SUNNYSIDE — A champion bodybuilder has built an ornate garden to honor his mother, grandmother and beloved pets, a "labor of love" that brings him joy, he said.
Vinnie Milone, 56, began creating "The Garden of Love" in the side yard of his home on the corner of 43rd Avenue and 39th Street in Sunnyside ten years ago as a dedication to his mother, Babe, and grandmother, Pauline Delgado.
In the months leading up to summer he'll spruce up the garden, which features stones painted as the Italian flag, waterfalls, a lighthouse, religious statues and a 20-gallon koi pond — with fake fish, because the real ones kept dying, he said.
There's also a "Rainbow Bridge" he built in honor of his beloved cats, Rocky I, Rocky II and Rocky III — "just like the saga" — as well as his dog, Bucky, who have all passed away as he's worked on the garden.
Near the bridge is a plaque with a copy of "The Rainbow Bridge" poem, which memorializes deceased animals, with Milone's own words about the pets, who he calls his "sons."
It's one of two touching tributes to the important ones in his life, in addition to a plaque for his mom and grandmother. But the animal dedication strikes a chord with many of his neighbors, who often stop by to admire his garden.
"People stop by and pray by the statues. Ladies walking their dogs will start crying by the 'Rainbow Bridge,'" he said.
"What I wrote for my mom is deep, but the animal thing gets them every time."
Milone, a contractor, works on the garden when he's not training for amateur bodybuilding competitions or working on his 1920s hot rod.
He said it was a winding journey that led him to create the garden at the home he's lived in most of his life.
In his 20s, Milone owned an auto-body detailing shop in Ozone Park, where he worked while training for bodybuilding competitions. He was almost ready to go pro, he said, when he was hit in the head with a baseball bat trying to stop a grand larceny near his shop.
As a result of the attack he began having seizures, Milone said. He spent nearly a decade living with his grandmother back at the home on 39th Street where he grew up.
He threw his trophies out, battled depression and took medication that left his world colorless, he said.
But he worked towards his recovery and fought to return to bodybuilding, and began competing again in 1999. And he began the garden in the side yard of his grandmother's home, which has become his oasis.
"With the seizures, all the detail was gone," he said. "Now I appreciate the small things, I appreciate life in general."
He spends hours taking care of each inch of the garden, spraying shellac on the fake flowers so they sparkle in the summer and repainting his Italian flag stones.
This summer he's added a windmill, a lighthouse and a larger fish pond to the yard. Drivers slow down 43rd Avenue to check out what's new, and he said the street will be packed on July 4th for the nearby fireworks on the East River.
Milone's happy to help beautify Sunnyside, but it's the reaction from his family — he cares for his mother after his grandmother passed away six years ago — is what matters most, he said.
"My mom is overjoyed, she's just ecstatic," he said. "It's a labor of love."
