August 26, 2019. Western Head, Nov Scotia. Val.

Val is a friend of Pat's. They got to be friends at Aqua Fit in Barrie. Three years ago Val moved from Barrie to Antigonish in Nova Scotia. Last summer when Pat and Mal were in Nova Scotia, Val met them at the airport for breakfast. This year Val drove the four hours to visit Pat here in Liverpool. She stayed at Lane's Privateer Inn but she came to dinner with us each evening. I enjoyed getting to know her and hopes she comes again. Val lived and worked in Barrie and lived in a lovely town house. But after she retired she began to tire of the traffic so she thought she might move to a smaller community. But her daughter was transferred to Halifax. And then the daughter moved to Antigonish. Val spent two months visiting her daughter in a little rental and much to her surprise, Val liked it. She said that the people were friendly and busy, so she returned to Barrie and sold her town house and moved to Antigonish. At first she intended to live right in town but there is a University in town and during the winter the students can be noisy so she bought a little trailer just out of town. And she has taken up painting. She said the county is full of artists so she started to take lessons. She sells her pieces too. I liked several things about Val that I thought were appealing. She never once complained. And she was enthusiastic about her new life in Nova Scotia. She also spent no time telling us what she had done in the past. Her thoughts were on the present and the future which I found refreshing. She was also delighted to see another part of Nova Scotia. I was pleased that Val came to visit Pat and that I got to know her. Now I look forward to seeing her next summer.