03.22 WB pages 01-03.indd - The Rappahannock Record

More than a pretty houseby Tom Chillemiefore visitors get to Dave and LindaBCryer’s home on Cedar Pointein Middlesex County, they are greeted bywhimsical animal figures stationed alongthe winding driveway.A baby elephant, an alligator and nearlyfull-sized mountain gorilla are stationed inthe natural areas the Cryers have planted ornurtured.Dave, who admits he’s not fascinatedwith growing flowers, has created a meanderingnature path lined with unusual trees,each with a plate indicating its popular andbotanical names.He explained that Middlesex County hasthe same micro-climate as coastal Honshuon Japan’s main island. Among his favoritesare the Yoshino cedar and the Kousa dogwood.16 • windows on the Bay • Among the other trees are four BaldCypress trees that he planted at the sametime. It’s a mystery why one of them hasgrown to about twice the size of the others.The Honey Locust tree blooms with afragrant white blossom in the spring. Dueto its thorny bark, it’s also known as “thedevil’s walking stick” until it’s about 10years old.Along the way is a Zelkova, a hybridvariety of the Dutch Elm tree, which werewiped out in a blight, decades ago.A hardy Ginko, the oldest tree on earth, isresistant to disease.The Cryers built their French countryhome in 2003 at the mouth of LaGrangeCreek near Urbanna on the RappahannockRiver. From there, they can see the NorrisBridge about 11 miles south, get spectacularfull moon rises, and watch ospreys builda nest.The Cryers opted for a low maintenanceexterior of Dryvit synthetic stucco. The trimis redwood with a baked-on finish.One thing that was important to Lindawas that she didn’t want to be “closed off ”in the kitchen. The open floor plan wasaccomplished using steel beams. Vaultedceilings divide the kitchen, dining andliving rooms.The open floor plan accommodates largegroups including family, friends and themany foster children to whom the Cryershave opened their home.One of the smartest things they did, saidLinda, was install ceramic tile floor thatresembles stone. It’s indestructible and lowmaintenance.Linda said she has since learned thatstanding barefooted for extended time onceramic floors is hard on her feet, becausethe floors have no give.The hardwood floor upstairs takes a beatingfrom the nine dogs that are there whenall the family visits at the same time.Linda likes the smaller windows abovethe fixed windows on the water side ofthe house. They have awnings and can beopened even in the rain.Both the crawl space and the attic areheated and air conditioned.Upstairs is a game room with a pool table,adjacent to a home theater room decoratedwith favorite movie posters of their family.One of Dave’s favorites is the satyircal“Blazing Saddles.”The guests’ favorite of the six bedroomsis the “lighthouse room.” A raised shelf isfilled with lighted models of famous lighthouses.The Cryers home will be open for theVirginia Garden Week Tour on Friday, April27, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.