September 21, 2020. Western Head, Nova Scotia. Vinnie.

Vinnie os a retired physician from New York City. He was a specialist in Oby/Gyn. His grandparents emigrated from Italy to New York and worked delivering oil. And he did well so his grandson was able to attend medical school. Vinnie married Diane who was a nurse and also an artist. They owned a big sailboat. In 1997, they sailed to Nova Scotia with two friends. They anchored in a bay and promptly bought the property. They used an immigration lawyer in New York and in 1998 the moved to Nova Scotia. They have enjoyed their life here. Ken and I met Diane and Vinnie through oiur friends Mary and Walt. Vinniw was a good cook while Diane painted. And he makes wine every year. He and his friends bottle about 1000 bottles of wine. They buy the grapes, then press them and do whatever needs to do to turn the juice into wine. But Diane died from ovarian cancer in 2019 and life changed for Vinnie. They bought a very old house and kept adding on rooms. Many friends and relatives visited with Vinnie always doing all the cooking. Ken and I have enjoyed his meals. Once I commented that cooking was a lot like chemistry. "No", said Vinnie. "Cooking is all about love". He was and is a charachter. David and I stopped in to chat with Vinnie on Sunday. The house is at the end of a long road anmd very remote. When we arrived he was sitting on the porch, smoking a cigarette and watching the ocean. As the day was chilly, he invited us into the sitting room adjacent to the kitchen. He has two big dogs. And we talked. This year has been difficult for Vinnie with no visitors coming to keep him company. We talked about lots of things. But I did not think he was doing well. His head works well which is good but he had trouble getting out of the couch to pour a glass of wine. Buit he was delighted to see and talk with us. David was invited to come for the pressing of the wine on October 3, which he will attend. I do not think he gets any exercise at all except just getting around the rambling house. But I was pleased to see him and he was pleased to see us. He is a good fellow.