Holland

This must be a popular postcard design in Holland.  I received these two postcards within two days of each other, from two separate Postcrossing participants.  While the cards feature completely different pictures and slightly different placement of colors around the border, the design is virtually the same.

I always get  confused about the use of the term "Holland" versus "The Netherlands".  It turns out it's no wonder.  Officially, "Holland" refers to a region in the western part of The Netherlands, comprising of North Holland and South Holland.  However, these are only two of the twelve provinces of The Netherlands.  Accepted use, albeit informally, allows "Holland" to be used to refer to the entire country.  Add to that the use of the word "Dutch" to refer to all things Netherland, and it becomes a big mishmash of confusion for me.

In any case, I love the postcards I get from Postcrossing, and never know from where or with which images a card will arrive

My First Super Bowl

In 1995, I was invited by Sports Illustrated Magazine to go to Super Bowl XXIX in Miami to see the San Francisco 49ers (my home team) play the San Diego Chargers.  It was the best business perk I ever had.

We were flown from San Francisco to Miami, and whisked to the Biltmore Hotel (seen here) in Coral Gables outside of Miami.  This Biltmore Hotel claimed to have the largest pool in the world, at least at that time, and the hotel itself became our playground for the next couple of days.  I can't imagine a better host than Sports Illustrated;  they held a variety of events, including a big dinner reception where there was a huge copper pan of paella the size of a satellite dish, well-known sports figures, writers from the magazine, and a bevy of magazine sales reps eager to entertain us.  At one point, a group of us decided we wanted to go into South Beach, and a small bus appeared to take us there.  It happened that a number of the advertisers who had been invited were couples with relatively young children, like us, who hadn't been away without the kids for a while.  We were all in the same mindset - "we're free", and behaved accordingly. 

But game day itself was the highlight.  We were loaded on busses to travel to the stadium, and we all wondered how bad the traffic would be.  For the three Sports Illustrated busses, no problem.  We had a police escort from the hotel to the stadium, which literally cleared a path for us on the freeway.  You could see people in the cars who had been pushed to the side looking at our busses, wondering, "Who's in there?"  At the stadium itself, there was a Sports Illustrated by invitation only hospitality tent, and when at last it was game time, we were taken to the Sports Illustrated luxury box, where we sat with the publisher, Tom Brady, and, during the third quarter, Mean Joe Green.  As icing on the cake, the 49ers won the game.

I still have a canvas bag and a couple of plastic cups from this outing.  The beach towels and the stadium seats they gave us, all emblazoned with the Super Bowl XXIX and Sports Illustrated logos, and some of the other tchotches have long since disappeared.  I attended one other Super Bowl in Phoenix, when the Dallas Cowboys played the Pittsburg Steelers.  I've been to the Final Four at the Superdome in New Orleans.  I've  attended World Series and NBA playoff games.  However, nothing will ever top this trip to the XXIX Super Bowl!

The Super Bowl

Tomorrow is Super Bowl XLIV, featuring the Indianapolis Colts versus the New Orleans Saints.  Above, a postcard from each team's home town.

I am rooting for the New Orleans Saints, for three random reasons.  First, while I haven't been to Indianapolis, I have been to New Orleans and between the jazz and the food and the energy in the streets and the voodoo and cemetaries and Mardi Gras and and and - how can you not love the place?  Second, New Orleans is a city that could use something to celebrate, and while winning the NFC championship is a big deal in and of itself, the big one is the Big One.  Lastly, our friend from college was drafted out of UC Berkeley to be a running back for the Saints many years ago, and because of this I've always felt a certain fondness for the team.

Tomorrow - postcards from the first time I went to the Super Bowl.

Shambala Preserve

Tippi Hedren, of Alfred Hitchcock's Bird fame, founded a center called the Shambala Preserve, in the high dessert in Southern California.  It is home to almost 70 exotic felines, including the serval named "Ozzie" pictured above, as well as "lions, tigers, cougars, black and spotted leopards, servals, bobcats, Asian leopard cats, a jungle cat, a lynx, and one very magnificent liger".

I have a cat, Sunshine, who isn't exactly an exotic feline but she's a beautiful cat.  She is particularly devoted to me, and she and my husband do battle over who might get my attention.  My husband thinks the cat wins too often.

Galapagos Islands

I received this postcard in the mail yesterday, sent by my friend Carolyn, from the Galapagos Islands. 

                                                             

Most school children learn that the Galapagos Islands were the inspiration for Charles Darwin's theory of evolution by natural selection, although the natural selection part of said theory is often left out of the discussion.  What they might not learn is that there are 15 major and three minor islands comprising this equator-straddling volcanic archipelago.  Many of the islands were originally named by the bucaneer Ambrose Cowley after "some of his fellow pirates or after the English noblemen who helped his cause", but more recently were assigned Spanish names by the Ecuadorean government.  Many visitors, especially ecological researchers, continue to use the English names as those were the names used when Darwin visited.

The Galapagos is one of too many world heritage sites in danger of being both loved and exploited to death.  Interesting to read that there are 700 non-native species on the islands, introduced either intentionally or not, compared to 500 native species.  For example, "in 1959, fishermen introduced one male and two female goats to Pinta island; by 1973 the National Park service estimated the population of goats to be over 30,000 individuals."   Wow.  That's some population explosion!  Imagine what it does to the native plants and animals.

Althought it doesn't say, the picture on the postcard is most likely a Marine Iguana (as opposed to the Galapagos Land Iguana).  The Marine Iguanas are not found anywhere else on earth, and when Charles Darwin encountered them he described them as follows:  "The black Lava rocks on the beach are frequented by large (2-3 ft), disgusting clumsy Lizards. They are as black as the porous rocks over which they crawl & seek their prey from the Sea. I call them 'imps of darkness'. They assuredly well become the land they inhabit."  Pretty harsh description for an ocean-going, green algae eating lizard.  I think its picture is cute, in a reptilian sort of way.

The New Hotel Jefferson

They don't call bars and restaurants "The Rendezvous Room" or the "Club Continental" any more.  It's too bad, really.  These names have an air of elegant sophistication, or at least a little bit of intrigue about them. This is due in part to the fact that  I have always been partial to alliteration.  But it is also because there is no cynicism in these names; they weren't meant to be ironic.  The names were simply a sign of the times.

As the Mystery Sender writes, the the New Hotel Jefferson doesn't appear to exist any longer.  There are lots of "Jefferson" named places in St. Louis, but no New Jefferson Hotel.  It's a pity.  I would love to see a room that still looks like the Rendezvous Room, or make an appointment to rendezvous with someone there!

The Lion House in Salt Lake City

I haven't posted a card from the Mystery Sender in way too long, so today, a card of the Lion House, home of Brigham Young, in Salt Lake City sent by my favorite postcard correspondent, the Mystery Sender.  My book club is reading The 19th Wife about a Mormon polygamous sect in Utah (where else?), so it seemed appropriate.

I love the difference in descriptions of the Lion House from the perspective of the Mormon Church (here) and Wikipedia (here).  The Mormon history describes the Lion House as Brigham Young's house where he housed his "very large family".  Wikipedia talks about his many wives and all their children.  It's all a matter of perspective, I suppose.

Indiana

Indiana was one of the states for which I had no postcards.  A friend of mine has a sister who lives there, and she talked her sister into sending me the cards.  Still hoping for cards from North & South Dakota, West Virginia, Kansas, Vermont, and Nebraska.  Help!

So, what to say about Indiana?  To be honest, I can't find much.  Their nickname is the Hoosier state, although no one seems to know the origin of the term.   The Colts from Indianapolis are going to the Super Bowl this year - although I still think of them as the Baltimore Colts, even though they haven't played in Baltimore since 1984.  Perhaps we'll learn something about Indiana or Indianapolis during the pre-game warm up shows.

Here's something, in keeping with my on-going interest in dunes.  Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore, stretching from Gary, Indiana to Michigan City, Indiana along the shores of Lake Michigan.  Doesn't sound like there are that many dunes, but it looks like an interesting place for a hike.

There are a number of movies set in Indiana, among them Hoosiers, North by Northwest, a League of Their Own, and The Fugitive.  Kurt Vonnegut and Theodore Dreiser are both from Indiana and last but not least, who could forget the words to the song, Gary, Indiana sung by both Robert Preston and Ron Howard in the film version of The Music Man:

Gary, Indiana, Gary Indiana, Gary, Indiana,

Let me say it once again.

Gary, Indiana, Gary, Indiana, Gary, Indiana,

That's the town that "knew me when."

If you'd like to have a logical explanation

How I happened on this elegant syncopation,

I will say without a moment of hesitation

There is just one place

That can light my face.

Gary, Indiana,

Gary Indiana,

Not Louisiana, Paris, France, New York, or Rome, but--

Gary, Indiana,

Gary, Indiana,

Gary Indiana,

My home sweet home.

Illnois

Illinois is a large state, ranking fifth in population in the US.  62% of the state's population resides in its northeast corner, namely in Chicago or in the greater Chicago area. I've visited Chicago multiple times, but have barely been outside its city limits except to visit Evanston, immediately to the north, and Oak Park, immediately to the southwest.  (I think.)

The first time I visited Chicago, around 1985, I went on the Wendella Boat Cruise.  Not only was it interesting to go through the locks from the Chicago River out onto Lake Michigan, it was fascinating from an architectural standpoint.  A lot of modern architecture was born in Chicago, and it was a subject I knew absolutely nothing about. That same trip I went to stay at my friends' in Oak Park, and went on a tour of Frank Lloyd Wright's house there.  More architecture, more learning.  My head spun.  I've never thought about architecture the same since.

One of the other things I really like about Chicago is its airport.  There was one Christmas I was travelling so much, I ended up doing quite a bit of my Christmas shopping in O'Hare airport during a layover, or waiting for a delayed flight - I don't remember which.  Whenever I am traveling through there, I always like going through the trippy corridors (see postcard above right), with the ever-changing neon lights and the music and the people movers.  It's borderline psychedelic.

A recent post of Michael Jordan's statue in Chicago can be found here.  I don't think the statue was there the last time I visited.

Idaho

Good things about Idaho:  Fly fishing, huckleberries, and of course the giant spuds. It is a beautiful state and does have an interesting shape.

Bad thing about Idaho:  it has street slang built into its name - Who's the ho?  I da ho or u da ho.

This might be my dumbest post ever, but I'd rather go hot tubbing than write today!  Sorry readers, especially Idaho lovers.

Hawaii, Revisited

Yesterday, I had hoped to post a postcard of every Hawaiian Island, or at least the ones for which I have postcards, but it was a long day, and I could only eke out a quick post. So today, I bring you all the Hawaiian Islands. Wish I were on one, or more specifically, in the waters off of one, right now, sun on my back.

From north to south, the northernmost island of Hawaii is Kauai. This is a postcard of the Na Pali Coast, which you can see via helicopter, boat, or trail. 30+ years ago my then boyfriend, now husband, and I hiked to the first beach on this trail, and spent a few days camping in a cave. It makes you think twice when you're hiking down the trail to the beach, and there's a tidal wave warning sign, complete with a bright yellow post that says something to the effect of "If the ocean recedes rapidly, get immediately up past this pole". It was a looooong way down to the beach. Tidal waves were always one of my recurring nightmares as a kid, so a sign like that makes me pause, just for a moment.





 
The next island from north to south is Oahu, the most populous island, and home to some of the best surf spots in the world: Sunset, Banzai Pipeline, Waimea Bay. A postcard from Oahu kinda hasta have Diamondhead on it. Either that, or a picture of surfers on Waikiki Beach. Here's sunset over Diamondhead.
 

Molokai is next, primarily known for the leper colony on its north shore. The colony, Kalaupapa, was located here because the sea cliffs provided natural isolation from the rest of the island. The story of one young girl's compulsory deportation to the leper colony is told in a book called Moloka'i. The mandatory isolotion policy was in effect until 1969.




 

Next up, Lanai. Truth be told, this postcard was written by somebody visiting Lanai, but I can't be positive that the picture is of Lanai. Lanai is known as the "pineapple island" because for years, practically the entire island was a pineapple plantation, and until 1990, there was only a single hotel on the island.

Further South is Maui. This postcard showing a humpback whale breeching is not an unusual sight during the winter and early spring in the waters off Maui. There are whale watching boat cruises, in which you can get relatively close to the whales, but you can also just stand on the shores and watch for them.








The big island of Hawaii is not only the largest island in Hawaii, it's the largest island in the United States. My cousin lives there, and when she got married, our entire family went for the celebration. While there, we took a helicopter ride over the volcanoes. It was my first helicopter ride (okay, I've only had two, but this was the first!) and incredibly thrilling, complete with headphones playing Apocolypse Now type music, and a rounded glass front, so you could look down through your feet (I got to sit in the front).  This postcard is of the Thurston Lava Tube, which is in Hawaiian Volcanoes National Park.

There are two additional Hawaiian islands, but I don't have postcards for them: Kaho'olawe and Niihau. Kaho'olawe was used by the US military primarily as a training ground and firing range, until 1990. Now it is only allowed to be used for native Hawaiian cultural and spiritual reasons. Niiahu is privately owned, and the general public has only been allowed to visit the island on a limited basis since 1987.

Aloha!

Hawaii

This is one of the older postcards in my collection which was sent directly to me, rather than a relative.  I was still in high school, and this was sent by a friend who went to Hawaii with the church youth choir.

The card includes not very secret secret code about rapscallion-like teenage activities engaged in at the time, but the best part about this card is that the sender taped "actual Hawaiian sand" onto the card when she sent it.  I must have been very impressed with this idea at the time, and actually still think it's cool, as I've saved this card all these years, and I received it well before I really started collecting postcards.  You can see the piece of yellowing scotch tape on the card on the left, which still has a few grains of sand on it.

Georgia

My sister lived in Atlanta for almost 20 years, and we visited her there a handful of times.  Once we were on a family road trip, having driven to Atlanta from Bethany Beach, Delaware.  I remember that I read the 5th Harry Potter book aloud to my kids almost the entire drive from Charleston,  South Carolina, to Atlanta.  That was a lot of reading aloud.

While in Atlanta, we went out to the mountains and spent a day canoeing on a river that looked sort of like the postcard on the right, except that the river was very low and at times we  had to portage the canoes.  It was a typical canoe trip, complete with water fights between the canoes (sneak attacks, of course), graceful lurches in and out of the canoe, and lots of laughing.  We also attended a Bo Diddly concert in Chastain Park in an outside amphitheater.  People brought picnics, some complete with candleabras, and enjoyed his music sitting outside in the very hot, very sticky summer air.  For a San Franciscan, more accumstomed to foggy summer nights, to be outside under the stars and clouds, with fire flies blinking about was excellent.

It was a surprise to me that the city of Atlanta has a population of less than 600,000 inhabitants.  My guess would have been over a million.   However, its metropolitan area is 8th in the country with 5.4 million people.

I love the postcards that feature a state map.  On this map, you see the things you would expect on a map from Georgia:  golfers, wind surfers, and a hunter.  HUH?  Well at least the peach blossoms, pecans, a southern belle, and a mansion that looks like Tara are what you'd expect.  I also see the the Okefenokee Swamp is at least partially in Georgia, straddling the border with Florida.  It is one of the largest swamps in the world.

The postcard maps always remind me of the reports we did on states in elementary school:  major cities, key crops, iconic symbols.  Or even of the murals we painted on butcher paper on the walls.  I particularly remember the one we did for Mexico. (I realize Mexico is not a state.)  Growing up in Southern California very near the San Gabriel Mission, we were aware, if not knowledgeable, about a lot of the iconic symbols of Mexico at the time - donkeys, sombreros, missions, cactus, etc.  Think cheesy Tijuana souvenirs from the 60s and you'll have an idea of what that mural looked like!

Florida

For whatever reason, I don't think of Florida as being part of the South.  It is as if it's its own region..  Howevever, if you've been on the panhandle part of Florida, you know that's a place that definitely feels like the South.

The postcard on the left is from Talahassee, on the panhandle.  I've been there once. 

Talahassee was the closest airport to Ochlocknee, Georgia, the location of one of two white clay mines in the world (the other being somewhere in China)., and the source of clay for a brand of cat litter, Control Cat Litter. [Many cat litters are made of clay.]  I was the account executive at the ad agency that did the advertising for Control Cat Litter, and the brand manager decided we should all visit the source of this special clay, to see if we could find any information that could be used in advertising messaging.   I don't remember that we did, and it was a long way from San Francisco to that clay mine in Georgia.  I do still have a lump of that clay in my office.

The Control Cat Litter brand no longer exists, but as usual, I discovered something interesting while searching the web to see if it was still around.  Ever heard of Geophagy?  It means eating dirt, or clay, and this white Georgia clay appears to be of particular interest to geophagists, if such a term exists.  If you're interested, you can purchase it here.

The postcard on on the right, of Key West, included a message on the back that said:  "If you ever come to Florida, skip everything else and come sraight to Key West."  I imagine it to be a bit like San Francisco in the tropics, but smaller:  lots of eccentric, colorful, and interesting people drinking a bit too much booze, but sporting killer tans, and wearing Hawaiian shirts and flip flops.  It may not be reality, but that's how I picture it.

Delaware

It's a good enough time as any to begin another week of United STATES postcards, beginning with Delaware. Delaware is the second smallest state in the US, but the 6th in population density, and was the first state to sign the Declaration of Independence which, of course, is the basis for their license plate claim : "The First State".

I can't say the name "Delaware" without song lyrics running through my head: "What did Della wear, boys? What did Della wear?" The answer was something about her "new jersey". I always thought it was a camp song until I looked it up. The song was recorded by Perry Como, which you can hear here, and there are additional verses about states beyond those about Delaware and New Jersey. However, the song appears to have originated as an election jingle in the early 30s as part of a presidential election, probably that of FDR's first campaign. How it was used is hard to imagine.

I'm lucky enough to have been to Delaware multiple times, as good friends have a beach house in Bethany beach and they invited us to visit, more than once. (Thanks, Jack & Lor!) The view from their porch in Bethany Beach is pretty much that of the postcard on the right. For my previous post about Delaware and Bethany Beach, click here.

A Giant Potato

Recently, a reader asked if I had any postcards of jackalopes or giant Idaho potatoes. Here's the potato!

My grandfather and mother used to go to Idaho every fall for fly fishing and duck hunting. Usually, they would send us a giant spud or jackalope postcard. While this card isn't from that time - those cards have long disappeared - the date on the back of this card is 1979, and I'm not really sure who the Carolyn is who sent it to me. But my name and address at the time are on the back, so I know it's mine.

My friend Michelle used to live in the town of Driggs, Idaho. It is just on the other side of the Tetons from Jackson Hole, Wyoming. The drive-in in Driggs is called "The Spud", and parked in front of the drive-in is a flat bad truck with a giant potato on it, exactly like the one in the picture above. (If you look at this YouTube video , you can see the truck and the potato.) On Wednesday nights, The Spud charged by the car, not the person. My friend had an old Winnebago, and when we were visiting, probably 10 or 12 of us piled in, and headed to the Spud. It was awesome.

So, faithful reader, this Spud's for you, per your request. (Sorry, couldn't resist.)

Tastes Like Chicken

'Nuf Said.

Iceland

Another bucket list alert, this time for Iceland. I am intrigued by Iceland on a variety of levels.

One is its geographic isolation. Yes, there are more isolated places, but Iceland sits out in the middle of the North Atlantic, and only the North Atlantic Current keeps it from being friggin' freezing (to quote Dr. Evil).

Another is its geologic make-up. It is a land of volcanoes, geysers (although there are more geysers in Yellowstone than in all of Iceland), the largest water fall in Europe, and a more temperate climate than its latitude would suggest.

Finally, I'd just like to be in a place with names like "Reykyavik" and "Haukadular". I want to hear how these words, and others, sound spoken by the people who live there.

Before its financial meltdown in 2008, Iceland was ranked the most developed country in the world according to the UN's Human Development Index. It might not be #1 today.

The stamps on this postcard. were also interesting.

Wondering what "Brokk" meant, I looked it up, thinking it was a type of horse. It turns out there is only one breed of horse in Iceland, not surprisingly the Icelandic Horse, brought to Iceland by the Viking settlers in the 9th century. The horse is uniquely five-gaited and "brokk" is the name of its trot. It has never been bred with any other type of horse, and is the only horse that can live on grass alone. (At least that what the first site says - what about Wild Mustangs????)

Today is Postcard Friendship Friday, so if you have a chance, check out some of the other postcard sites.

The Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur, India

The Oberoi Udaivilas, Udaipur, India. Wow! I'd like to have dinner at that table by that pool.

Check out the website for the resort here. As my friend says in her postcard, it is "surely one of the most ravishingly beautiful hotels in the world". I don't think she is exaggerating.

The city of Udaipur itself was rated "The Best City in the World" in a Travel & Leisure poll in 2009. Known as the Venice of India due to the preponderance of lakes, it is home to numerous castles, particularly from the Rajput era (11th-13th centuries).

Interesting to note that Rajput refers to a major warrior group in India, and includes Hindus, Muslims, and Sikhs. At the time of Indian independence, more the 600 of the 800 princely states in India were ruled by Rajputs.

I suppose I am becoming an armchair traveler (or desk chair in my case). I know the term, I've used the word, but I'm living the meaning: be exposed to a place, look it up, research its location and history and any other interesting tidbits, and voila, something new learned. In fact one of the postcard bloggers from Postcard Friendship Friday calls her blog "Sandy, the Armchair Traveller". I understand better now what she's trying to say and do.

Slavonski Brod, Croatia

Once again, my view of myself as geographically knowledgeable and otherwise worldly is shattered.

To start, Slavonski Brod is in Croatia (or here, if you're more interested in Croatia from a traveler's perspective), very close to the border of Bosnia and Herzegovina. I don't expect myself to have heard of the town, given I've never been to the town, or even to the country of Croatia. However, when I looked on a map to see where it was, and the map only showed its location in Croatia, I had to look on another map to get the name of its neighboring country. Arg. I think I better start taking the geography quiz more often, especially for Eastern Europe and Africa.

Next, I looked up Ivan Mestrovic, who is on one of the stamps. He is an artist considered to be "possibly the greatest sculptor of religious subject matter since the Renaissance, and the first living person to have a one man show at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City". Did you know this? I did not. [BTW, he's not alive now, having died in 1962.]

Role Reversal

A reader asked if I had any jackalope or giant trout or other rural legend images. I do, somewhere, but haven't located them yet.

In the meantime, here's a rural legend for you: deer bags man. There are so many goofy aspects to this picture: the trussing of the man on the front bumper, the pose of the deer in the driver's seat window along with the expression (or lack thereof) on its face, the multiple plaids in the man's outfit.

The whole thing gives me a good chuckle on this rainy rainy Tuesday.

Privacy Postcards

Here's a novel concept. Or, perhaps it's not novel, but it is the first example of this I have in my collection.

From top to bottom, the first two images show the front and back of the card, with the image folded over the sender's message; the second two images show the front and back with the flap opened up, creating a larger visual on the front, and revealing the "private" message on the back.

Actually, the cards are called Fold 'n Please cards, from a company called Nouvelles Images. On their website in the history section, they assert that Jacques Blanc (founder?) foresaw the growth of interest in art, and in 1957 was the first to ask artists for permission to put their work on postcards.

That's definitely nouvelle!

Route 66

My friends recently drove from St. Louis to San Francisco, and followed old Route 66 at least part of the way. This card is pretty typical of a contemporary postcard from Historic Route 66.

Anybody who knows me, knows that I am a major road tripper, long and short. As part of this passion, I've become a big fan of Road Trip USA. Route 66 is Route #11 on the website. I've traveled small pieces of it, but not a lot.

However, I have traveled 95% of Route #1, from Seattle through to San Diego (into Baja for that matter; it's just not called Highway 1 in Mexico); Route #9, the "loneliest highway in America" from San Francisco to Grand Junction, Colorado; Route #7, the Great Northern, from Everett, Washington to Kalispell, Montana; and Route #6, the Atlantic Coast, from Ocean City, Delaware to Charleston, South Carolina.

One of my travel dreams would be to drive on Route #10, the Southern Pacific to the East Coast, and follow Route #8, the Oregon Trail, back to San Francisco. Or at least a good portion of both of them.

What's your favorite Road Trip?

La Boulange, Bay Area

La Boulange is a San Francisco Bay Area mini-chain, with about 10+ locations in San Francisco and Marin. (Until I posted these cards, I always thought it was called La Boulangerie.) In any case, while the locations are part of a chain, each one feels like a neighborhood bakery.

This is underlined by the free postcards available in any of their locations. Each bakery is represented in its own oil painting, in its distinctive location, some with the name of the street featured on the bakery awning.

I also like the back of the cards (all the same), where the stamp amount is shown in Euros and the motto of France is printed on the stamp: Liberte, Egalite, Fraternite.

The coffee and breads aren't bad, either!

Americana, Brazil

This postcard, which arrived through Postcrossing, shows the "Igreja de Santo Antonio", located in the city of Americana in the state of Sao Paulo, Brazil.

What's most interesting about this card is not the church itself, but rather the discovery of the city of Americana in Brazil. Turns out after the Civil War, a group of people from the Confederate states immigrated here, because they wanted to live where slavery was still legal. Wikipedia puts it more gracefully: "In Brazil, however, slavery was still legal, making it a particularly attractive location for former Confederates." About 10% of the population of the city are descendants of this original group, known as Confederados, and there is a Fraternidade Decendencia Americana which still meets quarterly, in a cemetary no less.

The group brought with them a watermelon called "Georgia Rattlesnake". Burpee Seed Company considers it an heirloom watermelon. I wonder if it's still grown today?

BTW, it's Postcard Friendship Friday, so check out the other postings from the participants.

The Frick Collection

The Frick Collection on 5th Avenue in New York City is home to a permanent collection of more than 1,100 works of art from the Renaissance to the late 19th Century.

While it is not the largest museum in the United States, it "has played a very significant role in collecting and connoisseurship in the United States. The types of paintings collected by Mr. Frick deeply affected the taste of Americans in the decades after his death — first and foremost, that of Andrew Mellon, his close friend, and other collectors who gave to The National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., founded by Mellon." (From the Frick Collection website)

There is an interesting array of painters represented here, a few of whom I'd be particularly interested in seeing:

There are multiple works by Whistler (of Whistler's Mother fame).

Thomas Gainsborough, of Blue Boy fame which hangs at the Huntington Library in my home town, has a number of paintings at The Frick.

There is a series of paintings called "Arts & Sciences" by Francois Boucher, which includes pairings like "Fowling and Horticulture", "Architecture and Chemistry", "Astronomy and Hydraulics" and "Singing and Dancing".

Finally, who wouldn't want to see paintings by Turner and Constable?

Perhaps next time I visit New York........

British Columbia

Another card from a Postcrossing participant, this time from British Columbia. The sender is pointing out where there is a wine region of British Columbia ("start in Osoyoos and head up the Okanagan to Salmon Arm").

A postcard like this always reminds me of how much I don't know about the world. I am aware of British Columbia, I've always wanted to see Vancouver, but there's a lot more to the province than just its major city. The description from the website link above describes the Okanagan Valley as "begins in Canada's only true desert environment adjacent to the US border". I wasn't aware there was any desert-like environment in Canada, let alone adjacent to the US border.

The site also describes Ice wine, which is wine produced from grapes that are left to freeze on the vine before they are picked and pressed. Interesting.

British Columbia becomes yet another place to add to the list of places I'd like to see some day. This postcard collecting business can cause wanderlust!

Truckee, California

It's raining here today, so I imagine Truckee might look like this right about now, or at least later today when the storm clears. Here's something fun to look at: a highway webcam, at the Truckee exit off I-80! Looks more like rain than snow.

One More Royal Post

Whatever happened to Fergie? Or as she was more formerly known, Sarah, Duchess of York? For that matter, whatever happened to Prince Andrew, Duke of York and Princesses Beatrice and Eugenie?

You can follow the links, above, or here's a quick summary. Sarah has the Sarah Ferguson Foundation, which is dedicated to advocating for "wellness and motherhood" and is active in publishing and broadcasting, both as a writer and producer. Prince Andrew (who has his own website here) serves as the United Kingdom's Special Representative for International Trade and Investment. He's an avid golfer, and a regular goose hunting companion of the President of Kazakhstan, Nursultan Nazarbayev. Princess Beatrice is a university student who occasionally engages in princess-like behavior - gracing a variety of functions with her presence. She looks a lot like her mother. She is the fifth and first female in the line of succession to the throne. Princess Eugenie is a university student as well.

The Royals, Continued - A Minor Royal

HRH Prince Edward, a younger brother of Prince Charles. Once third in line for the succession to the throne, he is now seventh. It's not likely he'll ever be King.

I sent this postcard to my husband (then boyfriend) the very first time I ever took a trip that necessitated a passport - my friend Carol and I went to England for about nine days. We had a blast, staying mostly in London, but renting a car for a couple of days to visit Oxford and Stratford-upon-Avon. This card reminded me that in Stratford-upon-Avon, after a very nice dinner in a Shakespearian era restaurant, we went into a local bar, where we found more than one Boy George look-alike, complete with hair, make up and clothes. Having always been a huge Boy George fan, this was one of the highlights of our trip, and such a contrast to the history and culture we had up to this point immersed ourselves in.

Makes me laugh, just thinking about it.

Blast From The Past

While looking for a Union Jack themed card yesterday, I came across this portrait of the ex-Prince & Princess of Wales. They both look so young! Bad hairdos, too.

The Union Jack

Today is Postcard Friendship Friday, and the theme is (loosely) the Union Jack. The hostess of PFF found some very cool Union Jack Converse High Tops on line, and is looking forward to wearing them.

In any case, my contribution to the theme is this postcard ad for the BMW MINI, first launched in April 2001. It was the successor of the original Mini (note deliberate difference in capitalization), produced by British Motor Corporation from 1965 through 2000. The original Mini was similar in cult status to the VW Beetle, although the VW Beetle predates the BMC Mini by almost 40 years.

Notice there is a head sticking out the driver's side (British driver side) window of the car. On the back, the card says "Helen Bell. Flag Maker." The only Helen Bell I can find is a folk singer in England. Conceivably, everybody (but me) knows Helen Bell, and this is a bit of a joke. The timing of the release of her first album, and her finalist status on the BBC Radio Young Folk Award in 2000 would coincide nicely with the release of the car.

Anybody know?

Tango in Buenos Aires

Tango de Buenos Aires. Even the name sounds sexy.

This pose was probably shot in La Boca, the originally Italian section of Buenos Aires, which is filled with street after street of colorfully painted houses. These colorful houses are a vivid visual memory from my visit to Buenos Aires that has stayed with me for years. The image of these brightly colored streets comes to me when I wander around the often foggy, beige and grey Sunset District of San Francisco in which I live. It makes me think that my neighborhood could benefit from more colorful paint a la La Boca.

The Tango originated in Argentina, and quickly spread to the rest of the world. My friends, Gayle and Paul, learned and danced a very lively tango as the first dance on their wedding day. The dance has evolved into a variety of versions, but the one I find most surprising is the Finnish Tango, which flourished during the 1950s.

My mom went to Argentina in April, and while several postcards arrived on a relatively timely basis, this one must have been stuck in limbo somewhere because it just showed up about three weeks ago.

Quilotoa Crater, Ecuador

This postcard comes from one of my book club buddies, who spent some time in Ecuador this summer. It shows Quilotoa Crater, the western most volcano in the Ecuadorean Andes. I forget that the Andes in South America have a chain of volcanoes which are just a continuation of the chain of volcanoes in North America. It makes sense - they are part of the Pacific Ocean "ring of fire" - but these volcanoes aren't the first that come to my mind.

In any case, it appears to be an emerging tourist hot spot, with a beautiful green lake and a hike around the rim of the crater. There is a eco-lodge nearby, The Black Sheep Inn, where my friend must have stayed. Check it out - the lodge looks great, and the nearby hiking sounds even better. It also appears to be for sale. Anybody up for the innkeeper business in Ecuador?

Ecuador and Argentina seem to be the hot tourist places this year. I must know five or six people who have traveled to Ecuador and another six or seven who visited Argentina. Travel in these countries has changed a lot since I traveled through them 30 years ago - there was no such thing as an eco-lodge!

Back In the Saddle

Let the New Year begin, and with a new beginning, a return to daily posting.

As of today, January 5, I've been posting postcards daily (with a few exceptions, including the last few days) for exactly six months, and will continue to do so for at least another six months.

Look for additional postcards from the Mystery Sender, a continuation of the US states in alphabetical order (still hoping for postcards from North and South Dakota, Vermont, West Virginia, Indiana, and Nebraska), more colleges and universities, on-going Postcard Friendship Fridays, 100+ year old seasonal and travel postcards, a random week or two of postcards received the previous day, and any number of postcards from my collection that simply strike my fancy.

Request or suggestions? Bring 'em on. And, as always, comments totally make my day.

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to one and all. As the images I can post from where I am until Sunday are too small to be readable, I'm going to take a short hiatus.

See you all on Sunday!

Michael Jordan In Chicago

From regular sender, Rachel, who lives in Chicago. I love the way the card is dye cut to accommodate Michael Jordan's leaping legs.

Shalun Monastery, Tibet

From my friend Yolanda who is currently living in Shanghai (unless she's moved to Beijing!), a postcard from the Shalun Monastery in Tibet.

I'm Just Saying....

I've got nothing to post today.

Vintage Postcard Humor

Some things never change, but it certainly seems like what's considered funny does change. These vintage cartoon postcards are probably from the late 40s, early 50s, and were sent by the Mystery Sender. In fact, the one on the lower left included a recipe for moonshine on the back!

They are not at all "politically correct", and I love the goofy double entendres in all of them. If you like this genre, check out Postcard Funnies. It's a blog with nothing but these kinds of postcards.

A Fish Out of Water

Today I participated in a family golf tournament. Talk about a fish out of water! I am no golfer, although I come from a family of avid golfers. Today was the family golf tournament, and all family members were invited to play, novice or expert. I fall in the novice, at best, camp.

In any case, it was a lot of fun. I swung at a few balls, moved a few forward a bit, but most of all had a pretty good time. The things we do for our families.....

Christmas Day

Merry Christmas, one and all!

Christmas Eve

In my friend's entire collection of Christmas postcards, very few had any sort of reference to the Joseph and Mary, or shephards, or the birth of Jesus.

Except these three. They were made somtime between 1907 and 1912. Whatever your spiritual calling, the story of Jesus is about love and peace.

Love and peace to all, this Christmas Eve!

Christmas Eve Eve - Christmas in 1910

Crazy days and I suppose I've been giving short shrift to the copy on my posts. Christmas Eve Eve, and the frenzy is rising!

In all theses old postcards, there are very few images of angels. I love that in older images of angels, like the one to the right, the angels are most often blond!

Additional Christmas Flora - 1909

Two more cards from Christmas 100 years ago, neither of which features holly, but do feature poinsettias and cherries.

A while back, I researched a variety of Christmas symbols and their origins, for possible use in Christmas retail advertising. I learned a lot about the poinsettia. Did you know that the poinsettia is native to Mexico, and was called "Cuetlaxochitl" by the Aztecs who used the sap to control fevers and the bracts (leaves) to make a reddish dye? Or that the plant was introduced to the US by Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first United States Ambassador to Mexico, in 1828. He took cuttings from the plant and brought them back to his greenhouse in South Carolina. Or even that 80% of poinsettias are grown in California, with the great majority sold in the six weeks before Christmas? There is a website, The Poinsettia Pages, which shows more history and poinsettia facts.

Cherries didn't come up in my research then, so I wondered about their significance, especially in that they are quintessentially such a summer fruit. Geo-centrism strikes again. Given my northern hemisphere location, it didn't cross my mind to think of summertime Christmases, but in Australia, they are a part of a Christmas dinner. Then I stumbled across a story which includes a Christmas miracle (the cherries), a famous King (King Arthur), and a bit of just desserts (in the metaphorical sense). Give it a quick read: "Sir Cleges and The Christmas Cherries".

Christmas 1909 - Holly Days

Don't know what happened in 1908, but there are no Christmas postcards from that year in my friend's collection. These are all from 1909.

Two things I notice. One is that all cards feature holly in some way, thus today's title. Two, the X is used as an abbreviation for the "Christ" in Christmas. I thought that was a more modern development, but I guess not.

Christmas from Russian 2009

Christmas in Russia! This card arrived this week from Irena, through Post Crossing. I don't know what the greeting says on the front, but I love the image.

More Christmas 1907

More Christmas 1907, without the backs of the cards. Some of these have messages on the front (the two on the right) and some on the back.

I find the pine cone as spaceship card a bit bizarre, especially the catatonic looks on the kids' faces, but love the candle to the left. The message on that card is written in a Scandinavian language, probably Swedish. I think my friend whose cards these are is of Swedish descent. If you double click on the card on the right, you can see a man trudging home with a load of wood, across a small bridge.

Christmas 1907

Here's an unusual card from 1907. On the front of the card is a little teensy envelope, and inside that card is a little message. Both are shown here.

The card is embossed as well, which you can see better when you look at the address side of the card, as opposed to the front. Double click on any of the images, and you'll be able to see the beautiful detail better.

It's Postcard Friendship Friday, so if you get a chance, check out some of the other postcard blogs by clicking here.

Christmas Cards

My friend Debra keeps me supplied with very old (1906 through about 1912) seasonal postcards, from her family in Wisconsin. It was she who provided the old Thanksgiving and Halloween cards posted earlier.

For the next few days, I'll post a few of her Christmas cards, starting with these from 1906. Imagine that. There must be 100 Christmas postcards from these years; unfortunately about half of them don't appear to have been mailed (no stamps, no postmarks) even if they do have writing on them.

Here are the three from 1906. The one with the birds is included as moral support for my cousin, Nancy, who is going to be leading the national bird count in her area on Saturday. Go, Nancy!

New Orleans

Regular readers know that I send postcards to many of my sons' friends, freshmen and sophomores in college and most away from home for the first time. I do this for three reasons: 1) so they have something in their mail boxes - who doesn't like to get mail? 2) to remind them where they are from - in hopes they will want to come home sometime, and 3) to ask them to send me a postcard from their college, so I can include it in my "colleges/universities" sub-collection.

This postcard is an example of another reason I keep doing this. It is from our friend who goes to college at Tulane University. He loves it there, but it is a long way from San Francisco. It's the p.s. that makes it all worthwhile: "Whenever I get homesick, it's been nice seeing your cards. Thanks!" Made my day.

Christmas Spirit

I will get in the Christmas spirit. I will get in the Christmas spirit. I will get in the Christmas spirit. (Tap heels of red shoes three times.)

Found this postcard from about 20 years ago. I have been racking my brain trying to remember who the sender was. Was it the nurse who worked in Saudi Arabia, who we met scuba diving in Thailand? Was it somebody I met on a plane? Did we work together somewhere, sometime? Would all the people I've ever met in my life, if laid end to end, replicate the transcontinental railway? circle the globe?

Lion Sword in Mouth

Another card received through Postcrossing, from Copyyen inTaiwan. I've seen these images before, but I didn't know they were called "Lion Sword in Mouth" and are spirits to exorcise evil. My sender tells me they are auspicious for me, which I could use right now!

White Birds

When I was flying around Europe a lot in the 90s, Lufthansa was the airline of choice. And, as I recall, they had postcards in the seat pockets, free for the taking. This was great, because at the time I was sending postcards not only to myself and my kids, but also to all my nieces and nephews and the children of several friends. I must have been sending cards to 20 or more individuals with the singular goal of making them all smarter about geography.

In order to make this happen, I had pre-printed address labels, and when I was on a long flight, would address, stamp, and write a short message on several rounds of postcards at once, often mailing them when I got home. Stamps and postmarks were not important. The back of the card shown above is a perfect example: where I was flying (Frankfurt to New York City), but mailed from San Francisco, to myself, in San Francisco.

I found these postcards in the search for something to contribute to the Festival of Postcards. This month's theme is "white", with the deadline for submission being December 20.

[Random segue alert!]: The title made me think of a song I always loved: White Bird, by It's a Beautiful Day, from 1968. Here are the lyrics, which dovetail the white theme quite well:

White Bird

White Bird
In a golden cage
On a winter's day
In the rain
White Bird
In a golden cage
Alone

The leaves blow
Cross the long black road
To the darkened skies
In its rage
But the white bird
Just sits in her cage
Unknown.

White bird must fly
Or she will die

White bird
Dreams of the aspen Tree
With their dying leaves
Turning Gold
But the white bird
Just sits in her cage
Growing old.

White bird must fly
Or she will die
White bird must fly
Or she will die

The sunsets come
The sunsets go
The clouds Float by
And The Earth Turns slow
And the Young Bird's Eyes
Do always Glow
And She must fly
She must fly
She must fly

White bird
In a golden cage
On a winter's day
In the rain
White bird
In a golden cage
Alone

White bird must fly
Or she will die
White bird must fly
Or she will die
White bird must fly
Or she will die
White bird must fly

Connecticut

State #7, alphabetically - Connecticut. 48th in size, but 4th densest in population of all 50 states. Much of the density is due to its proximity to New York City, and it is a part of the New York Tri-state region. My connections to Connecticut include staying at a friend's home in Salisbury (it was beautiful) for a couple of days, touring Trinity College and Yale with Ed when we did the grand tour of northeast colleges, and watching the movie "Mystic Pizza", set in Mystic, Connecticut where my friend Ann lives. I am intrigued by the river and seaport aspects of Connecticut. I realize they exist, but haven't experienced them. Ann says she'll show me around Mystic if I ever get there.

The postcards of the chrysanthemums and the river view are both from the 50s, and must have been part of my grandmother's collection. While searching for the chrysanthemum nursery, Bristol Nurseries, I found that the nursery doesn't seem to exist anymore, but the exact postcard is for sale on Ebay for about $6. Same with the river view card next to it.

I'm thinking of ditching the state seals for when I do the next series of seven states (the next ones being Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana and I'll probably do eight and throw in Iowa, just to get through the I's). Anybody have any thoughts? Keep or ditch?

Colorado

It's Postcard Friendship Friday and the theme is postal boxes. This week I've been posting the first seven states in alphabetical order, making Colorado #6. It's just luck that Colorado fell on Friday, and while I don't have any postcards of postal boxes (this seems to be a popular postcard image), I do have Box Canyon, in Ouray, Colorado.

Notice the difference in the two postcards - the one on the right has people at the bottom of the canyon looking up at the falls. On the left, there's a cat walk, with people walking to a viewing platform eye level with the falls. I've been to Box Canyon twice, probably about 30 years apart, and collected both these cards there. I didn't remember that the first time there wasn't a cat walk.














I couldn't leave Colorado with just two shots of Box Canyon, so we've got bonus shots. On the left, the "Switzerland of America", the incredibly beautiful Ouray, Colorado. On the right, Great Sands National Park. Home of the tallest sand dunes in North America, and located in the foothills of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in Southern Colorado, these dunes became a national park only in 2004, having been a national monument up to that point. I'm a pretty big fan of sand dunes, so you probably wouldn't be surprised to know that there have been other sand dunes featured here before, here and here.

California

In alphabetical order, California is the next state up. The alphabetical posting of the first seven states was supposed to help me choose cards more easily this week, not make in harder! But it turns out I have over 100 postcards from California alone, and it was almost impossible to choose. So I chose both iconic images as well as some of my favorite spots. Enjoy!

Quintessential California

I only tried surfing once or twice when I was young and, truth be told, I've never been much of a body surfer, but I love the ocean and the beach more than just about anything. After 5 in the summer, when the surfers are allowed to actually surf where only swimmers are allowed during the day, is perhaps the most magical time on the beach. The crowds disperse, the shadows get longer, the sand is still warm, and the surfers appear.




Bob Hope's House in Palm Springs

My uncle lived at the bottom of the cliff underneath Bob Hope's house in Palm Springs (behind the house and down in this picture). There was a path you could climb, which came out very near Bob's putting green. When you reached it, you had to scamper past, and then start down the road, pretending you were coming from someplace else. That was so like my Uncle Ed - knowing "secret", stealth ways of adventuring, always a little daring, a little naughty and making it all so fun.




The Hollywood Sign

Iconic image of California. I always love it in disaster movies when total destruction is indicated by the crumbling of the Hollywood sign. So symbolic on so many levels.








The Rose Bowl

I've been to the Rose Bowl for football games, Olympic events (soccer), and concerts (Herman's Hermits, the Turtles and the Midnighters - my first concert ever at 12 years old), and spent a fair amount of time on its grounds - playing and watching rugby, attending swap meets, and walking around it and Brookside Golf Course next to it. I look forward to watching the Oregon Ducks play football in it this New Year's Day.





Venice Beach Looking North

One of my favorite pieces of art is a painting of a lifeguard stand on Venice Beach, called "Lifeguard Love", painted by my friend Michele. You can just barely see the specks of life guard stands on the postcard. My friend Hacker lives a block from the beach here, and it is always fun to visit him and either walk down the boardwalk or just dig your feet in the sand - either way, there is ALWAYS great people watching.






Laguna Beach Looking South

It's too bad the artist colony aspects of Laguna Beach were in large part replaced with Orange County money, because it really is a beautiful spot. There's not a lot of funky beach city left here. However, there are incredible coves, each with its own charm. I spent a lot of time here as a kid, and we were always excited driving into town and seeing the famous Laguna Beach greeter. He's long gone, and only a statue of him remains.

Arkansas

Seemed like I had a lot of postcards of Arkansas, but I guess I've already posted most of them. See here and here and here. You'd think I might have more, as my friend Carla is from there.

In any case, the Mystery Sender, as always, came through, and I have this postcard of the School of Medicine at the University of Arkansas. As the Mystery Sender says, this actual building may or may not still exist, but the school does and it is the only medical school in the state of Arkansas.

Arizona

The saguaro is the quintessential Arizona image. In my postcard collection, these are just six of several Arizona saguaro postcards. Now it so happens, I've been to Arizona a lot. I went to graduate school there, have friends that live there, and was lucky enough to go to a spa in Tucson multiple times. But that's a lot of saguaro.

While the saguaro is found throughout the Sonora Desert, they are most densely scattered around Tuscon. It can take up to 75 years to grow a single arm, and their growth rate can be measured in lines in their needles, just like the rings in trees. There's one genetic abnormality that occurs, a crested saguaro, that is pretty cool to see. I was lucky to see a very large crested saguaro while hiking among them (as in the upper right postcard) around Tucson.

Alaska

When I first found this postcard, it made me think, "When did they change the name of Mt. McKinley to Denali?", as this postcard has no reference to the name Denali and was mailed in 1996. I thought this mountain, at least in recent memory, was called "Denali".

Turns out it was never changed. The mountain is officially named Mt. McKinley, although it is also known as Denali, "The Great One." As the highest mountain peak in North America, it stands at a height of approximately 20,320 feet (6,194 m) above sea level. From Wikipedia, "Mount McKinley has a larger bulk and rise than Mount Everest, although the summit of Everest is higher measured from sea level 29,029 feet (8,800 m). Everest's base sits on the Tibetan Plateau at about 17,000 feet (5,200 m), giving it a real vertical rise of a little more than 12,000 feet (3,700 m). The base of Mount McKinley is roughly a 2,000-foot (610 meter) elevation, giving it an actual rise of 18,000 feet (5,500 m)."

The whole name thing is controversial. Alaskans refer to the mountain as "Denali", from the Koyukon language, and in 1975 requested that the US Board on Geographic Names (who knew there was such an organization?) make the name "Denali" official. A congressman from a district in Ohio, where McKinley (the president for whom the mountain was named) was from, has continuously fought efforts to do so, using all sorts of political maneuvering, and the official name remains Mt. McKinley to this day. The "compromise" was to name the national park Denali, with Mt. McKinley as its centerpiece. Phew. If you're interested, you can find more info here.