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From the Archives

Howard Lachtman

Forgiveness

Short Fiction 1. To those who didn’t know them well, or well enough, the Marstons seemed an ideal couple, an enviable couple who had it

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Howard Lachtman

Deadline at the Delta Daily

Crime took a holiday that sultry summer day, leaving our FPE (front page editor) irritated and exasperated because his idea of worthwhile breaking newshad nothing to do with

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Adam Gottstein

Looking Up

See Footnote 1 A sudden gust of gravity. That’s what one of my favorite children’s entertainers – a juggler – would satirically let slip during

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Lori Gilbert

Defining Perseverance

Returning Student Earns Stanislaus State Degree Despite Challenges and Losing Father, Best Friend When she was laid off after spending 14 years writing for the

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Rich Turner

Mugshot

The newsroom of the Stockton Record was always humming in the seventies before computers and sound-dampening cubicles quieted the scene. The hum came from the

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Eric Best

Into My Father’s Wake

Book Excerpt Editor’s Note – Eric Best and I were colleagues at the Stockton (CA) Record newspaper from the mid seventies through the early eighties,

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Cyndy Green

Memorial Day Remembrances

It seems to be the most patriotic. The most red, white and blue holiday of all. Memorial Day. Rooted in our country’s worst nightmare, the Civil War,

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Howard Lachtman

One of the Lucky Ones

          One of the Lucky Ones Or so they saidwhen I returned to their praisesand thanks for my service, gratified their prayers

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Luckii Ludwig

Coincidence

50th Anniversary Edition Book excerpt – Introduction The morning was silent; even the roosters had not sounded their wake-up call in the early morning hours

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Mel Corren

A Farewell to Arms

At one point, the real war nearly caught up with me. It was during the Battle of the Bulge which began on December 17, 1944,

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Joanna Jeronimo

Flowers for Julian

Julian Ritter was a great artist who only cared to paint and didn’t want to be bothered by marketing.  He was in his 80’s when

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William Blair

Paul

An American Story BOOK PREVIEW Chapter One: Homecoming THE TRAIN LURCHED to a halt. The side door on the boxcar slid open, slowly, quietly, at

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Howard Lachtman

Incident at the Cafe de Montmarte, Paris

It began with feverish whisperingsI could not help overhearingfrom the stylishly fashionableand seemingly civilized couple at the next table, reminding one another more and more aggressivelywhere

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Cyndy Green

Read To Me Stockton

Partnering with the Dolly Parton Imagination Library Imagine a program that fosters a love of reading and where every child receives free books every month

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Howard Lachtman

Trick or Cheat

From the Files of the Delta Detective Agency Fiction by Howard Lachtman For my armchair detectives Tiffany and Brandon. 1. Business Not As Usual One of

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Cyndy Green & Michael Cockrell

King Tides Coming

California’s coast and the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta communities experience tides: two high tides and two low tides daily.  These tides can be higher when water

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Cyndy Green & Michael Cockrell

Recovering from the Storms

Don’t Get Scammed The current storm systems are wreaking havoc around the state, causing damage to both the infrastructure and personal property alike. What can

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Adam Gottstein

Our Last Road Trip

Our Last Road Trip by Adam Gottstein They made it abundantly clear: “Make sure the funeral home does not embalm her.” Right. I’ll remember that.

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Howard Lachtman

Oliver!

Stockton Civic Theatre Puts a New Twist on a Dickens Christmas Oliver! Stockton Civic Theatre Puts a New Twist on a Dickens Christmas by Howard

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Rich Hanner

Big Break Park

The Hidden Gem of the Delta BIG BREAK PARK ‘The hidden gem of the Delta’ Story and photographs by Rich Hanner Below Mount Diablo on

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Cyndy Green

Mel Corren

Local Legend, Local Treasure A city is more than buildings, roads, businesses and organizations. It is the people. Newcomers as well as those who -it

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Cyndy Green

How I Saw It

Editor’s note – Since I came to Stockton in the mid-seventies, and subsequently discovered the Haggin Museum, I’ve regarded it as one of the shiniest

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Michael Cockrell

Called Back to Bootcamp

“After 80 Years I’m Finally At Home!” — Frank Wright The heroes of yesterday are mostly gone.  Those men and women who answered the call

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Howard Lachtman

The Little Dog Laughed

Stockton Civic Theatre Review by Howard Lachtman Stockton Civic Theatre’s “The Little Dog Laughed” scores a controversial comedy hit Diane has a problem. It’s called

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Cyndy Green

Chinese Gambling Tokens

Iridescent Beauty With a Sordid Past Chinese craftsmen are renowned for their intricate work in jade, ivory, and wood, with examples of their art dating

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Howard Lachtman

Look Out, Here Comes Keller!

Game Four, Tenth Inning, World Series, October 8, 1939 Editor’s note – After chasing fly balls across the windblown outfields of San Francisco in his

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David Stuart

Refuge and Resistance

Delta Indigenous Nations Helped Shape California Colonial History The Indigenous nations of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta region significantly affected European and American colonial history in

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Howard Lachtman

On the Riviera

Stockton Civic Theatre Offers Engaging Version of Classic Comedy Editor’s thanks to George Hong for supplying his photos that bring the play alive.  Don’t let

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Howard Lachtman

Yogi and Joey

Humble Yogi and Joltin’ Joe were baseball’s odd couple, a study in contrastsof talent and temperamentand legacies beyond the game. To his fans, The Yankee Clipperwas a man

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Howard Lachtman

Gypsy

Stockton Civic Theater Play Review There are stage mothers and then there is Mama Rose. Mama is the heroine (if you can call her that;

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Howard Lachtman

Ruth Calls Time

Backing suddenly out of the boxand calling time belatedlyto rattle the brash rookiewho thinks his fast ballis equal to the occasion,the Babe takes a holiday,knocking

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Howard Lachtman

Phantoms of Paradise

The dark silhouette of a long canoe gliding effortlessly across the shimmering gold sea stops me from entering the water, struck by its artful trick

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Howard Lachtman

Three Fans of the Game

From the Confidential Files of the Delta Detective Agency “Thanks for waiting for me,” Tatiana said,greeting me with a playful pirouette   at the Willie Mays

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Howard Lachtman

When the Wind Blows

From the Files of the Delta Detective Agency Fiction — I’d heard the phrase “A crime against nature” more than once in a courtroom of

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Howard Lachtman

The Skin of Our Teeth

Stockton Civic Theatre Review by Howard Lachtman And you think you have problems? Wait until you see the problems arriving at the door of the

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Joanna Jeronimo

A Short Love Story

He really loved that woman.  She held a fascination for him like standing on the edge of the Grand Canyon.  She was deep.  Wild and

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Cyndy Green

Inspiration in the Rain

There is something primeval about that which we cannot control. The wide mood swings of weather are a prime example. Wind can be exhilarating. Sunshine,

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Phil Hutcheon

Where Triples Go to Die

Bring Back the Troughs! Book excerpt – Wade wondered who it was that Josh Jackson needed to visit in Stockton but didn’t press for details

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Rich Turner

A Good Game of Catch

As Spring arrives we begin reaching for those garments that have been gathering closet dust all winter. At least a few among us rejoice at

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Cyndy Green

Full STEAM Ahead

Acronym for Future Success Science.Technology.Engineering.Art.Math.An acronym for future success.  An elementary and high school academic and career path that leads to well-paying careers.  STEAM careers

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Cyndy Green

Time to Pickle

Asparagus, that Is When I was young and about to begin my life’s journey with the love of my life, he introduced me to his

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Carol A. Jensen

Back from Extinction

The Muwekma Ohlone Tribe Editor’s note – Delta historian, Carol A. Jensen, reviewed a Zoom lecture by Alan Leventhal, Professor Emeritus, College of Social Sciences

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Howard Lachtman

Where’s the Dog?

Reader advisory:  This story discusses a film plot without a plot spoiler.  Here at the Delta Detective Agency we have an abundance of mysteries on

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Cyndy Green

Mr. Where Am I?

Where am I?  Lost again.  What is this?  Who am I? Random acts of art posted to the Delta News Facebook page. Sketches and occasional paintings

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Joanna Jeronimo

Alone

Fear. Alarming the senses, quickening our heart rate, sending every cell into high alert, always on the lookout for the stealthy unknown hurt to strike.

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Howard Lachtman

A Valentine’s Day To-Do List

Editor’s note: Here, in poetic form, is the author’s advice to Valentine’s Day celebrants wondering how best to observe the holiday.   All you need do

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Howard Lachtman

What the Camera Saw

Fiction For Rich Turner, master photographer and intrepid explorer of the Delta. From the Files of the Delta Detective Agency  There was something odd about

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Michael Cockrell

King Tides

Words are both fun and funny.  We often use the term “king” to describe something big. Huge. Larger than life.  And that’s what a King

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Howard Lachtman

Three Little Words

From the Files of the Delta Detective Agency For Cyndy Green, a miniature mystery to add to your mammoth collection.      If I was a

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Cyndy Green

Making Something from Nothing

In Historic Locke Occasionally time freezes while the world moves on. What was the past begrudgingly ages into the present while always retaining its deep

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Cyndy Green

2021 Christmas Bird Count

Every ten years, the US Census Bureau conducts a head count of how many people live in each state.  The National Audubon Society does the

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Rich Turner

Towers of Power

This 1,549 feet tall structure drastically improved the reception of the three major television stations in the Sacramento market in 1962. With newer and higher towers

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Howard Lachtman

A Christmas Mystery

For Tiffany and Brandon, my kind of mystery fans.       Having solved the mystery of the venomous    India snake lurking in the family Christmas tree 

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Howard Lachtman

Sentry

My holiday-themed, bird-chirping doorbell,rung repeatedly by mischief-minded childrenwho run away before I can scold them,heralded an unexpected caller:  wannabe poet Wanda and the story of one

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Cyndy Green

Delta’s Digital Divide

The delights of living in the Delta are sometimes weighed down by services taken for granted elsewhere.  Outsider traffic, non-working ferries, power outages. And abysmally

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Howard Lachtman

Handiwork

                                      I can’t imagine poetry            in this vast, flat land,            this bowl-shaped valley            whose rivers are harnessed            to feed

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Mel Corren

On Entering Paris

Sixth in a Series On Entering Paris 25/8/1944 We waited, impatiently, until August 25th, 1944, when General de Gaulle and his army marched down the

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Howard Lachtman

Shakespeare As You Like Him

Stockton Civic Theatre Brings Bard Back to Life in Fun-Filled Season Opener Performing Arts Review – Once upon a time in England, I went looking

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Adam Gottstein

Trukity

A State of Mind Do you remember that scene in the 1964 James Bond movie “Goldfinger” when Oddjob ices that dude in the back seat

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Carol A. Jensen

Tessa’s Tall Tales

Editor’s note – This delightful, as well as insightful, children’s book recently landed on my desk and I asked the publisher to tell us about

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Cyndy Green

Hold Your Horses

Caldor Fire Livestock and Pet Rescue In times of need, communities across the state come together to help each other, as is the case with

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Joanna Jeronimo

Daddy Was a Fisherman

Heavenly Shrimp Miso Soup Recipe with Backstory He could fish a mud puddle and come home with dinner. A quiet country boy, he came from

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Cyndy Green

Victory Gardens

Housing for Homeless Veterans Becoming a Reality With more than a half million people homeless in the United States and a scarcity of affordable housing,

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Howard Lachtman

A Caribbean Caper

From the Files of the Delta Detective Agency Fiction- I It all began with a tropical island beachfront and a charming woman making a travel

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Adam Gottstein

Fishing

A Rite of Passage For anyone who has ever fished, there was a first time, right? Someone with more experience (if they were enlisted to

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Rich Hanner

The Discovery, Part Two

As Fossils Are Revealed in the Foothills, So Are the Mysteries Second of Two Parts – Part One in Case You Missed It Russell Shapiro,

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Rich Hanner

The Discovery, Part One

How a Sharp-eyed Ranger Found a Wondrous Prehistoric Trove in the Foothills East of Lodi Part One The heat was building in the foothills east

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Michael Cockrell

Amateur (Ham) Radio Field Day

Testing Readiness for Emergencies On June 26-27, amateur or “ham” radio operators gathered around North America as well as in the East Bay-Delta areas to

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Mel Corren

On to France

Fifth in a Series The next week, after returning from Tidworth, where Sgt. Griffen and I had closed out Ordinance Depot, O641, we received orders

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David Stuart

Paradise Lost

An Indigenous History Timeline for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta For thousands of years, Indigenous people lived in the heartland of California, where the Sacramento Valley

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Carol A. Jensen

A True Delta Country Legend

Knightsen, East Contra Costa County By Doreen Pierce Forlow and Carol A. Jensen Knightsen township is located in unincorporated east Contra Costa County along the

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Doreen Forlow

The Walker

Tonight’s Destination – Sonja’s Tavern –Fiction– She walks the farm roads and roadsides around Knightsen on land named after the pioneer family, Veale. As is

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Michael Cockrell

California Mosquito Awareness Week

Editor’s Note – This video was produced by Michael Cockrell for the San Joaquin County Mosquito Vector Control District and published by SoundingsMag with permission. 

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Howard Lachtman

The Future of Baseball

Another in a series honoring Spring, and with it, the opening of baseball season. This is a work of fiction by Howard Lachtman.     

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Howard Lachtman

What Baseball Means to Me

One in a series honoring Spring, and with it, the opening of baseball season. What did Yogi Berra say was the secret of baseball? Who

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Michael Cockrell

Vietnam Veterans Day Observed

Flag Folding Ceremony Local veterans have observed this day for many years. But this year was special. This year volunteers gathered to rehearse and then

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Phil Hutcheon

Where Triples Go to Die

Novel Excerpt, Chapter 20 Editor’s note – In celebration of the arrival of Spring and baseball, local author, Phil Hutcheon, has graciously allowed SoundingsMag permission

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Phil Hutcheon

What Baseball Means to Me

One in a series honoring Spring, and with it, the opening of baseball season. The most meaningful impact that baseball has had in my life

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Cyndy Green

Those Hot Summer Nights

What Baseball Means to Me One in a series honoring Spring, and with it, the opening of baseball season. “To me, baseball has always been

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Cyndy Green

Stockton Ports

Planning for Safe and Fun Season of Baseball One in a series honoring Spring and the opening of baseball season. Cyndy Green’s conversation with Pat

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Natasha Nelson

The Business of Birding

Editor’s Note – Originally published in the Delta Protections Commission’s DELTA VOICE, Winter 2021 newsletter. Edited for Soundings Magazine and used with permission.  As we

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Phil Hutcheon

A Child Left Behind

Excerpt From a New Novel Editor’s Note – Recently a new novel, set in Stockton, CA and written by a local author, landed on my

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Mel Corren

As Luck Would Have It

It was during World War II, on September 18th, 1943, that I boarded the troopship, Argentina, in New York Harbor.  The scuttlebutt was that we

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Howard Lachtman

Aunt Ellie’s Inheritance

Part Three of Three In case you missed them, check out Part One and Part Two before you proceed.  Having survived a dangerous chase after

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Michael Cockrell

Animal Rescue Tales

This is the time of year we think of donating money or supplies to organizations and agencies with a donation method. Consider these animal rescue

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David Stuart

Homeland Defense

Cucunuchi (Estanislao) and the Native Freedom Fighters The California heartland produced one of the continent’s greatest Native American leaders, prominent among the multitudes who fought

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Cyndy Green

Mural Restoration

On the Miracle Mile When neighbors come together, community happens.  Such is the case with Stockton’s Miracle Mile where decades of weather have worn down

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David Stuart

Deep History of the Delta

Clarksburg is a picturesque Delta village on the Sacramento River, about 15 miles downriver (south) from the Sacramento waterfront. It nestles on the west (Yolo

Read More »
Michael Cockrell

Volunteering with Animal Rescue in 2020

Neighbors helping neighbors in times of disaster.  That’s how many of the grass-roots animal rescue organization originated.  They’re generally comprised of volunteers and during a

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Michael Cockrell

Animal Rescuers

There are many national, state, local and volunteer organizations that work together to rescue and shelter pets and livestock during disasters.  Learn about those who

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Adam Gottstein

Delta Blues

As he had anticipated, a week at his mother’s home in San Francisco was almost more than he could take. She had fussed over him

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Cyndy Green

Toxic Algae Bloom

Green Slime – Cyanobacteria – in Local Waterways It’s one of the signs of summer in downtown Stockton, as well as elsewhere on the Delta. 

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Cyndy Green

Stephens Boat Reunion

Celebrating 100th Birthday of Dick Stephens Stephens Brothers Boats is an iconic name in classic wooden boats. On the weekend of September 12th, what is

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Tod Ruhstaller

Little Trunk of Horrors

Although one of Stockton’s most intriguing court cases took place 114 years ago, it had all the elements that make today’s cable news networks salivate:

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Mel Corren

School Boy, Soldier Boy

Basic Training – Part II of Ongoing Series My fondest recollections of Basic Training were chow, calisthenics, drills, and parades. However, I excelled only in

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Tod Ruhstaller

The Founding of the Haggin Museum

Part III: A Crystallization of Community Commitment This is the third and final article in a series chronicling the events, individuals and organizations that contributed

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Howard Lachtman

Back to Square One

The Man in the Recliner series #4 Maybe it was the heat of a Fourth of July garden party or the hard lemonade. But it

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Michael Cockrell

2020 Mosquito Fish Programs

The five Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta counties enter mosquito season when mosquitos begin to appear in numbers during the early spring months. The season continues on

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Cyndy Green

Virtual 4th of July Parade

United Veterans Council of San Joaquin County Back in March we thought summer would come with freedom, releasing us back into the familiar world.  But

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Demi Stewart

Betty

STAY AT HOME orders came on March 19, 2020. In spite of that, on Ryer Island near Walnut Grove, CA, life didn’t change much. Primarily

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Tod Ruhstaller

The Founding of the Haggin Museum

Part II: Families, Fortunes and Philanthropy This is the second of three articles that chronicle the events, individuals and organizations that contributed to the opening

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Howard Lachtman

Unlocked

Man in Recliner #3 “…on my homage list were Stocktonians Al and Mel Corren. Uncle and nephew, the two Correns found one another in wartime

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Robert Benedetti

Visionaries and Miners

Come to the Sacramento San Joaquin Delta 1830-1860 Traveling the Delta rivers did, of course, have their dangers. Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain), writing for the

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Howard Lachtman

Aunt Ellie’s Inheritance

Part One Avoid gatherings.  Isolate but keep connected.   Quarantine to save lives including your own. Times are tough, but you’re tougher. Take care of your

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Michael Cockrell

Mosquito Abatement in the Delta

Though the nation is facing a disastrous COVID-19 pandemic, other viruses continue to threaten Californians. April 19-25 is California Mosquito and Vector Control Awareness Week,

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Howard Lachtman

500 Pieces

When life hands you a puzzle, it tests your ability to be a player. The 2020 pandemic is what one might call the ultimate puzzle.

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Howard Lachtman

One Leg Up

When I first heard that an epidemic had grown into a pandemic and might be heading our way, I reasoned that the calculation could prove

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Cyndy Green

Living in Isolation

Tips for Alleviating Cabin Fever The days are beginning to drag on in this grand social distancing /stay at home experiment (or Physical Distancing as

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Rich Turner

Moon Chasing

Time to Wonder – What If? Sometimes waiting for a good thing can allow a person time to think. To savor life’s under-appreciated magnificence. Reflect

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Phil Hutcheon

A Doctor Someday

First in his clan to come to college, First, in fact, to finish grade ten, At age twelve, Daniel followed his father one day Into fields

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Cyndy Green

Doing Good the Ding Dong Way

Ahhhhh…you’ve just shut the front door, stored away the bounty of your latest shopping trip. You have everything you need for an extended staycation, thanks

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Howard Lachtman

Closed for the Holidays

Part Three If you missed Part One Or Part Two When his office staff sent the Delta Detective off on a holiday cruise, they had

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Cyndy Green

Isleton Spam Festival

The Meat That Survived a Flood Never. Take. Life. Too. Seriously. Ever. Attracting locals and out-of-towners alike, the Isleton Spam Festival is a quintessential Delta

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Howard Lachtman

Closed for the Holidays

Part Two If you missed Part One A nice, quiet Delta vacation with his friends, his boat and his fish. That’s all the Delta Detective

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David Stuart

George Shima

The Well-known “Potato King” and Japanese Leader In the 1920s, Shima had to dismantle his farming empire due to the Alien Land Laws. He then

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Rich Turner

Down to the Sea

Ocean-going ships smack in the middle of prime agricultural land? No ocean in sight? With 234 ships calling on the Port of Stockton in 2019,

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Cyndy Green

Illegal Delta Dumping

Mountains of Trash Near Isleton “I do this one-woman and low key. I’m hoping to get a few more people involved, you know, get the

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Cyndy Green

King Tides of 2020

Sun and moon align creating King Tides (perigean spring tides) It is that time of year when the sun and moon align creating King Tides

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Howard Lachtman

Closed for the Holidays

Part One Ho, ho, ho! Can the Delta Detective enjoy his Christmas holiday without a crime caper?   One would expect the DD to utilize the

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Cyndy Green

Handouts of Hope

Combat Veterans Battling Homelessness More than $4,000 was raised by the Lynn Hahn Lighted Boat Parade this year, with the funds going to the Combat

Read More »
Cyndy Green

Mt. Diablo Beacon

This is a tale that is more than the restoration of a 1928 beacon, shut down on December 7, 1941 for fear it would allow

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Rich Turner

Tule Fog in the Delta

The fog comes on little cat feet.  It sits looking over the harbor and city on silent haunches and then moves on. –Carl Sandburg It’s

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Howard Lachtman

The Serpent’s Tooth

Part Three You can take the Delta Detective to lunch, but can  you expect an interview in return? You can invite the Delta Detective to

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Rich Turner

Short Takes

Bob’s Bait Shop, Isleton, CA, 1979 Remember the days before digital imaging took over? Don’t get me wrong, I love digital now because of the

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Rich Turner

Short Takes

Black-necked Stilt, Shin Kee Tract In 2009 I had never heard of Shin Kee Tract on the eastern edge of the Delta and west of

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Cyndy Green

High Winds of October

It’s an inconvenience…you have to go out and reset the clock. So every time you know…you have to reset everything. It’s a pain to wait

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Howard Lachtman

The Serpent’s Tooth

Part 2 A riverside dinner party celebrating the end of a Delta summer has paired the Delta Detective with an intelligent and inquisitive woman whose

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Rich Turner

Short Takes

Pipe Rats Back in the mid-1990’s I was privileged to document the seismic retrofitting of the East Bay Municipal Utility Districts aqueducts that bring water

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David Stuart

Robert G. LeTourneau

Stocktonian Was the Greatest Inventor of Earthmoving Equipment Abraham Grunauer’s Whitehall Ranch near Tracy hired Robert G. LeTourneau (1888-1969) in 1919 to repair its old

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Carrie Alexander

Fenced Off – Part 3

Negotiating Memory and Access at the Antioch Dunes and Waterfront Part 1 introduces the current state of the Antioch Dunes Wildlife Refuge and covers the

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Howard Lachtman

The Serpent’s Tooth

Part One The sun is setting on the Delta summer. Time once again for the Delta Detective to attend his favorite harvestfest party. But with

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Rich Turner

Tilting at Windmills*

“Some just don’t like change and these people didn’t want change.”   — Shirley Paolini If you are anywhere near Rio Vista or the Diablo Range

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Carrie Alexander

Fenced Off – Part 2

Negotiating Memory and Access at the Antioch Dunes and Waterfront Part 2 (if you missed Part 1) Life Between Fences: Survival and Access at the

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Carrie Alexander

Fenced Off

Negotiating Memory and Access at the Antioch Dunes and Waterfront Part I  A Time Before Fences: Memories of Childhood at the Antioch Waterfront This is

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Cyndy Green

California Run for the Fallen

On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, October 11, 12 & 13, 2019 a team of runners will embark on a 150 mile run through California.  One of the biggest

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Cyndy Green

Know Before You Have to Go

Understanding Emergency Evacuations In depth look at how emergency evacuations are proclaimed and carried out with focus on terminology and how different counties handle emergencies.

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Robert Campbell

Art from Salt

The Cargill Salt Ponds are located in San Francisco Bay in the cities of Newark, Redwood City and Napa. The Napa and Redwood City operations

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Rich Turner

Short Takes

When Getting Lost is Highly Recommended    It’s fun to turn off the better traveled roads and onto those of questionable quality going who-knows-where. Not

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Josie Iselin

Mixing

New on Old and West goes East   There is something about mixing—fresh and salt, old and new, east and west—that keeps our souls keen. I

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David Stuart

New Hope Colony

Supporting a New Mormon Zion New Hope was a farming colony established in 1846 on the lower Stanislaus River to support the anticipated new western

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Rich Turner

8 1/2 Months

Editor’s note about Soundings Magazine  8 1/2 months. Already? !  The title of this post refers to how long we’ve been publishing SoundingsMag. You might

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Rich Turner

Short Takes

Tinsley Island Every so often I like to take low and slow flights over the Delta just to see what I can see. In all

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Rich Turner

The Kindness of Others

What started out as a short drive to the river for an after dinner Delta walk became something else altogether. As it happens, everything work

Read More »
Cyndy Green

Vietnam Moving Wall

June 20 – 24, 2019, Stockton, California The Vietnam Moving Wall was in Stockton last month. I spent four days working a night shift patrolling

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Cyndy Green

First Generation Farmers

The Delta historically has been an agricultural paradise.  But sometimes there is a disconnect between the agricultural community and the urban culture. A fourth generation

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Carol A. Jensen

Oakley Through Time

The settlement and development of Oakley is the experience of every pioneer California town. Originally a Native American paradise, this Delta settlement quickly becomes San

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Howard Lachtman

The Goddess of Justice: Part Two

(From the files of the Delta Detective Agency) Having successfully traced “Little Red” Ryder-Hood to her cleverly concealed lair in the woods and allowed Iris

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Charlene Nevill

Spirit of Place

The Filbert Steps Revisited If you’ve climbed the world-famous Filbert Steps on Telegraph Hill in San Francisco, you may have seen the plaque crediting Grace

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Rich Turner

A Conundrum

“One oil well would eliminate all those wind mills and you could make it look like a tree.” After enjoying the quietude, beauty, and splendor

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Rich Turner

Bound for Glory

California is a garden of Eden, a paradise to live in or to see, but believe it or not, you won’t find it so hot if you ain’t got

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Glenn Stewart

Peregrines in the City

Since the appearance of Peregrines at PG&E we have found nests on the Bay Bridge, on a boat moored near San Francisco Giants Oracle ballpark,

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Rich Turner

Save the Date

By Wednesday, “hump day’ to some, as the glorious weekend looms on the nearing horizon, most of us start thinking about what to do with

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Charlene Nevill

In Plain Sight

THE HEALING POWER OF PLANTS OUTSIDE YOUR DOOR    We think we know them. We’ve seen them in the woods, in gardens and along city

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Rich Turner

Short Takes

THE BEST CAMERA? People often ask me about equipment, favorite lenses, and accessories, but I tend to not focus so much on the hardware as

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James Motlow

Locke in the 1970’s

Editor’s Note: The Locke Foundation presents photography by James D. Motlow from his book, “Bitter Melon”. The exhibition runs now through September 30th at the

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Joanna Jeronimo

Short Takes

Yellow Iris, Levee Road Yellow Iris are an invasive species, but they fly their spring flags so brightly they are a delight to see every

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Rich Turner

Mountain Moods

Because it’s there. –George Mallory In the 1920’s, when George Mallory was touring to gain support for one of his expeditions, “Because it’s there”, was

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Rich Turner

Bittersweet Goodbye

Moon Glow, Staten Island A bird doesn’t sing because it has an answer, it sings because it has a song. — Maya Angelou Like a

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Barbara Barrigan-Parrilla

Guest Editorial

Metropolitan Water District of Southern California as a Delta Neighbor Gas well flare test, Bouldin Island What does it mean for our community when large

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Alex Breitler

Delta Anthology

Collecting stories of the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Because in the end literature helps to build that sense of place that the Delta seems to lack. 

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Rich Turner

Shorty’s La Amistad Cafe

“To all of us kids, this 1992 picture of Mom and Dad represents their success in life.” -Gilberto, Jr. (photo courtesy the Lopez family) Perseverance,

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Rich Turner

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

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Phil Hutcheon

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

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Rich Turner

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

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Paula Sheil

First Cormorants

Black arrows of winter come in pairs, building a sooty patch in the turning basin. I anchor out on the Delta, the sky the color

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Rich Turner

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

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Alex Breitler

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

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Rich Turner

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

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George Turner

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

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Cyndy Green

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

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Rich Turner

Short Takes

On Serendipity Yellow-eyed Cat, February 1986 This is a case of following one of my self-imposed rules. A rule that has been so good for

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Adrian Mendoza

Water Wars Continue

Hog Slough The California Delta is the largest estuary on the Pacific coast of this hemisphere and the source of freshwater for over 23 million

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Michael Fitzgerald

Skiing the Friendly Skies

It’s probably impossible to identify the craziest thing ever done on the Delta, but “Ni” Orsi, Jr. has a contender: his father water skied behind

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Rich Turner

The Night Shift

Fruit of the vine. Yum. I’m guilty of not really paying attention to what it takes to get a bottle of wine to my table. So I asked a prominent California Delta wine grape grower and vintner if I could tag along while they labored to bring in their crush-ready crop of pinot noir grapes. For several fall harvest seasons I’ve been wanting to chase the odd looking machines that trundle up and down rows of wine grapes in the California Delta starting in early evening. The Clarksburg area, just south of Sacramento, has a state-wide reputation, and beyond, for the quality and variety of grapes and wines produced there. It’s a part of the Delta that I wander from time to time and when I see these unusual machines on rolling stilts at dusk, headlights blazing, I’ve made mental notes to ask permission to ride along. Unfortunately mental notes aren’t worth the paper they’re written on. But this season I say to myself, if not now when?

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Alex Breitler

Fire on the Water

San Francisco’s morning fog is lifting as the Delta Dragons do warm-up exercises prior to running 300 meter sprint practices on Lake Merced. Whether they

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Editor’s Note November 2018

“Failure to protect the Delta will result in the loss of historic communities and will stifle local and regional economic growth and sustainability.” There you

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Howard Lachtman

A Perfect Day for Sailing

This post is for registered users only. Please register & choose a level of subscription to view the content. Register Thank you so much for

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Laura Paull

Closeup: David Webster Smith

Tugboat Engineer with an Artist’s Eye Zacate It might be mid-morning, when the sun finally breaks through the diffused glow of the San Francisco Bay

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