Catch Up , Catch Up and Catch Up

Well, I'm finally back , back from a cruise, back from a week in Cuba and now back from a week in Newfoundland. To say I'm tired, tired of airports, tired of lineups, tire of dragging suitcases around, tired of living out of a suitcase, tired of food on the go, tired of different timezones and jetlagged , would be one huge understatement. I am just glad to be back home and will not be going anywhere anytime soon. The worst part of the whole thing is that I lost my camera, I left it on the airplane of the flight from St. John's to Toronto. It's been 3 days now and still nothing from the airline. I guess it's gone for ever. Anyway, I posted lots of cards while I was away, and received lots of postcards while I was away. I have lots of material to work with here on the blog. This blog has certainly taken a beating the last 2 months, with just one update in March and just four todate in April . This is number 5 . I'm sure that May will be much better with updates more often.

I also want to mention National Postcard Week which is just about upon us. It runs May 1-7, 2012. I'm not sure where National Postcard Week actually is observed , possibly England, but I intend to observe it here in Canada. I first mentioned it in my blog of 27 Jan 2012. At that time I wrote how I might observe it and asked my readers how they might take part. This is how I will take part. Each day of the seven days , May 1 - 7, I will mail a postcard mentioning the week, that's seven cards in all , to seven postcard friends. So if you get mail from me off and on, watch out for your National Postcard Week postcard. The cards will be numbered 1 through 7, but not in any order of importance. I also invite any and all that read this to send me a postcard to celebrate National Postcard Week 2012. Mark the postcard as such and when the week is over , we'll see how successful it was. My postal address is over on the left side.


So let's get to a few cards. First up is a card from Julia in Russia . The caption on the back of the card says "View on the Cathedral of Moscow , Kremlin".

I'm not quite sure that accurately describes the picture on the front. What do you think ? Anyway it is a very nice card with a great sunset. The stamp Julia used is from the set of 12 Kremlin definitives of 2009.

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Today's second card is from South Korea. It is a picture of the pavilion in the center of Tapgol Park in downtown Seoul.

The stamp is 1 of 4 in a really beautiful set of Dinosaurs issued in 2011. A set that would be welcome in my collection.

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This next card also comes from Russia and was sent by Sasha. It's a drawing of what people in the 19th century imagined Moscow would look like in the future. Steamboats, airplanes, and a big port in front of the Kremlin, at least that's according to Sasha.

The stamp is one issued for the upcoming 2014 Winter Olympic Games to be held in Sochi, Russia. The stamp was issued in 2011 and features fast track skating.



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Okay, yet another card from Russia. Angela sent this one and it shows the University Embankment with a view of the Sphinxes.

This card arrived with a couple of large stamps which is often a rarity. Many Russian cards arrive with just definitives, so it's always a pleasure to see one with these large commemoratives . The stamp on the right was issued in 2011 and is 1 of 6 issued commemorating contemporary art. The other large one was issued in 2009 and is 1 of 2 in a set of paintings.












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Here's today's final card. It is from Paulina in Poland. She writes that the photo depicted is called "Their Streets, the House of Ghosts". I leave it to my readers to figure that one out.

And here's the stamps , I have shown them many times in the past, so no comment.





So there you have it. Thanks to Julia, Sasha, Angela and Paulina for their cards. I should be back here again tomorrow to end the month . Take care and Cheers !!

Equatorial Guinea , New Country # 256 Plus Another Mishmash of Cards

Hello again. Well this is indeed a good day on the blog. It is always a good day when I get to introduce a new country in my card collection. Here we go -- Equatorial Guinea, how good is that ? That makes # 256, leaving just 17 more to go. This is the first new country since 03 Jan of this year. And the best part is that I wasn't even expecting it, the sad part is that I don't know who sent it to me. Here's the card. Nothing to identify it as from Equatorial Guinea, other than the postmark and the stamp. It is postmarked from Malabo, the capital of the country. Equatorial Guinea is located in west central Africa. Despite it name, no part of the country lies on the equator, and it is entirely in the Northern Hemisphere, except for Annobon Province , which is 155 km south of the equator. It shares borders with Cameroon and Gabon. The card arrived with a great stamp, 1 of 3 in a 1994 set commemorating the 25th anniversary of man's landing on the Moon.

I just hope that whoever sent this card might read this and drop me an email at gemsworldpostcards@shaw.ca and let me know how they found out about my collection and the fact that I needed a card from Equatorial Guinea. Plus I'd like to say " thank you".

Now for the Mishmash.

Germany -- This is a great card showing not 1 but 2 Super Transporter Belugas. These Airbus A300-600St Belugas are the true heavy lifters of the air freight industry. If you got something big to move, these are the guys that you want. The ones shown on this card are # 3 and # 4 of the 5 built. Igor of www.covercity.de sent this card and his postcard blog Ansichtskarten can be found here . Igor used a wonderful souvenir sheet showing Zeppelin Airship LZ 127 "Graf Zeppelin"with a special postmark marking the hundred anniversary of Airship LZ 11 "Viktoria Luise ". Just a great card with great franking.

Ledbury, England---A surprise card from Michael of cddstamps. It shows Market House , which was built in 1617. Ledbury is a thriving market town of 9,900 in rural England. Michael used a 2012 definitive from the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic stamp set. They were issued on Jan 05, 2012. They are a self adhesive set consisting of 2 1st class and 2 worldwide up to 20 grams stamps. Michael has a number of websites and blogs . You can find him here, here and here .

Latvia---Another post/mail box. This one from Riga. I never know if these small ones are postboxes to send outgoing mail or personal mailboxes to receive your mail . Perhaps someone in Latvia can let me know. Regardless , it's a good one for my collection. Could even be a German box. The stamp that Silvana used is from 1996. It is from a definitive Coat of Arms set of 4.

Grand Falls Windsor, Newfoundland, Canada---A card showing a picture from my hometown. It is a look at the Pulp & Paper Mill which operated in the town from 1909-2009. It was the a main resource for the townspeople during that time. Although it's difficult to see, the card was posted on Leap Day, Feb 29th of this year. The stamp is Canada's domestic rate Year of the Dragon stamp.

A Submarine From The United States---The USS Cavalla was a nuclear attack submarine, launched Feb 19, 1972. She was 300 feet long and displaced 4,500 tons. The Cavalla was decommissioned on 30 March 1998 and was scrapped by 17 Nov 2000 at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard. I don't think I could serve on a sub, I'm sure I'd find it too confining. Kate of deltiolog sent this card along and you can find her postcard blog here . We've swapped cards a number of times and hopefully will again. Her stamps on this one include the 2011 George Washington definitive and 1 of a set of 4 self adhesive Working Dogs stamps, issued this year.

The Scottish Tartan---Here we have the Scottish Tartan. This is a reproduction of a Scottish definitive stamp designed by Tayburn, and issued by Royal mail on 8 June 1999. This one is compliments of Jean Pierre and he used a stamp from a 2011 set of 8 featuring The Crown Jewels. Also of note is the special cancellation from Edinburgh for The Queen's Jubilee .

The Lost Bridge---Here we go with today's final card . It comes from Sri Lanka and shows us The Lost Bridge In Arugambay. Ravindra wrote on the card that the bridge was washed away in the 2004 tsunami. Ravindra has a couple of postcard blogs here and here . The 2 stamps used were both issued in 2012. The one on the left celebrates 100 years of Sri Lankan Scouting. The other stamp commemorates Gamini Fonseka ( 1936-2004 ) , a Sri Lankan film actor and politician.

So ends another blog update. It was great to add Equatorial Guinea to the fold and it will give me great pleasure to put a line through that country in my list over on the left side. Many thanks to all who sent cards, Ravindra, Jean Pierre, Kate, Silvana, Michael, Igor and the mystery person from Equatorial Guinea. I hope to know who you are eventually. Take care. See you soon.

No Themes Today- Anything Goes

I thought about going Theme again today, but didn't entertain the thought for long. It's going to be a bit of this , a bit of that and anything else that strikes my fancy. The cards will be as varied at the stamps on them.

Let's start with a card from Portugal. A black and white card featuring an old 1947 Mercedes Benz. An impressive car then , an impressive car now. The Mercedes Benz of today is a sweet car as I'm sure the 1947 model was. I'd go so far as to say, if you can find a 1947 Mercedes Benz today, just buy it. This card is from a Postcrosser who lives near Porto , famous for Port wine. The stamp, sorry , the label highlights 112 the emergency telephone number for the European Union. I guess , the equivalent of 911 over this way. I'm always disappointed when a Postcrosser , or anyone else for that matter , uses a postal label instead of a postage stamp. When I go to a post office I always ask for a stamp , even when sending parcels. Even if it takes extra time , when sending parcels, I still moisten the stamps and stick them on. I guess that comes from a long time as a stamp collector. Anyway I would have preferred a stamp on the card, but what happens in Portugal is out of my control. I am still thankful for the card, so there.

Here's a card from Dili, Timor-Leste. Not a place you get a card from often, so when one arrives you want to share it. This is just my 3rd Timor-Leste card. This one is a view of Dili from off shore. Dili is the capiital, largest city, chief port and commercial centre of the country, with a population of just under 200,000. David from Ireland sent the card along , from his recent trip over that way. The stamp on the left and in the center are 2 of a set of 6 issued Nov 28, 2010 for international Biodiversity Year. All 6 of the stamps show reptiles and amphibians native to Timor-Leste. The stamp on the right was issued in 2002 , 1 of 10 issued to mark Independence.
Mona Lisa, Mona Lisa , what can I say that hasn't already been said. This is a beautiful postcard of a beautiful painting. The Mona Lisa, a half-length portrait of a woman by Leonardo da Vinci, which has been acclaimed as "the best known, the most visited, the most written about, the most sung about, the most parodied work of art in the world." It is located in The Louvre in Paris. Rumiko from Japan is the sender and she used a wonderful aviation stamp. It is from a mini sheet of 10 different stamps issued in 2010 for the 100th Anniversary of Aviation in Japan. It's a really beautiful sheet and one I would love to add to my collection.

Rum Point, Cayman Islands-- Sounds like a good spot to spend a vacation. Rum Point is located on the North side of Grand Cayman Island . It is an area of beautiful water, great sand and lots of trees if you want shade. It's another card from Jean Pierre who visited the island in March. He used ( on the left ) a 2010 stamp featuring a Catboat, from a set of 6. The 2nd stamp was issued in 2100 and also is from a set of 6 featuring shells.
Here's another mailbox or postbox if you prefer. This one you can find in Taiwan. A nice enough box, don't you think ? One more for my collection. The stamps are a little common , I won't go into them, but here they are.
And the final card for today is The Penguin John Lennon card. It comes from up north, Edmonton way. About 300 km north of here. It comes from Jacqueline who has this blog, " a postcard project" . You can check it out here. She used a 2011 Baby Wildlife definitive of a pair of Arctic Hares. Sadly it escaped the post office's postmark. Yes, it even happens here in Canada.

So ends another update. Hope you enjoyed it . Take care, call again.

PLANES , Planes, and more planes Day

Welcome back, I hope I don't lose you when my theme for today is known. Last time was Indonesia , this time it is PLANES. I know, not everyone likes planes as much as I do, but they do seem to be a popular postcard theme. I wish I could have an update of cards showing manhole covers, but they seem as scarce as hen's teeth . So it's planes this time. And if you stick around until the end, perhaps there will be something you might like or want.

Let's start with a C.P. Air, Canadian Pacific Airlines DC-10. This one was named "Empress of Expo 86". I worked for a few years for C.P.Air , so that's a good one to start with. I don't know for sure but it is possible I may have actually flown on this aircraft to Honolulu. I flew on DC-10's a number of times to Hawaii. I owe a thank you for this card to Joe G of Endwell , N.Y. That's a cool name for a town, I wonder if everything ends well in Endwell. Joe, if you are reading this, a card is on the way to you. I like the 3 Aloha Shirt stamps on this one. They are new , issued in 2012. Almost makes me want to go and put my Aloha shirt on, when I see those.

This second card is of a South African A340 Airbus, sitting on the ramp in Hong Kong, I do believe. Looks like a typical foggy day in the airline world. I had many of those , but more foggy than this one, in C YYT , St. John's International Airport. I have yet to fly on a A340, but some day , I hope. Bruce sent this card along and used a nice 2009 stamp. It is an International Small Letter rate stamp from a set of 5 showcasing the artifacts of Mapungubwe, an ancient iron age society discovered in 1933.

Next up is my most favorite plane that I never had the opportunity or privilege to fly on. A TWA Lockheed Constellation, a Connie. This one appears to be on the ramp at Orly Airport, Paris in the 1950's with all 4 engines running. No doubt the airport is a little different and a lot larger today. Jean Pierre used a couple of Marianne definitives and a 20 gram priority letter stamp showing kites.

Now we have the much more modern Airbus A380. A Lufthansa A380 in fact. Yes, another one I wouldn't mind flying on. Jean Pierre writes that he had just flown on the A380 between Miami and Frankfurt. Lucky guy. The stamp is a Balloon Flower definitive from Germany.

Finally an aircraft type that I have flown on, a Boeing 737. I've flown on 737 100's, 200's, 300's and most recently an 800 to Cuba and back. This is an AirBaltic 737 one of 14 in their fleet . Jelena from Latvia sent this card and used a 2011 Coat of Arms stamp and a 2008 animal ( cat ) stamp from a set of 2.

A military aircraft is up next. A Saab JAS-39 Gripen. The Gripen features delta wings and canards and has a top speed of Mach 2. In service since 1987, more than 264 Gripens have been delivered or ordered as of 2011. They are in service with the Air Forces of Sweden, South Africa, Czech Republic, and Hungary. A rather timely card here in Canada since this country is in the middle of deciding whether to purchase a number of new Lockheed Martin F-35 Stealth Fighter Jets. It seems no one can or will admit what the true cost of the jets will be. A Czech Republic Postcrosser sent this card and used a number of stamps, including flower definitives from 2007 .
The large stamp on the left was issued in 1997 and is from a set of 3 paintings. The other is from a set of 3 paintings issued ion 2002. Quite nice stamps actually. I have written before about Czech Republic stamps, they have issued some very nice stamps over the years, in my opinion. If anyone is looking for a country to collect, try Czech Republic stamps.

And the final plane for today is a Boeing KC-135 Stratotanker. It was designed for the midair refueling of long range strategic bombers. This one brings back memories for me from 1974-1978. At that time I lived in Goose Bay, Labrador and Goose Air Base was operated by The U.S.A.F. There was always a flightline of anywhere from 11-19 or 20 of these KC-135 on the ramp. Let me tell you, they are quite loud and when they were all starting up , and it happened quite often, the noise was just bearable. And it always seemed to happen in the middle of the night. Oh well, that was another era and so are these planes. On the back we see 2 Purple Heart stamps from 2009 and a Ron Reagan Forever stamp from 2011.



That completes The Planes update . Hope someone out there enjoyed it as much as I did.
Thanks to Joe, Bruce, Jean Pierre, Jelena, and the two unknown Postcrossers for these great postcards.
Now as I mentioned earlier, for those of you who stayed until the end. I have a small number of Canada's 2012 Year of the Dragon stamps , of both the Domestic and International Rates. If there are any collectors of these Dragon stamps out there, I am more than happy to trade for one from your country, if you issued dragon stamps , or if not some other nice stamp will do just fine. Here are the 2 stamps in question , International on the left, Domestic on the right. If you want it on a postcard that's fine , if you want it mint, no problem. We can work out the details.
Remember I only have a small number.

Take care, thanks for reading and comments are always welcome .