Travel: Gig Harbor

I dream of traveling, I plan road trips, I have wanderlust. It's a form of stress-reduction. Scenic photography combined with researching these places that I have not been. I even enjoy the process of looking up flights, comparing train schedules to car rentals, and reading reviews to find just the right lodging. My mom used to tell me that I was left by the gypsies in a basket on her doorstep.

The images in this post feature the charming town of Gig Harbor, Washington. Only 150 driving miles from Portland, something tells me we might be visiting soon.

Happy Weekend...and, if you're traveling, even more so!

Please click images for sources.

Neat Things: Sunset Magazine

With the recent downfall of a handful of fun magazines (Domino, Cottage Living, et. al.), I am thankful that one of my all time favorites--Sunset--is still going strong. Recently I received a note from Cottage Living informing me of their demise, and that I would receive Sunset for the remainder of my 2-year subscription. Of course, I was delighted to accept this as a more-than-suitable substitute!

Touted as THE magazine about 'living in the west', Sunset has been publishing for more than 100 years (wow?!). Here are the highlights just from my recent issue, January 2009:

Northwest Weekends--day trips to Portland, Seattle and Lava Hot Springs, Idaho.

Volcano Vacation--a visit to the Big Island's Kilauea!



Color Therapy--paint a room to lift your winter spirits.



Get Organized--creative ways to integrate new storage in small spaces.



Tea Houses--the new, healthy wave of bar life from Seattle to Santa Fe.

Natural Home--four ways to catch and store winter rainwater to fortify your garden.



Fast & Fresh--delicious dishes in 30 minutes or less, including watercress salad, oatmeal waffles, and three whole-wheat pasta dinners (Rachel Ray, eat your heart out!)



Wine in the West--tips on pairing wines with vegetables, plus the perfect match for seafood choucroute.

Chances are if you live in Oregon, Washington, California, Vancouver BC, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Nevada, Arizona, Colorado or New Mexico, you have probably already enjoyed Sunset. If you live east of The Rockies and have visited or have an interest in the west, you might want to check it out.

Oh, and yes, they do have a BLOG!

All photos displayed in this post are copyright Sunset Magazine, January 2009.

Photo Ode to Water and Trees

Browsing through our own shop this morning I noticed how many photos we offer of water and trees. Nature is truly an inspiration. We are blessed to live in a city and state that are both rich in natural scenic wonders. The best stress relievers, the best no-cost gifts, these are those.

Top to bottom, left to right:

Bridal Veil Falls, Columbia River Gorge, Yaquina Head Lighthouse, Surf,

Stream, Swan, Bridal Veil Creek, Rock Garden Waterfall,

Wahkeena Falls, Evening Pond, Newport Coastline, Old Growth,

Petals, Silver Creek Falls, Moon Locking Pavilion, The Loner.

Please click the photo grid for a much larger view. Each title is also linked to the photo listing in our shop.

All photos presented in this collection sketch are from our Etsy shop. We offer our images as fine art prints in various sizes and as blank, all-occasion note cards; sold individually or in sets. For more information or to purchase please visit our shop or shoot us an email HERE.

copyright pfeiffer photos 2008.

Weekend at the beach

We've hit a spell of misty rain in Portland going into the weekend and our outdoor plants are loving it. As a native Oregonian, I honestly like the rain. Yes, I grow weary of it when it comes for weeks on end in the winter but I always remind myself that the rain is what makes our state so green and livable.

(Arcadia Beach by Tina, Pfeiffer Photos 2008)

This weekend we are headed for the Oregon Coast to help celebrate our good friends 25Th wedding anniversary. They've rented two condos facing the bay in Garibaldi and have family flying in from Illinois, San Diego and parts unknown. Chris and I are staying in the lovely little beach town of Manzanita just a few minutes up the highway. Sun, sand, surf, friends, family, food, music and fun are all on the menu...good times!

(Tide pools by Chris, Pfeiffer Photos 2008)

In thinking of just the right gift for this special milestone, we decided that we would give our time and talent and document the weekend with our cameras in hand. Our goal is to find the candid moments and create a photo journalistic style memory. Post-festivities the photos, with the aid of my trusty Macbook, will become a custom photo book and DVD. I've been toying with the idea of offering custom photo book and DVD creation services through our Etsy shop and I'd love to hear your thoughts on this idea so your comments are very welcome!

(Beach at Devil's Churn by Chris, Pfeiffer Photos 2008)

All photos displayed in this post are available as prints and handmade note cards. Please visit our Etsy shop or contact us HERE for more info or to purchase...thanks!

copyright pfeiffer photos 2008 - all rights reserved.

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.

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!