Jan Wagner

1 month ago | sandiegouniontribune.com | Jan Wagner

In anticipation of the 2025 air show season, before dawn last Saturday morning I made the two-hour drive from my home in San Diego to Seeley, California, just beyond a runway and outside aperimeter fence of Naval Air Station (NAS) El Centro, in order to watch and photograph apractice session of the U.S. Navy Blue Angels, which were rumored to be taking off at 8 a.m.,followed shortly thereafter by the U.S. Air Force Thunderbirds.

1 month ago | sandiegouniontribune.com | Jan Wagner

Many decades ago, when I was a kid living at home with my parents, life was very different than it is today. Dad earned a living to financially support our family, and mom stayed at home to otherwise take care of us. I especially loved my mother’s cooking, and took it for granted. Only occasionally did we venture out of the house for meals — burgers at A&W, Kentucky Fried Chicken and Chinese Food (at the Jade Palace restaurant). I really miss my mom’s cooking.

2 months ago | sandiegouniontribune.com | Jan Wagner

In addition to my skills as a photographer, I depend upon my professional cameras to give me reliable, consistent, predicable control of my photography. Often the opportunities to take pictures are fleeting, so either I capture them in the moment or they will be gone forever. The most basic and arguably the most important control of any camera is the shutter release button. That is what you need to press to take pictures.

2 months ago | sandiegouniontribune.com | Jan Wagner

Having paint chips professionally repaired at a bodyshop is expensive and inconvenient. A much less expensive, quicker and easier option is to try to fix the damage yourself with touch up paint. Small containers of touch up paint, complete with a self-contained brush and matched to the color code of your vehicle’s paint, are available from auto dealerships. However, it has been my decades-long experience that this does not work very well.

2 months ago | sandiegouniontribune.com | Jan Wagner

Rodents do extensive, expensive, potentially dangerous and immobilizing damage by chewing on automobiles’ wiring and more. They can also spread disease. This problem has only gotten worse since automakers switched over to more environmentally-friendly soy and other plant-based wiring insulation (arguably less expensive than petroleum-based insulation). Rodents chew on the wiring as a food source and to sharpen their teeth.