"Rafter" provides a wonderful opportunity for word play at the Bay shore. It could mean a person who sits or lies on a raft and floats. It also means those lengths of timbers that support the roof of metal and other materials. For this week at Pirkles' Perch it is the rafter feet that we have been covering for two days. The purpose of fastening fascia (boards) on the plumb - cut rafter feet is so that rain gutters can be installed. The first day we fastened 2" x 6" pieces first along the length of the screened porch, then above the kitchen window and window to the sunrise bedroom. By starting fairly early in the morning, we were able to survive the heat. The second day is today, Thursday. We fastened four lengths of 2" x 6" the whole side of the cottage nearest the road Mad Calf Lane. The last piece we cut just a few (about four) inches. Since the four pieces are each a length of twelve (12) feet, that means the cottage roof is not quite 48 feet in length. We used two tall metal ladders to do this work, returning both each day after we did the work. The remaining three pieces of 2" x 6" are left for the upper landing of the Perch itself, which by now is about 19 years old.

detailed directions (way too many details) please correct errors

I - 95 headed South and take Exit - 126

this is U.S. 17 South

about three traffic lights (or fourth), take the Left

turn when it is U.S. 17 - up the hill

continue to Port Royal intersection with U.S. 301

traffic light - continue straight ahead.

That is about 50 miles about 1 / 3 of the way

keep on U.S. 17 and you will reach Tappahannock

go through the town, past many gas stations

and then U.S. 17 bends around to the left

this is about 100 mile mark (about 2 / 3 of the way).

Continue on U.S. 17 and watch eventually for

the turn off that says "Saluda"

Local traffic then out the other side,

you are now on highway 33 (Virginia)

until you get to the point where it branches

to the Right as highway 3 (Virginia)

which is going to take you to and over the

river bridge under re-construction.

A little further, this road will T-intersect.

The highway is 198 and you will take the Laef

and go a few miles until you reach Hudgins

whis is the Seven Eleven on the left.

That is where you turn Left and you are 4.4 miles

away from the cottage.

2.2 miles later you reach the "draw" bridge.

If the light is red and the bridge is open, you may

have to wait.

Keep on "Ferry Road"

hard Left just before the cemetery (tombstones)

then hard Right near the Baptist Church.

Pass the street called Chesapeake and at the

Gwymm Post office turn Left (toward the Bay)

the road is about half a mile and immediately

before the white farm house, Left on 

MAD CALF LANE and go past the elevated

cottage on the right, the Pirkles' Perch is the 

driveway on the right.

Should be slightly more than 150 miles from home.

Insurance and property records indicate that the cottage was built in 1955, although it was probably earlier.
In any case, it was after World War II.
There was some minor flooding outside (not inside) this year, 2013.
Most recent work completed includes 1) painting all the (metal) roof and 2) installation of all new screen(s) on the large porch, which was built (along with the "perch") in 1994 in time to celebrate that "spring" the 90th birthday of matriarch "Chee Chee" - Elizabeth Julia Chapman Pirkle, original owner (once purchased from the Nichols family). Ann Nichols at the white farmhouse is the one surviving member of that family of parents and three offspring. There are currently nine properties for Sale on Gwynn's Island.
At least two of those (the red house and the green Doris Loop house) are on North Bayhaven.

place affection emotional ties to the land

2011.05.21 Sat

Roger K Lewis

wildfires

downpour

flood plain

2

not occur,

affect them

denial

3

catastrophic

outcomes never

avert complete’

4

risky

sites in-

habit

5

susceptible to

winds and storm surges

shoreline and beachfronts

6

nature’s threats

willingly

to discount

7

economic

benefits

expected

8

strong sentiment

and profound sense

of rootedness

9

place: affection,

emotional

ties to the land

A

homes, towns,

levees,

farmland

Courthouse Construction, Inc.

13A of Gazette Journal 2011 February 10 mentions spokesperson Jen Little and your company. We live in Fairfax, VA, with second residence property on Gwynn's Island, 23066. Does Courthouse Construction handle any residential "design build"? The current building is low (about two feet pillars), very near the water Bay side and was set in place late 1940's to early 1950's about 15 feet wide and about 45 feet long, broadside to the water.

Courthouse Construction, Inc.

(804) 693-6750

(804) 693-0026 (fax)
Mailing

P.O. Box 2058

Gloucester, VA 23061

Physical & Shipping Address
6983-B Mid County Drive

Hayes, VA 23072

cci@courthouseconstruction.com

three little jetties and big Bay wolf

There are THREE wood jetties.

The property faces outward directly to the Chesapeake Bay and has suffered from many nor'easters in addition to hurricanes Isabel, Ernesto and other.

Bay water invades the property (in severe cases) and reaches the underside of the wood frame building, which has an open foundation about two feet above the ground.

The wood jetty to the left and the one in the middle are intact.

The wood jetty on the right (about a meter or so off the property line of the owner to our right, Ann Nichols) has about forty feet (new-er) intact shoreward however the remaining wood jetty part that juts an equal distance further outward is now destroyed.

We have spent perhaps five thousand on two separate occasions to repair and shore up the part now gone but the person(s) doing the work obviously do not understand shore erosion control. One person has since died of natural causes (not very old age).

In addition, matching our neighbors on left (Mr. Baker from Richmond, VA, with apparently bottomless pockets, Baker truck construction company) and right (Ann Nichols, again) we added STONE "rip-rap" to the tune of tens of thousands of dollars. Since then, the Ann Nichols side (after storms) has added even more and higher STONE, which we have NOT matched (cost).

My spouse is Rev. Dr. Elizabeth P. Braxton and the "cottage" beach front (building 15' x 45' army barracks WW II) has been in the family for about sixty years by now (we were born 1943, she, and 1944). We have one offspring, who just turned age 39 in September.

She "Beth" says she wants to replace the Jetty.

It is clear to me that what we do (wrong) can actually exacerbate the situation.

It looks like you all do business in Maryland.

We have some digital photographs if that would help.

Looking at more recent work along the side of Gwynn (the island is about three miles in length) we see what looks like a more durable wood jetty constructed of newer materials:

what looks like a PVC product which interlocks like

___

[ ]

[____]

and so forth, with the following characteristics:

POLES (driving into the sand) are on BOTH sides and bolted through with heavier timbers, 3" or 4" by 10" or 8" or more rather than "two-by" thickness and there are outside the interlocking plastic parts. On recent canoe along shoreline we even see places where this kind of construction has been done on TWO jetties (each property line on either side of a person's land) with the bottom (shoreline) part of the "U" shape same material sea wall, all in combination. I hope that description makes sense.

The cottage has been in place at least since the 1950's. The family rented it when living in Peterburg, VA. They may have purchased as early as 1957 or so.

Later they added a strip of adjacent land which we call "the bird sanctuary" around 1967 or so. I first saw the property in 1966, May (or almost June).

In case you all do not cover Mathews County, VA, I am hoping you can help direct us to some partner firm(s) you know that are qualified.

Sixty years and going

It has been sixty years since 1950 which may have been close to the first time the Pirkle family went to the cottage, which they did not yet own.