Gold buyers

become old buyers depending on how you hold your camera... :)

it was only when looking through the lens that i realized i should leave out the G.. but then the lady just moved a little, and well... couldnt ask her to take a step back again, right?

today sinterklaas (photos here!!) arrived in the netherlands... i remember the first year i lived in Utrecht i went to the lab on saturday and when going back, i ended up in the arrival of sinterklaas, which i had completely forgotten about. wasnt easy to get out of the crowd with my bike. i know last year we especially went to the city to see him, but did we actually get to see him? 

now being in the usa since april, i start to realize i miss all this kind of stuff for the first time in my life. that is just sooo weird! then i saw some photos on facebook of friends that were with a boat on the utrecht canals and thus having the best possible view of sinterklaas' arrival (he comes by boat!)... and that all made me a little homesick.... surely, being in another country makes you realize whats particular to your own....

oh my, i will miss all that sinterklaas-candy as well! pepernoten, chocolate letters (you get a letter of chocolate; usually the first letter of your name), marsepein....  weird, really weird. as if i cared that much about that all when i still was in the netherlands! (well, apparently.. :) ) ah well, here the stores are already filled with christmas-stuff. and maybe i should photograph all the turkeys piled up in the supermarket..?

Police explain

this picture was taken when obama was in boston. i can readily imagine how this lady is babbling on and on and on, but none of the police officers is actually listening... "officers, please explain me why nowadays.. blabllabla.." i didnt like the one with the glasses, he was on a motorcycle and when parking it in front of the convention center took the right of way and let a mother with 2 small children back away, while it was overcrowded there! this morning there was an article in the metro newspaper questioning whether police officers used excessive violence while arresting a 16-year old at  the roxbury college. this arrest was taped and can be seen on youtube. i myself dont want to watch the entire thing, but the beginning looks bad. ofcourse, i have no clue what this kid did, but fact is, he is only 16 and about 10 officers (!! were they taking turns on the beating?) were dealing with him at the same time. this part of the news report i found particularly stupid; "the teen allegedly grabbed the officers handcuffs and started flailing, which can be very dangerous", the Commissioner said. and: "3 officers were taken to the hospital". once again, i never hope to get into contact with "the emergency services".

other than that; today was a truly scrumptious day! it was like a sunny summer-day, only the trees gave away to true season we are currently in...

Another lady

i think her glasses are sooooo old-fashioned american! this was close to the public library in boston, and she "forced" her grandson (i assume) on a picture.. :) (and she was not posing for me..! i just also took a pic)

Old lady

i think this was on july 4, in/at the boston common. did she buy the balloon-creation? find it? get it? she reminded me a little of the old lady from the museum of fine arts. but then a friendlier-looking version.... looking back that guard really looked a bit evil.. like from a roald dahl story or something.
ah, and look... a baseball cap!