Tag: San Diego

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The Cats of University Heights: Jake

For our last Caturday on Standard Time, before clocks jump (grumble, grumble) one hour ahead, we start an impromptu series of three harnessed felines. Two of them will lead us back to Alabama, where, for reasons that defy logic, more furballs have been seen than on any other street. But first we turn North—not the direction, but the avenue—between Madison and Monroe.

On March 7, 2019, while walking by where once lived Charlie and The Colonel, across the street I saw someone walking a handsome beastie. Of course, such sighting demanded investigation. I introduced myself to the friendly gent and met his beloved pet Jake. The kitty usually gets some out-in-the-yard supervised time; the harness and leash are the new thing, and Jake showed some resistance but not overt unwillingness to being outdoors this way.

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The Cats of University Heights: Sphynx

Break out the sunscreen! Before someone is burned! On February 28, 2019, while walking up Monroe Avenue—somewhere between Cleveland and Park—I spotted a hairless kitty, which is nicknamed for its breed. The putty-tat is the thirty-eighth to appear in the series behind glass (or screen).

I used Fujifilm GFX 50R and Fujinon GF63mmF2.8 R WR lens to capture the Featured Image and its companion; sun burst from behind a cloud for the second. Vitals, aperture manually set: f/5.6, ISO 500, 1/4000 sec, 63mm; 1:47 p.m. PST. The other is same, except ISO 640 and one minute later. While I walked, the shutter speed dial changed from Auto—probably from the camera rubbing against my hip.

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The Cats of University Heights: Luna

Along a stretch of Mission Avenue not far from the temporarily closed Valero gas station, on Feb. 26, 2019, I spotted a black-and-white that waited nobly statuesque along a door step. The kitty stayed still for several portraits, including the Featured Image and its companion—both taken using Fujifilm GFX 50R and Fujinon GF63mmF2.8 R WR lens. Vitals for the first, aperture manually set: f/5.6, ISO 100, 1/200 sec, 63mm; 10:43 a.m. PST.

Spring foliage is lush all around San Diego because of ongoing heavy rains. The second photo is cropped to capture a different moment—of untypically brash green growth that elsewhere in the county could in autumn become dry tinder that feeds ravaging wildfires. Vitals are same, except 1/170 sec.

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Lupe’s Last Day

This afternoon, a real estate agent trapped Lupe, who was featured—along with companion Laramie—in my “Cats of University Heights” series (December 2017). Two weeks ago today, the animals’ owner left the pair behind, when he moved out of state. The gent rented the property that the three shared, along with two dogs, for 17 years. To her credit, the agent selling the place stepped up to assure the outdoor kitties would find a new home. (The guy also left behind goldfish, which a fourth grade school teacher adopted for her class.)

My feelings are deeply mixed about trapping and removing Laramie and Lupe. While walking down Alabama Street this morning, I spoke with neighbors worried about the abandons. One asked about adopting them. Another and I discussed the realistic possibility about caring for the pair as community cats—fed and kept in familiar territory. That would be my preference, although it is likely unrealistic. In my conversations with the realtor, who has been in contact with rescue groups, the animals’ future is tenuous if deemed to be unadoptable. They might not be put down, so to speak, but they could be put away in a feral colony. Neither belongs there, and I don’t believe Lupe would fare well.

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Ocean View

That’s the Pacific on the horizon; as seen from New Hampshire Avenue, off of Madison, in San Diego’s University Heights neighborhood. I captured the Featured Image (warning: 29MB file) using Fujifilm GFX 50R and Fujinon […]

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The Cats of University Heights: Sly

Dare I present another Alabama Street cat? The thirty-second? Recently, I have expanded my feline photo walks into rarely traversed parts of the neighborhood—like the many dead-end roadways—desperately searching for someplace that can match Alabama’s kitty sightings. Nowhere comes close, and I still cannot explain why.

That said, today’s beastie, whom I nickname Sly, was long sought after—and perhaps only a saddening situation could reveal him (or her). Late-summer 2018, I caught a brief look at the animal as it slinked down apartment complex stairs next door to where live Laramie and Lupe. While presenting glimpses a couple more times, the Siamese proved to be too skittish and quick-moving for my camera. Until yesterday. 

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Boatload of Trouble

Since starting the “Cats in University Heights” series in October 2016, no one has objected to my photographing their animals—until today. In fact, some neighbors have asked me to include their pets. The story: As I approached the multi-family dwelling where Blue and Valentine—both nicknames—reside, a skinny and frisky shorthair walked down the sidewalk alongside a nearby open-fenced yard. As I approached, the putty-tat retreated to the grass. From there, another feline moved my way, and I started clicking the shutter of Fujifilm GFX 50R, with attached Fujinon GF63mmF2.8 R WR lens.

“Why are you taking pictures of my cats?” a woman calmly, but firmly, asked from behind a home’s security door. She didn’t step out onto the porch, and I couldn’t see her even while looking straight on from the sidewalk. I explained about my photographic project that started two-and-a-half years ago. My demeanour was friendly then, and when asking the name of the kitty whose portraits I had just taken. Gaping silence followed. “It’s okay, you don’t have to tell me”, I interjected, trying to diffuse any tension. 

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The Cats of University Heights: Mao

The Alabama cat contingent continues, with the thirty-first sighted along the street between its boundaries of Adams and Lincoln. Yesterday, as we walked to Smart & Final, my wife saw a putty-tat scurry among parked cars across the roadway. I pulled around Fujifilm GFX 50R, with attached Fujinon GF63mmF2.8 R WR lens, and approached the building, which is the same one where lives the kitty I call Dizzy. The shorthair retreated to a spot before the apartment complex’s security gate, which access to me was blocked by the mailman filling boxes.

He left. Feline and human regarded one another. A few meows later, the shorthair let me move in close to offer pats and to read the name tag (Mao). Snap. Snap. Two satisfying shots later, a quandary came: Should I let Mao inside the courtyard, by way of the unsecure security door? I pulled slightly open, and the friendly furball nosed forward. I closed in doubt, then let Mao through. The kitty crossed to a stair and climbed to the second level, where home awaited. (I hope.) 

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Overlook

Sometimes, I stop where Adams Ave. ends in my neighborhood to see if the Pacific Ocean is visible along the horizon. The location is sentimental—for our long time living nearby; the overlook’s majestic view; and […]

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How Much Has It Rained in San Diego?

Record rainfall pummels Southern California, as a series of storms continue. In my neighborhood, according to official government weather stats, 3.7 cm (1.45 inches) fell during the Valentine’s Day downpour. Totals for the month, as measured at Lindbergh Field: 7 cm (2.8 inches). That same storm walloped Palomar Observatory with 28 cm (10.9 inches) of rain. Yikes! Rivers overflow. Flooding wreaks havoc in the community Ramona, among others. And nobody uses the dreaded D word (e.g. drought).

The sun shines through puffy, cumulus, cumulonimbus, and nimbus clouds stretching across the horizons upon the wet asphalt, earth, and fallen palm fronds—brief respite before the next storm surges. But the air is chill, and record low temperatures are expected tonight. Already, ice accumulations have led authorities to close both major roads leading into the quaint, mountain community of Julian—where we nearly bought a house last year. Being President’s Day, the town would typically bustle with tourists. 

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The Cats of University Heights: Siamese Twins

On Feb. 1, 2019, as I walked down Monroe where it hugs the canyon behind Maryland, a bonded pair presented on adjoining properties. I captured several portraits, using Leica Q, planning to return for closer-up shots. I would see the chunkier beastie again, doing its business in another yard—and, well, even felines deserve some dignity, if not their owners. No photo.

While preparing to add the Siamese Twins to the series, using the Leica Q portraits, FedEx delivered the Fujifilm GFX 50R camera and Fujinon GF63mmF2.8 R WR lens. I intended the medium-frame shooter to replace my departed full-frame Leica M10, which a Mexican wedding photographer purchased four months ago. But the Fuji is considerably larger than imagined, and I strongly considered boxing up without even one shot and returning.