Hubby and I recently returned from our trip to Chattanooga, Tennessee and I have to admit I fell in love with the area. I’ve been to the volunteer state before, but never to ‘Nooga. We stayed in a charming blue cottage from Airbnb located on the side of Lookout Mountain and took plenty of walks…
Raise your hand if you’ve ever been to Maryville, Tennessee! My daughter and I traveled there last fall and it just occurred to me that I never shared my walking tour of neighborhoods that feature some of the charming homes of Maryville. Maryville is about 18 miles south of Knoxville. I had never been…
I’ll bet more of you are going for walks now that the weather is warming up. Do you like to walk around pretty neighborhoods while admiring the daffodils and tulips? I know I do. One of my favorite housing styles I like to see on my walks is the charming craftsman style that originated right…
Several inches of snow fell in our area over the weekend which prompted me to get out and enjoy the scenery. While I was out, I snapped some photos of beautiful blue and gray custom homes in Naperville, IL. Naperville used to be a smaller suburb of Chicago until about 35 years ago when…
Today is the day I’m finally getting around to sharing the rest of my Lake Geneva walking tour! There are so many historic home exteriors in this town to enjoy. I’m toying with the idea of going back before Christmas to snap pictures of the houses decorated for the holidays. Above is a gorgeous…
Seems like I’m getting the traveling bug out of me before we hunker down for the winter. My daughters and I took a short weekend trip to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. I chose to go for a walking tour of the historic area and take some photos while they opted to nap Saturday afternoon. I…
This is the third post I’ve shared about charming Cambridge, Wisconsin. I obviously fell in love with this small, quiet town in rural America that seems to have everything anyone could ever want. The Cambridge homes and neighborhoods were especially appealing. This beautiful white, classic home has an ample porch decorated for Halloween. The…
When it comes to curb appeal, a Victorian style house never disappoints. Also known as painted ladies, most homeowners use color to highlight all the details of their beloved, historic home. Photo by Marina Rubina, Architect My personal preference are the houses that are painted in bolder colors to really make them pop. And…
Since we won’t be able to take overseas trips anytime soon, I thought it might be fun to check out architecture from other areas. So let’s take a trip across the pond to see the exteriors of Scandinavian houses. A cute little row of white cottages line a cobblestone street. Doesn’t it look like…
My family did something a little different this year for Christmas. We took a trip to historic Galena and spent four days together to celebrate the holiday. Galena is a popular get-away location due to its scenic rolling hills and rich history. Galena used to be the largest city in Illinois, back in the…
Last week I shared a collection of charming old homes in Huntley, Illinois and today is the second half of the home exteriors tour. I love when a town has an abundance of beautiful homes that it requires more than one blog post! An updated Victorian home sits proudly on the corner of a…
One of the things I love about living in the Midwest is the range of home types and architecture that are available. You’ll see a mix of brick, clapboard, small, and spacious homes. Here’s an example in the quaint, nearby river town of St. Charles, Illinois. Above and below is a beautiful Victorian that has…
Two weeks ago I shared a walking tour of Aurora, Illinois’ westside historic district. Today is round two of touring this amazing residential area with amazing historic homes. First up on today’s tour is this lovely clapboad Victorian home painted green with creamy trim and accents of red. Note the unique treatment on the windows…
It’s been a while since I’ve published a walking tour of historic homes. As it just so happened, hubby and I went to see Shen Yun in Aurora, Illinois, which has a lot of older homes. We decided to go back on Sunday to snap some photos of the west side Aurora historic district. There…
Winter in Illinois can get a bit crazy and can change on a dime at any given time. For example, last week we received about ten inches of fluffy white snow. This week it’s much warmer and that fresh dusting of snow is already melting. Before all of the cottony drifts of the white stuff…
This past weekend hubby and I took a trip to Crystal Lake, Illinois. It’s a medium-sized, quaint town that surrounds a serene lake with breezy sailboats and lazy sunbathers. We explored the neighborhoods lined with beautiful historic homes. The first house that caught my eye was this adorable blue bungalow with a sweet green door….
