Tag: San Diego

Photo by Joe WilcoxDec 9, 20185:49 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Stark

Meet Stark, who earns his (or her) nickname for my mood while writing (see next paragraph) and ambience of the Featured Image, which I captured using Google Pixel 3 XL on Nov. 18, 2018. The tiger tabby presented for portrait near where Monroe and North avenues meet. Vitals: f/1.8, ISO 58, 1/3906 sec, 4.44mm; 3:19 p.m. PST.

This post has the distinction of being my first composed using WordPress 5.0’s so-called Gutenberg editor. I’m not loving it, in the least. Compatibility and reliability top my list of blogging software priorities—and neither is consistent composing with the radically new WP incarnation, using a theme from a reliable designer that supports the new editor. Some other theme authors have sent email warnings recommending against Gutenberg, to which my webhost auto-updated this site middle of last week.

Photo by Joe WilcoxDec 4, 20189:34 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Tocino

On the morning of Nov. 1, 2018, as I approached Polk from Georgia, a lithe, tiger-tabby strutted up the sidewalk. I wasn’t the kitty’s interest, but a black-and-white shorthair looking out the window of a house. Unfortunately, there wasn’t enough interior light for a good shot of that animal. Even so, I chose the Featured Image because it’s the street shoot’s story: Tocino staring up at the unseen beastie inside. Vitals: f/1.8, ISO 73, 1/1020 sec, 4.44mm; 9:54 a.m. PDT.

The second portrait, taken two minutes earlier, captures Tocino at our first meeting, just before greeting and opportunity for me to read the name tag. Tocino is Spanish for bacon, and it is also a surname. Vitals: f/1.8, ISO 56, 1/903 sec, 4.44mm.

Photo by Joe WilcoxNov 25, 201810:56 pm

The Christmas House

A few years ago, when my daughter shared an apartment in Point Loma, Calif., I drove up Garrison on the way home from her neighborhood. Houses along the way decked out big time for Christmas, such that traffic snarled as drivers slowed to gawk, others searched for parking, and pedestrians admired the decorations. My wife and I visited the street this evening, previewing what’s expected to come. Only one house had spiffed up for the Holiday—and in unbelievably magnificent fashion. The Featured Image and three companions are but a glimpse of the fabulously adorned property.

I captured the set using Google Pixel 3 XL, which proved to be more than a low-light performer. It’s a charmer. I am rather surprised to see character and dimension in these quick snaps. I cropped all four 3:2 and straightened two, but did not otherwise edit. Vitals for the first: f/1.8, ISO 176, 1/24 sec, 4.4mm; 5:35 p.m. PST (about 55 minutes after sunset).

Photo by Joe WilcoxNov 25, 201810:51 am

I Sure Hope Santa Doesn’t Drink and Drive

I can’t fathom what terribly hidden, or overt, meaning this Christmas matchup conveys. Is it about bringing Holiday cheer, quite literally with intoxicating beverages? Will Santa bring good boys and girls—of legal drinking age—brew presents? […]

Photo by Joe WilcoxNov 23, 20186:16 am

The Cats of University Heights: Teach

Meade is a sentimental street, between Park Blvd. and Maryland. Call it memory lane. Along the stretch live seven kitties featured in this series: Captain Blackbeard, Honey Bunny, Levi, Pee-Pee, Tink, Veruca, and Vivienne. During summer 2018, my wife and I nearly bought the property that we call the Schoolhouse, at the corner of Campus. A few doors away, the adventure of neighborhood teens trapping a feral momma cat and her kittens unfolded two weeks before we made our offer on the Spanish-style home. The time was magical.

I imagined how the delightful chatter of parents walking their kids to school would fill our living space each weekday morning. There is something soothing about the ambience that the sound of happy children or running water makes. On the morning of June 4, 2018, a tiger tabby watched and listened, as I once hoped, to students arriving for a day of classes at Birney Elementary. The apartment complex where the putty-tat lives is one of several across the street from the school.

Photo by Joe WilcoxNov 22, 201810:18 am

Fido Confections

Among the stereotypes that cling to Californians: Their love of—no obsession with—dogs. Take a peek into this window of a local dog bakery. I could understand meat pie. But cake? Welcome to SoCal, where residents primp tail-waggers and fawn incessantly over them. I am aghast how the fussy folk here let their beasts pee and poop everywhere. Sure, most dog walkers carry baggies to clean up the hard deposits. But the liquid soils sidewalks and anything along them; considering how rarely rain falls, this crap clinging to shoes and dust that becomes airborne can’t be healthy. So why in a state where residents also are lifestyle-profiled as being health-obsessed is there such contradiction?

In County cities Carlsbad, Del Mar, Encinitas, San Diego, Santee, and Solana Beach, there are about 162,000 licensed dogs, according to official statistics. Human population for the same locales is about 2.15 million, says the Department of Animal Services. FYI: San Diego Humane Society assumed responsibility for providing county animal services to these communities during second quarter of this year. If you’re local, and interested in domestic or wild beasties, SDH’s annual report is informative reading.

Photo by Joe WilcoxNov 20, 20186:23 am

The Cats of University Heights: Serenity

During the same Nov. 4, 2018 afternoon that I encountered Usher, several blocks away, along Mission Avenue between Mississippi and Alabama, another Tuxedo presented for portrait. I shot the Featured Image, using Pixel 3 XL, at 3:57 p.m. PST. Vitals: f/1.8, ISO 55, 1/313 sec. 4.4mm. Serenity seems like the most appropriate nickname, and so it is given.

Two days earlier, the smartphone slipped from my fingers and fell face down on the sidewalk, shattering the screen. I got my first cellular handset more than 20 years ago, never once damaging one in any way. Until that fateful drop. As I write, due to a monumental Google Store screw up, the Pixel 3 XL has yet to be repaired or replaced.

Photo by Joe WilcoxNov 19, 20186:14 am

The Cats of University Heights: Usher

The second Shirley Ann Place kitty, like Triumph, is a rare treat; the two are outdoor onlies. The few other furballs observed along the historic row of Spanish-style homes presented in windows, and none during the series‘ first 20 months.

I captured the Featured Image on Nov. 4, 2018 at 3:48 p.m. PST using Google Pixel 3 XL. Vitals: f/1.8, ISO 76,1/870 sec, 4.44mm. The Tuxedo earns nickname Usher, for waiting to greet someone at the door and usher them inside.

Photo by Joe WilcoxNov 18, 20186:40 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Grape

Strangely, feline sightings along Shirley Ann Place are rare. I have only ever seen two kitties outdoors, and you will meet both consecutively as the series resumes pace after a deliberate slowdown. The first earns nickname Triumph—chosen for posture and demeanor. Our first encounter was Sept. 24, 2018, sitting atop a recycle can. The Featured Image, from Leica Q, was captured the next day. Vitals: f/5.6, ISO 100, 1/60 sec, 28mm, 5:42 p.m. PDT.

I shot the companion portrait, during the first meeting, using Google Pixel 2 XL. Vitals: f/1.8, ISO 50, 1/289 sec, 4.459 mm; 8:30 a.m. The kitty has triumphantly presented several times since, but these two humble photos are the best ones so far.

Photo by Joe WilcoxNov 6, 20185:42 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Sentinel

As I write, it’s anyone’s educated guess whether there will be a blue wave or red tide tonight—or neither. The midterm elections are here, and, yes, we voted. On the way to the polling place, my wife spotted a feline in wait along Park Blvd. between Monroe and Madison. In more than 11 years living in this neighborhood and 26 months profiling its kitties, never have I seen even one of the beasties along this stretch of road. Of all nights! Foot and vehicular traffic were busier than usual, surely enough to frighten off any animal.

The cat wouldn’t come close enough for a reading of its pink tag. I asked Annie for nickname, and she suggested Sentinel, which is perfect for posture, location, and timing. I captured the Featured Image, at 4:33 p.m. PST—or 20 minutes before sunset—using Google Pixel 3 XL. Vitals: f/1.8, ISO 55, 1/60 sec, 4.44mm.

Photo by Joe WilcoxNov 4, 20188:26 pm

The Cats of University Heights: maow maow

Along Florida, between Madison and Monroe, I encountered a demur Calico on Oct. 18, 2018. She earns nickname Pumpkin-Patch for her seasonal orange and black coloration, which I enhanced in Google Snapseed by applying the Accentuate filter, which adds HDR-pop. I captured the Featured Image, at 8:52 a.m. PDT, using Google Pixel 2 XL. Vitals: f/1.8, ISO 58, 1/4673 sec, 4.459mm.

A day earlier, I received the Pixel 3 XL “Just Black”, which was supposed to be a Pixel 3 “Clearly White” for my wife. Nearly three weeks later, and more than 10 hours of phone calls endured, Google Store has not fully resolved the ordering mishap, which since has become a disaster. That story is forthcoming, along with photos shot using the phone. Stay tuned!

Photo by Joe WilcoxNov 4, 20189:29 am

The Book of Our Times

It’s catch-up time for things I meant to post but put aside, temporarily. Family drama! Perhaps you will read about it in the future, but likely not. Now to the main course: On Oct. 21, 2018—the day after reading that San Diegans spend more on alcoholic beverages than residents of any other city in the United States—I spotted something surprising on a table outside LeStat’s on Park. Did someone forget the book? Was it purposefully left behind—seemingly appropriate commentary about America’s “booziest city”?

For sure, breweries are commonplace, and most eateries serve alcoholic beverages, which also are sold everywhere—not predominantly in liquor stores but from pharmacies, supermarkets, warehouse stores (e.g. Costco), and more.