Linda "Elle" Wheaton

I recently hosted an open house in Alton, Illinois that was one of the most educational that I've every done. The homeowner had photos and small cards with information placed all over the house for visitors to familiarize themselves with the history of the house.

The history not only included how and when updates were made, but also included framed photos in strategically placed areas of the original family that built the home in the early 1900's with historical information on the family.

The information answered many of the questions for my visitors who became intrigued at reading each and every card on display. I picked up two good leads when I was able to add information that I was familiary with for the area surrounding the house.

As a former history teacher and a genealogy buff, I was intrigued by all of the information the owners were able to supply, and as with all genealogy, I was able to associate the house with a time period in historical events of our city.

Just a thought!

Hello everyone!

One of the great things in our area are the many fruit farms. In summer, we have the sweetest peaches you can find anywhere, and now... now is Apple Picking Time.

Take a drive up the River Road along the Mississippi to Calhoun County and find any kind of an apple you are hungry for. Me? I'm for a bushel of Jonathan and a bushel of Yellow Delicious. That combination makes some of the best darn apple butter you can find. Of course there are a few secret ingredients that have come down through the family and I'm not at liberty to tell you about, but if you buy a house from me, your reward at Thanksgiving is a pint of fresh Apple Butter. Just think, bisquits, dripping with butter and a big dab of fresh sweet apple butter on top. Yummmm... nothing like it.

If you hurry, you may also be able to enjoy some of the fall tree color that's still on the trees. But you have to hurry, they are starting to fall fairly quikly now.

Come visit us here in the Riverbend and see how great our counties are!.

Elle Wheaton