Charming Cali

Among my goals for 2026 is to post every day—a task so far successfully achieved. But today has been unusually frenetic, and I am short on time. So, I share something unintended, recognizing there are too many cats.

Crazy thing, I am being honest, cats aren’t my obsession—or even close to it. I started shooting portraits of felines in October 2016 as an exercise to improve my photographic skills and as a process part of restoring my eyesight, following cataracts surgery and ongoing treatment for Macular Edema (that 10 years later is no longer necessary). Because so many people are cat crazy, I continued pursuing them.

Photo by Joe WilcoxApr 20, 20269:47 pm

A Landing and a Rising

This is a Featured Image too long delayed in sharing. The view is from the Skyfari Aerial Tram at San Diego Zoo. Building in the foreground is the California Tower, which is located in nearby Balboa Park. The structure was built in 1915.

I really enjoy the zoo, but we haven’t visited since December. The new parking fees, for which members are exempt, created inertia we never overcame. Parking is more complicated now with mixed free and fee, bringing about congestion and confusion.

Photo by Joe WilcoxApr 19, 20269:26 pm

‘No Library Cuts!’

A few days ago, Amazon sent email with book recommendations, and one actually piqued my interest: Washington by Ron Chernow. Hey, it’s a Pulitzer Prize Winner, and with the nation’s 250th anniversary upcoming it’s a timely biography to read.

Cough, cough. I choked on the price. The Kindle version sells for $16.99, discounted from $24. Seventeen bucks for a DRM-wrapped ebook? Ah, n-o-o-o. Hardcover: $23.76, discounted from the list of $41. Still, I wanted a copy of the bio. I looked at the calendar and remembered the third Saturday of the month was ahead, and that meant book sale weekend at the University Heights branch of San Diego Public Library.

Photo by Joe WilcoxApr 18, 20269:26 pm

I Don’t Believe in Coincidence

Something quite unexpected—remarkable, honestly—occurred while we were at the veterinarian office with Neko, yesterday. While he was in the back to have his wound cleaned, I sat in the waiting room vocabulary practicing in the How to Study Korean app. Someone at the front desk spoke to somebody on the phone about a dog. The animal didn’t have a microchip and would need to be picked up.

I mentally added context (correctly): Somebody dropped off the animal, hoping to locate its owner, which wasn’t possible without the microchip. The office couldn’t keep the dog. The rescuer would need to retrieve the lost pet, whose next destination likely would be the San Diego animal shelter.

Photo by Joe WilcoxApr 17, 202610:04 pm

Whew, Does Infection Stink

We had to take Neko to the veterinarian, today, for his first visit since 2013. He is a generally, and surprisingly, healthy cat. We adopted him from the San Diego shelter in March 2012. The professionals there estimated his age at two years. But days later, based on Neko’s teeth, the vet believed four years, which makes him likely somewhere between 16 and 18 years old.

Because of his advanced age, we were reluctant to take him for treatment. We correctly worried that all the change and stress would take a lot out of him, and it has; that could end an old cat. He was his normal old self beforehand: Alert, active, and demonstrating normal appetite. Tonight, he is listless and sullen.

Photo by Joe WilcoxApr 16, 20268:54 pm

Two for the Road

In six entries, I have written directly, or used photos of, the alley art gallery located here in University Heights. Chronologically: “Alley Art Gallery“; “Mutt Masterpiece(s)“; Pallet Palette; “Eighteen Years Ago Today“; “Return to Facebook“; and “In Memory of Scott Adams“.

On April 8, 2026, in front of the artwork, I passed by two bicycles put out for the taking. These aren’t the first free bikes to appear in a neighborhood alley—one person’s throwaway becoming valued takeaway for somebody else.

Photo by Joe WilcoxApr 15, 202610:13 pm

What is That Yellow Thingy?

I finally left behind Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra and carried Google Pixel 10 Pro XL on a walk with my wife, yesterday. How can the photo capabilities be tested, if I rarely use them? Problems, all design-related: heftiness; physical balance; overall feel of the device; disabling glare/reflection from the display. I easily prefer the S26, which is better balanced in the hand and as measured by meaningful benefits.

That brings us to the Featured Image, which presents the view into downtown Hillcrest from the Georgia Street bridge. Vitals: f/2.8, ISO 51, 1/1099 sec, (synthetic) 230mm (digital and optical zoom); 11:38 a.m. PDT.

Photo by Joe WilcoxApr 14, 20269:18 pm

It’s a Ticking Security Bomb

Look what I saw at the dentist office today. Uh-oh. Windows 10 officially reached its end of life on Oct. 14, 2025. However, consumers and businesses can sign up for Extended Security Updates for, in the case of Home users, an additional 12 months of protection designed to “reduce the risk of malware and cybersecurity attacks”.

I couldn’t resist saying something to the doctor about Windows 10. He knew support had ended and that something should be done about that situation—but in the near future. He brushed aside concerns, asserting that the computer, and another in the next examining room, weren’t connected to the Internet. They’re standalone PCs. Hence, they’re low outside security risk.

Living by Joe WilcoxApr 13, 20269:25 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Jangle

Real name unknown, this fine feline earns nickname Jangle for the string of bells hanging nearby. He (or she) is the eighty-second cat found behind door or window. Location: Louisiana Street between Meade and Monroe.

I used Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra to make the Featured Image. Vitals: f/2.4, ISO 64, 1/120 sec, 69mm (film equivalent); 4:47 p.m. PDT, 4″47 p.m. PDT.

Photo by Joe WilcoxApr 12, 20269:50 pm

The AI Scoundrel

I praised the artist’s skills of Rick’s male owner to his partner. But, as she confessed, he uses artificial intelligence tools to create the stickers, which are quite popular around the neighborhood. So is the black cat, who is a glutton for attention and knows how to easily get it.

Rick joined my “Cats of University Heights” series in August 2021, when he lived in an alley house with (presumed) litter mate Pixie (nickname). She’s still there; Rick moved on to Alabama Street, where he chose new owners and has lived lavishly since.

Photo by Joe WilcoxApr 11, 20269:38 pm

Low Flyer

I am surprised that anyone would want to fly a kite at Old Trolley Barn Park. Trees abound, making high the likelihood of entanglement. But as you can see from the Featured Image, someone attempted to get a kite meaningfully airborne on April 5, 2026. He didn’t succeed while I watched.

Nikon Zf and attached NIKKOR Z 28-400mm f/4-8 VR lens captured the moment. Vitals: f/7.1, ISO 320, 1/500 sec, 145mm; 3:20 p.m.

Photo by Joe WilcoxApr 10, 20269:06 pm

Welcome Home!

Ten days that may change humanity ended this afternoon, with the successful splashdown of the Orion capsule carrying the valiant crew of Artemis II. I was a junior high school student the last time humans traveled to the moon and back (December 1972). Commander Reid Wiseman, pilot Victor Glover, and mission specialists Christina Koch and Jeremy Hansen have gone where no one has since.

Hansen comes from the Canadian Space Agency, and he is the first of his countrymen to go to the moon. The other three crewmembers are longstanding NASA astronauts—2009 for Wiseman; 2013 for Glover and Koch. All four are heroes tonight.