Tag: San Diego

Photo by Joe WilcoxNov 19, 20259:53 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Peppers

Meet the last remaining member of a small community cat colony. The oldest two, an abandoned bonded pair living in the alley for at least six years, are absent. Floyd found his way to foster care about a year ago for health reasons. He was adopted earlier this month.

Jingle was left behind with Pops, who was also recently adopted, a sadly emotional debonding. Turns out that Floyd’s new owner would like a second cat, which could be Jingle. Problem: He hasn’t been seen since November 8. One possible reason: The property that the cats claimed as territory is in the early stages of a disruptive renovation, following the death of the homeowner.

Photo by Joe WilcoxNov 15, 20259:43 pm

Comic-Con: The Return

On Oct. 14, 2025, Comic-Con International sent email that Open Registration for the 2026 San Diego event would commence today, at 9 a.m. PST. It’s a wickedly wet day here in Southern California, which put me uncharacteristically inside. So, I pulled out the laptop, meandered over to the badge sale webpage, and joined the queue—where I was warned my wait would be more than an hour.

I puttered about my office, while waiting to see if maybe my chance for a Golden Ticket would come. The passes sell out fast, and I haven’t attended the Con since 2017, I did secure a pass for San Diego Comic-Can Special Edition during Thanksgiving 2021. But I couldn’t attend, for not meeting SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2)/COVID-19 requirements. Seriously?

Photo by Joe WilcoxNov 9, 202511:54 am

Makeshift Food Bank

The longest government shutdown in U.S. history means millions of people are not receiving federal funds for basics—you know, things like food. People employed by Uncle Sam are either furloughed or working without pay (and delayed only, hopefully). Don’t get me going about families who count on SNAP benefits and won’t receive them for November.

To the Congress, I say this: Do your job! Pass a damn budget. Stop pissing away days whining over line items like expiring subsidies for the Affordable Care Act. Agree to punt! Fund the damn government for X number of days and fight among yourselves meantime about a final budget. Don’t punish people while you bicker like kids in the schoolyard or, worse, an angry soon-to-be-divorced couple gouging one another in spiteful rages over splitting assets (or assigning child custody).

Photo by Joe WilcoxNov 8, 20259:11 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Brim

We briefly step back from the backlog and present the one-hundred-fortieth feline found behind door or window. Nickname Brim, this handsome kitty lives somewhere along Panorama Drive. Date: Oct. 19, 2025.

The Featured Image comes from Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. Vitals: f/3.4, ISO 80, 1/2000, (synthetic) 230mm (digital and optical zoom); 10:08 a.m. PDT.

Living by Joe WilcoxNov 6, 202510:23 pm

This Use to Be Grass

The homeless are increasingly pariahs, across San Diego County. The public policy is discourage and displace, rather than meaningfully address fundamental causes. The Featured Image and companion reveal one tactic: Piling jagged rocks where until recently there was grass, punctuated by shrub-like trees.

But the homeless would somewhat frequently hangout or campout on the grass. Honestly, the rocks are more unsightly than the homeless tents. Grass is great! We need more. The city destroys a lovely green space to deter the so-called unhoused? Solve the problem! Don’t create one as band-aid for another. The rocks look weird, and they are weapons. Lots of damage can be done with rocks like these.

Photo by Joe WilcoxNov 3, 20259:55 pm

Larger Than Life

Halloween may be over—and Day of the Dead with it—but I have one seasonal yard decoration to share, as you can see from the Featured Image and companion. There is no optical illusion here. The skeleton really is giant size.

Both photos come from Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra on Oct. 30, 2025. Vitals, first: f/2.4, ISO 50, 1/1600 sec. 70mm (film equivalent); 10 a.m. PDT. Vitals, other: f/1.7, ISO 50, 1/500 sec, 115mm (film equivalent); 10:01 a.m.

Photo by Joe WilcoxNov 2, 20259:52 pm

University Heights Fall Festival 2025

According to the Camelot Climate Index, San Diego has the best weather in the United States. San Francisco and Los Angeles follow close behind. But even with three seasons of Summer, October can prove to be unpredictable. Cooler, cloudier days are common enough to spoil outdoor public events.

Organizers of the University Heights Fall Festival, and all the locals attending, lucked out on Oct. 18, 2025. Blue skies, drier air, and pleasant 28 degrees Celsius (83 Fahrenheit) made the annual gathering the outdoor destination of the area. Families abounded, and I wondered where hide all these young parents and kids. I don’t see many about otherwise.

Photo by Joe WilcoxOct 31, 20251:24 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Batman

This fine feline doesn’t dress up for Halloween. His black coat and witchy allure are already perfect—and his name is appropriate for the day of cosplaying: Batman. Well, it’s on his collar tag.

I first encountered Batman at 8:52 p.m. PDT on Sept. 23, 2025. But he was so engaging and seeking of pats that I couldn’t get a full-face view; night shot required him to be still, too. I encountered him once more around two days later in late afternoon.

Photo by Joe WilcoxOct 30, 202510:08 pm

Here They Come…

I do hope that you like felines. My “Cats of University Heights” series languishes, and the backlog of photographed but unpublished kitties goes back a couple of years. That’s in part because my posting overall is in a lull that needs to be culled.

So, I make a half-promise to pick up the pace, which must include more furballs than you could ever want to see. If fulfilled, overall posting should uptick significantly. Get ready!

Photo by Joe WilcoxOct 17, 202510:13 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Tinkle

This series started exactly nine years ago—Oct. 17, 2016, with a kitty nicknamed Scruffy. Living in a dog neighborhood, I expected to wrap up in about a month. How many cats could there be? Nearly a decade later, there are 613 profiles, including this one, and a backlog of photographed but unpublished kitties.

The problem with procrastinating posting putties: I don’t recall shooting some of their portraits, and I must look closely to ensure the animal hasn’t already been published. Oh, my aching aged memory.

Photo by Joe WilcoxOct 15, 202510:44 pm

Eighteen Years Ago Today…

On this date, in 2007, the Wilcox family arrived in San Diego. We had left the Washington, DC-metro area to be close to my aged father-in-law, who luckily found us an apartment one block from his place. Our presence meant that in January 2017 he could pass way at age 95 in his own bed, rather than in some sterile institution.

The city is hardly recognizable from the one we moved to. San Diego seemed sleepy, small town-like for the size. Communities were tight knit, even with the massive number of renters; congestion was a rare occurrence on the roadways; neighborhood streets were wide; housing architecture was surprisingly varied and charming; and homeowners kept attractive green spaces, among many other attractive attributes, with the three-summer season weather being among them.

Photo by Joe WilcoxOct 12, 20259:39 pm

Buggy Dogs

According to Sperling’s Best Places, San Diego “has a mild and pleasant Mediterranean climate…The summers are warm and dry, with temperatures usually reaching the mid-70s Fahrenheit (25 Celsius)”. Rainfall: About 12 inches annually. Such an environment practically preserves Volkswagen cars and minivans, which are spared the otherwise audacious expansion of rust.

Hence, old Volkswagen Beetle and minivan sightings are not uncommon. But black ragtop and red body? With two aged mutts that look like they could be as old or older than the vehicle?