Four Lompoc Valley homes, beautifully decorated for the holidays, will be featured from

11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday as part of the Lompoc Hospital Foundation Holiday Home Tour and Candlelight Tea.

In addition, an elegant candlelight tea will be a feature at the Hickory Street Café. Chef Michael will, once again, offer his extraordinary culinary treats for the enjoyment of home tour participants.

In addition to the tour and tea, an opportunity drawing will be held for a Santa Claus character fashioned by Della Rider, a gingerbread house crafted by Chef Michael and beautiful gift baskets designed by Tonya Schulz.

Tickets - $25 for both the home tour and candlelight tea - are available at all Santa Barbara Bank & Trust branches, Union Bank of California, Longs Drug Store, Lompoc Valley Chamber of Commerce, CoastHills Federal Credit Union branches, Community Bank, Rabobank and Lompoc Valley Medical Center Administration. For additional information call 736-4005.

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Those who enjoy western art and Indian artifacts will be impressed with the collections at the Williams Ranch.

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As you enter the Great Room, you will also be impressed with the massive flagstone fireplace reaching from floor to ceiling. Each rock, from the Las Cruces hills, was hand selected and washed three times before it was carefully placed onto this fireplace.

Comfortable leather couches flank this seating area. The Indian motif on the fireplace belonged to Nancy Williams' mother who acquired it when her husband bought a trading post while they were on their honeymoon. Nancy's son made the horn furniture, light fixtures, tables and lamps. Shining bronze statues add the perfect touch to the décor in this room. Here a massive tree will be decorated with quail feathers.

The pool room is home to a massive bar where the family gathers. A popcorn machine is a favorite of the kids. Guynez paintings are featured throughout this home. The fish room features some of the catches from Alaska. The grandkids room features items from the Reagan Ranch which was once owned by Nancy's family.

The master bedroom opens onto a manicured side yard flanked with roses and many other colorful plants. Be sure to check out the leopard wall paper in the master bathroom. The home includes some unique stained glass windows that Nancy designed and fabricated. You can smell the turkey cooking in this old-fashioned kitchen with an indoor barbecue, a glass front deli case and ice box.

Each room will feature a different tree - a John Deere tree in the children's room and a fish tree in the fish room. The Jacuzzi room feathers a waterfall and vivid Guynez paintings as well as Kachina and papoose dolls that have been collected by Nancy. There is so much to see in this unique home that is located in a perfect setting.

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Fred and Cynthia Bittle have accomplished a complete remodel of this lovely home which has a touch of Artist Nancy Phelps in almost each room. As guests enter this home, an elegant water feature provides a soothing sound of water. This is offset by a dramatic wall color touched with flowing palm leaves. This surely will put guests into a relaxing mood.

The family room with its Mediterranean theme is cozy with luxurious brown leather couches and chairs, palm leaves flow from the ceiling making one feel they are in Hawaii. Be sure and check out the magnificent wall unit designed and built by contractor Debbie McComb.

The kitchen incorporates the same deep colors found in the entry and family room. The adjacent dining room is home to a large table which will be used for the family dinner when both of the Bittle daughters come home from college for the holidays. A unique antique armoire is a feature in this room as well as the violin once owned by Fred's grandfather who was an avid violin player. Large photographs of the Bittle girls enhance one o the walls in this room.

The Bittle's found that they did not use their formal living room and decided to transform it into a game room; and they did a great job in the transformation. There is something here for everyone's enjoyment - a pool table, pinball machine, wine collection, Fred's beetle collection and much more.

As you travel down the hallway, be sure and check out Cynthia's collection of Mexican figurines. During the remodel, the girls each were able to select the décor for their bedrooms. One is the Hibiscus room where Nancy Phelps has painted huge colorful flowers on the walls of this bedroom. The other bedroom portrays a Hawaii scene with huge branches of palm trees lazily draped on the walls.

The adjoining bath features dark forest green granite. The palm tree branches carry into the master bedroom which blends beautifully with the palm tree theme bedspread on a four poster bed. Here again the dark forest green granite is the perfect complement for the Hawaiian colors.

Be sure and check the back yard, where Fred will feature his holiday figures that are happily spending the holidays at the Bittle home. Guests will enjoy this color home which will feature holiday decorations in each room. It will definitely put you into the holiday mood.

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Jim and Linda Flaharty have only lived in this house for less than three years and have completely removed this lovely home. Linda has done a fantastic job designing the kitchen - a cook's dream executed by Larry Werner Construction Company. Linda had the ideas and Larry knows how to put them together.

Each part of the kitchen has special features to make cooking a joy. Beautiful porcelain tile floors are complemented by dark Caesar Stone counters and antique red walls. A garden window is a perfect place to view an outdoor garden. A walk-in pantry is an integral part of this kitchen.

The master bedroom is home to lovely antiques which were purchased many years ago before the Flaharty's daughter was born. A handmade tapestry crafted by Linda and her mother hangs prominently on the wall over the bed. An octagonal window is a perfect architectural feature in this room. Antique looking copper bowls are a focal point in the master bath coupled with a glass block wall in the shower. The laundry room is to die for; it is huge and opens out into the back yard. A leaded glass window which once belonged to Linda's mother is a unique piece in this room and lets in just the right amount of natural light into the bathroom.

The living room is cozy and houses a huge tree with blinking lights beckoning guests to enter this lovely home. Don't miss the sculpture that was designed by a famous artist and fabricated from Cooke Island Pine. It is absolutely elegant. An adjoining guest bath with white wainscoting provides the perfect backdrop for the white pedestal sink.

Wandering down the hall you will be impressed with the peacefully decorated guest room in colors of forest green and Jim's office where you will see paintings of sail boats and Dutch art. Linda is able to work on her artistic talents in her adjacent sewing room. Note the cabinets which she recycled from her kitchen - smart idea. The newest remodel is a bathroom elegantly decorated in dark green Venetian plaster - done by whom else, Linda herself.

Jim's pride and joy is the outdoor kitchen where he has everything at hand; an outdoor cooking grill, cooking top, refrigerator. He cooks up some very fine meals here and serves them in their outdoor room where they have a nice sheltered eating area. This home is beautifully decorated for the holidays.

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When Robert and Judy Barwick purchased their home at River's Edge, they completely remodeled their home which is now a beautiful showpiece. As you enter this lovely home the first stop is the elegant kitchen designed for lots of cooking. The beautiful granite counters are coordinated with a huge island flanked with dark wooden cabinets and coordinating tile floor. The adjacent dining room incorporates a large dining area. The table is set with lovely antique china for the Barwicks' holiday dinner.

The living room houses a 52-inch television over a massive tile fireplace. An antique glass top cocktail provides an inviting space to sit and have a glass of wine from their wine cooler which houses their 200-bottle wine collection. A large tree will welcome guests into this comfortable room. Be sure and check out the elegant painting depicting an Italian scene. These rooms open onto a large patio with an outdoor kitchen where many gatherings are held. Judy is a collector of Lladro and has many beautiful pieces. The large bedroom incorporates peaceful earth tones and one of the showpieces is a large painting of Spain.

The adjacent master bath is light and cheery with beautiful granite top counters. This master bath opens out into a patio where the Barwicks are able to enjoy their Jacuzzi and then pop back into the master bath; excellent planning which provides for maximum use of the Jacuzzi. The guest bedroom also features earth tones as does the guest bathroom with its brown tile and beautiful granite counter top. The bed is topped with a beautiful afghan made by a friend's husband. Visitors will enjoy viewing this comfortable home. There are a lot of great ideas for remodeling your home.

Plan to attend this outstanding home tour. Proceeds benefit the new Lompoc Valley Medical Center Equipment Fund.

Alice Milligan is Home Tour Chairperson and president of the Lompoc Hospital Foundation.

December 9, 2008