Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Water Lilies by Claude Monet

Emily, from Vienna, Austria, sends me this
beautiful painting by her favorite painter,
Claude Monet. I really like Monet too, Emily.
I am a fan of impressionist painting!
Thank you so much for this art card!

'Peeps'

Well, I always thought 'Peeps' were Easter marshmallow
candies, but this card calls these little shorebirds 'peeps'.
To me, they are sandpipers and I love them. I love
to watch them scurry away from the incoming waves
when they are looking for little shellfish.
Emma sent me this card. She said they saw sandpipers
at Ocean City, NJ the past weekend. However, the card
comes from Pennsylvania where Emma lives.
Thank you, Emma, for the little sandpipers!

Dem Ol' Cotton Fields Back Home

Kelly, from Alabama, sent me this
picture of 'a very well known product of Alabama
in its natural state--cotton!'
Isn't it a great picture? It might remind some
folks of hoeing cotton, or picking cotton, or
whatever else has to be done. I think that is
what Sam was reminded of when I showed it to him!
Thank you, Kelly, for a great card!

Friday, April 24, 2009

A Private Swap from Italy

Antonella, from Cefalu in Italy, contacted
me and asked about a private swap.
She sent me me the two very nice cards below.
I especially like this picture of a courtyard, or
alleyway, with the red door at the end. The balconies
with the green vines and plants look so nice
among the old world arches and hanging lanterns.
And this one, with a view of the city of Cefalu
as seen through the ruins of an old bell tower
is spectacular! I would love to stand up here
and see the view for myself!
Thank you so very much, Antonella, for introducing
me to your beautiful city!

Another Nice Dutch Card!

This is a great hand-made card that was sent
to me by Nancy, who lives in Leiden, The Netherlands.
She is a very new Postcrosser, and she made this
beautiful Winnie-the-Pooh card.
Thank you very much, Nancy, for the nice card.
I really love hand-made cards because they
are so much more intimate.

Machteld sends greetings from Holland

I dearly love this card! It reminds me of my childhood,
when I was enamored of all things 'Dutch'. I loved
windmills, tulips, wooden shoes, white-winged caps,
and Hans Brinker. My third grade class went to
a garden show in Houston and there was a huge
display of thousands of tulips with a windmill
turning its blades in the midst of them. I can still
see it in my mind! And did you ever sing,
'I am a pretty little Dutch girl,
As pretty as pretty can be,
And all the boys in the neighborhood
Are crazy over me!'
Thank you, Machteld, for such a nice card and
wonderful, nostalgic memories!
Machteld also told me a little of about her name, which is
an old Dutch name. The French equivalent is Matilde,
and she thinks the English would be Maud.
I once had a friend named Mateel, which I think is
also a variation of her name.
Again, thank you, Machteld--you live in a
country!

Natalia's card from Lublin, Poland

This wonderful lighthouse card comes to me
from Natalia, who lives in Lublin, Poland.
Can you read the inscription? I was just about to
get my Bible and look it up, but decided to read
the card first. Natalia had already translated
it for me! It is from Psalms 27:1, and says:
'The LORD is my light and my salvation; whom
shall I fear?'
Natalia also tells me that her mother, Ewatar, received
a card from ME on April 10the, the day before this
card was mailed! Great coincidence!
Thank you, Natalia, for the wonderful card,
and my best wishes to you and your mother!

Vilnius, European Capitol of Culture

Zygintas, from Vilnius, Lithuania, sent me this great card
of the beautiful river Neris flowing through his home city.
The city of Vilnius has received the title of European
Capitol of Culture for 2009. This year, Vilnius is celebrating
the Millenium Anniversary of the country's name.
Zygintas also tells me that that the stamp and the April 11, 2009
cancellation (below) are special for the title the city
has received.


Thank you, Zygintas, for the beautiful card, and
the information about your city,
and congratulations to Vilnius for being
awarded this honor!

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

A Card from a Second-Grader

Kora, who is in the second grade at Wynford school
in Sandusky, Ohio, sends me this card. It is part
of a class project that her teacher is using for
her class.
Kora asks, 'Do you have a horse? I don't have one.'
No, Kora, I do not have a horse either, but I think
it is the dream of every little girl to have one.
I, too, wanted a horse when I was growing up!
Thank you, Kora, for the nice card!

CocaCola in Thailand

This card shows the CocaCola Museum in Suphanburi
province of Thailand. It is abou a 2 hour drive from
Bangkok. The card comes to me from Zhen Yue Hun, who says
that the inside of the museum shows the generation
of CocaCola products from the first year they
came to Thailand. She said she enjoys the museum
very much.
Thank you, Zhen Yue, for the very nice card.
I would enjoy the museum too, as I am a
Coke-lover!

A Greeting from Nuernberg

Some very nice views of a beautiful city, Nuernberg,
were sent to me by Melanie, who lives near there.
Melanie is 18 years old and goes to school in
this city. One of her dreams is to travel to the USA,
especially California.
Thank you, Melanie, for the great card!

These two stamps were on Melanie's card.
They show the 500 year old rathaus (or city hall)
in Frankenberg.

A Beautiful Spring Card!

When I saw the signature on this beautiful picture
of spring flowers, the name was Sirkku, so I thought
it was from Finland. I was mistaken. It came from
Frankfurt, Germany 'in the heart of Europe'.
Aren't the flowers gorgeous? I love the purple
crocuses! When I registered the card, I found that
Sirkku is, indeed, from Finland, but now she works
in Frankfurt! Thank you, Sirkku, for this
beautiful 'breath of Spring'!



And another bit of spring
was on the stamp:
a 'bleeding heart' blossom!

Tanya Sends Strawberries!

A beautiful card from Tanja in Tampere (Finland).
She says that on the day she sent the card (April 9)
they had a beautiful and sunny Spring day.
They had been waiting all winter for it! Also, it was
the first day of Easter, so they had a couple of days
off from work.
I love the lake on this card, and the flowers growing
nearby. Are they lupine? or Loosestrife? No matter,
they are pretty anyway! And just look at those luscious
strawberries! They look delicious!
Thank you, Tanja, for a great card that makes me want
to be near the lake and eating strawberries!

A Thank You from Freising

This beautiful 'Thank You' card is from
Sabine. She lives in this beautiful
city in Germany!
I love all the red-roofed buildings, and I especially
like the marktplatz in the upper left corner.
Going to the market on Saturday, when we lived
in Germany, was always a highlight of the week!
Thank you, Sabine, for the great card!
When Ulla sent me the ATC and card below,
she put this little Dalmatian on the
back of the card and said that she
wanted to send me something cuddly,
sweet, cute and wonderful, but the postman told her:
'Out of the letterbox!'
The puppy is still cuddly and cute, and
I appreciate the thought, Ulla!
Thank you!



And, on the stamp:
chocolate-dipped strawberries
and cake! Umm-m-m! Good!






Another ATC from Ulla

My penpal, Ulla, sent me another of her
exquisite ATC's. This one is entitled
'Friendship'. How talented Ulla is, and she
is also a dear friend!
Thank you, Ulla! I love the card!

Ulla also included this Inge Look card with the ATC.
It looks like the two old ladies started their
gardening, but decided to take a break. They do
find joy in everything they do!
I love them!

Fabio's Card from Sao Paulo

This is a beautiful view of Sao Paulo, Brazil's
Ibirapuera Park. It was sent to me by
Fabio, who is an English teacher and translator in
Sao Paulo. He says he also plays the flute and
bagpipes! I have never met anyone who played
bagpipes before! How interesting!
Thank you, Fabio, for the great card!

Thursday, April 16, 2009

From Chowtika in Thailand

Chowtika, who lives in Bangkok, Thailand,
sent me this piece of art. She tells me that it is
a picture of a painting by Mr. Tavorn Ko Udom Vitch,
and it is called 'Flower'.
Thank you, Chowtika, for the very
nice postcard. I like cards that show artwork!

From Liz in Taiwan

This peaceful scene was sent to me by Liz, who lives in
Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C.
Liz says her big city has a great building called
Taipei 101, and that she can see it when
she opens her kitchen window.
Liz, I do like this card very much.
It is so peaceful and serene.

Liz also drew this cute little
froggie with the pink cheeks
on her card.
Thank you, Liz, for sending me
this beautiful card and, also,
for your 'artwork'!

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

First Card From Slovenia

This card shows a beautiful view of some
vineyards. It was sent to me by
Maja, who lives in Karst in Slovenia.
I have seen many vineyards in Texas,
California, New York, and, of course,
in Germany. They are so beautiful!
Thank you, Maja, for the great card!

A Folding Card from France


User Laurelijulien, who is a newcomer to
Postcrossing and who lives in a small
village in France, sent me these wonderful
Christmas scenes. The card was a folding
card with all these pictures of Christmastime
on it. I love it, because I enjoy the lights
and decorations of this festive season.
Thank you very much for choosing such
a great for me!
This was on the front
side of the card.



And this picture was on the
address side of the card.
I have not seen a card like
this one before!
Really neat!

Monday, April 13, 2009

Toolonlahti Bay, Finlandia Hall

Isn't this a wonderful card? Just look at the
rocks and the water grasses and the fountain in the
bay, with the beautiful building, Finlandia Hall,
in the background. The card comes from Pia,
who lives in Finland. She tells me that we share the
same interest...water in its natural habitat!
She also tells me that Finland is a land of 1000 lakes,
and that I would love it there in summer!
I am sure she is right about that. I would
very much love to visit Finland.
Thank you, Pia, for a lovely card!

Lighthouses from the Netherlands

Norbert, who lives in Hoorn, Nederland,
sent me this picture of some beautiful
lighthouses near his home. He says these lighthouses
are as familiar to him as the palm of his hand.
He also tells me that the one marked with an 'x'
(lower left corner) gave him quite an experience.
Inn 1983, a pigeon made a fatal
crash into his back window. The pigeon had been
tagged and it belonged to the keeper of this
lighthouse!
Thank you, Norbert, for the card and,
especially, for the story!



Two Eurocent stamps
brought Norbert's card
from Netherlands.

Fruehling von Deutschland

I received this 'breath of Spring' from Kristina in Germany.
She says they are finally having some Spring weather
and nice temperatures, so she chose a
Spring (Fruehling) card.
She also copied a poem of Edward Florike (sp?)
on the front. I haven't finished translating it yet,
but I do understand Spring with its flowers and
warmer temps!
Thank you, Kristina, for this lovely card!



I also like this Mother
Goose stamp that brought
the card. I have not seen
this one before!

A Castle in Taiwan

Evon, who lives in Shindien, Taipei County, Taiwan,
sent me this picture of Nijo Castle, in Kyoto.
The castle was contructed in 1603. The Main
Pavilion and Hall burnt down, but Ninomaru
Hall, the turrets, and the rice granary still remain
as they were.
Thank you, Evon, for this very nice card!

A Blooming Card from Melbourne

This is a great card from the Melbourne (Australia)
International flower & Garden Show.
It was sent to me by Julie, who lives there.
I love the sunflower too, Julie!
Thank you so very much for this lovely card!

Outer Banks Greeting

These beautiful seashells are on a pretty card that
I received from Michelle, who lives on Roanoke Island.
The back of the card says:
'Greetings from the North Carolina Outer Banks...
where seashells are plentiful along the beach.'
Michelle says she thought these seashells were
perfect for me, given my user name, Beachcomber!
She is exactly right!
Thank you, Michelle, for such a great card!

Two ATC's from Ulla

Ulla, from Harjavalta, Finland, made and sent
these two ATC's to me.
I had not heard of ATC's until I began corresponding
with Ulla. She tells me that ATC means
'Artist Trading Card'. They are small handmade
cards (6.4 cm x 8.9 cm) and they are made
to illustrate a theme. Other than the size of the
card, the artist has free rein to make it
any way she pleases.
Ulla also says that she has already put these
two cards on her blog at http//:Ullak.vuodatus.net
The card above is called 'Little Roses'.
This card is titled 'Woman in Love'.
I really like these little cards and I would love
to try my hand at making some--after I learn
a little more about them. I think I will
'google' them and see what I can find.
Thank you, Ulla, for the beautiful cards!

Thursday, April 9, 2009

A Flag from Estonia


This pretty 'posthorn' stamp brought me a
flag card from Estonia. I remember that
the posthorn was a symbol of postal services
in Germany.
I received this wonderful flag card from Vilma
who lives in Estonia. I have always admired the
Estonian flag. I think it is so pretty. Now I have
a postcard view of it. Thank you so very much,
Vilma, for the beautiful flag card!

Monday, April 6, 2009

Easter Greeting from Sisko!

The mailman brought me this very cute
Easter card from Sisko today. The little
chick moves up and down in his eggshell
and the card is made to stand alone. I love it!
Thank you, Sisko, for the great card.
You always pick out really good ones that
I like so very much!

Jenni says 'Thank You'

Jenni, who lives in Valkeala, Finland,
sent me this really neat card as a
'thank you'. She says that, on the day she sent
the card, the sun was shining and she could feel
Spring. She said that there was still some snow
but it would soon be melted.
Thank you, Jenni, for the lovely card. It
looks like Spring!

A Card from Lydia

This funny little card came to me from
Lydia, who lives in Singapore, a city-state
near the equator. She says it is summer all the
time there, but she would love autumn and
winter. She has been busy lately with
exams at school! The words under the
chicken (in case you can't read them on the blog)
says: 'A fowl fly over the clouds.'
I love the card because it is unique and funny!
Thank you, Lydia, for a good laugh and
a wonderful card!

Lydia said she ran out
of stamps and had to
use a postage label. I
like the label, which shows
the city and the ocean with
flowers and trees.

Haiku--Do You?

Isn't this a great card? It came, as a surprise,
from Egidijus, a cyclist from Lithuania.
He had earlier sent me a card from Croatia.
He says that his city is having a haiku
project as one of the events in their
'Vilnius, European Capital of Culture'
organization. They are asking people to write
haiku and send it in. As Egidijus says, it
is a beautiful idea. When I sent him a 'thank you'
for the card, I included my own haiku:
" It's a fiesta:
Lively music, laughter, fun,
San Antonio"
He said he sent it to the organization!
Isn't that neat?
Thank you, Egidijus, for the card and for
entering my haiku!


The stamp on Egidijus'
card is a Lithuanian
Olympic stamp.
I love it!

The Lighthouses of Ohio

Here are some of the beautiful lighthouses
of Ohio. Paula, from Dover, Ohio, sent me
the card. So far, we have not been able to
visit the lighthouses in this beautiful state,
but we hope to change that before too long!
Thank you, Paula, for your beautiful card.
You chose the right card for me!!!

La Garrotxa, Olot, Spain

This pretty card comes to me from Albert.
He says Olot is a beautiful city with a
beautiful 'volcanic zone' near Barcelona.
I have read a little bit about Olot and its
volcanic zone. It seems to be a great place for
visitors. Thank you, Albert, for the beautiful
card. I love the lighted balconies on the
building. I believe this is in an old part of Olot.


Albert put this pretty
'Internation Polar
Year 2008' on his card.