As the suburbs of Chicago continue to grow and spread, it seems there’s always new homes popping up around our area. Most of this new construction consists of well-planned subdivisions with tract housing, providing new home buyers with the most square footage they can afford. This of course means that architectural amenities like ornate trim, custom…
Viewing historic homes
Charming Old Farm Houses
Last year about this time I shared photos of some of the charming old farm houses in my town. Hubby and I went for a walk the other night and I grabbed my camera to get a few more photos of some of the local houses I love. This house sits on a nice piece of…
15 Historic Homes in Geneva Illinois
It’s been a while since I’ve shared a walking tour of historic homes but I finally managed to head back to my hometown of Geneva, Illinois to photograph 15 beautiful houses for you to enjoy. Geneva is where I was born and raised and now we live about 10 miles away, so it’s just a…
Vintage Finds at Main Street Market Event
A couple weekends ago hubby and I attended the Main Street Market event in Rockford, Illinois. I knew some of the vendors that were going to be there so figured it’d be a fun outing. The weather was perfect and hubby was a good sport … especially since it was also his birthday! He’s a…
Choosing Exterior Paint Colors
Last year we were supposed to paint the outside of our house. Guess what? It didn’t get done. I was training for a marathon and just didn’t have the energy or desire to tackle it. Now I have plantar fasciitis and can’t run for the time being so no excuses this year. We have to…
Woodstock, Illinois ~ The Real Groundhog Day Movie Location
If you’ve seen the movie “Groundhog Day” with Bill Murray, you might think it was filmed in Punxsatawney, PA. But truth be told, the movie was filmed just a few towns north of where I live in Woodstock, Illinois. I’ve heard that the movie makers passed through Woodstock on the way to film the Blue…
Cute Houses in my Hometown
Today I’m excited to share with you a smattering of cute houses in my hometown. Not my birth town in Illinois, but the town where I currently live and blog. Many of you know that I live where the suburbs of Chicago meet the country farm fields … thus the name of my blog, Town…
Country Living Fair in Ohio Village – Part Two
Last week I shared photos and highlights from the Country Living Fair held at the Ohio Village in Columbus. Needless to say, I took lots of photos and decided to divide them into two blog posts. This round of photos is centered on the historic buildings that you’ll find at the Village. Most had period…
Historic Galena: Little Brick Houses
One of my favorite weekend trips is a visit to historic Galena, Illinois. Even Midwest Living magazine has featured it on many occasions. Home of Ulysses S. Grant, Galena’s main street is a shopping mecca of boutiques, antique stores, and many restaurants. But what I love most about Galena is its rolling hills and historic…
Running Down River Lane
This summer I’m helping my daughter Bridget train for her first half marathon, which is 13.1 miles long. We meet on the bike trail by the Fox River every Sunday for the weekly “long run,” adding another mile each week. Part of the trail is under construction and the detour takes us down River Lane…
More Historic Homes in Sycamore, Illinois
A little over a week ago my hubby and I took a little jaunt over to Sycamore to take a walk in the historic district. I took too many pictures to share in one post, so this is part two of some beautiful homes in the Land of Lincoln. (You can view the first post…
The Historic Streets of Sycamore, Illinois
Savannah, Georgia has some of the most amazing residential architecture in the United States, so beautiful that General Sherman didn’t have the heart to burn it down during the Civil War. Travel quite a bit north to a cozy, Yankee town just 60 miles west of the heart of Chicago, whose gracious homes remind me…
Historic Homes in the Valley
If you can’t tell by now, I love old homes! I grew up in a typical, suburban 1950’s quad level (a twist on the tri-level) and when I grew up, I knew I wanted something different. My first house as an adult was a bungalow-type Sears catalog home built in the early 1900s. As soon as…
Flirtatious Front Doors
Do you have a flirtatious front door? Does it entice passers-by to “come hither” for a visit? Or, is it more like mine and gives a cold shoulder? This will be changing soon when we paint our home’s exterior this summer, but for now, have a look at some flirtatious front doors in the ‘hood. Love the…
Cozy Cottages in Batavia
Since my teens I’ve had a passionate love affair with old houses. Doesn’t matter if they’re large or small … I love ’em all. When I was first married my mom and I would go for walks in historic districts, looking at the homes and sharing ideas on how we’d transform them if we lived…
Fox Valley Tour of Homes
Old houses tug at my heart strings … they offer quirky character not found in homes built today. You know, things like creaky stairs, floors that a marble can roll across without a push from the finger, drafty doors … stuff like that. But more importantly, old homes offer the charm of imperfection only found…