Home Builder Developer - Interior Renovation and Design

For a place where beer and barbecue reign supreme, Texas has a wine scene that is catching up fast, becoming No. 5 in U.S. wine production.

Centered in this small town 77 miles west of Austin and 70 miles north of San Antonio, the Texas Hill Country is home to more than 40 wineries, and it is clear why it was named one of Wine Enthusiast Magazine's top wine tourism destinations.

Visitors can fill their days visiting wineries and talking with vintners and never be more than 30 minutes from their lodging. Wineries and tasting rooms line both sides of U.S. Highway 290 between Fredericksburg and Johnson City, with the vines sharing the landscape with peach orchards and lavender fields as well as tumbleweeds and cactus.

The biggest challenge is choosing which properties to visit. In a bit more than three days of visiting and tasting, I found a lot to love and few to forget. Tasting costs vary but average $10 to $12 for a six-wine sampling.

William Chris Vineyards (williamchriswines.com) is one of Hill Country's newest, and it is one of the first that visitors encounter as they drive from Austin. William Chris uses all Texas fruit and specializes in clean, fresh-tasting wines with minimal oak. I especially liked the Enchante red blend.

It is also a great introduction to the attitude that surrounds Texas wines: The vintners are passionate about their wines, but a current of fun flows through all the tastings. There seems to be a lot more laughter than in the tasting rooms of Napa.

When I asked about tours of the winery, the manager said, "Yeah, but it's right over there. Just wander on back, and the guys'll be glad to answer any questions."

Becker Vineyards (beckervineyards.com) is one of the more famous Texas wineries, getting a boost from having its wines served in the White House by President George W. Bush.

Located about a mile off U.S. 290, Becker has just under 50 acres of vines surrounding its winery. The tasting room is huge but frequently crowded on weekends. A small 19th-century cabin once served as a B&B but is now just a historic visual note.

The wines I tasted were universally good, with the reserve cabernet demonstrating why it is regularly rated among the top wines in the state. A big surprise was the Provencal, a superb dry rose. True oenophiles who visit on Saturday should not miss the Library tasting of aged reserve, single-vineyard cabernets. Spots are limited, and reservations are required.

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Texas finds that there's wine in them thar hills

Excitement was building at last Mondays meeting of the Chilhowie Revitalization Committee as designers got down to details on project plans.

David Hill, president and landscape architect with Hill Studio of Roanoke, was joined by landscape architect Greg Webster, Aaron Arnett with Arnett Muldrow & Associates, and representatives of Thompson & Litton as well as the Mount Rogers Planning District Commission, all working with the committee and town on a revitalization project in the Old Main Street area.

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Chilhowie's revitalization committee hears from designers

Franklin Tree Land Clearing, Mulching Trees With A Skid Steer
Franklin Tree Land Clearing We Turn Your Trees To Toothpicks! Call 903-385-0860.

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After promising in September to quickly resolve a years-long land dispute involving villagers and the politically connected development company KDC International, a member of the National Assemblys human rights commission visited affected families in Kampong Chhnang province yesterday.

Chea Poch, an opposition lawmaker, said he cooperated with rights group Adhoc and the authorities to study the situation in Kampong Tralach districts Lorpeang village and collect information from dozens of families who claim to own land in the disputed area.

When we find out how many families legally own land here and who wants to keep their land or accept compensation, we will speak with the company, Poch said. We will try to resolve this according to the law and respect what the villagers want.

In September, members of the commission vowed to find a solution in a matter of weeks. Poch, however, said yesterday that he did not know how long it would take to resolve the dispute.

Villagers greeted Poch with some caution, noting that the commission was well past the deadline it had set itself.

Last time, they did not inspect the land personally, Sngoun Nhoeun, a representative of the villagers, said of a previous visit. This time they should conduct a more thorough study.

KDC is owned by Chea Kheng, wife of Minister of Mines and Energy Suy Sem. Families accuse KDC of clearing 145 hectares of their land for development.

Phat Pov Seang, a lawyer representing KDC, said that the company welcomed the investigation.

But we dont believe that it will solve the problem, because the people are always demanding money for land that they no longer own, he said.

These families sold their land in 1997 but continued to live there and plant rice. The next owner sold the land to KDC in 2007. The company has land titles.

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NA commission member visits K Chhnang KDC site

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By Chelsea Karnash

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) Is sprucing up your home on your list of New Years resolutions?

Denise Sabia might be able to help.

The local interior designer started a blog, The Painted Home, mostly just to post photos of projects she was working on for clients.

One of Denises many projects. (credit: Denise Sabia)

But soon she noticed that her blog which is filled with everything from colorful mason jars to modern white living rooms to DIY furniture rehab projects had gained a following, and not just in Philadelphia.

I realized I was getting readers from all over the world, Sabia recalls. Now, I have over 100,000 followersI post on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter.

Denise and The Painted Home have been featured on HGTVs Design Basics as well as on local news and talk shows, and this year will be her fourth as a featured designer at the upcoming Philly Home Show.

This years theme is Serving Up Style, Denise says. We need to create a room where dining could take place [for the Designers Challenge]. There is also a feature at the show called Denises Favorite Finds. Ive been asked to gather my favorite finds from the show and from around Philadelphia. I am presenting on the Xfinity main stage both Saturdaysteaching visitors how to create their own backyard living room, and Ive also been asked to host a party for press and bloggers on Jan. 17th.

I have lots going on at the Home Show this year, she laughs.

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Featured Designer At The Philly Home Show Offers Virtual Decor Inspiration On Her Blog

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla.

In private, even the stylish former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis admitted to tiring of the all-black attire long considered chic in New York City.

"I just love this suit & will wear it everywhere as I am SO sick of everyone constantly in black like Mediterranean villages where everyone is in mourning for 20 years," she once wrote to Bill Hamilton, then the design director at Carolina Herrera.

The handwritten note accompanied by her own sketch of a suit with a single-breasted jacket is among a few dozen pieces of Onassis' personal correspondence making a rare appearance at auction Saturday in Florida.

The notes about clothes and furniture she was buying show the human side of the widow of President John Kennedy and tycoon Aristotle Onassis, said Rico Baca, auctioneer and co-owner of Palm Beach Modern Auctions.

"In these notes you get a sense of how someone famous can make the average person comfortable," said Baca, who is preparing the personal correspondence for auction Saturday. "She really did go out of her way to make people feel appreciated."

Mostly written on her signature blue stationery, all the notes end with the former first lady giving thanks for the work Hamilton and interior designer Richard Keith Langham did for her from the mid-1980s until her death in 1994.

Some notes offer Onassis' polite yet firm opinions on shoulder pads, the shape of a jacket, slim pant legs and the weight of chairs.

Hamilton remembers how Onassis would arrive for fittings with a peanut butter and jelly sandwich wrapped in aluminum foil in her handbag, ready to work through lunch to get the details right.

"To get the point across she would do drawings of ideas she wanted, from a canopy bed to a jacket. We spent a lot of time selecting fabrics," Hamilton said.

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Jacqueline Kennedy's notes to designers up for auction