Not His House, Your House

Say what you will about Donald Trump but the man knows how to throw a birthday party. His 80th brought the UFC Freedom 250 to the South Lawn of the White House. What a spectacle it was, last night.

For all the pomp, all the celebrity, and the testosterone, the White House itself emerged as a symbol of the Trump Presidency and secondary star of the fighting event. Americans don’t get to see inside the White House. It’s locked down so tight. But through the UFC event, Trump opened the building for everyone to see–unlike any president before him. His house is your house.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJun 14, 20269:40 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Gingerbread

This fine feline is the eighty-sixth found behind door or window. I spotted him on June 12, 2026, during an early morning walk, and used Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra to shoot the Featured Image.

Vitals: f/2.9, ISO 25, 1/2000 sec, 230mm (film equivalent); 8:17 a.m. PDT. Nickname: Gingerbread.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJun 13, 202610:42 pm

Happy Flag Day 2026

What better way to celebrate Flag Day (tomorrow) than with a parade of Old Glories. The Featured Image is part of a collection of photos taken on April 14, 2007, during the Cherry Blossom Festival Parade in Washington, D.C.

I used Canon 20D and EF 135mm f/2 USM lens for the street shot, which is composed as captured. Vitals: f/5.6, ISO 200, 1/500 sec, 135mm; 9:32 a.m. EDT.

Living by Joe WilcoxJun 12, 202610:32 pm

Why My Facebook Handle Isn’t My Name

For nearly all of my publicly-facing online identities, my name is the handle. Consider, for example, Flickr and X, which I joined in October 2005 and December 2006 (when Twitter), respectively. I set up Facebook in October 2006, long before the service allowed anyone to choose a handle.

On June 13, 2009, at 12:01 a.m. EST, Facebook opened up the landgrab to claim a personalized username. That worked out to 9:01 p.m. on the 12th for we Westcoasters. Unfortunately, I was nowhere near a computer, waiting with our daughter for her flight from Long Beach, Calif. to one of three major Washington, D.C.-area airports (I don’t recall which).

Photo by Joe WilcoxJun 9, 202610:05 pm

Getting Ready for the 250th

The United States of America’s 250th birthday is weeks away. But you wouldn’t have an itsy-bitsy inkling in my San Diego neighborhood of University Heights. The measure of patriotism here is support for the next No Kings protests on June 14, 2026 or the number of paraded pride flags, which outnumber another symbol: Upside-down American flags.

So, tonight, I was delighted to pass this classic Craftsman decked out with American bunting decor and string lights. Finally, someone prepares for the Fourth of July—unless their objective is Flag Day on the Fourteenth.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJun 8, 202610:05 pm

Too Good To Go

I install few apps on my phone or tablet, not trusting how intrusively nosey and tracking they can be. But a few exceptions are notable, one being Too Good to Go. The Wilcox family uses the app almost daily now, for finding good food made available at substantial discount.

The stuff might otherwise be trashed, particularly because of local regulations that restrict fresh, produced goods’ salability after set time period. Freshness is another consideration. Both could apply to baked goods, such as bagels or donuts. Over-production is an additional factor. Maybe the pizzeria has too many slices leftover at the end of day.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJun 7, 202610:37 pm

What’s Up with Robb Field?

My daughter needed a ride to meet someone in Ocean Beach today. Planned sixty minutes turned into three-and-a-half hours, and after visiting friends I had a whole lot of time to kill off. I started wandering around Robb Field, which was jam-packed with sporting events and outdoor recreating of every imaginable variety.

I scratched my head in dismay, because the 77-acre recreational complex is on the mayor’s list of potential closures. Reason: Budget cuts. I counted thousands upon thousands of reasons to keep the facility open and operating at full funding.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJun 6, 20269:49 pm

Aren’t We Lucky

I suppose rejoicing is the call to order. Gasoline prices are falling—at least where we fill up. Go back a month, we paid over $6 a gallon; the current price is 10 cents less per gallon than my March report. As recently as May 3, 2026, fuel cost 50 cents more a gallon—even as the war with Iran continues.

According to AAA, average price of gasoline nationwide: $4.19 per gallon. California is highest at $5.92. Aren’t we lucky here in San Diego for such a bargain: $5.60 per gallon.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJun 5, 202610:36 pm

Galaxy AI Presents Graffiti Garage

The Featured Image is several stories all intertwined over time. Let’s start with the past. In November 2024, my wife and I passed an excellent bookcase in an alley with some items placed on the shelves. We were ready to haul it off when a woman walked across the way and placed more things. We assumed that she owned the lot of stuff, and we decided to not interfere with how she wanted to put out giveaways.

We were mistaken, by the way. Nothing in that alley belonged to her.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJun 4, 20269:47 pm

How We Missed a Day

I believe that yesterday was the first day missed posting to this site since daily publishing started on Jan. 1, 2024. Last night, I drove my daughter to the local emergency room and stayed with her during the short—as in several hours—examination. False alarm. She worried for nothing. On a different day, with more time, I may explain about what.

I didn’t think to take a photo last night, so we’re pulling art from the archive. The Featured Image comes from Apple iPhone XS on Feb. 21, 2021. Vitals: f/1.8, ISO 25, 1/2208 sec, 4.25mm; 11:37 a.m. PST.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJun 2, 20269:17 pm

Such a Long Neck

The Wilcox family’s San Diego Zoo membership may be expired, but unpublished photos remain—and there are still experiences for us to share together. For example: This lovely giraffe gazelle obscured by the foliage it eats.

What makes the Featured Image work for me, and may or may not for you, is the illusion of being in the wild—helped by the blurred leaf across the eye.

Photo by Joe WilcoxJun 1, 202610:30 pm

The Cats of University Heights: Cosmo

Meet the one-hundred twelfth kitty—out 642 profiled, including this one—seen on Alabama between boundaries Adams and Lincoln. Cosmo is the eighty-fifth feline found behind door or window.

The Featured Image comes from Samsung Galaxy s25 Ultra. Vitals: f/3.4, ISO 125, 1/100 sec, 230mm; 6:28 p.m. EDT. Cosmo is companion to Comet, whom we shared yesterday.