We're heading out early tomorrow morning for Manzanita, OR. Just a weekend away before Spring term starts at school, and back to work-work-work. We're trying our second rental experience via air B-n-B...a house that sleeps up to eight, just blocks from the ocean and walking distance to the main street of this small coastal town. Looking forward to fresh air, leaving a window open to catch the sound of the ocean, the quiet and slower pace of a small town, morning coffee and pastries at the local bakery, watching some old movies together, beach combing, and clam chowder. Oh, and, yes, we'll be poking our noses into all the little antique, thrift and junk joints along the way...

See you when we return...happy weekend!

North Coast Sunday

Many people take a full week (or two) vacation once per year. We schedule our time off so we can have multiple 3-day weekends, and frequent day trips.



Escaping the city for an afternoon at the Oregon Coast is always a good choice.



There's a fantastic fresh, local, organic cafe in Canon Beach that serves up comfort food done right. We adore their pulled pork po'boy and homemade slaw. Cozy booths fashioned from upcycled shabby chic 1930s bed frames, and a playlist of Motown and classic Jazz standards doesn't hurt either.



Canon Beach is truly a town for tourists. Plenty of boutiques, galleries and cafes. Two old-time candy/ice cream parlors and a packed-out family-run grocery store (read: not a chain) are also good features.





We often drive a bit south and end up on the beaches of Arcadia and Hug Point. Less people, more intriguing rocks and tide pools full of sea critters.





There's a few neat inlets and sea caves to explore; carved by the ocean over thousands of years.



One day we won't return to the city. "Going home" will mean to our beach home, and we look forward and build our plans for that goal with every visit to the place that rests our souls.

Relax

Hangin' out in Garibaldi, OR this weekend and soaking up some relaxation. Sunshine, blue skies, acres of evergreens and, of course, the ocean. Hunting vintage for the shop. Hooked up with our friends that we haven't seen for months--mere coincidence that they are just 8 miles up the road this same weekend? I think not. Fish-and-chips are always best at the beach, aren't they?

Hope your Sunday is terrific, too!

Wildwood

We visited Wildwood {Recreation Site and Cascade Stream Watch} for the first time this year...it certainly won't be the last. One of my favorite places in Oregon, on the Salmon River and the flank of Mount Hood and a world away from the concrete jungle.





Visitors have the unique opportunity to explore natural streams and wetlands from boardwalks and interpretive trails. From the Cascade Streamwatch Trail, you can see young salmon and steelhead through a viewing window.



We like to go there just to relax and recharge. There's just no place like Oregon!



Images ~ Tina Pfeiffer, © Apt 3 Photography, 2010.

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.

The corner

The corner, originally uploaded by Stox - Ideas Playground.

Have a relaxing late-summer Sunday evening, my friends. Until next week...

My Backyard: Garibaldi, Oregon

We visited our friends, Mike and June, in Garibaldi, Oregon last weekend. The gals went vintage hunting--yard sales, thrift shops, junk shops and antique stores. The guys spent Sunday on a fishing charter and brought us back some fresh Coho salmon--yum! We consumed great clam chowder, slept with a window open to the sound of the ocean, and were spellbound by a family of cranes flying over the bay in the evening.

Hope we get to go back soon...

Images 1 & 3-6 via Flickr, Image 2 via Pfeiffer Photos.

My Backyard: Munson Creek Falls

After a week of final exams we escaped. We drove out of Dodge (aka Portland, OR) yesterday around noon and didn't return until almost 9:00 P.M. You see, there was a waterfall to find. In this land of the green, the hiking, and the waterfalls in the wilderness, we had yet to experience Munson Creek Falls in Tillamook County. It's about 2 hours drive from Portland to Tillamook (til-a-muck) if you're not in a hurry, and we weren't. We travel Highway 6 through the Tillamook National Forest (see photo above) and it's all green and so glorious.

The road to Munson Creek is 7 miles south off Hwy 6, then a turn at a poorly marked farm road, up another 1 1/2 miles until the pavement turns to gravel. From there it's another 3/4 mile into the park and 1/4 mile hike to the site of the waterfall.

It is well worth every mile and I believe that the photographs speak volumes.

After recharging in the woods we drove on down the coastline to Rockaway, OR, and walked a very quiet beach for another 2 miles. The sound and smell of the ocean was much needed therapy after weeks of being cooped up in town working and studying and tending to daily life.

The drive home is always bittersweet. We want to stay longer. We know we have to go back to reality. But, honestly, I ask you...what could be more reality than the slowed down pace, and the serenity of open sky, salt air and only the wind and the birds in your ears?

Hope you all had as nice a weekend as we did...

Images by Tina, Pfeiffer Photos - copyright 2009.

Garden Inspiration: The garden quiz--what type are you?

1) On your birthday, would you rather …

(A) Round up the whole family for a day at the park?

(B) Throw a big party complete with a multi course meal?

(C) Schedule a date at a spa?

2) What’s your favorite sound?

(A) Children’s laughter

(B) Clinking glassware

(C) Whale calls

3) When you get home from work, you change immediately into …

(A) A pair of jeans and some sneakers

(B) A sundress and an apron

(C) A robe

4) Your favorite mid afternoon snack is …

(A) An ice cream sundae with lots of toppings

(B) Fresh mozzarella with local tomatoes, organic basil, and just a drizzle of olive oil, served to friends

(C) A cup of green tea

Which garden style are you?

If you answered mostly A, you’re playful.

If you answered mostly B, you’re social.

If you answered mostly C, you’re relaxed. {This is so me!}

Rain

It's officially autumn in Portland, Oregon. Our weather report predicts rain for the next week.
Many folks that transplant their lives to Portland become disillusioned as fall slips into winter and our rainy season begins. As a native Oregonian, we're said to have webbed feet, don't use umbrellas and we love rain.

Personally, I do use my umbrellas but I also love the rain!

What's better than the sound of rain on a rooftop, the patter of rain on trees in the forest or a windy, crashing storm during the winter along the coast? Rain keeps our state fresh, clean and GREEN. Rain inhabits a variety of emotions...sometimes sadness but also solitude.

Reflection. Relaxation. Quiet.

My Etsy finds for today are inspired by the rain...






Top to Bottom:

Storm - signed Giclee Print of an Original Painting by Klaart
Today's Meditation original photograph by Madelyn Mulvaney of Courage My Love
Rain City Lights by Beata Sasik Art Studio & Gallery
Winter Walk with Buddy original acrylic on canvas by Fran Caldwell of Hafendeg's Shop
Crossing - 8x10 metallic finish photograph by specularity
Showers Bringing the Flowers - original embroidery by Lucy Jackson
Promise by Ann Wilkinson Photography
I don't like rain without you - original ACEO painting by David Hayward of Hayward Art

All works displayed are handmade originals by the artists of Etsy. Please visit their shops by clicking the links above...shop, buy, love handmade. Thanks!


photos copyright artists listed.

text copyright pfeiffer photos 2008.