By Christine Neilson
Shhhh! We're about to embark on a puzzling excursion to coastal dreamscapes. Here are two clues about our destinations: one has a hidden garden; the other, explores an inverted world. So pack up your satchel, top hat, cozy apparel and, of course, you'll need a mirror.
First stop: Santa Barbara's quiet Bath Street residential neighborhood where we meander up the sidewalk. Suddenly taken aback by a tall hedge with a pathway opening. This certainly conjures up memories of the 1910 classic children's novel, The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett. What will be revealed behind this towering greenery?
As if on cue, we step on to the path, as the proprietor, Dominique Hamnaux Foxton, swings open the front door with a melodic greeting laced with a French accent. This European flair sets the tone. Inside sunlight filtered through picture windows dances over the parlor's floral French fabrics, eclectic artwork and glitters off a silver tea tray. Our curiosity is aroused.
"I was raised in the French Alps," explains Dominique, a financial consultant, who worked in Paris, France, before venturing to the United States in 1998. "When I arrived in Santa Barbara, I wanted to own a business...not a restaurant, maybe a coffee house."...
