The farm

Natalia's Dad, Ivan, has a farm, about 30 miles away from downtown Ternopil.  The farm is perhaps about 10 acres.  He grows many kinds of grains, raises chickens, sheep, pigs, rabbits.  He also has a sizable orchard.  The man used to work for the Ternopil city government.  Once he made to trip to U.S., and visited some farms.  That got his hands itchy.  He wanted to have a farm or his own, and operate it the American style.  Thus he did.  Now he is a full time farmer.  A man who pursued his own dreams.

Not my first time on a farm, but I haven't seen such a variance of farm products all at once.

Entered his "drive way".

The house he built.

 George and Maya.  And the happy dad, after away from the kids for the extended summer.

Pigs.

A BIG rabbit.

The width of the case is at very least 2 feet.  Not too big for her.

The king pig (in size), George pointed to me.

Sheep.  They are social, but only among their own kind.  George and I walked close (but still like 20 feet away), they all got up from the ground and left.  I hope it is not because I am Chinese.

Piglets are the opposite.  They would be all over us, if it weren't for the fence.

Orchard.  There are all different kinds of apples, plums, prunes, and I was free to pick anything I wanted.

So many apples on it, the branch couldn't take it, and broke.

I never realized that I had never had REAL apples.  Those from grocery stores or even farmer's market don't even compare these.  The ripe apples actually are very juicy, so much that after a stomachful of tasty apples, I found my t-shirt was full of drips on the chest.  I am not trying to advertise my table manner, but dripping juice from eating apples was something I never experienced.

And taste of these apple was indescribable.

Natalias's dad, Ivan on the left.  George, me, and Natalia's mom, Inna, on other side of the tree.

A shot of the house from the orchard.

Two cuties.

George cried after we boarded the train, missing the puppy.