Well , it's been a while. Over two weeks in fact. Sadly, it's going to be even longer before I get any new updates on here. Let's start with my technical difficulties. I am having scanner problems and I'm not very good with technical problems. It's not much good to do a postcard blog if I can't show the postcards. Now, I can safely say I won't have any new updates until at least the middle of May, maybe sometime in the week of the 15th. More than 3 weeks from now. What's going on , you might ask ?
Here's the Big news. -- we, My Lovely Teena and I, are moving back to Airdrie, Alberta. Right back to where we came from a year and a half ago. Moving back to be closer to family and our grandkids.
As Teena says "we are leaving with a smile on one side of our face and a tear on the other ". We have enjoyed our time here on the island but it's not home. So that's where we're going. But we will be back for visits, that's for sure.
I'll have my new address on here in a couple of weeks , but until then, anyone sending any mail my way, please continue to use my current address as I will have mail forwarding for 4 months. That should take care of just about anything unless its coming from the moon.
So there you have it - the news is out there.
That's all for now, see you all again in a couple weeks , from Alberta, with a working scanner.
Thursday, April 21, 2016
Wednesday, April 6, 2016
Venezuela and More
Howdy folks - I'm back with a few more cards - some of the ones that I found in yesterday's mail. Let's start with one that was on the go for quite a while. It's from Venezuela. Margarita Island in fact. The card shows a 100 year history of the Venezuela Flag.
As I mentioned this card took quite a while to reach its destination. David wrote this card on Oct 01, 2015 . It received its cancellation that day in Porlamar, on Margarita Island - nicknamed " Pearl of the Caribbean ". Margarita Island is about 40 kilometers north of the mainland. So the card it was posted on 01 Oct 2015 and was received in Parksville, Canada yesterday 04 April 2016 - 6 months and 3 days later. Not too bad I guess as I have heard some cards have travelled for over a year from Venezuela. I don't know where they get to for those long stretches. It would certainly be interesting to find out- I'm sure it'd be a dam good story.
David used a 2004 stamp . It is 1 of 2 in a set , a Joint Issue with Iran. The stamp on the card features Pico Bolivar , the highest mountain in Venezuela. The 2nd stamp in the Joint Issue features Mount Damavand in Iran.
Card # 2 is from Indiana, U.S.A. It is a 1961 view of an area in Central Park, Manhattan, New York. It's the Gapstow Bridge or the 79th Street Arch. It was built in 1896 and is 12 ft high, spans 44 ft of water and is 76 ft in length.
a relatively new Postcrosser named Jennifer sent this card and used a number of recent stamps. I have wrote of them all previously , so today I'll just show then without comment.
I actually didn't realize this, but my next card also has a stone, arched bridge. This one though is in Turkey and shows rafting in Rize, a city in the eastern part of the Black Sea region of Turkey.
The large stamp used here is from a set of 4 issued in 2007, all in Comics themes.
A card from Ukraine is next. I guess the young girl's blouse tell the theme of the card - I love Ukraine.
Galina used 3 stamps, 2 of which are quite common definitives and are often seen. The other , larger stamp was issued in 2013. It celebrates Vera Kholodnaya, the first star of Russian cinema. The Ukraine born attress died at the young age of 25. In 2003 a life size bronze statue of her was erected in Odessa.
Just 2 more cards to go, so stay with me. Next we see Rock House Cave , the largest bluff shelter in Petit Jean State park in Arkansas, U.S.A. The 3,471 acre state park features 21 miles of hiking trails, waterfalls and great views atop Petit Jean Mountain. Located in the park is Cedar Falls, impressive at 29 meters.
Spiecho used the round Global Forever Christmas Wreath stamp. We've all seen that one before , so no need to show it again.
Here's the last card for today. The description for the card is all in Russian, so I am totally at a lost, but it looks like an old ski plane flipped over on its roof. I can make out the broken propeller and damaged fuselage towards the tail section. Hopefully all hands got out okay, you know what pilots say - any landing you walk away from is a good one.
Aleksandr used a couple of the 2009 Kremlin definitives. It seems like they have been around forever, we've all seen them over and over, but not today.
That's it for this time. Thanks for today's card go to David, Jennifer, Galina, Spiecho, Aleksandr and a Postcrosser in Turkey whose name I couldn't make out. Thanks for dropping in and reading this, please come by again. Take care.
As I mentioned this card took quite a while to reach its destination. David wrote this card on Oct 01, 2015 . It received its cancellation that day in Porlamar, on Margarita Island - nicknamed " Pearl of the Caribbean ". Margarita Island is about 40 kilometers north of the mainland. So the card it was posted on 01 Oct 2015 and was received in Parksville, Canada yesterday 04 April 2016 - 6 months and 3 days later. Not too bad I guess as I have heard some cards have travelled for over a year from Venezuela. I don't know where they get to for those long stretches. It would certainly be interesting to find out- I'm sure it'd be a dam good story.
David used a 2004 stamp . It is 1 of 2 in a set , a Joint Issue with Iran. The stamp on the card features Pico Bolivar , the highest mountain in Venezuela. The 2nd stamp in the Joint Issue features Mount Damavand in Iran.
Card # 2 is from Indiana, U.S.A. It is a 1961 view of an area in Central Park, Manhattan, New York. It's the Gapstow Bridge or the 79th Street Arch. It was built in 1896 and is 12 ft high, spans 44 ft of water and is 76 ft in length.
a relatively new Postcrosser named Jennifer sent this card and used a number of recent stamps. I have wrote of them all previously , so today I'll just show then without comment.
I actually didn't realize this, but my next card also has a stone, arched bridge. This one though is in Turkey and shows rafting in Rize, a city in the eastern part of the Black Sea region of Turkey.
The large stamp used here is from a set of 4 issued in 2007, all in Comics themes.
A card from Ukraine is next. I guess the young girl's blouse tell the theme of the card - I love Ukraine.
Galina used 3 stamps, 2 of which are quite common definitives and are often seen. The other , larger stamp was issued in 2013. It celebrates Vera Kholodnaya, the first star of Russian cinema. The Ukraine born attress died at the young age of 25. In 2003 a life size bronze statue of her was erected in Odessa.
Just 2 more cards to go, so stay with me. Next we see Rock House Cave , the largest bluff shelter in Petit Jean State park in Arkansas, U.S.A. The 3,471 acre state park features 21 miles of hiking trails, waterfalls and great views atop Petit Jean Mountain. Located in the park is Cedar Falls, impressive at 29 meters.
Spiecho used the round Global Forever Christmas Wreath stamp. We've all seen that one before , so no need to show it again.
Here's the last card for today. The description for the card is all in Russian, so I am totally at a lost, but it looks like an old ski plane flipped over on its roof. I can make out the broken propeller and damaged fuselage towards the tail section. Hopefully all hands got out okay, you know what pilots say - any landing you walk away from is a good one.
Aleksandr used a couple of the 2009 Kremlin definitives. It seems like they have been around forever, we've all seen them over and over, but not today.
That's it for this time. Thanks for today's card go to David, Jennifer, Galina, Spiecho, Aleksandr and a Postcrosser in Turkey whose name I couldn't make out. Thanks for dropping in and reading this, please come by again. Take care.
Monday, April 4, 2016
A Train, A Dog, A Time Machine, Royalty, Mailboxes and Stamps
Welcome back . Thanks for dropping by. If you looked at the title of today's update, you can see that it's going to be somewhat of a mixed bag. But cards are cards, you take what you get.
There are lots of train / railroad postcard collectors out there, so I'm sure a few of you will enjoy this first card. It arrived from Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It shows an old steam locomotive passenger train puffing along.
A young Postcrosser named Zala sent this card, she's just 11 years old. I can only wish I had started collecting postcards at that early age. What a collection I'd have today.
Zala used 2 Flower stamps from a 2007 set of 17, all definitives.
Card # 2 arrived from Pori, Finland. Pori is a city of just over 76,000 on the west coast of Finland. The card is a picture of a 1993 oil on canvas by Danilo Ivanovic. It's called " Chestnuts " . Look down at the bottom and you'll see them. It could have been called " Lady In Red Shoes " . Or " Lady With Her Dog and Bike ".
Now I'm not one to talk, but the dog sure twisted his neck around. Maybe it could have been called "Dog With A Twist ". Just saying. Chestnuts just doesn't cut it for me.
Milla used a 2015 stamp featuring HIM - His Infernal Majesty, a Finnish Rock Band. It is 1 of 6 in a set, featuring Rock bands in Finland.
Next is an old movie poster postcard featuring the 1960s movie The Time Machine. The movie starred Rod Taylor, Alan Young, Yvette Mimieux, Sebastian Cabot and Tom Helmore and was based on H.G. Wells novel.
Jo sent this card from 's-Hertogenbosch, a city in southern Netherlands. Jo just became a new grandfather to Sophie, so congratulations to him. He used the 2014 International rate Windmill stamp.
The Belgian Royal Family is the subject of my next card. This picture was taken 21 July 2013. First we see Philippe, and Mathilde , King and Queen of the Belgians and their kids, Elizabeth, Gabriel, Emmanuel and Eleonore. Also seen is Queen Fabiola, and King Albert and Queen Paola.
This is another card ( one of many ) that I have received from Johan. He used 2 quite recent stamps honouring 2 young members of the Royal Family, Princess Elizabeth and Prince Gabriel. The stamps received First Day of Issue cancellations on 12-03-2016.
That's the postcards for today. But I do want to show a couple of stamps I received on a cover from Malaysia, thanks to Jean Pierre.
On the left are 2 Flower definitives issued 25 Feb 2016. They are 2 of the set of 6 that also featured the Sultan of Johor. The 2 long stamps in the middle were issued 03 Feb 2016 and featured Traditional Dancers of Malaysia. A set of 4 were issued. Then over on the right is 1 of 2 issued in 2012 , a Royal Issue.
I think that's a good update for today. Thanks for today's cards and stamps go to Zala, Milla, Jo, Johan and Jean Pierre. I should be back again soon, I received 6 cards in the mail today, so I'll have no excuse for not updating in a day or so. As always , if you have a comment or thought about today's update , be sure to leave it. I welcome them all. Take care.
There are lots of train / railroad postcard collectors out there, so I'm sure a few of you will enjoy this first card. It arrived from Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia. It shows an old steam locomotive passenger train puffing along.
A young Postcrosser named Zala sent this card, she's just 11 years old. I can only wish I had started collecting postcards at that early age. What a collection I'd have today.
Zala used 2 Flower stamps from a 2007 set of 17, all definitives.
Card # 2 arrived from Pori, Finland. Pori is a city of just over 76,000 on the west coast of Finland. The card is a picture of a 1993 oil on canvas by Danilo Ivanovic. It's called " Chestnuts " . Look down at the bottom and you'll see them. It could have been called " Lady In Red Shoes " . Or " Lady With Her Dog and Bike ".
Now I'm not one to talk, but the dog sure twisted his neck around. Maybe it could have been called "Dog With A Twist ". Just saying. Chestnuts just doesn't cut it for me.
Milla used a 2015 stamp featuring HIM - His Infernal Majesty, a Finnish Rock Band. It is 1 of 6 in a set, featuring Rock bands in Finland.
Next is an old movie poster postcard featuring the 1960s movie The Time Machine. The movie starred Rod Taylor, Alan Young, Yvette Mimieux, Sebastian Cabot and Tom Helmore and was based on H.G. Wells novel.
Jo sent this card from 's-Hertogenbosch, a city in southern Netherlands. Jo just became a new grandfather to Sophie, so congratulations to him. He used the 2014 International rate Windmill stamp.
The Belgian Royal Family is the subject of my next card. This picture was taken 21 July 2013. First we see Philippe, and Mathilde , King and Queen of the Belgians and their kids, Elizabeth, Gabriel, Emmanuel and Eleonore. Also seen is Queen Fabiola, and King Albert and Queen Paola.
This is another card ( one of many ) that I have received from Johan. He used 2 quite recent stamps honouring 2 young members of the Royal Family, Princess Elizabeth and Prince Gabriel. The stamps received First Day of Issue cancellations on 12-03-2016.
That's the postcards for today. But I do want to show a couple of stamps I received on a cover from Malaysia, thanks to Jean Pierre.
On the left are 2 Flower definitives issued 25 Feb 2016. They are 2 of the set of 6 that also featured the Sultan of Johor. The 2 long stamps in the middle were issued 03 Feb 2016 and featured Traditional Dancers of Malaysia. A set of 4 were issued. Then over on the right is 1 of 2 issued in 2012 , a Royal Issue.
I think that's a good update for today. Thanks for today's cards and stamps go to Zala, Milla, Jo, Johan and Jean Pierre. I should be back again soon, I received 6 cards in the mail today, so I'll have no excuse for not updating in a day or so. As always , if you have a comment or thought about today's update , be sure to leave it. I welcome them all. Take care.
Saturday, April 2, 2016
April Already
Hello April and hello to you all . It's another month , March really flew by, at least for me. But it was a good month, postcard wise. I received 35 cards during March. Now it's on to April, I can only hope for another 35 cards.
For today, I have a number of great cards to have a look at. Let's start with this hockey related card. It's an older Soviet Union , prepaid postage hockey card. The sender, Vladimir, saw fit to use all hockey related stamps, including 2 older Soviet Union stamps and 2 recent Russia stamps.
Here's the card.
The card is basically blank except for the stamps. The only picture on it is the goaltender showing his stuff in the upper left corner. Perhaps it was meant to be Vladislav Tretiak, one of the greatest goaltenders of all time.
Now let's have a look at those hockey stamps. Bottom left is a 2014 stamp issued to celebrate Russia as the 2014 Ice Hockey Champions. Top right is the Soviet Union prepaid postage. It celebrated the 1979 victory of the Soviet team in the World Hockey Championship that year. Under this prepaid postage , on the left , is a 2013 stamp from the set of 5 Olympic Sport Legends. It shows Alexander Ragulin., a great player who was on 3 Olympic Gold Medal teams and 10 World Championship teams. Ragulin was a key Russian player in the 1972 Summit Series. His main job in that series was to try and handle Canada's Phil Esposito, not an easy task for any player.
I have many memories , good and bad , of that 8 game series, the series of the century, as it became known.
Canada won the series 4 games to 3 games with 1 game tied. It was a tough series in which Team Canada had to comeback and win the last 3 games in Moscow. Harry Sinden, the coach of Team Canada , said " The Russians gave us a lesson that the whole country of Canada won't forget for a long time ". How true, hockey has never been the same.
There was one more stamp , located on the back of the card, where Vladimir wrote his comments. It was issued by the Soviet Union for the 1960 8th Winter Olympic Games in Squaw Valley, California. Here it is.
That's a lot of hockey, hopefully someone out there likes the game.
Before I get to the next card, I want to give a shout-out to Postcrossing. On Friday, March 31st this postcard sending and receiving website reached another of its milestones. 35,000,000 postcards received by its members since it started operations on July 14th, 2005 . Those 35 million cards travelled 176.4 Billion kms. Postcrossing has 616,479 members in 211 countries. Not too bad for something that has remained FREE for all 10.5 years. If anyone reads this and is new to postcard collecting , just check out - www.postcrossing.com - you'll most likely get hooked like the other 616,479 members.
Now back to postcards.This next one arrived from Wegberg, Germany. It shows Emilia Clarke in her role of Daenerys Targaryen, Princess of House Targaryen. She is also known as Khaleesi on Game of Thrones, which premieres its sixth season later this month . I can just hear her say " When my dragons are grown, we will make waste of armies and burn cities to the ground ". This is my first Game of Thrones card, but there are quite a few out there. I'm sure they'd make a great collection, with all the different characters.
Michaela sent this card and used a number of stamps. Three are the normal Flower definitives and the larger one on the right is a 2010 stamp issued for Harvest Festival.
I have a number of cards , all from Malaysia and all sent by Jean Pierre . This first one shows Mulu National Park. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000, Mulu National Park, located in Sarawak encompasses caves in a mountainous equatorial rainforest. The area includes the world's largest cave chamber. it is 700 m long, 396 m wide and at least 70 m high. It has been said that the chamber is so big that it could accommodate about 40 Boeing 747s, without overlapping their wings. Now that's a postcard to see.
Jean Pierre's card gives a look at the limestone pinnacles of Mount Api and Deer Cave, the largest cave system in the world.
Jean Pierre used a recent stamp, one issued Feb 3rd of this year. It is part of the Traditional Dancers series and shows a special postmark First Day of Issue cancellation.
Next I have a glamour shot of Marilyn Monroe. Many collectors out there collect Marilyn postcards. Marilyn was an American actress and model who became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s.
Alice who hails from Brodeaux sent this card . She used a couple of definitives along with a nice stamp from 2015. It celebrated Stamp Fest and showcased the Tango. That stamp brings back memories of March 2012. My Lovely Teena and I were enjoying a cold one in a cafe in Caminito, Argentina and watched 2 locals performing the Tango.
Here's another of Jean Pierre's cards from Malaysia. This one gives an early view of Masjid Jamek and then a current view of the area. Masjid Jamek is located where two rivers, the Kland and the Gombak, meet. This is a historical site where the first settlers landed in Kuala Lumpur. The mosque in both views is the oldest in the city, dating back to 1909.
Jean Pierre used a good aviation relation stamp from 2014. It is 1 of a set of 4 issued highlighting the Main Terminal Building, Klia2, Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
Card # 6 arrived from The Hague, Netherlands. Franca wrote that she found the card in a small shop in Stockholm last summer. I'm glad she did. " Beyond Retro " cards are high quality photography inspired cards by independent artists and designers from around the world.
Franca used a 2014 International Rate Priority Windmill stamp.
Here's the 3rd Malaysia card sent by Jean Pierre. It's the Royal Barge, as it glides past the Royal Palace towards the Temple of Dawn.
The stamp on this card is really outstanding. When viewed really close up , it is almost like the building is painted on the stamp. Also , when viewed under an ultra-violet lamp, there are semicircular marks visable on the building. The stamp was issued March 14th and commemorates the centenary of Ananta Samagom Throne Hall. It received a first Day of Issue with a special cancellation in the shape of the building on the stamp.
I think that's it for today. Seven cards , more than my usual compliment of six. Got a little carried away, I guess. Thanks to Vladimir, Michaela, Alice, Franca and Big Thanks to Jean Pierre.
Any comments or thoughts - I welcome them.
For today, I have a number of great cards to have a look at. Let's start with this hockey related card. It's an older Soviet Union , prepaid postage hockey card. The sender, Vladimir, saw fit to use all hockey related stamps, including 2 older Soviet Union stamps and 2 recent Russia stamps.
Here's the card.
The card is basically blank except for the stamps. The only picture on it is the goaltender showing his stuff in the upper left corner. Perhaps it was meant to be Vladislav Tretiak, one of the greatest goaltenders of all time.
Now let's have a look at those hockey stamps. Bottom left is a 2014 stamp issued to celebrate Russia as the 2014 Ice Hockey Champions. Top right is the Soviet Union prepaid postage. It celebrated the 1979 victory of the Soviet team in the World Hockey Championship that year. Under this prepaid postage , on the left , is a 2013 stamp from the set of 5 Olympic Sport Legends. It shows Alexander Ragulin., a great player who was on 3 Olympic Gold Medal teams and 10 World Championship teams. Ragulin was a key Russian player in the 1972 Summit Series. His main job in that series was to try and handle Canada's Phil Esposito, not an easy task for any player.
I have many memories , good and bad , of that 8 game series, the series of the century, as it became known.
Canada won the series 4 games to 3 games with 1 game tied. It was a tough series in which Team Canada had to comeback and win the last 3 games in Moscow. Harry Sinden, the coach of Team Canada , said " The Russians gave us a lesson that the whole country of Canada won't forget for a long time ". How true, hockey has never been the same.
There was one more stamp , located on the back of the card, where Vladimir wrote his comments. It was issued by the Soviet Union for the 1960 8th Winter Olympic Games in Squaw Valley, California. Here it is.
That's a lot of hockey, hopefully someone out there likes the game.
Before I get to the next card, I want to give a shout-out to Postcrossing. On Friday, March 31st this postcard sending and receiving website reached another of its milestones. 35,000,000 postcards received by its members since it started operations on July 14th, 2005 . Those 35 million cards travelled 176.4 Billion kms. Postcrossing has 616,479 members in 211 countries. Not too bad for something that has remained FREE for all 10.5 years. If anyone reads this and is new to postcard collecting , just check out - www.postcrossing.com - you'll most likely get hooked like the other 616,479 members.
Now back to postcards.This next one arrived from Wegberg, Germany. It shows Emilia Clarke in her role of Daenerys Targaryen, Princess of House Targaryen. She is also known as Khaleesi on Game of Thrones, which premieres its sixth season later this month . I can just hear her say " When my dragons are grown, we will make waste of armies and burn cities to the ground ". This is my first Game of Thrones card, but there are quite a few out there. I'm sure they'd make a great collection, with all the different characters.
Michaela sent this card and used a number of stamps. Three are the normal Flower definitives and the larger one on the right is a 2010 stamp issued for Harvest Festival.
I have a number of cards , all from Malaysia and all sent by Jean Pierre . This first one shows Mulu National Park. A UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000, Mulu National Park, located in Sarawak encompasses caves in a mountainous equatorial rainforest. The area includes the world's largest cave chamber. it is 700 m long, 396 m wide and at least 70 m high. It has been said that the chamber is so big that it could accommodate about 40 Boeing 747s, without overlapping their wings. Now that's a postcard to see.
Jean Pierre's card gives a look at the limestone pinnacles of Mount Api and Deer Cave, the largest cave system in the world.
Jean Pierre used a recent stamp, one issued Feb 3rd of this year. It is part of the Traditional Dancers series and shows a special postmark First Day of Issue cancellation.
Next I have a glamour shot of Marilyn Monroe. Many collectors out there collect Marilyn postcards. Marilyn was an American actress and model who became one of the most popular sex symbols of the 1950s.
Alice who hails from Brodeaux sent this card . She used a couple of definitives along with a nice stamp from 2015. It celebrated Stamp Fest and showcased the Tango. That stamp brings back memories of March 2012. My Lovely Teena and I were enjoying a cold one in a cafe in Caminito, Argentina and watched 2 locals performing the Tango.
Here's another of Jean Pierre's cards from Malaysia. This one gives an early view of Masjid Jamek and then a current view of the area. Masjid Jamek is located where two rivers, the Kland and the Gombak, meet. This is a historical site where the first settlers landed in Kuala Lumpur. The mosque in both views is the oldest in the city, dating back to 1909.
Jean Pierre used a good aviation relation stamp from 2014. It is 1 of a set of 4 issued highlighting the Main Terminal Building, Klia2, Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
Card # 6 arrived from The Hague, Netherlands. Franca wrote that she found the card in a small shop in Stockholm last summer. I'm glad she did. " Beyond Retro " cards are high quality photography inspired cards by independent artists and designers from around the world.
Here's the 3rd Malaysia card sent by Jean Pierre. It's the Royal Barge, as it glides past the Royal Palace towards the Temple of Dawn.
The stamp on this card is really outstanding. When viewed really close up , it is almost like the building is painted on the stamp. Also , when viewed under an ultra-violet lamp, there are semicircular marks visable on the building. The stamp was issued March 14th and commemorates the centenary of Ananta Samagom Throne Hall. It received a first Day of Issue with a special cancellation in the shape of the building on the stamp.
I think that's it for today. Seven cards , more than my usual compliment of six. Got a little carried away, I guess. Thanks to Vladimir, Michaela, Alice, Franca and Big Thanks to Jean Pierre.
Any comments or thoughts - I welcome them.
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