Exploring Washington State

Exploring Washington State episode 34

Part 2   Wanz The Sequel Featuring my long time friend, former roommate, and family member Michael "Wanz" Wansley.  We are going to cover over 40 years of his musical journey.

In Part 2 we chat about more of his experiences in Ellensburg in the 1980's We set the stage for the Seattle years. You  will hear more about The Ranch (one of my personal favorite places in my early 20's) There are more stories and more banter.  

Settle in grab a beverage and keep listening as Wanz shares more of his early musical career.

Every Monday we will be interviewing a Washington State musician, producer, venue owner, author, anyone who lives and breathes music in our great state.

In this episode Scott Cowan has a conversation with  Harley Sitner. Harley is the owner of Peace Vans.

Based in Seattle Peace Vans restores, rents, and converts vans. Specializing in Volkswagen air cooled vans Peace Vans is possibly the coolest van repair shop on the West Coast.

Not only do they restore and repair, they rent beautifully restored Volkswagen Vanagons and Mercedes Metris vans.

Peace Vans is working on converting older Volkswagens to electric!  Imagine your old hippy van at 80 MPH on the freeway!  Truly magical!

Harley explains how Peace Van helps you Explore Washington State with their curated travel trips, private campgrounds and more.

Have you wanted to check out the Olympics, or perhaps the Palouse in  a camper van?  Peace Vans can help you check that off your bucket list.

If you want other great ideas of places to visit, or to find out more about people who are making amazing things in Washington State you can visit Explore Washington State.

Exploring Washington State episode 32 is our first Music Monday segment. Featuring my long time friend, former roommate, and family member Michael "Wanz" Wansley.  We are going to cover over 40 years of his musical journey.

The first episode features part one of my conversation with Wanz.  We start off in the 1980's when we met at Central Washington University in Ellensburg, WA.  Early bands, and some story telling that only friends that have known each other for decades can share.

Every Monday we will be interviewing a Washington State musician, producer, venue owner, author, anyone who lives and breathes music in our great state.

In this episode MacKenzie Passegger has a conversation with  Jamie McGillen. Jamie  is a Tacoma area author who has published a historical novel In Sight Of The Mountain.  As of January 2021 Jamie's 2nd novel In Light Of The Summit will be published. 

Kenzie and Jamie have a conversation about Jamie's fondness for 19th century  history. 

Jamie shares how she researched to publish her books.  Spending time on the small details to help bring life to her stories.  Jamie shares some of her research sources.

The conversation moves to how Jamie managed to write her books while being a mom.  She had the luxury of a three hour break while one of her kids napped Jamie was able to have a block of time daily to concentrate on writing the book.

The conversation moves to the upcoming book and we hear a bit about the new book.

Are you a reader? Interested in historical Washington State based history?  Make sure you listen to this episode.

If you want other great ideas of places to visit, or to find out more about people who are making amazing things in Washington State you can visit Explore Washington State.

In this episode we have a conversation with Alexis Devine.  Alex is working with her dog Bunny on communication.  Who knew dogs could talk? 

Bunny is a Sheepadoodle who is learning to communicate with Alexis by using a buttons that play a specific word when pressed.  Currently Bunny is putting together 3 and 4 word phrases. Alexis shares that currently Bunny is interested in poop.  Sounds just like a kid right?

During our conversation my take away is just how much Alexis is committed to allowing Bunny to speak on her terms.  Never forcing Bunny to use the buttons but by being patient and present Alexis and Bunny have an amazing relationship.

Alexis lives in Tacoma we talk about The Tacoma Night Market and how Alexis was a frequent vendor when the market was open. Lets hope that the Night Market opens again soon.

Never did we think we would be having a conversation about a talking dog. Listen in and learn how Bunny is part of a large ongoing study of animals and how they can communicate with humans.  Perhaps one of our cats would be willing to join the study?  I already know his first words would be "Feed Me"

Thank you to Alexis for joining us and chatting.  We had fun learning about Bunny. 

If you want other great ideas of places to visit, or to find out more about people who are making amazing things in Washington State you can visit Explore Washington State.

Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/ExploringWash)

In this episode we chat with Jason Spears one of the founders of Locust Cider and Brewing Company.

Jason and his brother Patrick Spears started Locust Cider in 2015.  In this episode we learn how they came up with the name Locust Cider.  Jason shares the vision and motivation for building a cider company that has grown to 11 tap rooms in Washington and with production and tap rooms in Colorado and Texas! 

We learn about Hydrocephalus which is a condition that fluid builds in the brain without the ability to drain.  Jason's daughter Lucy  who was born just prior to the opening of the first location has Hydrocephalus.  Jason explains how a portion of every cider sold is donated to help find a cure and better treatments.

We talk cider making and what some of the companies upcoming plans consist of.  We also learn about virtual bike racing.  Something Jason does when he is not working.

If you like Cider you will love this episode. 

If you want other great ideas of places to visit, or to find out more about people who are making amazing things in Washington State you can visit Explore Washington State.

Scott chats with Jeanette & Lyz the founders of Seeking Kombucha. Jeanette started drinking kombucha for health reasons and found that it worked. 

After finding out that many kombucha s are made with juice and other items that may not provide the maximum health benefits she started experimenting and making her own kombucha. Using locally sourced ingredients as much as possible Seeking Kombucha creates kombucha with the maximum taste and health benefits.

Learn how Jeanette and Lyz have grown their business and find out where you can find their delicious kombucha.

If you want other great ideas of places to visit, or to find out more about people who are making amazing things in Washington State you can visit Explore Washington State.

Explore Washington State Holiday Gift Guide 2020. Our second annual guide to some of the best local artisan gifts made in Washington State.

In this episode we chat with Mackenzie Passegger as she shares with us a bit of information about each of the merchants in our gift guide.

Explore Washington State is proud to support and promote Washington based small businesses and creatives.  

• 2232 Ceramics. Handmade pottery made in Spokane. Mugs, planters, and more.
• Contour Creative. Hand-stamped clothing. Comfortable and stylish.
• Ridge Line Rings.  Bentwood rings. Using precious metals, and antlers.
• Mack Provisions. Vintage Baseball gloves turned into handmade wallets and keepsakes.
• Kula Cloth. Reusable antimicrobial pee cloths. For hiking  and camping. 
• Roast House Coffee. Our coffee partner. Enjoy a cup of Explore Washington State Blend.
• Wish You Were Northwest. Washington themed clothing. Hoodies, Beanies, and more.
• Cecelia Stitch. Handcrafted canvas aprons, Christmas stockings, and more. 
• Whiskey Jack. Hand-painted hats, cards, stickers, and more. 
• From the Ground Up.  Merino wool socks with designs inspired from local landmarks.
• Tuesday Shop.  Individually hand-painted kimonos.
• Salt Blade.  Artisan handmade salami.  Wide variety of varieties. 
• EQPD.  Function meets form. Lifetime bags to help you keep you life organized.
• Cascadia Modern. Scratch off posters. Check out our Explore Washington State Bucket List Poster. 
• Staheekum. Environmentally friendly footwear for the entire family. 

 If you want other great ideas of places to visit, or to find out more about people who are making amazing things in Washington State you can visit Explore Washington State.

Support the show (https://www.buymeacoffee.com/ExploringWash)

In this episode Scott and Kenzie chat about Explore Washington State.  From the beginning focus to our current efforts we chat about the journey we have taken as we Explore Washington State.

This is a casual conversation between father and daughter and we share a few laughs as we bring you our vision for Explore Washington State and the Exploring Washington State Podcast.

 If you want other great ideas of places to visit, or to find out more about people who are making amazing things in Washington State you can visit Explore Washington State.

Scott chats with Garrett Hanson to talk about Garrett's newest article for the Explore Washington State website. They talk about how Garrett got into the profession, the gear he uses, and some of the techniques he describes in his article.

If you want other great ideas of places to visit, or to find out more about people who are making amazing things in Washington State you can visit Explore Washington State.