Wednesday Afternoon Landscapes

Happy Happy Wednesday Readers! I hope that the middle of the week finds you with a box full of mail and a great weekend in site. As Summer progresses here in the heartland, the grass is brown and crumbling, the trees are wilting, the breeze is warm which offers litte relief and even the birds are sluggishly hopping on the ground, beaks open and panting like dogs.  What better time of year to get a handful of postcards featuring impressive landscapes from around the world? Who knew that sunsets and bridges could make the driest of days seem a little cooler. Enough chat, its postcard time!

A brilliant Summer sunset from rural Ohio makes it's way from Heather. What better way to end an evening than with this view from your porch? Thanks, Heather!

The sun may have set but the bridge lights shine bright on the Mississippi River in Davenport, Iowa. The river actually runs East to West along the banks in Davenport, normally the waters of the "Mighty Mississippi" flow North to South.

An sends an aerial view of the Mount Washington neighborhood in Pittsburgh!

On the other side of the world a traditional Japanese coin has been molded from the sand at Kagawa--a famous sightseeing spot for natives and travelers alike. 

From one coast to another! Susan in California again torments me with breathtaking views of The Golden State. This time from Ventura Pier, one of the oldest in the state, a favorite spot for fishing and sunsets. The pier was originally build for commercial shipping. Thanks Susan :)

Some where, some one or something is willing me to the beach..... check out this beautiful seaside rock formation in China!

Okay, this is really more of a city scape than a land scape but I just love this view so much! Thank you to Shiho in Southern Japan for sharing this card; the structure you are looking at is "The Sky Tree" in Tokyo, the tallest structure in the country!

That's all for me today readers. I promise to come by tomorrow :) Happy Mailing

Holy two weeks later and Happy Saturday, readers? Remember me? The gal that is supposed to be the author of this blog? I have totally fallen off of the face of the Earth when it comes to updating and even sending mail! I feel like a failure. I cant not explain to you how much mail I have to photograph and catch you all up on, letters that need reply are (still) piling up and swaps are coming due left and right! What is a girl to do???

Thanks to everyone who sent me an e-mail or dropped by the Facebook Page to check on me. I've got a lot to do so lets jump in to some mail!

Anna and her family send an artist rendering of St. Petersburg, Russia's Summer Garden!

Along for the ride comes a Russian stamp that I have never gotten before :)

From Bangalore, India, Col. Akhil sends a card showing off the architectural beauty of  The Five Rathas (or chariots)--a set of five rock temples surrounded by a sandy compound!

A bright and lovely view of the Bear Rocks area in what is called the Dolly Sods Wilderness. I have never been to West Virgina but with views like this, I may have to reconsider! Thank you to Kyra for sharing.

Some new stamps from Germany make their way to my mailbox today....

...attached to this whimsical and weird postcard from Chan :)

Veronika in the Czech Republic sends a card featuring a few cartoon heroes! The comic is called "Ctyrlistek" which means Four Leaf Clover! Ha, this is a pretty cool card, thank you Veronika :D

I just loved the Jungle Book! Even though the Tiger was my favorite character, I was glad to find Baloo and Mowgli in my stack of postcards. It really made me smile because this afternoon in the bank a man was reading the book to his daughter while they waited to be seen by a banker :) Thank you to Jennifer in California for sharing!

I've said it a thousand times but I just love getting an art card in the mail. Finally, a Picasso! "Reclining Nude" (1932). Oil on canvas.

Hooray for a Waldo card!!!! I really should buy this set to send out seeing as I get excited every time they come in! I don't feel like Waldo was actually trying to hide this time buuuuut kudos if you can find: a snowman on skis, someone taking a photo, and a girl without her skates :)

From Erika comes a view of The Biltmore Estate in Ashville, NC. This home is the largest in the United States.

A letter comes from Tamara!

A very pretty card with a great letter inside makes its way from Kimberly!

That's all for me today readers! I have a ton of work to do to get back to all of my great pen pals! I hope you all are having a great weekend, I'll try to not disappear for so long again! Happy Mailing x0x0 randi

Friday Postcards : Cities and States

Happy Happy Saturday Readers! What better way to hide from the heat than to share some more mail with you and to get some more mail out. If only my mail carrier would come up to the door and get my mail so I didnt actually have to walk out in to the heat. Oh well, a small bit of suffering for a good cause, right!  Let's get to it! :)

Karen sends an upbeat and touristy card showcasing all of the things Maryland has to offer-from beaches to nightlife and nature! Maryland is home to the Baltimore Oriole (state bird) and the Black Eyed Susan (state flower).

Here I am again, extremeley jealous of mail friend Susan and her views of sunny California. Today she sends an early  morning view from Palm Desert, one her her favorite vacation spots!

Tammy in Iowa sends a card from Cedar Rapids to show off the downtown area, the Czech villiage and the Museum of Art. Hundreds of people visit Cedar Rapids every year to visit the authentic European village; lucky for Tammy, her cousin owns a bakery in the area and is willing to pay her in pastry for a helping hand! :)

The Sforzessco Castle in Milan, Italy makes it's debut on the page from Tazzini! Originally constructed in the 14th century, the castle today houses several of the city's museums and art collections.

My second card from Uzbekistan in a week! This card, showing of the gates to Khiva City comes from Aliya.

From Little Miss Blue comes a Century Atlas Map of Europe.

That's all for me this afternoon folks! I really need to get caught up on writing, I'm looking in to a few more sites and pages to share with you all on the blog and I have actually gotten a lot of mail requests on the facebook page! Now if only I didnt have to go to work every day to afford stamps :)

Round 2: The Photo Cards

Happy Happy Thursday Readers! I don't know about you all but it's hot in my neck of the woods; really hot--like, sweating everytime you walk out of your house to check the mail and cant touch your metal mailbox hot. I'm sure I will regret this in the Winter but so far, I'm over the Summer temperatures (yes, I am fully aware that this week is the first week it's been even close to this warm, not the point...). The good news? Weather doesn't stop our beloved Mail Carrier! Let's check 'em out!

Teresa in Nashville, sends a card that she picked up on a recent trip to Beiijing. 

 From Pagodas to Polar Bears, Kris sends a reminder that even though these playful cubs will grow up to be hundreds of pounds and adept hunters. Even if they are adorable in those Coke commercials around the holidays :)

This photo of a Lilly makes its way home from Ashley who has been using sites like swapbot and postcrossing to share mail, make friends and ignite her creative side!

 This card from Chrissy features a photograph by Evelyn J. Cameron of her friends and neighbors, The Williams Family  eating watermelon. The Williams' were one of the first familes to homestead in Montana (arriving in 1907).

 Now, I love a good vintage card as much as anyone, and I've been been known to express my love of the creepy, but I have to admit if I came across this little girl in the dark, I would jump right out of my skin! Thank you to Jeniifer in Sunny, Palm Beach Florida for sending me a very cool card and an even better quote.

"Letter writing is the only device for combining solitude with good company" -Lord Byron

That's all for for me tonight folks! Oddly enough I am ready to put on my cozy pajama pants, fill out a few postcards and go straight to bed! On that note, I look forward to sharing a few more cards with you tomorrow afternoon! Happy Mailing :0)

Who doesnt love an art card?

Happy Happy Thursday Readers! We are increasing in followers and page views everyday, so first off for this warm Summer afternoon I want to give a huge, huge THANK YOU to all of you who stick around, read, comment and most of all send me mail.

I got a huge handful of postcards in this week and all of them are great! Art, photographs, hand made creations, city views and "fact" cards! So many in fact, that there is no way I would be able to list them all in this post and keep you entertained. So, readers, I present to you the first batch of this weeks postal mail: The Cartoon and Drawing Inspired cards. Let's go!

Brittany in California, inspired by my love of furr balls and Halloween, was kind enough to share this Franz Marc painting entitled "Two Cats" (1912).

 A hand made card finds it's way to me from my home state of Florida from Swap friend Donna! I have to admit I am jealous of everyone who gets to soak up the coastal sun and watch the waves roll in!

 Two Toy Story cards came today! First up, everyones favorite T-Rex shows Buzz how to play his favorite video game! The second card shows the concept sketch that Pixar artists put together for the films trailer/logo! Thank you to Rachel all the way over in Australia for sending them both to me!

 Looking for a clue?  Well, Donna in the UK certainly knew how to appeal to my childhood and my love of searches! I was able to find Waldo (right off for once!) as well as a Clock Stricking Tweleve, Four Pairs of Twins, and Three Men with Axes.....good luck!

 This postcard from Audrey absolutley made my day! Vanity Fair is my FAVORITE magazine (yes, yes I do have a subscription) and how perfect is this cover considering that the Olympics are coming up. This painting by Miguel Covarrubias was featured on the magazines cover in Augus of 1932.

 In 1540, Santa Fe was claimed by Conquistador Don Franscisco Vasques de Coronado (say that five times fast!) for the Spanish Crown. In 2012, mail friend Erika was kind enough to send me this artist rendering of the oldest US capital, which also has the highest elevation at 7500 ft!

Such wonderful cards....and so MANY more to go! Im still getting them catalouged and on the computer but I promise to share another set tomorrow! Im off to get some cards together....until tomorrow, Happy Mailing~

Sunday Postcards!

Happy Happy Sunday Readers! I hope today finds you all relaxed and well. I managed to have a lazy Saturday afternoon after working in the morning and an even better night out with my friend Deseray! The best part is, now I have a quiet Sunday afternoon to update you all on the mail haul and to get some mail out! Let's go!

A good bit of Disney love made it's way to me this weekend! This postcard featuring 2004s  "The Incredibles" and is part of the USPS "Mail A Smile" campaign. Thank you to Kris and her (now adult) son who love this movie and decided to share such a neat card with me! 

 Anita (who lived in Orlando just about as long as I did) sends a postcard showing off everyones favorite Disney characters of Walt Disney World, Florida. For those of you who care curious, Disney Land is the park in California.

 Speaking of California and theme parks.....Crystal-Jo sends a card from the infamous Knott's Berry Farm and from her first looped roller coaster! Montezooma's Revenge is one of the most popular rides at the park, propelling riders from 0-60 mph in less than three seconds and hurling them through a seven story loop!

A vintage ad card? The nerd in me is so unbelievably excited! Thank you to Christine for this card. "Light Consumes Coal", a lithograph created by American artist Coles Phillips was used as a poster during World War 1!

 Raellyn & Melissa only have to travel a couple of hours to gaze over this immense bridge and the gorge below. The canyon is protected by the National Park Service and the bridge is the largest single span steel arch bridge in the Western hemisphere!

A mail friend in Mail sends a view of Mount Katahdin from Togue Pond and writes about leaving this natural beauty behind, traveling more than 5 hours to catch a plane to Italy and then realized she left her passport behind! Ironically, this very postcard was printed in Italy! Ha! 

 Alicia in Poland sends an absolutely gorgeous postcard. I love the original artwork as it is but I do have to admit that with a postal theme laid over the top it makes for an extra special find in the mail box :0)

 Vicki in Houston sends some Egyptian history my way. This wooden box in the shape of a Cartouche spells you "Tutankhamun the Ruler of Southern Heliopolis" in hieroglyphs. The work dates back to King Tut's rule in the 18th Dynasty.

That's all for me this afternoon folks. I have a few postcards to get together and as always a letter to write. But in the mean time I have a ton of laundry to wash on top of the laundry I need to put away.....oh well, I will take a fun weekend over a productive one any time :). Happy Mailing!

Friday Foodie Postcard

Happy Happy Friday Readers! I hope that the end of the week has found you happy with an arm full of mail! This postcard made it way to me yesterday from a swapper in New Orleans. I've never had a Beignet but I have to admit they sound pretty good!

I founds a few more "Did You Know" facts about this delicious French Pastry (thanks Wiki)! Let's go!

• Synonamous with the English "Fritter
• Some are served with meats, vegetables or fruits inside
• Declared the Lousiana state donout in 1986
• Brought to the US from France in the 18th century and became a large part of Creole cooking





Seems like a good way to begin or end a meal, huh? Thanks, Susan for introducing me to a delicious desert.

Wednesday is a great day for Postcards!

Happy Happy Wednesday Readers! What better way to spend an afternoon than reading postcards and listen to music! I have a whole mess of cards to show you, I've gotten a pretty good handful photographed and logged so let's start with those shall we?

I recently hosted a swap for "Bridge" Postcards. A big thank you goes out to Fawn for sending me a vintage card with a suspension bridge (by far my favorite type of bridge...at least to look at)!

 Jennifer found this card entitled "Mission Control" at a postcard show and was kind enough to share it with me!

Rift in Oregon participates in a community garden and decided to share a bit of it with me! Growing wild in his plot is the Borage (AKA Star Flower) which keeps good companion to his tomatoes by keeping horn worms away! Thanks for sharing, Rift! Great photo :) 

 A vintage still life makes its way from swap friend Kayla!

 The ever lovely Marilyn Monroe makes her first appearance on the page. Thank you to Michelle--I've actually been hoping this card would make its way to me at some point!

(Photo by Sam Shaw)

"Every great dream begins with a dreamer. Always remember you have with in you the strength, the patience, and the passion to reach for the stars and change the world" (Harriet Tubman). Thank you Susan for the great quote and an awesome shot of the Venice Pier!

Its not often that I get a card from The Reading Woman series. Thank you to Stephanie for this 1898 watercolor by Childe Hassam, which hangs in the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston!

That's all for me today folks. I have a few more that I need to get pictures of for you and an equal number of postcards to get ready to go out. I've done a lot of swaps as of late so I think next week I will be focusing more on my letter writing. I have managed to get myself behind again....cest la vie.....Happy Mailing xoxo randi