Dave Raphael

Rutger and Daan are two fabulous guys I was introduced to a few years ago in Amsterdam.  Rutger built the coolest table Ive ever seen, the guy is a total genius with wood.  I also cant pronounce his name, as my Dutch diction is abysmal.  Daan used to have long dreads and I almost didnt recognize him when I walked in the bar, glad to see him representing Pittsburgh…  Like so many things about the good times Ive had here, the details are fuzzy and this sadly includes the guy in the hat’s name.  I think he might have been from Rotterdam.  If this conversation was conducted in English, I completely dont recall its contents.

These were shot at dusk, or at least the four hour fade that qualifies as dusk in the Dutch spring.  Id estimate this set of photos perfectly exemplifies the discourse one might stagger into after many bierje in good company.  It certainly was the daily scene that I was part of in one way or another during the month I spent in Amsterdam for my 34th birthday.  Good fucking birthday…

Union Square is always full of activity, but the park was packed at 2 AM election night when all of these were taken. From the several blocks away where I live, I heard the madness in the park and had to go check out the scene. In addition to the crowd cheering, every car on the road was honking away.

Right around two in the morning the daily post came around and was handing out the first newspapers.

Ive definitely been to outdoor festivals where the crowd was not cheering as loudly as it was this night, and never would I have imagined that a Politician in America could inspire crowd surfing. If there was some plywood hanging around, there could have been some real fun.

The high five was in full effect this evening. This last photo is probably my favorite from the night, two strangers going up high.

Shot these in Chicago in August 2008.