Small Town Summertime, Sweet and Simple

Milwaukie, Oregon is by no stretch of the imagination an exotic weekend destination. But I welcomed summer there with friends a few weeks back and was reminded of all the little joys that a small town visit can offer.

The Main Street Antique Mall was a fun and funky trip down memory lane. We browsed the matchbox cars and taxidermied critters and bellied up for ice cream floats at its historic soda fountain.

For being a small town, Milwaukie’s Farmer’s Market offered an impressive bounty. I brought home a beautiful bouquet of beets for a chilled summer borscht.

A short walk brought us to Elk Island, a sweet little oasis on the Willamette River. Mother ducks paraded by us with a lines of goslings paddling to keep up behind them.

Back at the house, my friend Tim whipped up the perfect Bloody Mary for us to enjoy in the garden. Now this is summer!

What’s your favorite small town for a lazy summer weekend?

I took these photos on my iPhone and ran then through a cool app called Polarize, which I learned about from the uber-cool photos I saw posted on Nerd’s Eye View. Be sure to take in more visual delights over at Delicious Baby’s Photo Friday!