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!

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!

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!

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'!

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!

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!

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!

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.