Patience pays, but I couldn’t wait to share the somewhat obscured hummingbird with you—four days ago. This afternoon, the same hummer, or another, frolicked about the Bird of Paradise outside my office window. These shots, all from Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra and through the double-pain glass, are what I wanted on Nov. 20, 2023.
The Featured Image is the last taken of the set. Vitals: f/4.9, ISO 64, 1/120 sec, 230mm (film equivalent); 1:10 p.m. PST.
During a break from sporadic showers on Nov. 15, 2023, I stood at my office desk surveying the street while studying. A bird of paradise, situated just outside the window, attracted a hummingbird seeking nectar.
Over the course of an hour, I made numerous attempts to nab a good shot of the hummer, which repeatedly flew off. Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra shutter is plenty fast enough for the task. But movement, like lifting the smartphone, scared off the little bird. So I don’t have a full-feather shot or fluttering about.
A quick, placeholder post replaces the one previously planned. In uncharacteristic fashion, Cali made a bed out of my lap tonight—and I let her. The other musing, dealing with today’s experience at the San Diego Library book sale, must wait.
These bird houses hang from one of two young trees planted where were a magnificent pair of Canary Island Date Palms. A few years ago, the city chopped down both, after the dreaded South American Palm Weevil infected them. Causalities are too many in my neighborhood of University Heights. I still mourn the palm that had been across the street from my office window and which similarly had to be destroyed.
I am reminded that life is tough and unforgiving in the urban landscape of wild animals. Today, while talking on the phone to my sister, I came upon a larger rodent stumbling along the alley separating Louisiana and Mississippi streets in my San Diego neighborhood of University Heights. Rat? Something else? Please, tell me.
The creature was nearby cross-street Meade, and I wondered if it had been struck by a turning car or perhaps even poisoned. The rodent fell over every few steps and once on its back after tripping over a leaf. I chatted with Nan using my Poly Voyager 5200 Wireless Headset purchased in late December last year. That freed up my hands and Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra for several shots.
I don’t have much experience with Catholic religious symbols. But, presumably, the porcelain statue spotted in an alley—between Louisiana and Mississippi in San Diego neighborhood University Heights—is one. You tell me. I can’t say whether the relic is meant to be hidden behind the vine, or if the growth is naturally occurring.
The Featured Image comes from Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, using the 200-megapixel capability, which resulted in a massively large file (Warning: 58MB).
While rummaging through old digital photos, I came across one which character and composition evoke a moment from the 1960s or 1970s. The metadata makes more modern origin known: June 23, 2010, 1:23 p.m. PDT. GPS-logged location: Pine Knot Avenue, Big Bear Lake, Calif.
My wife is the photographer, accompanied by her dad during a day trip. She used Google Nexus One to capture the Featured Image. Strangely, the metadata doesn’t record the camera settings. The photo is presented untouched; no cropping or enhancements.
Whoa, something changed with the LittleFreeLibrary located on Campus Avenue in University Heights. You probably wouldn’t recognize that this is a less-decorative rendition of the one shared in October 2021. But size still commands all other curbside lending boxes situated around the San Diego neighborhood.
My wife and I first spotted the renovated enclosure on Oct. 10, 2023, while walking along perpendicular street Monroe. The Featured Image and companions come from Leica Q2. Vitals, aperture manually set for all: f/5.6, ISO 100, 1/320 sec, 28mm; 11:20 a.m. PDT.
Who is this mysterious Pookie? I want to know. Surely the name refers to an animal. In summer 2020, I saw black cat Cocoa in the yard behind the fence where is this sign. Oh, so you aren’t confused, since San Diego is three summers long, I refer to the “mid” season. We’re in late summer now, with warmer-than-typical temperatures: 29 degrees Celsius (85 F) yesterday and 27 C (80 F) today and dry; low teens humidity.
For the Featured Image, I used Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra; today. Portrait mode produces bokeh—not sure if the blur is optical, digitally enhanced, or both. Vitals: f/1.7, ISO 10, 1/240 sec, 23mm (film equivalent); 10:21 a.m. PDT.
The start of November ends the obsession of carving pumpkins for Halloween and begins pie prepping for Thanksgiving. My local Trader Joe’s—at The Hub Plaza in San Diego neighborhood Hillcrest—is all-holiday ready.
Bored, while waiting for my wife as she shopped inside the grocery, I stooped down with Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra and captured the Featured Image. Vitals: f/2.2, ISO 50, 1/2900 sec, 13mm (film equivalent); 11:18 a.m., Oct. 27, 2023.
What kid doesn’t like trick-or-treating? For Halloween, with all the crazy decorations outside University Heights homes and San Diegans of all ages marching the sidewalks, I had planned on posting something of a montage of the Macabre.
But instead, I share something simple and unbecoming. I used Leica Q2 to capture the Featured Image on Oct. 19, 2023. Vitals, aperture manually set: f/1.7, ISO 500, 1/15 sec, 28mm; 8:04 p.m.
At the house where lives Daniel Tiger, one of the “Cats of University Heights“, the kids have put up drawings for Halloween. I am a big fan of spiders and the black putty-tat’s expression is irresistible—as is the uninhibited artistry of a child.
The family also keeps chickens and puts out a jar of food for neighbors to feed them. There had been three birds, but recently only two roam the yard. What happened to the other one? I must ask sometime.
I shot the Featured Image using Leica Q2, today, as my wife and I returned to University Heights from grocery shopping in Hillcrest. Vitals, aperture manually set: f/5.6, ISO 100, 1/250 sec, 28mm; 11:39 a.m. PDT.
Spiders hold a special place in my heart, and something about the giant fake one demanded photographic attention. I considered close-cropping but the entire holiday decoration display deserved showcasing. So here we are.