Big Blend Radio

Just 30 minutes from Portland, Tualatin Valley is Oregon's underrated wine country — home to 40+ wineries, one of the state's most ethnically diverse food scenes, tax-free shopping, and a 21-mile paved trail past a giant wooden troll. 
On this episode of Big Blend Radio's "Food, Wine & Travel Show," presented in partnership with the International Food Wine and Travel Writers Association (IFWTWA), Sylke Neal-Finnegan, VP of Communications and PR at Explore Tualatin Valley, gives us a conversational tour of the Willamette Valley's northwest corner.
Beyond the vineyards, Tualatin Valley is shaped by a 50-year-old urban growth boundary that protects farmland and keeps its wine country sustainable including some dry-farming. Sylke also digs into the region's thriving arts scene — from the Broadway Rose Theatre Company to the Patricia Reser Center for the Arts — plus year-round outdoor adventure along the Tualatin River, Hagg Lake, and the fully accessible Banks-Vernonia State Trail. It's proof that this corner of the Willamette Valley offers a lot to experience.
Featured image: David Hill Vineyards & Winery, courtesy of Explore Tualatin Valley.
RESOURCES LINKS:- Plan your visit: https://tualatinvalley.org/ - Learn more about IFWTWA: https://www.ifwtwa.org/ - Follow the Food, Wine & Travel Podcast: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/food-wine-travel-podcast-ifwtwa - Check out Big Blend Radio's "Travel Food & Wine: Digital Podcast Magazine: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/travel-food-wine-magazine 

Celebrate Intergeneration Month (September) with this episode of Big Blend Radio's "Travel with Terri" Podcast where travel journalist Terri Guthrie shares how Oklahoma City is a destination built for every generation — grandparents, parents, and grandkids alike. 
Hear about the whimsical, hands-on art of Factory Obscura, the massive Science Museum Oklahoma, the newly refreshed Frontier City theme park, the canal-side charm of Bricktown, and the high tea tradition at The National Hotel. Terri talks about Riversport Adventures where active families can go rafting, ziplining, and tread an 80-foot Sky Trail. A host to international Olympic Trials athletes, it's on its way to becoming a training hub for Team USA ahead of the next Summer Games.
Oklahoma City is proving itself as one of the most underrated multigenerational travel destinations in the country — easy to navigate, packed with hands-on experiences, and offering something for every age and interest. It's also less than 3 hours from the Dallas–Fort Worth Metroplex, making it an easy road trip for Texas families.
PLAN YOUR OKC VISIT with Terri's OKC Family Getaway Travel Guide with links to attractions & activities, plus Part 1& 2 of this OKC podcast series: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/t/terri-guthrie 
KEEP UP WITH TERRI'S TRAVELS: 🎙️ Travel with Terri: https://www.travelwithterri.com/  📻 Travel with Terri airs every other Tuesday: https://www.travelwithterri.com/podcast  📰 The Luxe Explorer Magazine: https://www.travelwithterri.com/magazine  🌎 Travel with Terri highlights on Big Blend Media House: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/t/terri-guthrie 

Blind musician, producer, and speaker Joey Stuckey joins Big Blend Radio's "Table & Compass" Podcast for a wide-ranging conversation rooted in the UN's Sustainable Development Goals on reducing inequality and building accessible communities. 
Joey shares the story of surviving a childhood brain tumor, how his parents' insistence on travel and unrestricted access to knowledge shaped who he became, and what decades of navigating the world as a blind man have taught him about the gap between the appearance of accessibility and the real thing. 
The conversation moves through national parks, museums, TSA checkpoints, assistive technology, and Joey's own reframing of equity versus equality — landing on a simple, practical philosophy: ask "how can I help?" and let people answer for themselves.
RESOURCE LINKS:- Learn more about Joey Stuckey: https://joeystuckey.com/ - Explore more of Joey Stuckey on Big Blend Radio: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/t/joey-stuckey - Learn more about the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: https://sdgs.un.org/goals - New episodes of Big Blend Radio's "Table & Compass" Podcast air every first Monday, here: https://table-and-compass.podbean.com/ - Learn more about Joelle Machia & Ryan Slough, Founders & Publishers of Wanderers Compass: https://www.wandererscompass.com/ - Explore Big Blend Radio and Big Blend Magazines: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/ 

Happy Labor Day weekend! Instead of a new episode, we're digging into the archives for something special: this is the conversation from February 2021, on our Big Blend Radio Champagne Sundays show, where Shelley Whizin, transformational life coach and host of Big Blend Radio's "Soul Diving Sunday" Podcast, first joined us as an expert in the Big Blend family. Five years later, it still holds up beautifully.
In this wide-ranging conversation, Shelley shares the surprising scuba-diving origin of "soul diving," why self-care feels like a luxury we don't give ourselves permission for, how to break the cycle of blame and misery, lessons on facing death consciously (including her work training VA volunteers to sit bedside with dying veterans), and why the kitchen table might be the most sacred place in the house.
This one pairs beautifully with Shelley's latest Substack article, "Love in Waiting" — a piece about soup, presence, and what it really means to nourish the people we love.
About Shelley:Shelley Whizin is a Life Coach, Author, Speaker, and Death Doula, and the voice behind Live & Die Happy. She's the author of "What Do You Bring to the Table? A Savory, Sensory, Inspirational Guide to Living a Yummy, Delicious Life," a book about mindfulness, food, and connection. Get the book: https://www.amazon.com/dp/1087932106 
🥪 Read Shelley's companion article, "Love in Waiting": https://shelleywhizin.substack.com/p/love-in-waiting 📰 Follow Shelley's Substack, Shelley's Soul Library: https://shelleywhizin.substack.com 🌐 Visit Shelley's Website: https://www.liveanddiehappy.com/ 🎙️ Listen to Shelley's Podcast, Soul Diving Sunday: https://www.liveanddiehappy.com/podcast 🎧 More from Big Blend Radio: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/ 
Note: this is an archival recording from 2021 — audio quality reflects the original broadcast.

Celebrate Classical Music Month with this edition of Big Blend Radio's American Jukebox! Every first Sunday, award-winning singer-songwriter Johnny Schaefer joins Lisa D. Smith to explore the music, artists, and stories that celebrate America's rich musical heritage as part of the nationwide America 250 celebration.
This month's playlist turns to classical and orchestral music, tracing its deep and often invisible influence on American film, culture, and songwriting. Johnny and Lisa discuss composers including Florence Price, Michael Kamen, Morten Lauridsen, Bobby McFerrin, Philip Glass, Gustav Holst, and Mason Williams, weaving in personal connections to choral music, opera, and the marching bands that shaped their own musical lives.
🎵 Hear the music! The complete American Jukebox experience—including all seven featured pieces—is available on Mixcloud and you can hear it here: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/american-jukebox-classical-music 
🎧 Spotify Playlist: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2pXIFSYr13TaCkpXhEsyUg?si=219ff3b46cb44f03 
🎻 Related Episodes:World of Opera: https://toast-the-arts.podbean.com/e/world-of-opera/ Marching Bands: https://toast-the-arts.podbean.com/e/marching-bands/ 
🎵 Johnny Schaefer: https://hearjohnny.com/ 
New episodes air every first Sunday as Johnny and Lisa continue celebrating the songs, artists, and stories that define America's musical legacy through the America 250 celebration leading up to July 4, 2027. Explore all episodes: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/t/american-jukebox 

Travel writer Linda Kissam — Big Blend Radio's own "Food, Wine & Shopping Diva" and host of "Sip, Savor & Travel" — pulls up a seat for a fun round of Getting to Know You. 
Linda dishes on her spirit animal (koala, if you're wondering), the nonprofit she'd fund with a million dollars, her husband's boat-life drama in the Pacific Northwest, and her dream trips to England and Africa. She also talks gardens (Butchart Gardens gets a shoutout), dinner party etiquette when the menu goes sideways, and her go-to shoes — from barely-there earth shoes to sparkly five-inch heels.
🎙️ Listen to more episodes of "Sip, Savor & Travel": https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/sip-savor-travel-podcast 📖 Explore Linda's "Sip, Savor & Travel" Digital Podcast Magazine:  https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/sip-savor-travel-magazine 🌐 Follow Linda Kissam's adventures: https://foodwinetravelchix.com/ 

Donna George of The Peanut Patch joins producer Lisa D. Smith to spice up the fall season — from the spicy side of Donna's product lineup to seasonal gift and shipping ideas as The Peanut Patch gears up for its October 1st store reopening.
Then it's on to the kitchen for five recipes from The Peanut Patch's collection: Soft Ginger Peanut Butter Cookies, Ginger Date Wontons, Spicy Date Nut Loaf, Double Date Shrimp Curry, and Southwestern Grilled Salmon — plus ideas for swapping in chicken, steak, or fajitas along the way.
🛍️ Shop The Peanut Patch: https://thepeanutpatch.com 📖 Get the recipes: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/recipes-from-the-peanut-patch 🎙️ Listen to more episodes: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/the-peanut-patch-podcast 

Fall is teasing us across the country, and California's Sequoia Country — home to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks, Sequoia National Forest, the Giant Sequoia National Monument, and the welcoming communities of Tulare County — is right on the edge of the season's first cool breeze.
In this episode of Big Blend Radio's "California Sequoia Country" Podcast, Sequoia Tourism Council members Suzanne Bianco (Visit Visalia) and Holly Streit (Sequoia & Kings Canyon National Parks), talk pumpkins, changing leaves, dark skies, and the harvest season events that make fall one of the best times to visit.
Suzanne shares the local countdown to fall starting with Vintage Press's stuffed pumpkin dish in Visalia, and points listeners to cooler-weather hikes at Kaweah Oaks Preserve, Mooney Grove Park, and the Woodlake Botanical Garden loop around Bravo Lake and more.
Holly talks changing colors in the giant forest, the importance of dark skies for migrating birds and bats, and previews the Sequoia Parks Conservancy's Dark Sky Festival (September 11–13) which will features a keynote from the scientist behind Wowsabout, the Jim Henson Company's preschool special exploring Sequoia National Park and the science of awe.
The conversation covers shuttle schedules (Memorial Day–Labor Day), the foothill hikes at Potwisha and Paradise Creek, and giant forest trails including Congress Trail and the North Grove Loop. Then it's on to fall festivities: the Tulare County Fair, Visalia's Taste of Downtown (October 7) and Taste the Arts Festival, First Friday art walks, mixed-media artist Toni Best's gourd art, and early holiday-shopping tips through the Sequoia Parks Conservancy.
🌲 Plan Your Visit: https://www.discoverthesequoias.com/ 🌲 NPS Sequoia & Kings Canyon: https://www.nps.gov/seki/index.htm 🌲 Sequoia Parks Conservancy: https://www.sequoiaparksconservancy.org/ 
🎧 New episodes of California Sequoia Country air every first Thursday on Big Blend Radio. Follow the Show: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/california-s-sequoia-country-podcast 📖 Explore Big Blend Radio's "California's Sequoia Country" Digital Podcast Magazine: https://www.bigblendmediahouse.com/p/california-s-sequoia-country-magazine