Open door policy

Danette Goulet

One thousand tourists tromped through Douglas and Carol Hanes’ neat and

tidy Castaways cottage Tuesday, oohing and ahhing over the brightly

painted walls and cutesy knickknacks in every nook and cranny.

But the couple didn’t mind a bit.

After all, each visitor was required to wear little blue booties over

their shoes, and each of them contributed to Newport Harbor High School.

It was the third annual Home and Garden Tour, which is put on by the

school’s foundation to raise money for academics. Home tourists .

The home tour bases its success on attracting those who might be envious

of the beautiful dwellings, or who have a desire to pick up some

decorating ideas.

Last year, the event raised nearly $40,000 -- a number that was far

surpassed this year.

The sold-out tour brought in $40,000 in tickets sales alone, said Leonie

Lumpkins, the tour chairwoman. Throw in the $22,000 in advertising

revenue from the brochures, plus the proceeds from the raffle, and the

event topped $60,000 before deducting expenses, she said.

With her goal set at $50,000, Lumpkins was ecstatic as she greeted

visitors at the lunch venue on Balboa Peninsula.

Most of the tourists began their morning in a lush garden, through which

Cherry Creek runs. More than one pair of eyes held a spark of mischief,

lingering near a water slide built into a landscaped hill that led to a

stone swimming pool.

The tour included stops at six homes and two gardens, with meals and

refreshments served at some of the locations.

By 11 a.m., there was a line of home tour participants down the street

and around the corner, waiting to catch a glimpse of the interior of a

sprawling two-story Craftsman home in Costa Mesa.

From there, a popular choice of among destinations was a bachelor pad

with a stone patio running the length of the house, which boasted a

panoramic view of the Back Bay. In keeping with the masculine style, a

Western theme was consistent throughout the home, from the paintings

adorning the walls to the many statues scattered on high marble

pedestals.

Lumpkin said she was careful in choosing homes of varying tastes and

styles.

“There truly is no favorite house this year,” Lumpkin said. “By the same

token, they are all favorites this year.”