We reach into the more recent backlog for two in a row. First up: Comet, and, yes, that is his real name. He is the one-hundred eleventh kitty—out 641 profiled, including this one—seen on Alabama between boundaries Adams and Lincoln. Why so many? Population density. The street has more multi-unit dwellings than single-family homes.
The Featured Image comes from Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. Vitals: f/3.4, ISO 32, 1/120 sec, 230mm (film equivalent); 3:53 p.m. PDT, Oct. 9, 2025. Composed as shot.
At least a couple of times a week, I am surprised by what neighbors will deposit for someone else to take. Some of this stuff is quite nice and could be put up for sale.
Over the years, we’ve gleaned some valuables of significance, ranging from kitchen utensils to furniture. You never know what will turn up—from whom and why and who the takers might be.
Ishould have shared this Memorial Day flag on the holiday but for no particular reason held it back. The Featured Image isn’t a provocative Old Glory but it nevertheless captures a moment.
Vitals: F/2.4, ISO 25, 1/1218 sec, 69mm (film equivalent); 4:38 p.m. PDT, May 25, 2036; Samsung Galaxy s26 Ultra.
I don’t doubt that this kitty’s owners call it something other than my choice of nickname. How could I resist for the series‘ first Scottish Fold, and what a looker it is, too.
The Featured Image comes from Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, today. Vitals: f/2.9, ISO 25, 1/294 sec, 230mm (film equivalent); 12:39 p.m. PDT. Scotty is the eighty-fourth feline found behind door or window out of 640 profiles, including this one.
Stop a moment and reminisce with me. This series started a decade ago and arrives at its 639th profile, including this one. This kitty is from the more recent backlog (yes, others wait in yet a longer queue). I used Nikon Zf and NIKKOR Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR lens to capture the Featured Image on April 8, 2025.
My guess on location: The cottages at Meade and Louisiana. Vitals: f/6.3, ISO 400, 1/500 sec, 200mm; 12:21 p.m. PDT. This is a close-crop that removes sunlit areas, which also explains composition choice. Drumroll. Nickname: Darling, for no particular reason.
I apologize but it’s a quick post this evening. Our daughter demanded some tender loving care, which was overdue—and the day stopped being mine late-afternoon. She is time well spent.
We walked to Sonic, uncustomarily, because it’s a Fifties/Sixties-style carhop joint. We brought no car, which made ordering food on my phone almost ridiculous. To check-in, I had to designate a stall; Sonic provided no lobby option. So. we stood in No. 4, and someone roller-skated out with the meal.
I really should bang out all the felines languishing in the backlog. I expect to not recall some of the oldest beasties and where they were photographed. But I am at a loss about some of the more recent kitties, like this one from Aug. 26, 2025. The Featured Image comes from Nikon Zf and NIKKOR Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR lens, and there is no companion captures from Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, which would have provided location information.
Vitals: f/8, ISO 250, 1/250 sec, 84mm; 10:04 a.m. PDT. Composed as captured. For plaid fabric collar, which might be GPS, this tabby earns nickname Fab.
This is new. The people running the daycare located at Louisiana and Madison in my San Diego neighborhood of University Heights have a message for somebody—hopefully that’s not you. I came upon the chair-mounted, make-shift sign today.
Take a close look at the Featured Image and read for yourself. I interpreted “personal business” to mean peeing or defecating—distinctly possible occurrences with more homeless folks milling about. But a nearby used condom suggests another explanation: Two or more people engaged in sexual activities, possibly in the grassy area along the establishment’s fence or inside a vehicle parked in one of the many public spaces.
On my walk home to University Heights from South Park on May 11, 2026, I came across a decorative utility box that demanded my photographic attention. But as I reached for Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, a woman walked out of a business dragging a can of empty beer bottles, blocking full view of the mural. As she returned to the establishment, a gent came out with another container half-full. She started dragging a third one.
That was my cue to abandon the shot, and then I rethought the opportunity: The can of bottles makes more interesting composition and creates speculative storytelling opportunity. Welcome to, ah, tippled South Park. Correct me for saying, but isn’t that quite a lot of empties for one night’s business? How many people were getting drunk?
Among the many tactile features I find beneficial on Nikon Zf, the monochrome switch is one of the most useful. In about one second, I can go from capturing color to black and white, which is super handy when street shooting—no post-production tweaking required.
On Saturday (May 9, 2026), University Heights hosted Party on Park, which was billed as a community block party, with live music, various vendors, and specials from street-side eateries. I walked through twice, first with DJI Osmo Nano—my first outing with the action camera (footage not yet processed). Later, I hauled up with the Zf and attached NIKKOR Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR lens.
Confession: The family, spurred on by our daughter, is taking almost too much advantage of the Too Good To Go app—Android for me, iOS for her. Local eateries offer up food, presumably what wasn’t sold during typical business hours, for significant discount. Most places offer grab bags.
Today, my wife drove us to the Pop Pie in South Park, where I had reserved a bag with two savory pies. They typically sell for $12.50 a piece but were $$8.66 before tax together. These babies are tasty, too, and premium ingredients. Another location is closer, a few blocks away here in University Heights, but Pop Pie South Park is where I beat out others for the reservation (stated differently: goods move fast).
I shot the Featured Image at 200 megapixels on Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, yesterday. I usually just stick with the default 12MP. But, considering celebration of the United States of America’s 250th anniversary is imminent, I chose to step it up. Vitals: f/1.4, ISO 10, 1/435 sec, 23mm (film equivalent); 3:28 p.m. PDT.
The neighbor who placed the lawn decoration is patriotic, and he and his wife are involved in the local Republican party. Other signs on his street are angry, and many take positions that would appear to be deliberately hostile to his own. Unusual and revealing: The—how shall I put it—large number of opposition signs per capita. Pick any house, and someone has a liberal position or cause you are supposed to know about—and accept.