Smallest Post Office in the U.S. and Patagonia, Argentina

Just two postcards for today's update. First is a card from Ochopee, Florida, U.S.A. The post office in Ochopee is the smallest post office in the U.S. Information about the post office is on the front and also the back of the postcard. Earlier this past summer I had received 2 postcards from Sanquhar, Scotland, site of the oldest post office in the world. You can read about the Sanquhar Post Office in my postings of 26 June and 28 July. I guess now I'll try for a postcard from the southernmost post office in Puerto Guarani, Tierra del Fuego. Or the northernmost, or the highest, the possibilities are endless, well not really. Back to Ochopee. The stamp on the card is the 72 cent 13 Mile Woods stamp , airmail definitive issued in 2008.

The other card for today is from Rada Tilly, Patagonia, Argentina. With a population of about 15,000 it is known for its 4.5 kilometre beach. The card was sent by Flor, a Postcrosser who lives in Comodoro Rivadavia, about 13 kilometres away from Rada Tilly. She used 2 stamps about which I could not find any information. They are marked Official and the postmark itself has the word Official in it. If anyone has info on this stamp , please leave a comment .

A short one today. Thanks to Flor and the postmaster at Ochopee.

A Five Postcard day

Well, as I mentioned in yesterday's blog, the mail lady left 5 postcards, from Malaysia, Tonga, Finland, Great Britain and Republic of China. The first card today , from Malaysia shows 2 views, 1 of the Asy-Syakirin Mosque while the other shows a night view of downtown Kuala Lumpur. The mosque , known as the ''Jewel in the Park'' is situated within the Kuala Lumpur City Centre and right next to The Petronas Twin Towers. Kuala Lumpur transforms into a veritable wonderland of loghts at night, earning its name '' garden City of Lights''. The card was sent by Khor Kok Keong who also has a stamp, postcard, cover blog called KKKhor Stamp Collection. Be sure to visit it at http://kkkhor.blogspot.com . The stamp used is a 1999 issue, 1 of a set of 3 featuring the Petronas Twin Towers and modern architecture.

The next card is from Tonga. This is my second postcard from The Kingdom of Tonga in just 2 days. Of course they were both sent by the same person, Sarah LaRosa. The card shows some lovely Tongan women from The Port of Refuge area performing a traditional Tongan dance. Sarah used a wonderful 1998 stamp featuring the Friendly Ground Dove. It is from a set of 15 definitives , all showing birds.

Next up is the card from Jyvaskyla, Finland. It was sent by Postcrosser Anu. Jyvaskyla is located in Central Finland. The city was founded on 22 March 1837 by Czar Nicholas I of Russia.
Anu used a new 2008 stamp with Braille script on the stamp to indicate the value , I think.

The card from London, England was sent by Scott,a Postcrosser, who also operates www.positivelypostal.blogspot.co.uk . It's another good one to have a look at. The card shows a number of the traditional tourist sites around London. I saw and visited some of these back in 1976. The tourist sites may not have changed but I'm sure London itself has changed since then. I guess it's time to go back again. Scott used a number of stamps on the card including a Union Jack stamp, a Machin and 3 commemoratives, honouring the 50th anniversary of The British Legion, the 100th anniversary of The Rugby Football Union and the 1900th anniversary of The City of York.

And finally, the card from the Republic of China. Sent by frequent postcard contributor Wu Wei Yi. The card shows a large bamboo raft that was most likely used as a ferry. This would have been during the Japanese occupation period.

That is all for today. Many thanks to Khor, Sarah, Anu, Scott and Wei Yi.
As always, your comments are welcome.

Six Postcards, Two New Countries, #203 and 204

Well, I am back, after 4 days away in Saskatchewan, Moose Jaw to be exact. Moose Jaw is the home base of the Canadian Forces Air Demonstration Snow Birds. If you are ever in their vicinity, be sure to look up. Now back to postcards. While away I received 6 postcards, 4 of which I will show here. First , let me say that I received cards from 2 new countries in my collection. These are Kyrgyzstan, country #203 and Kingdom of Tonga , country #204.
The first card shown today is from Ieper, Belgium. It was sent by fellow blogger Thomas. The card shows the Menin Gate Memorial, located in Ypres (known as Ieper in Dutch), in Flanders, Belgium. The gate opened on 24July 1927. It is a monument dedicated to the missing British and Commonwealth soldiers who were killed in the battles around Ypres and who do not have a known grave, a total of 54,338. The citizens of Ypres wanted to express their gratitude towards those who had given their lives for Belgium's freedom. So every evening at 8:00 PM , buglers from the local fire brigade perform The Last Post. To date , it has been performed every evening since the gate's opening 24 July 1927 , a total of 27,556 times. Thomas used 2 stamps on the card. The smaller bird stamp , issued in 2003, is 1 of a set of 3 definitives., all featuring birds. The other stamp , issued in 2008, commemorates the Van Buuren Museum in Brussels.
The cancellation is a special cancel from the museum on Oct 18th which might be the first day of issue for the stamp. Perhaps Thomas can confirm that for me.

The second card for today is from Peoples Republic of China. It was sent by Postcrosser Tannie. Tannie attends 1 of 2 Grand Canadian Academies in China. Her card shows the Ruins of Guga Kingdom in Ngari, Tibet, China. The Guga Kingdom was a Tibetan Kingdom founded in about the tenth century . The ruins consist of 879 caves, 445 houses, 58 blockhouses and 28 stupas. Tannie used 2 definitive stamps , both issued in 2002. The smaller one was issued for the environment and the larger features a bird.

Next up is the card from Kyrgyzstan, new country #203. Kyrgyzstan is located in Cenntral Asia. Landlocked, it is bordered by Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Tajikistan and China. The country celebrated its independence from the Soviet Union on August 32, 1991. Its capital and largest city is Bishkek. The card shows The Empire State Building in New York, but was indeed sent , mailed and postmarked from Kyrgyzstan. The card was sent by Michael Licwinko who writes the blog "Scribblings of a Peace Corp Volunteer". He is teaching English at a state university over there. Michael used 4 stamps on the card, 3 of them different. The two small definitives on the left were issued in 2008.The values of these two are different. The other stamp , the larger one was issued in 2005. It commemorates T. Sydykbekov, a National Hero, who helped write the words to the Kirghiz National Anthem.

The final card for today is from The Kingdom of Tonga, new country # 204. The Kingdom of Tonga, in the south Pacific ocean comprises 171 islands, stretching over a distance of 800 kilometres in a north-south line. Tonga is the only sovereigh monarchy among the island nations of the Pacific Ocean. Its capital is Nuku' alofa. The present king is Siaosi Tupou V, who was coronated 1st August 2008. The card was sent by Sarah LaRosa who writes on the blog Sarah's Faka-Fabulous Blog, about her experiences as a Peace Corps volunteer on Vava'u , Tonga. Sarah's card shows the new king along with 3 former kings and 1 former queen . Sarah used a new 2008 stamp commemorating the recent coronation of His Majesty King George Tupou V.

The other 2 cards ,not shown, were Official Postcrossing cards from Belgium and Germany. All in all quite a good day for postcards. Tomorrow's posting will be quite good, also. The mail lady just arrived and dropped 5 more postcards in my mailbox. So be sure to drop by again tomorrow for more postcards and stamps fun. Thanks to Sarah, Michael, Tannie and Thomas for their cards , without which there would be no blog.

As always, your comments are welcome and appreciated.

One Postcard Only

I guess I haven't been around lately. It's just that I didn't have much to write about, which translates into a lack of postcards. I received one postcard yesterday, the first one since October 14th. That's quite a drought. Hopefully the rest of this week will be better.
So my one postcard which arrived yesterday was from the Czech Republic. Sent by a Postcrosser, the card is in the shape of a beer stein. It is from Plzen. Plzen was founded by King Wesceslas II in 1295. The city has been known primarily for the products of Plzener Brewery since 1842. The card shows a number of sights around Plzen including one of the cities most prominent, St. Bartholomew's Cathedral. This cathedral was founded in the 13th century, and has a tower measuring 103 meters , the highest in the Czech Republic. The stamp on the card is from 2007, 1 of a set of 2, featuring water towers. The one shown on this stamp is located in Prague.
Thanks to Krystina for this card.
That's it for this time , rather short but sweet as they say.

Tonga Viewer

Hello again. This short entry is for someone that I would like to have contact me. I have noticed a number of times lately, that someone from Tonga has been on this blog. I would love to receive a postcard from Tonga. I have tried a number of times for a card, but have never had any luck. If you are the one from Tonga and read this , please contact me via email or leave a comment on the blog.I can really use your help. Thanks

Three Postcards

Hello again. Three postcards to have a look at today. First up is a card from St. Petersburg, Russia. It was sent by a Postcrosser from there. The card shows 1 of 4 famous horse sculptures located on the first and most famous bridge across the Fontanka River in st. Petersburg. The sender used a total of 8 stamps on the card. The 3 small stamps on the right side of the card are from a set of 11 definitives issued in 1998. The large stamp on the right is 1 of 4 issue in 2004 featuring antique silver objects. An interesting feature of this stamp is its embossing. You can actually feel the vase or goblet on the stamp. The 3 stamps on the left side include: 1 of a set of 5, issued in 2002 featuring castles and fortifications, 1 of a set of 4 issued in 2005 featuring the treasures of sarmat, in this case a bear. This stamp is also embossed.The last stamp is from 2005 , again 1 of a set of 5, featuring military planes. This stamp will be a great addition to my topical collection of aircraft on stamps.

Next is a card from Honolulu , Hawaii sent by Teena. The card entitled Hawaiian Moonlight sure says it all. Nothing beats paddling an outrigger canoe , by moonlight along Waikiki Beach. Teena used the 72 cent , 13 Mile Woods , New Hamshire airmail rate stamp.

Finally today is a card from Brunei Darussalam. Cards from Brunei aren't that common. I only have 2 or 3 in my collection. This one was sent by Melanie , a Postcrosser who lives in Bandar Seri Begawan, Brunei's capital. The card shows Istana Nurul Iman, located on the banks of the Brunei River. This is The Sultan's Palace , the largest residential palace in the world. We're talking big here folks, 1788 rooms, 257 bathrooms and 2,152,782 square feet. It was built in 1984 , at a cost of $1.4 billion US . Melanie used 2 stamps picturing Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah. I wasn't able to come up with the issue year, unfortunately.

That is all she wrote this time. Tune in again tomorrow. Comments please.

Last of the Vacation Catch-Up

With this posting, I will finish up the postcards and covers that arrived while I was away. First is a card from Ireland. The front of the card shows a number of Irish cottages. The card was sent by Postcrosser Odette, who lives in Ireland but is originally from the Philippines. Odette used a 2008 stamp, 1 of a set of 3 featuring wild flowers. In this case it is the sea aster.

Next is a card from Taiwan, republic of China. It was sent by regular contributor Wu Wei Yi. The card shows a lady entering a hot spring, no doubt hoping to relieve her body and soul. Wei Yi used 3 stamps from 2001. The 2 on the top are from a mini sheet of 10 that featured flowers and plants. The smaller stamp is from a set of 3 definitives, again featuring flowers and plants.

Here is a card from Ana of Skopje, Macedonia. It shows The Monastery of St Naun , located on the southeast side of Lake Ohrid, near the Macedonian- Albanian border. Ana has a postcard blog entitled My World Of Postcards at http://thewholeworldatyourhands.blogspot.com . Check it out and see what she's about. This card arrived in an envelope with 10 great Macedonia stamps. I have few stamps from this country , so these will add to my collection. The stamps are from 1992, 93, 97,98 and 2006. All in all they make a mini collection.

Finally there is this cover from Brazil. Sent by Luis Alberto Kalife, it contained a mini sheet of 6 stamps from 2002. The sheet of 6 all are stamps with planes on them. They will add greatly to my topical collection of aircraft on stamps. The cover was stamped with 3 stamps, 1 from 2007 featuring a train and 2 from 1999 featuring aircraft. Again 2 more stamps for my topical collection.

Thanks to Odette, Wei Yi, Ana and Luis for these postcards and stamps. I can't do it without you guys.
As always , your comments are welcome.

Another New Country , Burkina Faso # 202

Here are some of the numerous postcards that arrived while I was on vacation. One was even a new country to my collection, Burkina Faso , country # 202. Others cards were from Bhutan, Brazil, Slovenia, Republic of China, Germany, Ireland, Macedonia, New Zealand and a couple from the U.S. I won't get to all those in this posting but we'll cover a number of them.

First is the card from Burkina Faso. A landlocked country in West Africa, Burkina Faso borders on Mali, Niger, Benin, Togo, Ghana and Cote d'Ivoire. Burkina was called Upper Volta prior to Aug 4, 1984. It's capital is Ouagadougou. The postcard shows various buildings in the capital including The Grand Mosque, House of the People, Place of Nations and a cathedral.

The card was sent by Jacques Lacour , who lives in Koudougou, about 75 km from the capital. It was postmarked from this town on 26 Sep, and that's not a bad travel time from West Africa. Jacques has a philatelic blog called le blog philatelique de Jacques Lacour. His blog can be found at http://jacqueslacourbf.blogspot.com . Give a look and see what he's about. Thanks Jacques, it's a great addition to my postcard collection.

My second card for today is from Bhutan. It is the 2nd card received recently from Leo van der Velde, who lives in the capital Thimphu. The card shows King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck. He is the fifth Dragon King of Bhutan and the world's youngest head of state. He became king on 14 December 2006. This is a special postcard issued by the Kuensel Newspaper on the occasion of the 28th birthday of the king, Feb 21, 1980. In cooperation with Bhutan Post it offered free postage if mailed within Bhutan on 21,22,23 Feb 2008.

Leo used 2 of a set of 3 beautiful Bhutan stamps , issued for The Year of The Rat in 1996. On his earlier card , Leo also used a couple of beautiful Bhutan stamps . You can see them on my posting of Sept 20th. Thanks Leo for this card and the great stamps that you use. If you keep this up , I'll have the beginning of a wonderful Bhutan stamp collection. Thanks again.

Now a card from Brazil. It shows Vacabrava Park in Goiania, Brazil. The city of 1.25 million is a planned city, founded on Oct 24, 1933. The park shown on the card covers an area of 18,000 sq. meters and contains a lake, a forest of native species and many places for exercise. This card was sent by Luis Alberto Kalife who has a blog called Kalife's Stamp Collection at http://kalifecollection.blogspot.com . Thanks Luis for this.
Luis used 2 great stamps on the card, both issued in 2000 celebrating transplantation.

One more card, this time from Slovenia. The card shows Mercury, the god of commerce and ptotector of merchants. The statue is located on top of the Centromerkur , Ljubljana's oldest department store. This card comes from Postcrosser Wakeful (username) and she used a number of great stamps . They are part of a set of 17 definitives issued in 2007 , highlighting orchids, plants and flowers. The complete set is a great looking set and one I would love to have.

And the final card for this posting is from The U.S. It shows one of many covered bridges in New Hampshire. This one, Tme Mount Orne Bridge is a wooden Howe truss bridge over the Connecticut River between Lancaster, New Hampshire and Lunenburg, Vermont. This bridge was constructed in 1911 at a cost of $6,678 and measures 266 ft 3 in long.

Audrey, another Postcrosser sent this card. She used a 2007 famous women stamp , featuring Harriet Beecher Stowe. Stowe (june 14, 1811-July 01, 1896) was an American author and abolitionist. She gained her fame for Uncle Tom's Cabin, which attached the cruelty of slavery.
Thanks Audrey.

Well, I am about half way caught up from vacation. I may have another update later today or this evening. Be sure to check back . As always , comments are welcome, please leave yours.

New Countries #200 Benin and #201 St Kitts

Well, I'm back from vacation, just one day late. We had a great few days in Victoria, B.C and a wonderful week in Honolulu. And I might add a postcard free vacation. No postcards , no stamps and no covers, just a relaxing time. Well I guess that's not 100 percent true. We sent 3 postcards from Waikiki to our 3 grandsons here in Calgary. There is no time like the present to get them started collecting postcards. Also, while on the beach, I overheard a small conversation between 2 ladies behind me. It went like this, the first lady said"did you send any postcards?" . The other lady said "yes, I did out a bunch of cards, but I haven't posted them, I'll send them when I get back to L.A. , that's o.k. they are just postcards. " I wanted to turn around and say, "not really," but I didn't, each to their own I guess. Enough about my trip, on to postcards. While away, I received a total of 12 new postcards and 2 nice covers. But, before any of that, I have a little business to attend to , left over from the day before I left.

I received 3 postcards that day and 2 of them were new countries to my collection. First is a card from Benin, new country #200. It was sent by Sara who lives in Niamey, Niger. She had earlier sent a card from Niger. Sara has a blog called La Love Affair at http://laloveaffair.blogspot.com .
Thanks Sara for this great card and your support both times with great cards .

Benin is a country in Western Africa. It borders Togo, Nigeria, Burkina Faso and Niger. It's capital is Porto Novo, with the city of Cotonou, the seat of government. Benin was known as Dahomey until 1975. Sara's card shows 3 scenes of Cotonou. She said she wanted to visit Ouidah and the Slave Road. Ouidah is the voodoo center of Benin, while the Slave Road is a 4km road between Ouidah and the beach, over which thousands of slaves traveled on their way to board slaving ships for the New World.

Sara used 2 new 2008 Benin stamps showing the Coat of arms of the country.


The second card is from Iceland. It was sent by a Postcrosser named Kristina. The card shows some children dressed in 19th century Icelandic National costumes . Kristina used 2 stamps from 2007 on her card. The green stamp is 1 of 2 issued to commemorate 100 years of Icelandic forestry. The other stamp was issued to commemorate the Iclandic national Archives. Thanks to Kristina for this card.

The last card is from another new country in my collection, St. Kitts, country #201. St. Kitts is located in the Eastern Caribbean. The island is 69 square miles with a population of approx 32,000. Basseterre is the capital. The card shows a drawing of The Golden Lemon. The Golden Lemon Inn & Villas is located in Dieppe Bay, St. Kitts. The Inn is a 17th century Great House and has been operated by Arthur Leamon since 1963. Arthur named it The Golden Lemon, as his friends and early guests said he had bought a real lemon. Arthur replied that it had better be a Golden lemon and that is how it got it's name. Check out their website at www.goldenlemon.com.

The stamp on the card is from a 2004 set of 4, marking World Aids Day.
Thanks Arthur for this card.

This is just a catch-up from before I left, hopefully I will get to some of the other 12 cards, over the weekend, that arrived while I was away.


But before I go , one more bit of business. As you all know, I was holding a small contest as to which country would come in as country # 200. Well I only had 2 entries but luckily 1 was a winner. Benin is country # 200 and it was correctly guessed by Thomas Vandaele of Belgium. His blog is at http;//veedeesstamps.blogspot.com . His prize for this is a cover or postcard, his choice. I might suggest a cover , as what I want to use as postage won't fit too well on a postcard. But as I said, it's your choice Thomas. Just let me know and I will get it off to you asap.

That's it for this time. I still have alot of catching up to do, so I should have another update tomorrow. Stay tuned.