Scenes from Haven

These were taken last Friday from Haven Beach, one of our public beaches that fronts the Chesapeake Bay.

On my way to the library to do some research, I glanced at the sky and all of a sudden sprouted a wild hair that forced me to drive down to Haven rather than the library. Those wild hairs can be very pesky and often prevent me from doing what I set out to do.  I need to keep a razor in the car or something.

Anyway, the sky was perfect for shots from the beach even though there was heavy cloud cover and not a lot of sunlight coming through.

Haven Beach is right near Old House Woods, our infamous haunted woods.  Click here for more background.

This was such a Scooby Doo sort of day I thought for sure I might see a floating pirate ship or a wandering buccaneer searching for his buried treasure.

Alas, all I saw was the beautiful scenery.

And that was just fine with me.

Gwynns Island Bridge

This is my favorite bridge in the world, and I've been over many.

Well, technically I've not been over many outside this country, other than a few in Spain, but you know what I mean.


The Gwynn's Island bridge has many faces and many moods, most of which are calm and tranquil. Definitely not in any hurry to do anything. Sort of like life around here, plodding along at its own pace, oblivious to what's going on in the real world.

The other night when the CB Children and I went for a little excursion, we spent a lot of time around this bridge. She really likes having her picture taken and, although slow, she is not beyond performing stunts to get your attention.

Below, she was pretending to open for a Coast Guard boat, but I know better.

She really just wanted her picture taken.


I've been trying and trying to get that bridge to frame Callis' Wharf just so, in the evenings to take advantage of the setting sun. Try as I might I just can't get it how I want it.


Guess that means more evening trips to the bridge.

Excellent.

Callis' Wharf

Last night the Chesapeake Bay Children and I went for a boat ride after supper. Chesapeake Bay Son navigated while I took pictures. Chesapeake Bay Daughter's head was on my shoulder. It was heaven on Earth.

These are shots of Callis' Wharf on Gwynns Island. As you're driving over the bridge it's on the right. For Blog Festers, it was within walking distance (preferably in cooler weather) of Saturday's beach cookout.

Not too long ago, the wharves in Mathews were bustling with activity. Steamboats transported goods, passengers and entertainment from Norfolk to Baltimore and points in between.

The following passage is from the book Mathews County Panorama, A Pictorial History of Mathews County 1791 - 1941, by the Mathews County Historical Society:

"The Piankatank at Callis' Wharf...a screw steamer, served twenty years on the overnight run from Baltimore to wharves in the northern Neck of Virginia and along the Piankatank River in the Middle Peninsula. She stopped at various Mathews wharves over the years ending her voyages at Freeport in Gloucester County where she berthed overnight before making the return trip."

"The packing house of Callis' Wharf ...built originally on oyster shells during the Civil War. The wharf was an important steamboat landing in the shelter of Milford Haven. It continues today as a center for the seafood industry."


Back in the '70s and '80s I hung out on the island in the summers. Back then many more men were working on the water, and the wharf was always bustling, though not nearly as busy as the days of the steamers.

My grandmother used to tell us stories about her and her friends driving from Gloucester to Mathews just to see the floating theaters. It was quite the social event.

I'd give almost anything to have been with my grandmother amidst all the excitement of the steamers. But tonight's boat ride with my children to this beautiful wharf was priceless.