Friday, January 30, 2009

From the Allgau




What a beautiful winter
greeting card I received
from Germany today!



Tobias sent me these beautiful winter
scenes from the Allgau area of
Germany. Tobias lives in Kempten,
which is near Ulm. He is 18 years old
and says he likes the small village he
lives in, but hopes, one day, to move to America.
I really love this card--it makes me 'homesick'
for Germany and, of course, we do not
see snow in San Antonio!
Thank you, Tobi, for the great card!

A Thailand Beach

I received this view of a beach in Thailand
from a guy called 'M'. He is 15 years old
and lives in Ayutthaya, Thailand, where
he is a high school student. He said this
shows the Andaman Sea in the south of
Thailand. It is a beautiful sea, M, and I
think it would be great for beachcoming!
Thank you very much for the card!


This beautiful Thai
stamp brought M's
card to me.
It looks like a river
winding its way through
the mist and trees.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

A Sculpture from Vilnius (Lithuania)

Jolita, who lives in Vilnius,
says this is her favorite view in
Vilnius, the capital of Lithuania.
The picture shows sculptures of
the Lithuanian Drama Theatre.
(Did you think it was real people too???)
I like the card very much, Jolita.
Thank you for sharing your favorite view with me!


This is an interesting
stamp that Jolita
put on her card.
It shows a suit of
armor from a
museum in Lithuania.

Handmade Art from Norway

This is my first card from Norway!

It came to me from Oda Susan, who is also the
artist who made it! She lives in Gjovik, Norway
and has lived there all of her 17 years.
However, she does travel a lot. And she loves
music and going to live concerts.
I'm sure that gave her the inspiration
for this card!
Thank you, Oda, for the beautiful handmade
card. I appreciate your artistic talents!


Oda also chose an
artictic stamp for
my card. This is a
painting by Irma
Salo-Jaeger, a
well-known
Norwegian artist.

Aura River, Turku, Finland

I received this picture of the beautiful Aura River
from Simo, who lives in Turku, Finland. He says
the big white sailing yacht is called 'Suomen Joutsen',
which translates to 'Swan of Finland'. You can also
see the tower of the Turku Cathedral on the top left.
When asked where you live, it is either 'this side',
meaning the same side as the Cathedral, or
'the other side' meaning the opposite.
Thank you, Simo, for the beautiful card. I know
I would love strolling along this beautiful river!
Simo also put a beautiful Finnish holograph stamp
on the card, but, unfortunately, my scanner
could not show the beauty of it--it blurred!

Breaking of the Ice (Finland)

I received this postcard from
Arien, Sami, and Aarni,
who live in Finland.
This picture shows the breaking of the ice
and, according to the three senders,
it is typical for the region they live in.
They say that, at the moment, there is a lot
of snow everywhere!
Thank you for the nice card.


The stamp that was on the card
shows President Martti Ahtisaari
of Finland, who won a Nobel Peace
Prize in 2008.

Monday, January 26, 2009

A Beautiful 'Happy Birthday' from Ulla!

What a nice surprise!
Ulla, who lives in Harjavalta, Finland,
made (yes, MADE!) this beautiful
birthday card for me! The roses are
3-D and look so real because they
stand out from the background of the card.
Ulla is a very talented artist and very
clever with her hands. I know this card
must have taken lots of time and patience,
and I dearly love it!


This shows the inside of my card.
Thank you, Ulla, for such a wonderful
birthday gift!


This pretty musical stamp
brought Ulla's card to me!



Mautern an der Donau

This is the beautiful blue Danube River as it is
flowing through Mautern in the Wachau region
of Austria. The bridge crosses the river and,
on the other side, there is a Benedictine Abbey.
My friend, Earney, lives in this beautiful place!
She said the Danube is a very romantic river,
especially at night when the lights are shining
on it. Thank you, Earney, for the beautiful
picture. Although my home is in Texas, the picture
makes me 'homesick' for this beautiful river!

The pretty stamp at the right
brought me this postcard. It
shows a flower called
'waldrebe'. It think it may
be a wood rose.

A Japanese Festival

I received a very nice postcard from Danielle
who lives in Japan. She is an American
teacher there. These two cute little stamps were
on the card.



Danielle's card looks like they are having
some kind of a festival. Several pairs of legs
are seen under the large canopy, which I think
is a dragon or a fish. Then there are dancers
with white wigs in the front of the canopy.
Thank you, Dani, for the nice card and the
stamp too!




This pretty Japanese stamp was on the
card I received from Danielle.


Thursday, January 22, 2009

Two from the US of A

This postcard come from
a neighbor to the North:
Tiffany lives in Austin, Texas.
Even though Tiffany lives so near, she sent me
this beautiful card showing the Upper Falls at the
head of the gorge at Old Man's Cave in Ohio.
I love waterfalls and gorges, but I have never seen
this one.
Thank you, Tiffany, for showing me another beautiful
waterfall!
This card also came from the USA, but from
way up in the New England--Connecticut, to be exact.
Molly chose this unique postcard for me.
However, I'm not sure it would be called a postcard.
The picture is the back side of an envelope,
which is made of a letter that Molly wrote to me.
No matter what it is, I love it because it is
so different. Looks like these two characters are
enjoying tea and cakes, and maybe there's a little
flirting going on!!!
Thank you, Molly, for a great piece of mail!

Wednesday, January 21, 2009

Another Card from China

I received this nice view
of a very rocky mountain in China.
I have received several cards from China
recently.
The card was sent to me by a user
called Donglaiboy. He did not write a message
but put the greeting (below) on his card.
Don't you love his fish?
I do!
Thank you, Donglaiboy, for the nice card
and greeting!



Saturday, January 17, 2009

A Postal Commemorative from China

I received this card today from Zhou who is
from the Republic of China.
The card commemorates the centennial
anniversary of the Beijing Post:
1897 - 1997
The truck shown in the picture is a postal
delivery truck that was put into use in 1985.
Thank you, Zhou, for the nice card!
The three stamps below were on the postcard.





Two of the stamps show beaches with seashells.
They are really beautiful--especially to a
beachcomber like me!









This stamp looks like a 'courtroom'
scene, with the presiding official
sitting behind a desk.

From Vilnius, Lithuania

Teva (or Leva, or ieva) sent me this
beautiful card with a Christmas tree in front
of one of the municipal buildings.
Unfortunately, when I went to register the card,
the ID number was wrong and I could not register it.
I have tried to find this Postcrossing user who
sent me the card by contacting Postcrossing
and by using a Google search--all without the
results I want.
If you are the sender, please contact me with the
right ID number and I will register the card.

I really llike this card because of the Christmas tree
being all lit up, and because of the lights in
the other trees too. I like the cars parked
in front and the little bit of snow that is on the ground.
Thank you, Dear Sender, for such a nice card.
These lovely bird stamps were on my card
from Vilnius. They look like game birds
to me, especially the one on the right.
The one on the left may be a shore bird,
possibly a snipe.

Friday, January 16, 2009

Two cards from Marika

This card, from Marika, who lives in Tampere,
Finland, shows the interior of the Cathedral
of Tampere. It looks HUGE! I would love to go
see the inside of this cathedral and I would love
to hear some music played on the gigantic
pipe organ!
Marika also sent me this lovely card that she
made for me. It has a 'travel' theme because
she knew I like traveling. I think it is really great
when someone takes the time and uses their
artistic talent to create such a unique card.
Thank you so very much, Marika!















The bicycle on the left above, was stamped on Marika's
envelope, and the Moomin stamp on the right above, brought
the cards from Finland to Texas.

A Card for a Beachcomber

This card comes from Jill in Australia, who says she
thought that "as a 'beachcomber'" I might like it.
She says she bought it at tha annual Art and Craft Fair,
where she went with her mother and 6-year-old
daughter, Joanna. Jill and Joanna rode on the
Steam Merry-Go-Round there.
Jill, this sounds like just the kind of outing I enjoy.
Wish I could go with you!
You were right about my liking this kind of card.
I am a beachcomber through and through and I love
all the rocks and stones in the picture. And that
one little shell in the sand looks like it is just waiting
to be picked up!
Thank you, Jill, for the lovely card!
This pretty Australian stamp shows the
Grose River Gorge in New South Wales.

Saguaros--No Match for Automobiles!

Whoops!
I wonder what the man from Oregon thought
when he came out and saw his car in this
situation!!!
Kikie send me this great card. She says that she
has lived all her 25 years in Arizona and thinks
it is the greatest place of all.
The blurb on the card says that the saguaro cactus
can weigh approximately 100 pounds per foot, and
the one in this picture weighed 10,000 pounds.
Thank you, Kikie, for this very unique card!
I thought I had seen just about all
USA stamps, but this one was new
to me. I really like it!

A Unique Card from Finland

Roosa, a 13-year-old girl from Finland,
chose this beautiful card for me. I like the way you
look through the clouds and sea the water
below, with a beautiful rainbow of color
separating the two.
Thank you, Roosa, for this beautiful and unique card.
I love it!
Roosa added this very pretty snowflake
stamp top her card.

Another Schoene Leuchtturm--Westerheversand

I received this great 'lighthouse at night' postcard
from Silke, who lives in the small German town of
Minden. She says that they visited Westerheversand on their
last holidays. She also says she likes spending her
holidays by the sea. That sounds like me, doesn't it???
Thank you, Silke, for sending
me this beautiful card.





I also love these
two German
stamps that
brought Lynette's
card!

Three Sisters from Australia

Lynette, who lives in Australia,
sent me this very interesting card. It shows
three rock columns that are called the Three Sisters,
and it is located in Katoomba, New South Wales.
Next to the picture is the legend of the three sisters.
The story tells of a witch doctor who had three daughters.
One day while the witch doctor was out searching for food for
his daughters, the girls unknowingly aroused the Bunyip, a creature
feared by all. When the witch doctor heard that the Bunyip was after
his daughters, he used his magic bone and turned them to stone,
planning to later turn them back to their former selves.
The Bunyip was angry and chased the witch doctor who, finding himself
trapped, turned himself into a Lyrebird and ran into a
small cave. Now everyone was safe, but the witch doctor
had dropped his magic bone. He searched for it, but,
when he could not find it, he could not turn them back.
This nice stamp (I believe the bird is a cassowary)
brought Lynette's card to me.
Thank you, Lynette, for a nice card and a good story!

Monday, January 12, 2009

"Leikkivia Poikia Rannalla"

Sari sent me this wonderful postcard of some boys
playing on the beach and sailing their little boats
in the water. Sari says it is one of Finland's most famous
paintings. The name of the painting is 'Leikkivia poikia rannalla',
which means 'Boys Playing on the Beach'. It was
painted by Albert Edelfelt in 1854. Sari says that Edelfelt
started his art career by painting historical topics, but
later changed to landscapes and people. He also
painted famous people and royalty.
Thank you, Sari, for the beautiful art card. I love it so much.
I like all kinds of paintings, but I am especially
fond of beaches and people enjoying them.

Cologne Cathedral

This card shows one of the portals
of Cologne's Gothic cathedral.

It was sent to me by Wyando. I had received
a postcard last year from Cologne
that showed the cathedral and the bridge.
This one gives a closer view. I like the card, Wyando.
Vielen dank!

A Card from a Swiss Miss

Doris is the Swiss Miss who sent me this beautiful
view of her home town in north-eastern Switzerland.
It is called St. Gallen and it is famous for the convent of
St. Gallen with its baroque cathedral and the convent
library and archives. It is also a Unesco world heritage site.
Even with this fame, Doris says that, personally, she loves
her town for its picturesque situation between
mountain range and lake.
I would love to see your beautiful hometown, Doris!
Thank you for showing me a part of your world.
It is really beautiful!
These beautiful Swiss stamps brought
Doris' card to me.
Thank you!

Milton Abbas


This jolly little snowman accompanied
a card from Mike, in Milton Abbas, Great Britain.


This beautiful little village is Milton Abbas. I love the
Norman-style church and the old houses.
As I told Mike, I would love to go strolling down
the road and past the church.
I understand there is also an abbey school in Milton Abbas.
Thank you, Mike, for a very nice card!