Man with Cow Ukraine 2013

TITLE: “Man with Cow” 
DATA:     Ukraine, October 2013

Man with Cow in Ukraine

After a long, but fulfilling, day volunteering at a local orphanage school, I sat there, on that crowded bus, staring out the window. I watched the rain make spatter marks on the glass as we rode along the countryside. I was not looking at anything in particular, lost deep in thought, when my eyes stumbled across this man and his cow. My photographer brain kicked in and I knew I must capture this moment on “film”. It was a serene moment, a moment that transported one out of time and space. This old man, most likely a farmer, was slowly walking his cow down the street; the same street our bus was traveling on. He had a firm grip on the old, brown rope, and he and his trusty cow were plotting along, not seeming to be in any hurry, but knowing where they were going. As I raised my phone to snap the photos, the old man actually looked over at the bus, looked right at me, and smiled. It was a deep, knowing smile. That smile connected me with that man, though just for an instant, even though we had never met, and probably never would. I returned his smile, almost from instinct. He then nodded his head, and turned back to the path ahead of him. I was frozen in time for that second, but that smile is etched forever in my mind. Though I didn't capture the smile, I did capture the moment. And many, many other moments like this while I was in Ukraine - the people, the sights, the colors, the textures of this sweet, sweet country.

Photos taken with iPhone 4 in Ukraine, October 2013. 
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