East Texas Arts & Crafts

Posted on March 19, 2012 by Larry Lynch

East Texas has attracted a lot of artists and artisans over the years. Canton’s First Monday Trade Days and the Edom Arts Festival are two good venues for seeing their handiwork. We ran across Rachel in Edom and were fascinated by the painstakingly fine detail of her woven baskets, and even more impressed when we learned she uses long-leaf pine needles to create them. The Cherokee and Coushatta tribes were making these baskets long before Columbus sailed, so it’s nice to see the craft continues.

More Than Golf: North Carolina’s Sandhills

Posted on February 20, 2012 by Rose Capital Realty

With 43 courses to choose from, Pinehurst and Southern Pines are well-known in the golf community. But there’s more to do in the area, and Blake Miller breaks them down by day and by night.

The Other Side of Mexico

Posted on January 29, 2012 by Rose Capital Realty

Many Texans have spent time in Cancun or Acapulco; Mazatlán is a lesser-known but attractive destination across the Sea of Cortez from the tip of Baja California. A commercial port with a population of just under half-a-million, Mazatlán offers a nice balance of good restaurants and quiet beaches. Robyn Roehm Cannon has written a personal account of her history with charming Mexican city…

http://article.homebydesign.com/pages/article/HBD_DEC_11_09/44926/index.html

Deep South Coffee House in Teaselville

Posted on January 17, 2012 by Larry Lynch

For some years I have traveled FM 344 between US 69 in Bullard and Hwy 155. At the junction of FM 346 & FM 344 is a sign for “Teaselville”. I’ve had barbecue at a small trailer/diner (now gone), shopped for knick-knacks at the same location, and had coffee at the Deep South Coffee House. That name makes more sense if you know that the Dewberry’s once lived in the finest plantation house in Smith County in this vicinity.

Last week I dropped in for a bite to eat. It was lunchtime but they were still serving breakfast and I found out that’s their specialty. The eggs were really over easy, the pancakes were fluffy, and the bacon was crisp. If you find yourself in the neighborhood, stop by for breakfast any time of the day!

The Romantic Heart of Germany

Posted on December 31, 2011 by Rose Capital Realty

Although Italy and France are often thought of as the romantic heart of Europe, there are two cities in Germany, Heidelberg and Würzburg, with attractions for lovers, as well. Ruth Wertzberger Carlson has written an homage to the softer side of Germany, and we enjoyed learning about them. Read more…

Unique Retreat: Casa Walker

Posted on December 24, 2011 by Rose Capital Realty

A second home where children can play and guests can relax…what an assignment for interior designer Sandra Espinet. In Jeanine Matlow’s article we get an inside look at how the designer worked to create the space the Walker’s had envisioned. Read more…

When The Real Art Is Framed By Windows

Posted on December 5, 2011 by Rose Capital Realty

East Texas homes can offer some lovely views…of water, of woods and rolling hills. Most of the homes we see and sell here take advantage of them, but Maresa Giovannini has written about a living space with a spectacular view of Copacabana Beach which has been designed and decorated to take maximum advantage of the location. If you’re interested in what techniques were used, read more…

BC: Wine (& Dine) Country Tour

Posted on November 26, 2011 by Rose Capital Realty

Wine used to be a French thing, but the craft has definitely spread; we live about 10 miles from a winery (Kiepersol Estates) here in south Tyler, and it’s always interesting to read about other wine-producing areas. When I think of British Columbia I’m fantasizing about fly-fishing for steelhead, but there are vineyards there, as well. Robin Roehm Cannon has written a nice travelogue for the region with a slant toward oenophiles. Read more…

Fresh Perspective

Posted on June 7, 2011 by Larry Lynch

It all began with a quest for more land. As Carolyn Duryea Smith, founder and partner of Hourglass Wine Company, in St. Helena, California, explains, “The wine we created from the original four-acre Hourglass Vineyard, which my husband’s family purchased in 1976, became very successful, but it limited us in how much wine we could make.” So, she and her husband, Jeff, searched for another vineyard where they could develop a second estate wine.

Their search led to a beautiful forty-one-acre piece of property now known as…read more

Canadian Rocky Adventures

Posted on June 2, 2011 by Larry Lynch

For more than 125 years, people have traveled from all over the world to witness the incomparable grandeur of the Canadian Rocky Mountains. Back in 1885, when Banff became Canada’s first National Park, the only way to visit was aboard the Canadian Pacific Railway.