They Bought The Farm, all of it...

They “bought the farm,” Ray laughed. He and his wife, Dhara, friends of my host, invited us, literally, to check out the farm they had put money on – in the mountains that rise above the Black Sea. When we arrived, we jumped the fence, gained permission from the residents living behind the house and wandered the property. Apples from apple trees, Grapes, from vines, Persimmons from persimmon trees - the fruit was plentiful and incredibly delicious. The children ran the field and through the garden, climbing trees and picking ripe peppers. It was amazing.

Ray, a yoga instructor and artist, mentioned that he wanted to make the place his weekend getaway and perhaps, eventually a permanent residence for the family. He hopes to renovate a run down gazebo in the back for a Yoga, Asian-style studio. They want to be able to grow their own vegetables and to be honest, it was the most peaceful place I have been yet in the past few days. 

The villager neighbors came out to talk with us and while I didn’t necessarily understand all of the conversation, which was mostly Turkish, I enjoyed listening, watching and finding the small ways to communicate.

An elderly gentleman, who I picked up was about in his 60s – stopped me at one point, while I was sitting on the swing to ask me to take a picture, of course, I obliged. The small boy who lived there led Ray and Dhara's children around, showing them the field, playing games and participated in the apple picking. He was so young, maybe 5 or so and had the most stunning features. He often stopped to stare at me, and even tell me something, he would peer at my camera and finally even, sat still enough, for me to capture his beautiful young face. Ray & Dhara's children are already trilingual - speaking Turkish, French and English - knew to speak to the boy in Turkish and the three kids played endlessly around the land. 

The land was so beautiful and the warm afternoon sun, the high view and cool breeze made the visit truly worthwhile. It was a day that turned out just...Perfect.