Big Blend Radio

This episode of Big Blend Radio’s "Wanderers Compass" Podcast heads to Slovenia, a small Central European country with big mountains, fairy-tale castles and a story of independence that is still young. Travel writers Joelle Machia and Ryan Slough have visited twice and take us from the lively riverfront of Ljubljana to Lake Bled, the quieter Lake Bohinj, and the hairpin turns of the Vršič Pass in the Julian Alps. Along the way you’ll meet the Lipizzaner horses at Brdo Park (yes, you can pet them), wander Ljubljana’s dark and fascinating public art, and find out why Slovenia is such an easy, affordable and safe place to travel.They also talk about how a country that has seen so much history is now protecting its rivers, forests and bees, and what travelers can learn from that.LINKS & RESOURCES:- Read Joelle and Ryan’s Slovenia article, plus resources and links:https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/slovenia-small-country-extraordinary-story - More epsiodes of Wanderers Compass Podcast: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/wanderers-compass-podcast - Wanderers Compass Digital Podcast Magazine: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/wanderers-compass-magazine - Follow Wanderers Compass: https://www.wandererscompass.com

This shared episode of Big Blend Radio's "Jo Goes Everywhere" Podcast takes you on a road trip through South Carolina's Old 96 District. Travel writer Jo Clark picks up where last month's Ninety Six National Historic Site episode left off, with stops in Spartanburg, Pelzer, Greenwood, Ninety Six, Abbeville and Edgefield.Along the way: historic inns (including a night in a caboose at Clevedale Historic Inn and Gardens), a winery visit that came full circle at City Scape Winery, a James Beard-honored meat-and-three at Wade's Restaurant, a Greenwood barbecue festival, candied pecans at the 96 Pecan Company, Abbeville's Veranda on Main and Belmont Inn, Indigenous Underground, and Edgefield's pottery, peaches and farm-to-table dining. Jo also shares why these smaller towns reward a flexible traveler, and why South Carolina pecans and wine make great holiday gifts.LINKS & TRAVEL RESOURCES:- Jo's full guide, "The Ultimate Old 96 District Trip: B&Bs to Battlefields": https://recipestravelculture.com/old-96-district-spartanburg-upstate-trip/ - Last month's article, Ninety Six National Historic Site: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/ninety-six-national-historic-site - Jo's earlier stop at Francis Beidler Forest: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/audubon-francis-beidler-forest-center-sanctuary - Jo Goes Everywhere podcast: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/jo-goes-everywhere - Jo's digital magazine: https://online.fliphtml5.com/yhwzg/kkbr/ - Have Glass, Will Travel: https://haveglasswilltravel.com/

Ever wandered the produce aisle and asked, “Who wants to be in my soup?” Shelley Whizin, The Live & Die Happy Coach, joins producer Lisa D. Smith on Big Blend Radio's "Soul Diving Sunday" Podcast to share her Butternut Squash Ginger Carrot Instinct Soup, a cozy fall dish that would be right at home on your Thanksgiving table.They talk about cooking with joy and intention, cooking for one, why a smile changes everything, trusting your instincts in the kitchen, and the garlic bread grilled cheese that goes with it. Shelley’s recipes are in her book, "What Do You Bring to the Table?"LINKS & RESOURCES:- Get Shelley's soup recipe: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/instinct-soup-cooking-with-joy-and-intention - Read Shelley's article: https://shelleywhizin.substack.com/p/a-little-soup-a-little-love-and-a? - Visit Shelley’s website: https://www.liveanddiehappy.com/ - Shelley's Book, "What Do You Bring to the Table?" is available on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/What-You-Bring-Table-Inspirational/dp/1087932106?tag=whizin1-20 - Browse more episodes of Soul Diving Sunday: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/soul-diving-sunday

This episode of Big Blend Radio’s "Toast to The Arts & Parks" Podcast, with the National Parks Arts Foundation, features landscape oil painter Dawn Waters Baker, a “Painter of Spiritual Landscapes,” fresh from her second NPAF artist residency at Hawaiʻi Volcanoes National Park. It’s her fourth NPAF residency overall, following Big Bend National Park and Gettysburg National Military Park.Dawn shares what a month on the Big Island gave her:- A caldera that has changed dramatically since her 2020 stay. It’s now steaming, it has sunk lower, and it erupted while she was there.- The resilient, community-minded people of Nāʻālehu.- A night on Mauna Kea under the Milky Way.- Her habit of hiking, sketching and journaling before she ever lifts a brush.We talk about painting mist, veils and glazes so you feel a place instead of seeing every detail. We also cover Nan Shepherd’s idea of going into a mountain, putting the phone down long enough to receive a landscape, and why art matters for preserving what’s at risk. Dawn also tells of fireflies rising over the Gettysburg fields at twilight and the trees that carried her story there, and why Big Bend is the park she cried her way out of. She wraps up with her plans for gold leaf and tree paintings from this residency, and her hope to show the new work at a Fort Worth gallery.LINKS & RESOURCES:- Dawn Waters Baker: https://www.DawnWatersBaker.com - National Parks Arts Foundation: https://NationalParksArtsFoundation.org - Browse more episodes: https://arts-parks.podbean.com/

November is a big month at The Peanut Patch in Yuma, Arizona. It’s Thanksgiving and Gratitude Month, it’s Peanut Butter Lovers Month, and the store is celebrating 29 years. In this episode of Big Blend Radio’s "The Peanut Patch" Podcast, Donna George talks about the little thank-you gifts that mean the most, from fudge and peanut brittle for a hospital nurse to treat bags for delivery drivers and airport workers.Donna explains why fresh-roasted, fresh-ground peanut butter is a whole different thing from the store-bought jar. We talk peanuts and peanut butter as road trip food (dog treats too), plus Yuma’s holiday events, including the light parade and the Colorado River Crossing Balloon Festival. We also share four recipes from Donna’s digital recipe magazine: Country-Style Peanut Butter Cookies, Peanut Butter Crispy Bars, Peanut Butter Bars and a Frozen Peanut Butter Brittle Pie. Along the way you’ll get host-gift ideas, from Medjool dates to fudge to a set of three jars tied with a bow.The Peanut Patch anniversary celebration is Saturday, November 21, with classic cars, vendors and free samples.LINKS & RESOURCES:- Shop The Peanut Patch: https://thepeanutpatch.com - Listen to The Peanut Patch Podcast: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/the-peanut-patch - Recipes from The Peanut Patch digital magazine: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/recipes-from-the-peanut-patch - Subscribe to Big Blend Radio on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@BigBlendRadio

Snow is already falling in places in Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, the lights are going up in Visalia, and Exeter is getting ready for Santa. On this episode of Big Blend Radio's "California’s Sequoia Country" Podcast with the Sequoia Tourism Council, producer Lisa D. Smith talks with Holly Streit of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, Suzanne Bianco of Visit Visalia, and Shannon Schroth of Experience Exeter. You’ll hear about:- Winter in the parks: layers, road conditions, tire chains and ranger-led snowshoe programs in Grant Grove and at the Giant Forest Museum- The Pear Lake Winter Hut with Sequoia Parks Conservancy, with reservations expected to open November 12- Visalia’s 80th Candy Cane Lane Parade on November 30 and the holiday market at Kaweah Oaks Preserve, December 4-6- Exeter’s Christmas Thursdays (December 3, 10 and 17), Santa at the farmers market November 18, and chamber gift certificates- The North Pole Market at the International Agri-Center in Tulare on December 12- Sequoia Parks Conservancy’s 25% off shop sale through December 31, the Christmas Bird Count on December 19, and the Trek to the Nation’s Christmas Tree on December 13- Cozy holiday weekends: cocoa, cookies, soup, gingerbread houses and a good bookLINKS & TRAVEL RESOURCES:- Explore the region: https://www.discoverthesequoias.com - Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks: https://www.nps.gov/seki - Visit Visalia: https://www.visitvisalia.com - Visalia Holiday Guide: https://www.visitvisalia.com/articles/visalia-holiday-guide - Visalia Winter Weekend Getaway: https://www.visitvisalia.com/articles/visalia-winter-weekend-getaway - Experience Exeter, Exeter Chamber of Commerce: https://exeterchamber.com - Sequoia Parks Conservancy (shop sale 25% off through Dec 31): https://www.sequoiaparksconservancy.org

Heading into the holidays with a bottle on your list and no idea what to buy? On this episode of Big Blend Radio's "Wine Time with Peggy" Podcast, Peggy Fiandaca, co-owner of LDV Winery in Arizona, shares easy, thoughtful ways to gift wine, even if you don't drink it, and what to bring to Thanksgiving dinner. Plus: new 2019 Grenache and 2019 Signature Petite Sirah releases, why bottle glass color matters, wines for a vegan Thanksgiving, and Peggy's Sweet & Spicy Carrots.LINKS & RESOURCES- Get the recipe: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/sweet-spicy-carrots-recipe - LDV Winery: https://ldvwinery.com - Wine Time with Peggy Podcast: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/wine-time-with-peggy - Wine & Bites Digital Podcast & Recipe Magazine: https://online.fliphtml5.com/yhwzg/fmlb/

Travel writer and photographer Sharon K. Kurtz, host of Big Blend Radio’s "Wander the World with Sharon" Podcast, turns the microphone around in this conversation with Lisa D. Smith. Sharon shares how a midlife pivot became a travel-writing career, why she’s been to about 70 countries and still walks out the door with no plan, and her advice for new writers: write from your heart, don’t mimic anyone, and sleep on it before you submit.Then it’s seven fun questions: her spirit animal, who she’d invite to a dream dinner party, what she’d never eat, and what she wants in the new Big Blend Media House. Along the way, Lisa gives a tour of the house, including the wine cellar, the travel mapping room, the speakeasy and the Cabinet of Curiosities.LINKS:- Read Sharon’s Success Insider Q&A: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/travel-writer-success-insider-sharon-k-kurtz - Explore more Wander the World with Sharon episodes:https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/wander-the-world-with-sharon - Visit Sharon’s website:https://sharonkkurtz.com - Check out the "Wander the World with Sharon" Digital Podcast Magazine: https://online.fliphtml5.com/yhwzg/gyoy/#p=1