This Outside Life

Whether it's Christmas, Valentines Day, Mother's Day or birthdays, sometimes we need a brilliant last minute gift idea.

The sea is full of free, nutritious food. And you don't have to go scuba diving to get it. I interview Tanya Stiller who leads foraging classes with forageSF based out of San Francisco. We learned about the types of seaweed, how to harvest it, local laws, and the health benefits. Be sure to visit the website to see photos of all the seaweed and demonstrations, plus pictures of books and links to buy them. www.ThisOutsideLife.com/seaweed.

If you want to get a personalized tour of the best places to go hiking, visit distilleries and visit a few Outlander (or Braveheart/Game of Thrones) locations, then Calum Macnee of Stills & Hills is your man! For this podcast we travel to Inverness, Scotland to talk to a man in a kilt. (Who doesn't love a kilt?!!) Calum Macnee owns and operates a walking and whiskey tour company in Scotland called, “Stills & Hills.” He takes enthusiasts out for scenic and beautiful hikes all across Scotland. He also knows a prodigious amount about Scotch whiskey. So with Calum as your guide, you're sure to have a satisfying trip no matter which distilleries you visit. I met up with him in Inverness and we talked inside a small tour bus while the others in our group took a sight-seeing side tour. We talked about his favorite and most scenic hikes, why sometimes a small distillery is a more satisfying visit than a large one, what countries prefer which type of Scotch whiskey, knitting, and textile mills, and just a lot of great stuff! Visit the website (ThisOutsideLife.com) for all the gorgeous pictures of Scotland, and the distilleries

The police have been in the news lately and it’s brought up all sorts of things. What is their training? What kind of person becomes a police officer? And a myriad of other issues are coming under the microscope. And it’s obvious, that being in the line of duty is a high-pressure job where things can go south quickly. But I wanted to know, what does a police officer do to off-gas all that stress? Does he sit at home and play violent video games like, “Call of Duty” for hours? Well, I can’t speak for, nor interview all of them around the country, but I do personally know one officer. Charlie Eubank is my step-son in law and an officer in Charlotte, North Carolina. (Or, “North Cackalacky” as the locals call it.) Charlie takes all that stress that comes with the job and goes under, underwater that is, to explore caves. Cave diving is a specialty branch of scuba diving. And it takes a special person to be able to withstand the psychological effects of being in tight places, underwater. I’m a rescue level scuba diver myself, and I can tell you, I don’t care HOW much money you pay me, I would NEVER do cave diving. It’s creepy, dangerous, and of course, dark. It requires you to sometimes remove your breathing equipment and drag it along behind you to fit through tight places. I get clammy hands just thinking about it. I have gone into the entrance of caves, looked around and signaled to my dive buddy, “Well, this is nice and I’ve had a look, but I am OUT of here!” I don’t stick around and explore But for this police officer, cave diving gives him an intense focus, and a thrilling experience that few understand nor have experienced. I think you’re going to be fascinated by this interview with Charlotte police officer, Charlie Eubank on the lure of cave diving. Visit the website: https://www.ThisOutsideLife.com/cavediving to see photos and videos of cave diving.

Just how fresh is the produce in your local store? Why is it all the same shape and size? Is farmers market food really fresher and better? And what if you have a prolific apple tree and you'd like to sell them, or you want to start up a farmers market in your area? Erin Tormey, founder of the Coastside Farmers Market in Half Mooon Bay shares all the dirt.

Intuit founder Scott Cook talks about why getting outdoors and going backpacking every year is important to his creativity and sanity. Scott shares with us what gear he uses and his favorite places both in the U.S. and Europe. For more than 30 years he has gone backpacking with old friends from middle school and high school, and he shares with us funny stories about bears and pranking his friends.

We talk with the head of horticulture, Jim Salyards about what it’s like to garden and run this historic estate. Filoli is one of 27 grand estates as part of the National Historic Trust. What makes Filoli unique are the extensive and beautiful gardens. Visitors come from all over the world to see these gorgeous gardens.

Heartland Farm Animal Sanctuary in Madison, Wisconsin hosts programs for children and animals that have been neglected, abused and abandoned. Animals helping people and people helping animals is their mission and they do it incredibly well.

Lavender growers tell all about growing lavender and distilling essential oils. Soaps, salves and sachets plus the truth about lavender as a sleep aid are revealed in this podcast.

We discover why alpaca is a more sustainable and oftentimes softer choice than the cashmere sweater. Why alpacas are easy grazing animals, and a smarter choice than cows, horses or goats. Where to buy alpaca garments and yarn. And why alpaca is superlative to knit with.

Raising honey in your backyard is something magical and instructional. We talk with beekeepers in Wisconsin about how to do it, whether “organic” honey is really organic and how to keep your hives healthy, happy, and long living. This episode is full of fascinating facts that will surprise you.

Is the fisherman’s life really like “Deadliest Catch?” We talk with commercial fisherman Porter McHenry about fishing for salmon, crab, squid and anchovies. He tells us how to keep a Great White shark alive on your boat and why you name your vessel after your mother or grandmother!

Tourists come from all over the world to this out-of-the-way spot to view these 4000 pound monster elephant seals. Find out why Año Nuevo should be on your travel list when you visit San Francisco.