First light on the Illinois River turns the water the color of weak tea, and a barge working upstream barely seems to move against the bluff behind it. River Landscaping & Tree Service is already out by then in the warm months, mowing and trimming ahead of the heat, edging walks and drives before the day gets long. When the season flips, the same trucks carry blades and salt instead: drives cleared, lots opened, walks scraped down for whoever has to be somewhere at six. Ground along this valley is soft in spring and hard by August, and the work adjusts to it either way. Lawn maintenance in season and snow removal in winter, for LaSalle and the towns along the river.