Just a Bunch of Postcards

The mail is here for today and the week, so I guess it's time for an update. But first things first. My contest. You have just 21 days remaining to get your entry or entries in. See my update for Thursday, December 3rd for all the rules. Hope you can enter.

Today's first card is from Amherst, Virginia, USA and was sent by a Postcrosser named Kristen. Her card shows the Blue Ridge Mountains. These mountains stretches 600 miles from Georgia northeast to Pennsylvania. The vast forests in the mountains catch great amounts of rainfall and then return some to the atmosphere., in a process called transpiration, helping create the famous blue haze. These mountains are totally different from the Rockies in my area. Kristen used the 2007 Harriet Beecher Stowe definitive, which I have already shown in a previous update. Thanks Kristen.

Now for a card from Japan. It shows the rock garden of Ryoan-ji Temple in Kyoto. This Zen Temple was built in 1450 and added to as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in December 1994. The rock garden is a symbol of Ryoan-ji and means the beauty of the silent. Thanks to Miho , another Postcrosser for this card. The larger stamp on the right is from 2009 and is 1 of a set of 4 issued to celebrate folklore and Takayama festivals. The smaller stamps are from a set of 3 definitives issued in 1997 showing flowers and insects.

The next card is from Reykjavik, Iceland. It's good to get another card from Iceland. Of the 1188 cards I have received so far, very few are from Iceland. This one shows an aerial view of Reykjavik looking west to the Snaefellnes glacier. Hallgrimskirkja is in the foreground. Looking at this card, the first thing that stands out is the lack of any really tall buildings. The Hallgrimskirja is a Lutheran parish church and at 244 ft is the sixth tallest architectural structure in Iceland. It took 38 years to build , having been started in 1945 and was completed in 1986. The design is said to resemble the basalt lava flows of Iceland's landscape. This card is from a Postcrosser who goes by the username of Little-Shrimp. She used a nice stamp from a 2009 set of 2 featuring shepherds. An interesting note about the postmark. Little-Shrimp works in a post office and more than likely, postmarked this card herself. Working in a post office and handstamping postcards and letters, now that's my kind of job. Thanks Little-Shrimp, you'll be hearing from me soon.

Well I think that will do it for today. I may get another update in latter in the weekend. Take care.
As always , your comments are always welcome.