Meet the third kitty spotted inside a catio since the series‘ start seven years ago. The others: Jester and King. That’s three out of 552 profiles. I spotted this fine feline while walking with my wife on Oct. 1, 2023 along an undisclosed alley.
The Featured Image is made possible by Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra‘s 10x optical zoom. Vitals: f/4.9, ISO 50, 1/390 sec, 230mm (film equivalent); 11:58 a.m. PDT. For nickname, I choose Whisper.
The official language of South Korean is celebrated today—although it’s already tomorrow in Asia, so my post is belated then. Hangul, or Hangeul (my preference), refers to the alphabet, which conceptualization is scientific compared to, say, Chinese or Japanese.
My wife and I both study the Korean language, although she is far more advanced than me. We both have tried different learning systems, such as Billy Go or Talk to Me in Korean, among others. Some months ago, I accidentally came upon the How to Study Korean website and found the educational program to be approachable, methodical, and sensible. Annie adopted it, too—surprising me.
This series started on Oct. 17, 2016 with tentative runtime of perhaps 30 days—because how many cats could possibly be in a neighborhood with so many dogs? I never imagined 551, including this post (more counting doubles featured together). But here we are.
I spotted our newest member earlier today along Florida Street. The Featured Image comes from Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. Vitals: f/4.9, ISO 50, 1/300 sec, 230mm (film equivalent); 11:43 a.m. PDT.
If you thought the last kitty, Mochi, was difficult to see behind a security screen, this fine feline is even more obscured. Even so, I couldn’t resist sharing. Location: Alley that separates Louisiana and Texas.
Nickname Marble for coloration and shape of head, this rascal is the one-hundred-sixteenth furball found behind door or window since this series started in October 2016.
A generational house on Georgia is home to three furballs. Zero qualifies as the normal one—meaning whole. Appearing in this series as Reddy, but renamed Jinx, is a ginger longhair missing tail and one eye. Growing kitten Mochi joins them.
She was found abandoned inside a fabric carrier outside one of the local businesses. Owner of the other two kitties took pity on Mochi and brought her home. Since, the shorthair has been checked by the vet and had her operation (you know, the one to prevent kittens).
San Diego is a city of renters—about 52 percent of households, based on U.S. Census Bureau data. One reason this series continues nearly seven years later is the high turnover of tenants; pets with them. Today’s kitty is the third photographed at the same house, all with different owners.
Sophie joined in August 2017 and Vivienne in June 2018. Those are real names for both animals; I must assign one for the newcomer. The Featured Image comes from Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra on Sept. 7, 2023. Vitals: f/4.9, ISO 50, 1/120 sec, 230mm (film equivalent); 11:27 a.m. PDT.
Early iPhone 15 Pro and Pro Max buyers are just days away from receiving their preorders. Good luck with that. My Galaxy S23 Ultra is a more versatile, worthy shooter. I’ve seen some of the professional reviews, where photos aren’t as impressive as what I enjoy daily. This is no fanboy talk. Go online and look for yourself.
In addition to the default 12-megapixels, photos can be captured at 50MP or 200MP; the Featured Image is the former, and, whoa, look at that detail. Both exceed Apple’s device, which zoom capability tops out at 5x. The Samsung offers 10x, which is 230mm film equivalent. Pro mode puts you in control, and the separate Expert RAW app delivers exactly what the name indicates.
I promise: No more photos of the iconic sign on El Cajon Blvd in San Diego neighborhood University Heights. But tonight, returning home with a gallon of organic whole milk (whoa, November 22 sell-by date), from Sprouts market, I came upon the structure from the other side of the street. Surprise! You can get closer to the thing from there. I never would have guessed.
The Featured Image is one of two captured using Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. This one is straight from the smartphone: Composed as shot and no alterations. Vitals: f/2.4, ISO 1250, 1/40 sec, 70mm (film equivalent); 8:54 p.m. PDT.
I don’t take out Leica Q2 Monochrom often enough. The camera’s super sharp f/1.7 Summilux 28mm lens, supported by the 47.3-megapixel mono sensor, produces photos from which emerge so many possibilities. Take, for example, the Featured Image that is a close-crop of three people—one of them back-to in the hammock—during one of the summer concerts in Old Trolley Barn Park, which is located in San Diego neighborhood University Heights.
The naturally-produced graininess feels film-like enough, at least to my eyes. Is the young man looking at me? I would be surprised, since I shot from the sidewalk at the hip. This is about a 95-percent crop, for perspective.
I can’t complain about the weather, because inland San Diego County scorched today. Here in University Heights, which is closer to the coast, temperature reached toasty 30.5 degrees Celsius (87 Fahrenheit). As I write, it’s cooler 25 C (77 F) and best reason for the evening walk recently completed.
For days, I meant to document gasoline prices on the rise, after something of a decline that nevertheless was ghastly high compared to other states. According to AAA, the national average, as of this very day, is $3.83 per gallon. What a break. My local station at El Cajon Blvd and Texas Street is only $1.77 higher. Average for all California is $5.41 per gallon, which, by the way, is highest price for any state—even Alaska and Hawaii.
Perhaps you remember Proudfoot, who joined the series in early August 2021? Nearly two years to the day, Aug. 9, 2023, my wife and I passed him (or her) on nearly the same sidewalk spot. But wait! In an adjacent cottages courtyard, I saw another shorthair similarly colored. Surely they are littermates!
I used Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra to capture the Featured Image and companion. Vitals: f/4.9, ISO 50, 1/125 sec, 230mm (film equivalent); 9:27 a.m. PDT. The other: f/2.4, ISO 50, 1/490 sec, 70mm (film equivalent); 9:28 a.m.
It’s called popular culture for a reason. I don’t recall ever watching any of “The Love Bug” movies and yet have absorbed enough osmotically over the decades to know the basics: Animated Volkswagen Beetle—with personality, no less. Road race. Clueless adult protagonists. Oh, perhaps most revealing: I am familiar with the vehicle’s number and racing decals.
So unsurprisingly, I immediately recognized the Herbie detailing of the Toyota Scion parked on a street in my San Diego neighborhood of University Heights, today. If I were going to pick a modern, non-VW, that is close enough to the vintage vehicle, this coupe compact would be near top of the list.