Corfu

I received this postcard today from Nopi in Komotini, Greece.

This was a private exchange.

My research on the internet tells me that Corfu is one of the largest of the Greek

Islands and has the appeal of a European town--from the Venetian Canal and

fortresses, to the French-styled Liston (the building with the great arches), to the cricket green in the old town's esplanade. Corfu is full of wildflowers in the spring, soft breezes in the

autumn. Winter rains keep the island green and the warm summer season brings abundant

fruit trees, including olive and citrus trees, and the unusual kumquat, which is said to

have been brought to Venice from China by Marco Polo.

Gerald Durell, who with his brother Lawrence, both writers, lived as ex-patriots on Corfu

in the 1930's,

wrote in his book, 'The Garden of the Gods' (1978):

"The Platia, laid out with its great arches to resemble the Rue de Rivoli by

French architects in the early years of the French Occupation of Corfu, was the

hub of the island. Here you would sit at little tables under the arches or

beneath the shimmering trees and, sooner or later, you would see everyone on the

island and hear every facet of every scandal. One sat there drinking

quietly and, sooner or later, all the protagonanists in the drama were

washed up at one's table."

These two beautiful stamps carried the card to me.

Thank you, Nopi, for the card and stamps.

Two Unique cards

I received two unique cards today,

both of them from Finland.

This stamp was on Virpi's card.

She said she has three sons and a daughter,

and also a 3 month old puppy--a 'papillon',

a breed which I was unfamiliar with,

so I 'googled' it and found

a lot of pictures of them. When they raise their ears, they do look

like a 'papillon' (butterfly)!

Virpi said the dog on this stamp is a King Charles Cavalier spaniel.

I had thought maybe it was a papillon, as it looked much like

the ones I 'googles'.

This card comes from Virpi, who loves to travel

and take photographs. She says she always

takes her camera with her when she travels, and

she takes pictures of things that she sees.

In fact, she said this is one of her photos.

It looks like a wooden statue, and it is

at Stundars, Mustasaari.

Thank you ver much, Virpi. You are an excellent

photographer!

Update: I received a message from Virpi and she tells me that

the wooden man is from a museaum. However, during old times, this

kind of wooden statue was sometimes standing in front of churches,

mostly in the western part of Finland. They are usually life-size, and

were some kind of 'saving bank' where people would put money in to help

poor people and beggars. This was a long time ago, before the modern

welfare system was established.

This card comes from an American woman, Sabrina, who has lived in Finland

for the past eight years. She says she misses the Pacific (she is from

San Francisco, CA) but she doesn't plan to ever return to the USA.

She has a set of six-year-old twins, a boy and a girl.

The picture on this card is of some rock paintings above

a lake where her family has a summer cottage.

The ancient rock paintings are from Ristiina, Finland.

I think my son, John, will be very interested in this card

because he is really into rock paintings. He even plans his vacations

around places where he can see this type of prehistoric art!

I really like the card, Sabrina.

Thank you very much!

Two Views of Seattle

I received two beautiful postcards today from Deanna, who lives in the state of Washington. The one to the left shows the Space Needle with the city all lit up behind it. And I love the one above that shows the lightening all around the Space Needle and over the city!

Deanna writes that she lives in a small town south of Seattle, where she works at managing a Day Care before and after school. She says she has lots of animals--an understatement if I ever heard one! She has 2 horses, 24 cows, 3 llamas, 6 alpacas, 5 sheep, 3 goats, chickens, peacocks, geese, ducks, turkeys, dogs, cats, rabbits, and chinchillas! That's a lot of mouths to feed!

Deanna is a newcomer to Postcrossing. Thank you, Deanna, for the beautiful cards and pictures and welcome to Postcrossing!

These two little pictures of alpacas accompanied Deanne's

cards and letters.

A Very Nice Moomin Card with Moomin Stamps!

These are the very pretty Moomin stamps that

Markku put on the card I received this morning.

Aren't they nice?

My friend, Markku, who sent me a beautiful card earlier,

sent me another card--this time a MOOMIN card! He
said that he had noticed that I like Moomin (Yes! I do!),
so he sent me this nice card. I love it!

Markku is such a thoughtful person to do this for me.
He also put some very nice Moomin stamps on the card!

I would like to know what the card says below the picture but,
unfortunately, I do not understand Finnish. Maybe someone
can translate it for me!


Thank you, Markku, for such a nice surprise in my mailbox!

Sept. 25, 2008--Update:

Markku sent me the translation on the Moomin card

I received yesterday. It says: "Now, it is the time to relax and enjoy life."

Actually, he had put the translation on the card, but I didn't know that it was

the translation. As I told him in a message, I had thought that was his

'philosophy of life'. It is a pretty good philosophy, don't you think?

A Turkish Card from an Unknown Sender

This pretty 5-view card came today

from Turkey.

I like the pretty scenes on the card.

It came from an unknown sender who put the Postcrossing

ID number on it, but did not give his/her name.

The ID number is TR-11628.

I could not find a name on the Postcrossing profile either.

I thank you, anyway, dear sender, and

if you read my blog, please send me a message and let me know

who you are.

A Card from Shanghai

This beautiful card came from my friend, Zhang Yi,

who lives in Shanghai. It is an old advertising card.

Yi says that, in the past, most advertisements were like this.

She says she especially likes Shanghai's old streets and buildings

because they are quiet and, like the card, tell of Shanghai's

past story quietly. I really like this card!

Yi and I have been communicating by e-mail. She sent me

a really cute e-card for Teacher Appreciation Day!

Best wishes to you, Yi, and thank you for your thoughtfulness!

Thank you, Yi, for such a beautiful card.

I would love to see the old streets and buildings

that tell of Shanghai's lovely past story.

Venice in Las Vegas

I received this card today from Arleen in Las Vegas. When I first saw the picture, I thought

it had come from Italy! But I was mistaken.

The back of the card says, "The authentic European style architecture is what makes

Las Vegas so incredible."

It looks like a framed picture, maybe from one of the casinos. I like it very much. Thank you, Arleen!

The Stamp

This butterfly stamp brought Ulla's card to me. The text says it is

Colias palaeno. It is a beautiful butterfly and stamp!

A 'Thank You' from Ulla

This pretty card came today from my friend, Ulla, in Harjavalta, Finland. This is the second card I have received from her. She sent it to thank me for the San Antonio card I sent to her.

I like the bees buzzing around the flower on this card. I think the flower is Lupine because it looks much like our Texas bluebonnets--except for the color.

Thank you, Ulla, for another beautiful card!

My Kind of Thing!

My friend, Gina, who lives in Nassau, Bahamas, sent me another

beautiful postcard. Isn't it the greatest?

For a beachcomber like me, nothing could be better than

'treasures from the sea'!

Thank you so much for your thoughtfulness, Gina.

I love the postcard!

These are the twolovely stamps that brought

Gina's postcard to me today.

The top stamp is a 'poor man's orchid' and the bottom one

is 'zebra longwings'.

Oregon High Desert

I received a postcard from Oregon today that really

surprised me: I had no idea that Oregon

had a desert!

Dustin, who sent me the card from Redmond, Oregon,

says that it gets very hot there (over 100 degrees) in the summer,

and the wintertime temperature is around freezing

and it snows quite a bit.

Hmm-m-m-m! Except for the snow,

it sounds like the San Antonio area!

Thank you, Dustin, for the nice card and the opportunity

to learn something new about Oregon!

A Greeting from Budapest

I received a beautiful card from Budapest, Hungary today.

This one is from Liz and shows the railway station.

Liz writes, "This station is the most famous meeting point in the city,

people say: 'under the clock...' "

Wouldn't it be nice to meet someone 'under the clock'

at this beautiful station?

It sounds so exciting to me!

These two stamps are the ones that brought

Liz' card to me.

The one on the left shows a side chair with 'barley twist'

legs and uprights and a cane back. The word at the top of it

says: MARYARORSZ.

I could not find a meaning for it.

The second stamp, however,

commemorates the joining of Hungary to NATO

on March 12, 1999.

I had to 'google' this information!

I really like the stamps. And I like things that make me do

some research to find out more!

Thank you, Liz, for the beautiful card and for the stamps.

I enjoy all of it!

Latisha's Poem

Hello

Hello, my Friend

Good day, How do you do?

Here is something special

I made just for you

Hey ya! Hello, what's up,

Have a good day,

For you, something special

I've got to say.

Hello, how are you?

Hi, my friend,

Wishing you spectacular blessings

From beginning to end.

Hi, nice to meet you,

So glad you are alive,

A life full of joy

May you thrive, may you thrive.

So, nice to know you,

Oh, lucky is me!

You are so wonderful,

So wonderful, you see.

You are so special,

A gift to this Earth.

When God granted blessings,

You were one of His first.

Good morning, good day,

Good afternoon

May your dreams be fulfilled,

May you reach for the stars and the moon.

Let me introduce myself,

I am a youg poet, you see.

Nice to meet you,

Hope it was nice to meet me.

May you truly be blessed

For all eternity,

May you be filled with Love, Hope and Joy,

May you always be happy.

All these things and more

For you is my desire,

Hope you enjoy this poem

May it make you smile,

May it raise your spirits higher.

Good day, nor goodbye,

My poem must end,

A simple wish in these simple words

From a FOREVER FRIEND.

Love,

Latisha

A Greeting from Latisha

This is a handmade greeting card made for me by my friend and penpal, Latisha Barker. She is from the Bahamas, although she now lives in Boston with her husband and two-year-old daughter, Kytara.

Latisha is a poetess and she wrote a poem inside the card. I will put it in another post.

Thank you, Latisha, for your poem and your artwork, and, especially, for your friendship. May God bless you!

This is the backside of the greeting

card made and sent to me

by my penpal Latisha. It says:

"'An original poem and artwork

by Latisha J. Greaves-Barker

to my new Friend Shirley Jones.

Hope you like it."

Yes, Latisha, I certainly do like it. I think it is wonderful when

someone takes time to make something special for another person. You are a sweet and lovely person, Latisha!

Meteora, Greece

I received TWO postcards today. One was from Finland

and the other one from Greece!

Lenia put the two stamps (above) on her card and I love them too.

I especially like the one with the Greek dancers!

This is a private swap card from Lenia, who is studying

in Athens, Greece, although she is from
Cyprus.

This is a very unusual place and I had never heard of it

until I received Lenia's card.

These are actually monasteries built upon the rock towers!

Meteora, which means 'suspended in the air' is a 'forest' of conglomerate

rock towers which have been eroded into fantastic peaks

where medieval monks uilt monasteries. In 1988, UNESCO declared

Meteora to be a World Heritage Site.

I was so intrigued by the postcard that I 'googled' the place

and read the fantastic story of these monasteries.

Thank you, Lenia, for such a great postcard!

New Penpal

This is such a unique stamp that brought me

the 'Thank You' postcard from Sisko.


Today I received two postcards.
The first one, above, is a 'Thank You' card from Sisko
in Ypaja, Finland.
I had sent her an official postcard so she sent me this
nice card of a fisherman (?) in a little boat. It looks like
there is a lighthouse or other small building
reflected in the water.
I like the nautical 'frame' around the picture too.
Sisko asks if we could be penpals and, of course,
I gladly agree.
Thank you for the 'Thank You' card, Sisko!

Stewart Island, Neuseeland

This beautiful moonlight scene is a

'Blockhutten-Romantik auf Stewart Island, Neuseeland'.

Translation:

'Romantic log cabin on Stewart Island, New Zealand'.

I love the moonlight in the picture, and the cabin

does, indeed, look cozy and romantic!

The card comes from Daniela in Germany.

In her profile, she writes that she started her Postcrossing website

for her sponsored child, Carol, in Uganda.

She said Carol speaks very little English, and she does not

have access to a computer. Therefore, the cards sent to her are

mailed to Daniela, who bundles them up and sends

them to Carol in Uganda.

This is a learning experience for Carol.

Danke Schoen, Daniela (and Carol) for the beautiful card!

Knoxville, Tennessee

Cathy, from Knoxville, Tennessee,

sent me this picture of her beautiful city.

In the foreground, you see the University of Tennessee's stadium

and arena.

The name of the bridge wasn't mentioned, but I wish it had been

because I am a 'bridge enthusiast'!

At the time of receipt of this card, Hurricane Ike was getting ready

to make landfall somewhere near Galveston. Cathy wrote that her

grandfather was from Galveston so she gets nervous anytime

a big hurricane threatens the island.

Cathy also mentioned in her profile that she had lived in

several places including NYC, Montreal, and New Zealand.

I thought this was a double coincidence since I have also lived

on Cape Cod and the other card that I received today

has apicture from New Zealand!

Thank you, Cathy, for your card a personal message!

Original Oil Beeswax

I got a beautiful hand-painted postcard today!

It came from Katherine in San Francisco.

She writes, 'My painting is about our community. We (and

the 60,000+ members of Postcrossing) want to give

a part of ourselves to a random like-minded person--and

I think that is beautiful!'

I agree, Katherine! It IS beautiful to give

a part of ourselves,

and I thank you very much for the beautiful card!

Below is the back side of Katherine's card.

I wanted to put it on the blog

because it has such character:

the little 'flip-flops' at the bottom of the card and

the dragonflies on the lower right.

I also appreciate the 'smears' of paint because,

as a painter myself, I 'understand' them!

The card came as I was in the midst of painting

another lighthouse I've been commissioned to paint.

It is Cape Hatteras lighthouse.

From Austria

This postcard comes to me from Christine, who is

a university student at the University in Vienna, Austria.

She is studying Austrian literature.

The picture on the card is of the village of Scheibbs.

It is a village near Christine's home town of

Petzenkirchen. When I looked at her map location, I saw that it is

near the Danube River.

Ah! Die schoene Blau Donau!
As you can see, there is a blanket of snow on the ground, which

looks very inviting here in San Antonio where it is 99 degrees F.

(in the shade) today!

Thank you, Christine, for the lovely card and a breath

of cool air!

Many Lighthouses

I received two cards in the mail today

and both are lighthouses.

I couldn't be more pleased!

This is a lighthouse card I received today.

It is from an official Postcrossing card from Michelle.

She read my profile and knew I liked lighthouses.

There are ten of them on this card.

The two in the upper left corner are the old and new Cape Romain lighthouses.

The 'skeleton' lighthouse next to them is Old Hilton Head Light,

and above it is Bloody Point, Daufuskie Island, So. Carolina.

From the lower left, are Haig Point, Daufuskie Island;

the red & white stiped Hilton Head;

Sullivan's Island; Hunting Island;

North Island; and another red & white striped Morris Island.

I would like to see these lighthouses 'in person' too, as we have

seen the ones on the Outer Banks of No. Carolina but

none in So. Carolina.

Thank you, Michelle, for the great lighthouse card!

This stamp brought me Gina's card.

It is a 2004 Athens Olympics stamp

showing two swimmers, one of them wearing a

Bahamian cap.

I received this card today from Gina

in Nassau, The Bahamas.

It is a private swap.

The cross on the card marks the place where Christopher

Columbus landed in San Salvador, Bahamas.

The picture in the upper right shows a recreation of an Arawak

Indian Village.

On the lower left is the San Salvador Museum and the lower right

shows the Dixon lighthouse.

Thank you, Gina, for this beautiful card for my collection.

I would really love to see the lighthouse 'in person'!