Riverside Parade of Homes

We just got back from a little road trip.  This is the last week of 

vacation for both of us this summer, so we took a drive to some fun waterside towns 

populated with amazing historic homes.  Since I'm trying to decide what cut out design I want 

for our wood shutters on the front of our house, I brought my camera along

to snap some photos of them on old houses similar to ours.  

This is my kind of water walking.

(Lots of photos to follow.  Click on images for a closer view.)

Small yard?  Who cares?!

Huge shade trees in these old neighborhoods help keep these homes cool.

Between the big old trees and the breeze from the nearby river,
 there's usually no need for central air conditioning.
Good thing, because these houses must cost a fortune
to heat during the cold winter months!

This pretty green and orange painted door adorns the home pictured above.

I'd love to own this wood door with beveled glass window and sidelights.

Look at the trim detail on the upper windows.

Unlike new neighborhoods, the electrical wires (like ours) are overhead.

It's more noticeable in photos than when you're viewing it from the street.

(That's a flag pole to the right of the stairs.) For you youngsters, the little guy

 in front of the french doors is a lawn jockey.  Tess at Willow Manor published a blog post

with the interesting history behind this piece of American folk art.

All white exterior.  The grounds are surrounded with a wrought iron fence

that unfortunately didn't fit in the photo from where I was standing.

Next time I'll use the landscape setting on my camera.  (Thanks Jennifer.)

Look at those curved windows accented with stained glass panels!

  And there's more.....

The garage with living quarters above.  No doubt rented out

to offset the cost of the groundskeeper, window washer, and painters.

Painted lady.

I wonder how long it took the original owners to decide on all those

paint colors?  Probably less time than it's taking me to decide on one

color for our fence and shutters.  If the owner had been outside, I'd have

been tempted to ask what brand of exterior paint they use.

It must be durable.  This is not a paint job you'd want to tackle

every few years!

Inviting entry, gold lions and all.

Hanging baskets of ferns are a must on these covered porches.

I love this color combination.

Look at those doors!  Tall blue glazed pots filled with flowers

add an unexpected pop of bright color

alongside the old doors.

Oodles of stained glass windows can be seen on these homes.  I'd love to

see the colorful glass from inside.  These homes are located in Stillwater, MN situated on the

St. Croix River.  For a small fee, you can attend a progressive tea on weekends before Christmas

 to see these homes dressed up for the holidays.  (On my to do list.)

*Notice the original beautifully restored wood windows.

And how about the fish scale roof shingles?

There's nothing run down on this house, but it has a haunted appearance due

to the weathered cedar shingle roofing and widow's walk on top.

I'm convinced there must have been a horror movie filmed here at some point.

(Maybe this is where my rusty old bike originated.)

Colorful house surrounded by trees.  I only got one shot of this beauty.

(The owner was pulling into her parking lot just as I snapped this photo.)

House atop a hill with interesting corner stairs leading up to their wraparound porch.

A good spot for a time out.

My computer is giving me fits and I've only shown you half of my photos.

But as you can see, I've gotten lots of great ideas for........... what was I

looking at?  Oh, yes.  Shutters.

Oops!  Not a shutter to be seen.  I'm sure I must have some

photos with shutters on the other half of my pictures!

To be continued......

stop back for part 2 of the home tour biathlon, and don't forget your water shoes!

Vickie

*If you enjoyed this parade of homes, you'd also like to see the many beautiful home tours

featured by Jennifer at Town and Country Living.  Stop by and visit her blog!

Joining the parties at:

Common Ground Vintage Inspiration Friday

The Charm of Home Home Sweet Home