Sometimes it's the little things that warm your heart, and thanks to the Village Flower Basket Program in Lake Oswego every walk, bike ride, or drive along the streets of Lake Oswego is sure to bring a bit of warmth and color to your day. The program is managed by the Lake Oswego Chamber of Commerce, funded by donors, and the baskets hung by volunteers though as a precaution against covid this year they were hung by employees of The Garden Corner of Tualatin who plant the pots and maintain them throughout the year. I'm very appreciative of the efforts on the part of everyone involved to keep the tradition this year despite the challenges.

Whether you are looking for a day trip destination or a longer camping weekend Timothy Lake in Clackamas County near Mt. Hood is worth a look. As a reference, it's about 31 minutes from Government and you get there by heading east on US-26, turning right on NF 42 and then right again on NF-47. You'll want to follow a map or have it loaded on your phone in case you lose cell service. Timothy Lake is a 1500 acre Lake managed by PGE in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service. You'll find a mix of seasonal campgrounds and day use areas nestled under pine trees with a backdrop of snow covered Mount Hood peaking out from behind the hills.

Timothy Lake has become one of our favorite destinations for day trips when we're willing to put in a longer drive. We load the canoe on the roof, the mini kayaks in the back, throw in some fishing gear and a picnic lunch and head on up, sometimes in the summer we leave as late as 4:00 pm, that still gives us 3 hours of quality time at the lake right when fishing is really taking off. The lake is heavily stocked with rainbow trout and has a self-sustaining population of kokanee salmon that you are just as likely to catch. We use a canoe but people do just as well from the shore as we do, even in June and July we catch them in shallow water within casting distance of the shore. If you have young kids this is a great spot for bobber fishing or bottom fishing with your favorite bait. Motor boats are allowed on the lake with a 10 mph speed limit which helps to keep things quiet. Like many waters in Oregon blue-green algae is present so you should familiarize yourself with the risks and check current advisories before heading up.