Tag: urban photography

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 2, 20269:39 pm

She’s on a Mission from God

My wife and I heard the reverberating sound several blocks away—a voice carried on the wind, coming from the direction of Old Trolley Barn Park. The woman stood valiantly reading inspirational words and scriptures from a Bible. She rarely glanced up, which explains the character of the portrait.

I don’t know how deliberate the choice but can guess. Rather than face park goers she turned to the street, where across the way was a Jehovah Witness meeting hall. Tone and content made me think that she preached to the Witnesses.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJan 1, 20269:27 pm

Return to Facebook

As explained yesterday, major anniversaries are coming, or recently passed, for a number of the cloud services that I have long subscribed to. For example, X, formerly Twitter, reached 20 years on Christmas day. Yeah, I registered in 2005. YouTube will be two decades on July 20. Then there is Facebook—around October 1.

I don’t love Facebook. The user interface is needlessly complicated, which must mean that’s by choice. For one, co-founder Mark Zuckerberg is a socially handicapped geek, and he designed a social network that defines how people interact online? Seriously? For another, the company’s profit-driven business model is all about time online—how long can somebody stay engaged and exposed to advertising. Deliberate design helps achieve that objective, by making people click, click, click.

Photo by Joe WilcoxDec 25, 20259:31 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Christmas Cat

Merry Christmas! We celebrate the holiday with a kitty seen yesterday along Monroe Avenue (cross-streets withheld). This fine feline takes the day for posing beside a holiday tree. What could be more appropriate than that?

I used Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra to take the Featured Image and companion. Vitals: f/3.4, ISO 100, 1/125 sec, 115mm (film equivalent); 10:59 a.m. PST. The second: f/3.4, ISO 50, 1/60 sec, (synthetic) 230mm (digital and optical zoom); 10:59 a.m.

Photo by Joe WilcoxDec 24, 20258:35 pm

They Blowed Up the Lawn for Christmas

On Dec. 20, 2025, I dropped by a Christmas card to the house of a friend, who the next day would fly off to Pennsylvania to spend 10 days with family. The Featured Image and […]

Photo by Joe WilcoxDec 13, 20259:50 pm

Better Off Dead

I am a big fan of repurposing. Take that thing and use it another way. Even when buying something new, I look first for multi-purpose uses. What else can this thang be used for?

But I don’t know about this! I see the rationale, though, and can’t argue with it. One of my neighbors repurposed his Halloween decorations for Christmas. The Featured Image and companion tell the story.

Photo by Joe WilcoxDec 11, 20259:30 pm

Something Sweet Before the Sour Comes

Two weeks to Christmas, time comes to start spreading holiday cheer—decorations, too—and pledge to keep the spirit alive all through the upcoming year. My wife and I dispatched holiday cards today, for the first time in a couple of ages (yeah, too long a time). A final batch goes in the mail tomorrow—followed by, during the coming days, distribution to local friends and neighbors.

The candy canes come courtesy of San Diego Zoo, where we saw them on Nov. 10, 2025. Yeah, Christmas starts early there but means less this year because of the big bah, humbug coming on January 5. Parking will no longer be free for everyone at the zoo, nor in adjoining Balboa Park.

Photo by Joe WilcoxDec 10, 20258:19 pm

In the Alley with Harley

San Diego’s three-season Summer makes motorcycle riding an enticing transportation option for many residents. Then there is California law, which permits cutting the lane; it’s a common practice, too. You’re stuck in traffic, for example, while a motorcyclist weaves between vehicles and advances.

The practice is all the more unsettling, when a motorcycle suddenly races up from behind between you and other fast-moving cars, SUVs, trucks, and more! I am surprised that there aren’t more accidents caused by the driving tactic. I needn’t say but must: Don’t text and ride, please.

Photo by Joe WilcoxNov 9, 202511:54 am

Makeshift Food Bank

The longest government shutdown in U.S. history means millions of people are not receiving federal funds for basics—you know, things like food. People employed by Uncle Sam are either furloughed or working without pay (and delayed only, hopefully). Don’t get me going about families who count on SNAP benefits and won’t receive them for November.

To the Congress, I say this: Do your job! Pass a damn budget. Stop pissing away days whining over line items like expiring subsidies for the Affordable Care Act. Agree to punt! Fund the damn government for X number of days and fight among yourselves meantime about a final budget. Don’t punish people while you bicker like kids in the schoolyard or, worse, an angry soon-to-be-divorced couple gouging one another in spiteful rages over splitting assets (or assigning child custody).

Living by Joe WilcoxNov 6, 202510:23 pm

This Use to Be Grass

The homeless are increasingly pariahs, across San Diego County. The public policy is discourage and displace, rather than meaningfully address fundamental causes. The Featured Image and companion reveal one tactic: Piling jagged rocks where until recently there was grass, punctuated by shrub-like trees.

But the homeless would somewhat frequently hangout or campout on the grass. Honestly, the rocks are more unsightly than the homeless tents. Grass is great! We need more. The city destroys a lovely green space to deter the so-called unhoused? Solve the problem! Don’t create one as band-aid for another. The rocks look weird, and they are weapons. Lots of damage can be done with rocks like these.

Photo by Joe WilcoxNov 3, 20259:55 pm

Larger Than Life

Halloween may be over—and Day of the Dead with it—but I have one seasonal yard decoration to share, as you can see from the Featured Image and companion. There is no optical illusion here. The skeleton really is giant size.

Both photos come from Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra on Oct. 30, 2025. Vitals, first: f/2.4, ISO 50, 1/1600 sec. 70mm (film equivalent); 10 a.m. PDT. Vitals, other: f/1.7, ISO 50, 1/500 sec, 115mm (film equivalent); 10:01 a.m.

Photo by Joe WilcoxNov 2, 20259:52 pm

University Heights Fall Festival 2025

According to the Camelot Climate Index, San Diego has the best weather in the United States. San Francisco and Los Angeles follow close behind. But even with three seasons of Summer, October can prove to be unpredictable. Cooler, cloudier days are common enough to spoil outdoor public events.

Organizers of the University Heights Fall Festival, and all the locals attending, lucked out on Oct. 18, 2025. Blue skies, drier air, and pleasant 28 degrees Celsius (83 Fahrenheit) made the annual gathering the outdoor destination of the area. Families abounded, and I wondered where hide all these young parents and kids. I don’t see many about otherwise.

Photo by Joe WilcoxOct 30, 202510:08 pm

Here They Come…

I do hope that you like felines. My “Cats of University Heights” series languishes, and the backlog of photographed but unpublished kitties goes back a couple of years. That’s in part because my posting overall is in a lull that needs to be culled.

So, I make a half-promise to pick up the pace, which must include more furballs than you could ever want to see. If fulfilled, overall posting should uptick significantly. Get ready!