAnn’s studio apartment. She thinks it is, although there are few identifying features in my photo. 

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The Cats of University Heights: Poser

There is nothing like lush greenery and ground following heavy rains. Yesterday morning, between downpours, I walked down Campus, where beyond Van Dyke a black-and-white surprise waited. Such a beauty she is, too. The tuxedo furball posed for me and iPhone 7 Plus.

Against the clinging vine and fresh grass, one could easily mistake this Southern California home for the side of a French farmhouse. But the Bird of Paradise creeping in the upper right hints at more tropical locale. 

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The (Honorary) Cats of University Heights: Sammy

Sammy is so spectacular she gets second treatment as special guest to our neighborhood series. Should you ever visit The Hub plaza in Hillcrest, which is adjacent to University Heights, stop by DC Computers. If you’re lucky, a slanky tuxedo furball will be relaxed along a wall—or perhaps she will be in the side room, door ajar, where is her cat tree.

Call her mascot or store mouser. Sammy came to the Mac and PC sales/service shop as a six-week old kitten more than five years ago. Yesterday, one of the clerks pointed to an iMac keyboard, where the little thing lay her first day as a resident. She stays inside even when the outside doors are wide open during the summer heat. 

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The Cats of University Heights: Betty

Some furballs lap up the attention, which I’m happy to give. But their need can really muck up the portraiture, which is the case with Betty (her real name), whom I visited on Nov. 11, 2016 in the alley behind North Avenue up from Madison.

Among the 10 photos shot with Fujifilm X-T1 and Fujinon XF18-55mmF2.8-4 R LM OIS lens, this is the only truly usable one; it’s marginal, but I want Betty to participate in the series. Featured Image vitals: f/4.5, ISO 6400, 1/58 sec, 21.4mm. I cropped and auto-tuned White Balance in Adobe Photoshop Lightroom. The JPEG is converted from RAW. I captured the moment at 5:01 p.m. PST, about 12 minutes after sunset.