Tag: street photography

Photo by Joe WilcoxMar 31, 20269:24 pm

What a Concept!

Get clean laundry and, as a bonus, teeth cleaned at the same time. Put in a load of clothes, climb into the dentist chair, and vroom. While the washer does the final rinse, you will get the final rinse of your mouth. Remember to spit! There’s debris to expel and fluoride grit, too.

Honestly, I laughed when seeing the store signage along Adams Avenue in San Diego neighborhood Normal Heights on March 26, 2026, and then connecting how someone like me would read the thing. Regardless the intentions, what a concept!

Photo by Joe WilcoxMar 30, 202610:09 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Kitty Puppy

You needn’t ask. Kitty Puppy is this fine feline’s real name, although I am uncertain about whether or not to hyphenate. The 16-year-old is housemate to Stormy, who is a relative newcomer to his residence. I have seen them greet one another, nose to nose, outdoors.

Seen where? Meet the series‘ one-hundred tenth Alabama Street cat—that’s out of 635 profiles, including this one. Some streets pack in more apartments and condominiums. Along Alabama, many single-structure homeowners add so-called Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs). I suspect that increased population density explains the cat concentration.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMar 26, 20268:47 pm

Queen for a Lifetime

Perhaps you’ve heard the saying, “Queen for a day”. This afternoon, I met a woman known up and down Adams Avenue, where Normal Heights and North Park meet, simply as Queen. She and her husband sold their home, after raising a family there, and rented an apartment in one of the newer buildings erected during the past few years. Children gone away, the house was too roomy.

I made Queen’s acquaintance when walking to the auto shop, where our Honda Fit had been dropped off to repair the strangest problem: Something had dislodged the splash shield under the engine, and it frequently scraped the ground.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMar 24, 20269:21 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Warrior

Along Monroe, on March 22, 2026, I saw in the distance a shorthair presumed to be Ash. But upon looking at the Featured Image, at home, on Samsung Galaxy Book6 Ultra, I could see my mistake. Fur color pattern is different, and this wounded warrior is missing an eye. From another photo, the cat appears to have something of a hump on its upper back that could be from an injury.

Nevertheless, the beastie was spry as it and a chunky black beastie chased one another down the street and into an alley. They were playful rather than combative or territorial. I hadn’t seen either before the day before yesterday, so they are presumably newcomers to the neighborhood and come from the same household.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMar 22, 20267:55 pm

In Defense of Reading Books

Another book sale weekend at the local library (University Heights)—as designated by the third Saturday of the month (today is fourth Sunday)—is but memory. Our good friend Kerry, whom we hadn’t seen for more than three years, visited yesterday—so, I missed the better of the two days.

But I hauled my butt the 0.8-kilometer (half-mile) walk and looked for books for the women; I brought back a Moosewood cooking follow-up for my wife and two tomes on herbs for our daughter. I saw little that interested me.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMar 21, 20269:04 pm

Wedding Bells or Something Else?

While walking home from San Diego Zoo on Sept. 27, 2025, I passed by some kind of gathering or event at the Greek Orthodox Church on Park Blvd in Hillcrest. Being Thursday, I doubted a religious service was underway or ending. But what??

I initially assumed wedding, but on closer consideration funeral appeared to be another reasonable possibility. The people looked cheerer than somber, more befitting a wedding, dedication of child, or something similar.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMar 20, 20268:50 pm

Near Miss?

Minutes earlier, the kid on the left had been doing wheelies down Monroe in my neighborhood of University Heights. Not being a thru street (right turn only on Texas), traffic tends to be light compared to Madison or Mission on either side. I sometimes see roller skaters on Mississippi either at Monroe or Mission. So, these daredevils weren’t out of place, but the electric bike meant increased speed and risk.

I set up the shot, for their approach. You can see them coming upon Louisiana but turned towards one another rather than looking ahead. Meanwhile, the driver is somewhat blinded by the late-day sun as she turns Westwardly. There is no indication that she sees the distracted bikers.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMar 18, 20269:57 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Bouncer

I don’t know whether or not Captain Blackbeard is still around, but this is where he lives (or lived). I used Nikon Zf and NIKKOR Z 24-200mm f/4-6.3 VR lens to capture the Featured Image on May 6, 2025. Vitals: f/6.3, ISO 125, 1/500 sec, 200mm; 9:49 a.m. PDT.

This fine feline earns nickname Bouncer, because of the sign. I have seen the feisty furball on other occasions, but this was the only photographic opportunity to date. I don’t recall the last time I saw the Captain.

Samsung by Joe WilcoxMar 14, 202610:18 pm

The Costs of War

The price of gasoline at this Shell station (formerly Valero) is typically mid-range for the area; not the highest and by no means lowest. Less than two weeks ago, price at the pump was $4.30 per gallon. A few days ago, I paid $4.90. Now it’s $5.70.

Can you say, “Iran war?” Because that’s what is surely behind these rising prices that have yet to reach their ceiling. Americans will be impacted everywhere, from cost for fuel oil to gasoline, for starters, and rising costs of anything transported by air, land, or sea.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMar 11, 20269:40 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Wiley

Along Panorama Drive on Feb. 4, 2026, my wife spotted this fine feline, whom I pursued with the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. The shorthair stalked something, and from the sounds of things several birds—none of which would ever be in reach. Nivkname: Wiley.

Vitals for the Featured Image: f/3.4, ISO 32, 1/132 sec, (synthetic) 230mm (digital and optical zoom); 10:23 a.m. PST.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMar 10, 20269:33 pm

Big Bear Hug for Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

Second day impressions of Samsung’s flagship smartphone are much better than the first. I found the somewhat reduced antiglare coating to be more than sufficient, combined with auto-screen brightness, for using the device outdoors on another sunny San Diego afternoon.

The S26 Ultra feels better in the hand than its predecessor. Differences are subtle but noticeably pleasing. So far, battery life is exceptional. I started setup around 12:30 p.m. PDT yesterday. That process, which can continue for many, many hours, is a notorious battery drain. Yet, at around 7:30 p.m. tonight, when I decided to recharge for the first time, battery level was still about 30 percent.

Photo by Joe WilcoxMar 7, 20269:25 pm

There’s No Mending This Broken ARM

I love the battery life, design, performance, and weight of Samsung Galaxy4 Edge, which I acquired in June 2024. But software compatibility is a sticking point nearly two years later. The laptop packs the Qualcomm Snapdragon X Elite X1E-84-100 processor. Not all applications—too few, actually—run natively om the ARM architecture.

In contrast, compatibility is nearly universal for Windows 11 on x86 chips. Intel’s newest microprocessors are more competitive with ARM, particularly enabling long battery life. Samsung releases new Panther Lake laptops on March 11, 2026, and I seriously consider getting one. ARM is broken for too many applications.