That April they moved to a 43-acre farm on Virginia’s Eastern Shore and since then have been living very full, independent, satisfying and busy lives. Their two sons, schooled at home by Matt and Grace, are graduates of the University of Virginia and are also pursuing independent life-styles. For several years Matt assisted Grace in her long term study of the endangered Roseate Tern, taking time off each spring from the farm and his carving to trap and band terns in the Azores. The resulting data on the species’ movements has been published in one of the leading ornithological journals. Matt’s carving, which fits well into this life-style, provides a large part of the family income, but over the years has been supplemented in various ways, including a family farm and nature camp for children, leading nature walks at nearby Chincoteague Wildlife Refuge, writing nature articles, reviewing nature manuscripts, growing organic produce for market, selling livestock and hay, and teaching adult education and English as a Second Language courses. Recently Matt has been heavily involved with photography, writing copy, illustrating, sharing ideas and acting as a facilitator for an innovative and very successful family literacy program initiated by Grace. Matt has also written a children’s novel about an operatic starling that has yet to be published. But then something happened. “Along with my interest in nature, I had a talent for drawing. However, my parents discouraged me from pursuing a career in art. Nor did my father, a highly skilled cabinetmaker who emigrated from Italy as a young man, want me to follow in his footsteps. They hoped I would have an easier life with a good-paying job. But things were about to change. “A year before moving to Virginia, I had met a decoy carver on the Eastern Shore and decided to carve decoys for a living. Even though I had never carved anything before, I knew I could do it. I took a decoy carving course with a local carver and since then have carved about a hundred bird species and have gone well beyond decoys. 102
I had finally found my niche — applying my artistic talent to wood — to my late parents’ ultimate delight.”
As long as I live, I will never forget our close friend Chin Manasmontri! He falls into the category of one of the most unforgettable characters I have come across in my life. He is just about the most enterprising individual I have ever met, constantly teetering between riches and poverty rollercoaster style, as he is forever tempted by wild get-rich-quick schemes. He always comes to us for advice, never listens to it, and then gets into trouble.
For instance he got an invitation to make half a million dollars just for changing several million dollars from a Nigerian “businessman” into Thai Bahs. All he had to do was fly to Geneva, Switzerland, wait in a designated hotel, get a suitcase full of cash, take it to a designated bank, and exchange it. Easy, all arranged, no risk and a rich reward for this favor. Our advice was to simply forget about this — either he makes a fruitless trip to Switzerland or he collects the money and gets murdered 103