March 2019
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From the Archives
Short Takes
Pampas Grass, Andrus Island, Circa 1985 Digging deep in the archives I ran across this Kodachrome slide from about 1985. I say, ‘about’, because the date stamp has faded. The Delta’s rich peat soils are world renown for growing almost anything that can be grown. Late one winter afternoon after
Asparagus: Historic Signature Crop of the Delta
1978, Roberts Island, California Delta – As day breaks after an overnight rain, asparagus harvest continues despite difficult conditions of sticky peat soil and rough terrain. What foods come to mind when you think of the Delta? Pears? Crawfish? Catfish? Salmon? Fine Delta wine? How about succulent, flavorful asparagus? That’s
Cuttin’ the ‘Gras, Then and Now
What’s your first experience with asparagus? Here’s mine: Disenchantingly gray-green, lifelessly limp and nothing like its picture on the can’s label. As a child I didn’t like asparagus. It simply did not appeal to my young self even though I was one of those kids. You know, they’re the ones,
The Further Adventures of the Delta Detective Part 3 of 4
As we join him for part three of our continuing serial, the senior investigator for Delta Detections is still hoping to get away from the office for a little sailing, fishing and relaxing. Good luck with that! With a waiting room crowded with callers and clients, and multiple assignments from office manager
A Stockton Hero
My friend Cenon, With a smile on his face, Empties the trash from my basket, Asks me how I’m doing, chides me if I’m working late, Calls me still, after all these years, “Mr. Phil,” As if I were somehow his better. This from a man, My friend Cenon, who
Sundown on an Era
Twitchell Island Poplars, 1981 That special place you go for the renewal you feel — that special place you have come to count on to provide just the tonic you need — that special place that you think will always be there? Well, maybe it won’t be. And how will
Mount Diablo and the Delta as Place, part 1 of 5
The Native American and Spanish Views It has been estimated that the Sacramento San Joaquin Delta region has been continuously inhabited between 10,000 to 13,000 years. (1) The language groups that lived there (the Miwok, the Yokut, and the Ohlone) settled along the rivers and managed abundant flora and fauna.
First Cormorants
Black arrows of winter come in pairs, building a sooty patch in theturning basin. I anchor out on the Delta, the sky the color of gauze bandages. Kingfishers drill the flat water, the last wasp hangs heavy, stupefied inthe chill of autumn. The air, golden in days’ last light, catches
Short Takes
Sky Light, circa 1976 Some things are just worth being late for. I was working for the Record newspaper in Stockton in the winter of 1976 and on my way to Vallejo to cover a high school championship basketball game to which a local team had advanced. As newspaper assignments
The Further Adventures of the Delta Detective Part 2
What do an ancient Roman philosopher, a brash and flamboyant singing cowboy and a San Francisco financial hustler have in common? Nothing. Unless they happen to cross the path of the Delta Detective. Which they do in the detective’s new adventure, “The Getaway” Our favorite sleuth is back in business
Her View from the Bridge
I’m not just sharing something I really love, but also bringing people closer to nature in a way that makes them look at what’s going on around them a little differently. It slows life down for them, I think. Demi Stewart Demi Stewart stood in the snow at Yosemite Valley
For the Love of Ships
Turning Basin, Port of Stockton Imagine you are 23 years old and you want to travel Europe for a while just to see what you can see. You discover the unusual, adventurous and affordable way to get there is by sea embarking for Finland at the Port of Stockton. Somewhere
Short Takes
SOMETIMES WE JUST DON’T When it comes to wildlife photography, there is a lot of sitting and waiting. One afternoon, I sat in a patch of tules with the sun at my back, on the edge of a Northern California rice paddy. With my Nikon, a sandwich, and a ton
The Further Adventures of the Delta Detective
What do an ancient Roman philosopher, a brash and flamboyant singing cowboy and a San Francisco financial hustler have in common? Nothing. Unless they happen to cross the path of the Delta Detective. Which they do in the detective’s new adventure, “The Getaway” Our favorite sleuth is back in business
Frozen Bun Run
Videographer and storyteller, Cyndy Green, gives us a glimpse of the event that has become a Delta tradition. The 39th annual “Frozen Bun Run” was held at Bethel Island in the heart of the California Delta on New Year’s Day as the enthusiastic – but chilly – crowd of an