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 in Geneva, Illinois. I grew up in Geneva and have been down this street hundreds of times, but while running it occurred to me to take some photos of the lovely homes on this quaint little lane.
A classic ivy-covered home.
I’ve always wondered, do you have to remove the ivy when you paint the house?
Or do you simply paint around it?
The home’s little side porch. I would sit out here in the morning with a cup of coffee,
and wave hello at all the passers by.
I’m normally not a fan of ranch style homes, but this one is lovely.
The front door wearing traditional red. Love the details of the windows and shutters!
A charming wrought iron fence wraps around the home.
A darling side door and circular window near the garage.
I think I need to make friends with the McEnerys!
How cute are those pillows??
And yes, these homes are actually on the river.
I would’ve liked to take photos of their backyards from across the river,
but that’s the part of the trail that’s blocked off for construction. Maybe this fall I can get those pics.
Across the street, another circular window near the garage.
This house isn’t my style, but I like the windows on the front porch.
And the porch swing is charming.
Next door is this darling bungalow on the corner.
I went to exercise class with the lady who used to live here.
I always wished she’d invite me over so I could see her home, but she never did.
More ivy covered walls and brick walkways. I’ve been in this home numerous times.
It’s amazing inside, with fantastic views of the river!
And here’s the side of the home, looking like a little English manor.
One of the unique things about River Lane is the variety of architectural styles.
Here’s an old, historic clapboard home with petunia-stuffed window boxes.
Another view of the 1800s charmer, with a unique brick and wrought iron fence.
Another ranch home with a double-door entry.
Wicker furniture and a basket of petunias soften the entrance.
And here’s my favorite home on River Lane, hands down!
I love the clean lines, the windows, the clapboard siding, the boxwoods, and the beautiful white fence.
And the chippy white chimney! How cute is that!
The front entrance …
… and the entrance near the garage. The owner came home while I was taking pictures.
I wasn’t sure what he’d think, but he was a sweet elderly man and I think he was flattered.
Too bad he didn’t invite me inside for more photos!
The home on the left is very old and the inside is fabulous (I’ve only seen pictures but they’re grand)!
I wanted more photos of the house on the right, but a truck was parked out front.
More wrought iron and brick walls on this creamy, chippy piece of heaven.
This weekend my daughter and I will have the pleasure of running down River Lane once again.
The only bad part is that the street is only a few blocks long, but it’s loaded with eye candy!
Eye candy is right!!!! Gorgeous shots again Jennifer. Love them.
Next week, could you please get some more shots of the house with the truck parked out front? Just kidding. Every one of those homes are gorgeous. I would just keep running around and around those same blocks. If I were a runner, that is. Lovely neighborhood.
These houses are so neat! Lots of character.
God bless,
d
Oh, those are some beautiful houses! I love fences around the front of the house. Makes me think of another era. Thank you for sharing. Visiting from The Brambleberry Cottage. Would love it if you would share this at my Make it Pretty Monday party at The Dedicated House. http://thededicatedhouse.blogspot.com/2012/07/make-it-pretty-monday-week-7.html Hope to see you at the bash! Wishing you a grand week. Toodles, Kathryn @TheDedicatedHouse
Thanks for sharing , definitely eye candy. I like the street since all homes are different and not the same cookie cutter like style. Lovely!
I hope I can travel to your state someday. Thanks for sharing these beautiful homes.
What gorgeous homes. I have only been to Los Angeles and Palm Desert and didn’t see any lovely old homes like these. I must spend a bit more time looking around your blog, dying to see your cottage.
Blog hopping from brambleberry Cottage
Lee ☺
I’m not a fan of ranch style homes either but I love everything about that green one and thanks for helping me train 🙂
I never tire of gazing at gorgeous old homes. Something about the little porches and side doors is so charming. Thanks for the tour, Jennifer!
I love the town and visit it often when staying with my daughter who lives in the area. Your photos make me want to move, but the property taxes are just too high!
Jennifer,
Gorgeous old homes!Always a treat to see these!
xx
Anne
Such beautiful homes. I am quite partial to bungalows these days. Maybe because it is my dream home. I am so ready to downsize.
Those are some pretty good shots while running with a camera 😉 You know I love your house tour posts!!! I’ve always wondered how you would paint around ivy too, but I love the look.
HI Jennifer,
I am in love with these homes:). I hear that area is just beautiful and good for you for training along with your daughter. I run but I give those people who can run a half marathon so much credit:). Good Luck to here!Jen
thanks for taking us along–its a charming neighborhood:)
Thank you for the tour! It’s wonderful!
I love that old bungalow door! It just makes you want to walk in….
These are really beautiful homes. I love to walk through old neighbourhoods like this and sometimes take pics of the homes. I’ll be doing a post on the very thing soon. I think I like the same house you do as well as the 1800’s one. 🙂 Thanks for the tour.
What great eye candy you get to see while helping your daughter train! I think I’d have to run up and down multiple times every day to take it all in!
Jennifer, every time I visit your blog, I sigh with delight. Such a fabulous little corner in the blogosphere. Just seeing that ivy on the first house and the red door on the second thrills my socks off! I’m so jealous you have such unique and historic homes in your neighborhood. We have a lot of look-alikes juxtaposed with eyebrow-raising architecture, like the cabin-style house with ceramic bears all over the front lawn, and the “castle” house made from cinder blocks. (It looks like a LEGO creation gone wrong.) Consider yourself lucky and keep posting such lovely pictures!
Hi Jen! I love your blog and I have nominated you for the Versatile Blogger award. You can find out more at my blog:
http://www.whimsicalperspective.com/2012/07/i-would-like-to-thank-academythe.html
At first I was thinking maybe if I had pretty houses to look at I’d like running. Then it occurred to me if I had pretty houses to look at while I was running I’d probably run into something while I looked at them.
~Bliss~
Beautiful eye candy! I love the ivy covered house and the one with the red door. But they are all lovely.
What stunning homes. Thankyou so much for posting them so that someone like me who can’t travel can see them. I live in Australia and we really don’t have architecture like this. So lovely. Thanks for sharing. PS Pity the truck was parked in front of the olive green house, I really liked that one.
Hello Jennifer, thank you for sharing these wonderful shots again. I also hope I can travel from the Netherlands to your state someday.
Hugs and have a nice weekend,
Ellen
The homes are gorgeous and such a nice variety of styles! Love the ivy covered one, and the “English manor” style.
Babs
wow! what stunning homes- i love when they are all different like that, too. love those dark slate colored exteriors!
They are gorgeous homes! Looks like a lovely area to do your running!
Lucky you that your daughter let’s you stop and take the photos! What a gorgeous street full of beautiful homes. This is one of my fave things to do…now if they’d just let us peek inside! thanks for coming to link up to Vintage Inspiration!!
More beautiful homes! I did wonder if you could get in trouble for taking pictures of other peoples homes….lol! I would be flattered if someone was walking along and taking pictures of mine.