Music Can Heal

There used to be a widget here that played a Mix Tape via Mixwit.com. Mixwit has closed shop but you can still find the music from The O.C. and listen online HERE. Enjoy!

Songs  from  the OC soundtrack cover various seasons of one of my fave tv shows of all time (someday I will buy the series boxed set on DVD). This is the TV show that introduced me to indie rock...thanks, OC!!

In Memory of Pepper - 1992-2008

After going back and forth on this in my heart I have decided to submit a post in memory of Pepper, our cat, who we lost to feline lymphosarcoma and related complications last Saturday, 7.26.08. She was so much more than just a pet...she was our friend and we miss her more than words can say.

We adopted Pepper, a domestic short hair Burmese, from the Oregon Humane Society in the autumn of 2003, shortly after moving into our apartment. Her previous family had raised her for 11 years then had to give her up due to moving to a place that would not allow pets. Chris remembers bringing her home and that she hid in the tiny space between our kitchen sink and the wall for at least three days. After her initial acclamation, she first explored our home and then quickly became the "queen of her domain"...and our hearts.


Unlike many cats, Pepper was not aloof or independent. She was a people's kitty, and insisted on either being on or near one of her humans at all times. She was always a dainty girl, a max of 7.25 pounds when adopted dropping to only 4 pounds by the time she passed. She was a fussy eater and many times preferred our choices of cuisine versus the cat foods we provided for her. Pepper was a social cat, alert and talkative, she communicated with us by meowing and grunting and she followed me like a shadow.

Chris nicknamed her The Panther ('Small Black' was her gangster name) and he invented a story about her previous life in the jungles of Burma and how she migrated to America as a stowaway on a freighter! She slept by my side (and sometimes under the covers!) for almost the entire time she was with us except for the last two months when her illness made her retreat to a quiet space in our bathroom.

Pepper was a kitty that loved people and she always welcomed our friends when they visited our home. She played a mean game of soccer (batting a ball back-and-forth with us), "The Chase Game" ("run when we chase you!"), the "Where's Pepper?" Game (hide and seek).

We have many, many memories of all the sweet and funny things she did and of all the times we enjoyed with her. Life is simply not the same without Our Girl.

Chris found this story online and it has given us some comfort in our time of loss.

The Rainbow Bridge

Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge. When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge. There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together. There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable. All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by. The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing: they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind. They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. Her bright eyes are intent; her eager body quivers. Suddenly she begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, her legs carrying her faster and faster. You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart. Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together.

~Author Unknown

Our sincere thanks to all who have expressed their condolences, kind thoughts and prayers--we appreciate it very much.

All the flowers of summertime

"There is peace with a garden, a peace so deep and calm. That when the heart is troubled, it’s like a soothing balm. There’s life within a garden, a life that still goes on. Filling the empty places, when older plants have gone. There’s glory in the garden, at every time of year, spring, summer, autumn, winter, it fills the heart with cheer."

We live in a really great apartment. One bed, one bath, secure entry, only 4 units in our building, almost 1,000 square feet each, 3 walk-in closets, hardwood floors, huge windows facing west, garage, basement storage and a deck.

Our deck is our backyard. We live on the top floor of our building overlooking our neighborhood and we have a superb view of the west hills and the city. Portland hosts firework displays 5 times annually so we enjoy those shows for free--plus the bonus of fantastic sunsets in every season.
We've lived here going on five years and each summer we look forward to creating a new garden to enjoy. Our challenge is the hunt for a variety of plants that enjoy a full day in the sunshine. This summer we discovered a small rural nursery (in business since 1913!) on our weekly drive to attend church service. We decided to patronize their operation for our gardening needs instead of one of the big box stores. I am happy to report that the quality of the plants and the customer service is better than any retail outlet we've purchased from in the past.

We have more pots and more plants than in years past and we splurged on the flowers. I've been practicing with the macro settings on our cameras as the flowers put on their show...I hope you enjoy the results!

Visit my Etsy shop for photographs of flowers on sale now!

copyright pfeiffer photos 2008 - all rights reserved.

Networking...it's a good thing

Yesterday was interesting. I spent some time reading in the Etsy community forums, and in doing so found a thread of folks that are hungry to build business networking opportunities.

Running a small Internet business is not an endeavor for the faint of heart! As many of you thathave your own Etsy shop or personal website know, the time and effort you put in versus the [sometimes] low amount of feedback can make you feel a bit like you're on your own little island.

If this sounds like you (or even if you're just curious), consider joining the handful of "survivors" who are starting to build new bridges between our small islands to foster an independent small business community!

For more information and to begin building your bridge visit the Etsy Handmade Network blog today and spread the word!

copyright pfeiffer photos 2008 - all rights reserved.

Our Winning Photo!

We just found out one of our images was chosen as the winner of the photo contest hosted by Lyndsey, owner of tanybug, on her fun blog, Inspired by Hand!

(Poppies by Tina Pfeiffer, Pfeiffer Photos 2007)

As our prize we will receive one of Lyndsey's handmade camera straps--we chose this fun striped one:

(Photo and handmade camera strap by tanybug 2008)

To view all the entries for the photo contest (and an archive of super articles) please visit the Inspired by Hand blog HERE. Our thanks to all the participants for their kind comments about our photo posted on the Inspired by Hand blog, and especially to Lyndsey for hosting the contest and choosing Poppies as the winner!

Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Signs, signs, everywhere are signs!

If you've been reading our blog or visited our Flickr gallery or Etsy shop lately, you might have noticed that we've been bitten by the sign bug.

The happy fact is, we can blame it on Flickr and all the neat people we've met there that photograph and post vintage signs. We've joined photo sharing groups for fans of vintage signs, neon signs, night photos of signs and it's really fun to view all the signage from every state across the USA!

The art of making signs has a long history including the craft of hand-lettered signs, which has a national group--The Letterheads--dedicated to sharing and preserving the history of their art. As a design student, I recently completed a course that covered the history of graphic design from the beginning (prehistoric cave paintings) through the 20th century. Famous sign makers include European poster designers and the art they developed for advertising products, cultural and sporting events, concerts, and political propaganda in the 19th century.

As a photographer, I learn from the poster designers and sign makers of the past and present. I've always loved letters (and numbers) used in or as part of a design. Signs are a classic expression in the art of typography (designing with letters). A vintage sign can be a window on the past.

Driving through the city after dark, hunting for great neon is our new summertime activity. Finding these signs--vintage or not so much--and capturing them in pixels is a just another neat subject for us to add to our photography adventures!

To view more sign images and to purchase please visit my Etsy shop.

copyright pfeiffer photos 2008 - all rights reserved.

Road Trip through Central Oregon

We hit the road on Saturday (7/5) for a long-planned run through Central Oregon to Shaniko, OR. Shaniko is a semi-ghost town in Sherman, County, whose claim to fame was as the wool shipping capital of the world in the late 1800's. Driving out through the Columbia River Gorge and then east of The Dalles, we also visited Wasco, Moro and Grass Valley en route.

Between Wasco and Moro we took a detour off Hwy 97 to capture footage of a wind farm. At least 100 turbines stood silently in the wheat fields like an outdoor modern sculpture gallery spinning in the breeze.

(Wind Farm by Tina, Pfeiffer Photos 2008)

The town of Wasco was incorporated in 1898 and a handful of the original buildings still stand...just perfect for our camera to capture them in their fading glory.

In Moro, the Sherman county seat, main street is the place to find history. We had fun trying to peek into the windows of the abandoned movie theater; it's last run was "Once Upon a Time in America", starring Robert Deniro, in 1984. We visited with the proprietress of an antique store across the street who shared with us that the original screen, seating and projector were still intact inside the theater. She suggested we consider buying the building to refurbish and bring it alive again as a family venue.

Grass Valley is one of those blink-and-you'll-miss-it kind of towns. We found plenty of good photo opportunities here including this wonderful abandoned pioneer chapel and school. We also learned that this is the home of the Easter Bunny, and they have a sign to prove it!

(Home of the Easter Bunny by Tina, Pfeiffer Photos 2008)

To view more photos from Central and other places in Oregon, and to purchase please visit my Flickr Gallery and Etsy shop.

Copyright Pfeiffer Photos 2009-2009 - all rights reserved.

Wonderland Remix

This fun composite video is posted on YouTube.com...hope you enjoy it!

It blends quite nicely with our collection of images from The Enchanted Forest (see below)--all of which are available for purchase in our Etsy shop, in various sizes. These are also available as blank note cards, individually or in sets.

Thanks so much to misocrafty.squarespace.com for sharing it on her blog where I happily stumbled upon it!

Photos displayed in this post are by Tina of Pfeiffer Photos--visit our Etsy shop or contact us for more info or to purchase--thanks!

Video courtsey of Fagottron via YouTube.com.

copyright pfeiffer photos 2008.

Summer Storm

Last night brought us some wild and crazy weather here in Portland! We've been having a string of very warm days in the Pacific Northwest, and with that came a summer storm. An incredible lighting show and rumbling thunder started at 10:30 P.M. and stayed with us into the wee hours until 4:30 A.M. Chris took the first photo from our deck at sunset.

(Summer Sunset by Chris, Pfeiffer Photos 2008)

The second photo was snapped at 3:15 A.M. from our living room window. It almost looked like dawn outside but it was because of the sheet lighting! Shortly after this I went back to bed, the heavens opened up and wow, did it rain!

(Lightning at 3:00 A.M. by Tina, Pfeiffer Photos 2008)

Today all is clean and green and the air smells great. True and native Oregonians love the rain no matter what the season!

For a raw video montage of the storm click HERE.

The photos displayed in this post are available as prints or notecards...check out our Etsy shop or contact us to purchase--thanks!

Camp Namanu...sure to shine, all of the time

In elementary school, I was a Blue Bird and then a Camp Fire Girl. I memorized the Camp Fire Law, did service work, sold Camp Fire candy, earned colorful beads and patches to decorate my blue felt vest and for eight summers I enjoyed a week at Camp Namanu (pronounced: nah-mah-new) in Sandy, Oregon. My first job after graduating from high school was working with youth as a counselor at Camp Namanu. In the summer of 2004, unemployment and some stresses in life found me out in the woods, working, once again, at Namanu--this time as an Office Manager.

Camp Namanu, founded in 1924, is a magical place for many generations of campers, staff and alumni. In the forest, near a river, rustic, full of traditions and rituals and ever so lovely. This is a place to make some new friends, visit my old friends, sing camp songs around the dinner table or around a campfire, live in and learn about nature, sleep under the stars, laugh until my sides ache, work hard alongside others, hike up a creek, swim in the river, create things with my hands and to feel, if only for a week (or a summer), that I am accepted, just as I am, by all those around me. It is a place that I miss when I leave, long for when I've spent too much time in a city, and can go back and visit again and again through the years and it welcomes me, it always feels the same.

Last weekend launched the 86th year for Namanu with the annual Open House, and I visited again. Hubby Chris has come to enjoy it (although in a different way than me) as well. Each summer, when I visit, I invite a child (or two) that haven't experienced camping at Namanu. This time I invited our best friend's youngest, Rachel, we took a picnic and made a day of it. As hoped, she enjoyed exploring Namanu as much as I did sharing it with her. We enjoyed the fresh air, sunshine, birds, trees, old friends and, as always, hugs and laughter.

We all have a place that is special to our heart. For some, it's only in our memories but for me it's six miles east of Sandy, a mile up a gravel road, overlooking a river and part of who I am.

For view a video clip about Camp Namanu click HERE.

(Camp Namanu photos by Chris, Pfeiffer Photos 2008)

Flicker of a campfire, wind in the pine,

Stars in the heavens, a moon that shines,

A place where people gather meeting friends of all kind,

A place where old man trouble is always left behind,

So give me the light of a campfire warm and bright,

And give me some friends to sing with, I'll be here all night,

For love is for those who find it, I've found mine right here,

Just you and I and the campfire and the songs we love to hear.

What is the tie that binds us

Friends of the long, long trail.

Just this--we have shared the weather

We have slumbered side by side

And friends who have camped together

Shall never again divide.

photos copyright pfeiffer photos 2008 - all rights reserved.