San Joaquin Valley

Murrieta’s Midnight Ride: The Legend of California’s Headless Horseman Part 2

by Sarah Peterson-Camacho
What began as a joke by a San Francisco pundit in 1906—the earliest Joaquin Murrieta ghost reference I could find in the California press—would become a headless paranormal powerhouse by mid-century.
First appearing as a put-upon spirit placating the weepy wraith of Scottish pirate Captain Kidd in A.J. Waterhouse’s “Occidental Accidentals” humor column in The San Francisco Call and Post, the ghost of Joaquin Murrieta retained his head—but not his sense of humor—in Why Kidd’s Ghost Wept.

Nate Butler, Helping Local Musicians in This Difficult Time

by Lorie Lewis Ham


Despite all of the terrible things happening in the world right now, there are a lot of amazing things happening online. Performers of all sorts are going online to provide concerts, classes, readings, and many other wonderful things-both locally and worldwide. Local musician/actor Nate Butler is involved in something local that not only provides entertainment for the rest of us, but helps out local musicians who aren’t able to go out and play their normal gigs. I chatted with Nate recently about this.

California Drinking

by Linda L. Kane



I became interested in the forging of wine after reading an article in the Wall Street Journal. I grew obsessed and researched every article I could find about the theft and counterfeiting of everything from low-end table wine to more expensive wine.

When I Grow Old, I Shall Wear Purple: Original Mystery Short Story

by Eve Fisher



South Dakota winters are so brutal that even we get tired of them. My mother hated them. Of course, being of sound Norwegian descent she couldn’t admit it publicly, any more than she could admit that she hated cleaning, cooking, laundry and yard work. But she did. Her goal in life had always been to retire and head south, far away from cold and duty, where she could watch soap operas, play cards, read murder mysteries, and gossip, while someone else cooked and cleaned. That was her fantasy, and as soon as she retired, she made it a reality.