Many moons ago, Joanna Young at Confident Writing tagged me to write about the place where I live. The original question, posed by Robert, is –

What, in your opinion, is or are the most amazing, unusual, strange or just plain weird things about where you live?

My home town is Geneva, Illinois. I notice that Robert is from Robinson, Illinois, so he knows that contrary to conventional wisdom, the Illinois landscape is quite beautiful. Geneva, nestled in the Fox River Valley, is one of the state’s prettiest spots.

I’m not much of a photographer, so I won’t do it justice, but below is a shot looking North toward the bridge that runs through the heart of downtown -

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One of the more unusual and amazing things about Geneva is the incredible flooding we’ve experienced in the last several days. Water levels are finally receding, but parts of downtown were under water just a few days ago. Below is a look at Island Park, which sits adjacent to one of Geneva’s oldest and most well-known restaurants, the Mill Race Inn –

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As you can see, the Fox River is still over over its banks, and although the ducks are enjoying themselves, the Mill Race Inn is not – parts of it were under 6 feet of water. The flooding here is the worst I can remember, but since Geneva’s history dates back to the 1830’s, we may well have suffered worse.

Speaking of history, Geneva is the county seat of Kane County. This is the old Court House, which sits in the center of downtown on Third Street –

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Geneva has always been known for its quaint downtown shopping. Tourists come from far and wide to stroll through the shops that line Third Street and other sections of downtown. To me, it’s always seemed like a throwback to an earlier, simpler time. Here’s the view of Third Street looking South –

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This is one of the many shops you’ll want to wander into as you go –

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(Not my car, unfortunately!) Can’t you picture you and your family wandering about, checking out antiques, knick-knacks, and home furnishings on a sunny summer afternoon? Perhaps you’d develop a yen for an old-fashioned ice cream cone. If so, you’d be in luck! Here’s one of my favorite stops, Graham’s, where you can get real ice cream and chocolate they make right in the store -

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They’ve got huge Adirondack chairs on their front porch and sidewalk – an excellent spot to hang out and watch the world go by. Geneva is changing, like every town in the Chicago suburbs – strip malls, traffic, endless road construction, and everything else that goes along with a bustling economy. But I’m glad I live in a place that still has the feel and spirit of a small town.

I’ve been operating under a self-imposed “No Tag” rule lately, but if anyone wants to answer Robert’s call, these posts have sure been interesting!