Photos

Mr. Manuel Carvalho's somewhat distrustful gaze was only the primal reaction from someone who is used to tuff agricultural work and not too much touristic walkabouts.

It is no surprise that his first reaction towards someone taking a picture of him would be something like "Why on earth would someone want to take a picture of me??" His simplicity and plainfulness does not allow him to realize that he is indeed special in various senses, an "endangered species" in this world.

The lines on his face and the sun-darkened skin are eloquent: He lives along with his wife and 5 or 6 other neighbors, on a small mountain village at the north of Portugal. He is a shepherd (he owns one of the bulls depicted in my previous post ) remaining long periods of time at the hills with his cattle, both on sunny and rainy days. Traditional Agriculture is also a help for his small income, working with his own two hands.

His generosity gave way to a generous offspring: 8 sons. When Portugal was under economic crisis some years ago, several of them migrated to Central Europe in search for a better life. Better than Mr. Carvalho's life? Not necessarily: His lifestyle incarnates many of the modern society longings: a healthy lifestyle, lots of contact with nature, a stressless working environment near his family...

His frown didn't have the last word. He is one of the kindest persons I ever met. You can see him with his friends on the Workshop .

Indeed Mr. Carvalho has the texture, the stiffness, the stability and the endurance of the old mountain oaks. Surprisingly, his surname means, in Portuguese, just that: Oak.