One More in February

Time to squeeze in one more for February.

 Let's start with a surprise and unexpected card from India. It's the one-horned rhino from Kaziranga National Park. The park is located in the Northeastern state of Assam in the flood plains of the Brahmaputra River's south bank. It was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1985 .  Kaziranga National Park has the distinction of being home to the world's largest population of the Great Indian One-Horned Rhinoceros.

Aneeo from Belgaum sent this card and used 2 small Indian stamps.

My next card is a look at Chateau Lake Louise at sunrise. The Chateau is just visible with its reflection showing in the lake.

The stamp on this one is one celebrating the Diamond Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth, with a nice Lake Louise cancellation.

Now it's the Royal Grand Palace in Bangkok, Thailand.

Once again Jobbo used great stamps. On the left is a 1991 stamp issued for the Red Cross. The middle stamp, issued in 1996, is 1 of a set of 4 showing Rhino Birds. The stamp on the right is from 2001 , 1 of 4 in a Parrots set.

I know I often speak of the stamps of Thailand and that I am enjoying them, well let me just say that the 2 bird stamps are beautiful. They may show up here as just ordinary or average, but in person on the postcard , they are extremely attractive. They have an extra special quality to them. I'm glad to have them.


Now it's a card from Sri Lanka. The card is called " Golden Legendary " and has a lovely Thai Flight Attendant in the lower right corner.

Ravindra used 3 stamp, all from 2016. The top left stamp celebrates Lions Clubs Internationl's Centennial. The larger stamp on the right is a Christmas issue and the smaller stamp underneath is 1 of 12 in a Flowers set.

We're just about done for today, just one more card to go. Again it's from Thailand. This one is of the Aisawan-Dhipaya-Asana Pavilion in Bang Pa- In Palace.

This is another one from Jobbo, again with great stamps. On the left is a 1998 stamp , 1 of 4, showing Stone Statues, another nice set. The middle stamp, 1 of 6 Queen Sirikit stamps was issued in 2013. The last stamp is from 1985 , 1 of 5 issued for Thaipex 85.

So there, I've brought February to a close with these cards. Thanks to Jobbo, Ravindra and Aneeo. Thanks for dropping by, see you all next month, like tomorrow , maybe.

Maybe , Maybe Not the Last Postcard in February

The end of the month is near. Tomorrow in fact. I have a number of cards to have a look at today. Who knows about tomorrow ? We'll see how it pans out.

My first card today arrived from Bandung, Indonesia. The city is located 768 metres above sea level , approximately 140 kilometres south east of Jakarta. As a result of its elevation, Bandung has cooler temperatures year round than most other Indonesian cities. Narita's card show tea pickers of Ciwidey, an area known for tea plantations , about 30 km south of Bandung.

Narita used 2 stamps on her card. On the left is a 2011 stamp , 1 of 3 in a set commemorating the Year of the Rabbit. On the right , from 2015, is 1 of 8 in a set showcasing North Kalimantan Province.

The second card for today is from Bulgaria. Not a country I have received many cards from. But everyone is one more that I'm happy to have . On Lisa's card we can see a few sights from around the country - Tsarevets Hill, The Arbanasi Monastery, along with a couple of buildings in Gabrovo and Tryavna.

The stamps used are small and topical. On the left is 1 2014 issued stamp showing a Mushroom. If is from a set of 4. On the right is a Butterfly stamp from 2014, also from a set of 4.

Now it's a long card from Germany showing a cool summer time activity.  Newcomer Postcrosser Alexander sent this card from Mainz.

Alexander used a fairly common Flower definitive on his card.

I think my next card, from Austria, is quite self explanatory.  All you need is Love.  -- or Beer !

Tamara , a Postcrosser from Carinthia in southern Austria sent this card. She wrote that the area is known for its lakes and mountains and also it special beer called Lei Lei. Tamara used a nice 2016 stamp of the Gleichenberger Bahn.

An old time log train from Northern California is the subject of this next card.

Those are big logs indeed, but I have seen them bigger out on Vancouver Island.

Jeannie wrote that her husband is fond of trains and they often stop in their travels at any train museums that they come across. They also follow abandoned rail lines. I'm not sure that's a good idea.

She used a number of stamps , of which the 2017 Lunar New Year Rooster stamp is the most interesting.

We've come to the end, here's the final card for this time. It's William and Kate, Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. I think maybe they're practicing a new Vulcan salute.  Looks like Kate got it down pat.

Eveline, who hails from Hull is the sender of this card. One interesting thing about Hull is this little tidbit - the city is unique in the UK in having had a municipally owned telephone system since 1902, sporting cream, not red, telephone boxes.

This is another card with lots of stamps. I'm not sure what the international postage rate from England to Canada is at present, but this one seems a little heavy . The Great Fire of London stamp in the middle and the Machin definitive in the right corner, I would think these 2 are more than enough. Some reader may know and leave a comment as to the rate.

Well, we've got through another on. With any luck I might just get back here again tomorrow, to really end the month.
Thanks go out today to Narita, Lisa, Alexander, Tamara, Jeannie and Eveline for all the great cards. Thanks  readers for dropping by.

Ten (10 ) Cards

Hello again. Yes, the title says Ten cards. Hopefully I'll get that many in today. I have lots of cards on hand so I thought 10 would be a good number for this go around .

Card # 1 - Let's start with a nice 3-D card  from Banff. Some 3-D cards are well worth the extra cost and this is one of them. Hopefully it scanned well. You can see on this card, Moraine Lake and the Valley of The Ten Peaks, Castle Mountain and The Fairmont Banff Springs Hotel - Canada's Castle in the Rockies. The hotel, located in the heart of Banff National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has been a landmark  for more that 125 years, opening on June 1, 1888.

My Lovely Teena dropped this one in the mail for me. We recently had a nice 2 day road trip to Banff and Lake Louise. Teena used a 2016 Permanent Plus stamp . The permanent 85 cents paid the normal first class rate and the extra 10 cents goes to the Canada Post Community Foundation.

Card # 2 - Green tongued girl - what else can I say ?

This card is from Sherryl, a Postcrosser living at Lake Constance, near the Alps. She used a couple of nice stamps. On the left is a nice Aviation themed stamp from 2011. It shows a Glider at the Wasserkuppe, the highest peak in the Rhon Mountains. On the right is a 2009 stamp celebrating the 500th Anniversary of the Frankenberg Town Hall.

Card # 3 - Here's a card from Baarle, Belgium. Walking in Baarle offers a unique experience. You constantly cross between Belgium and the Netherlands. The Belgium part Baarle-Hertog includes 22 exclaves within Dutch territory. On the right side of the card you can see the border delineated on the brick of the roadway - B for Belgium , and NL for Netherlands. Many buildings straddle both countries. For these properities, here is the policy that applies- their address lies in the country that contains their front door. To make it easier, every house number plaque shows a flag of the country in which it lies.

Gerda used a lovely stamp from 2014. It was issued for International Woman Day. It includes 606 words, the most words ever on a stamp and was recognized by Guinness as a World Record. The stamp also depicts the face of a woman made exclusively from words.

Card # 4 - This one arrived from Laos and was a bit of a surprise. It is from Ana from Macedonia who now lives in China. She certainly gets around. Ana's card shows 3 lovely ladies from Laos in local attire.

Ana used 2 fine stamps, too. On the left , from 2010, is one celebrating 450 years of Vientiane as capital. It is from a set of 4 stamps. Over on the right is 1 of 7 in a 2005 set depicting different Buddhas.

Card # 5 - A new addition to my Airline / Aircraft Postcard Collection, the first in a while. Today it's Air Dolomiti's Embraer ERJ-195 LR, registered as I-ADJO. Air Dolomiti is an Italian regional aorline with its head office in Dossobuono, Italy.
 It is a wholly owned subsidiary of Lufthansa.

This card is a first time swap with Nadine in France. She used a 2016 stamp showing former French President Francois Mitterrand.

That's five down, we're half way there.

Card # 6 - Dominique's card celebrates the 7th edition of the Loire Festival, which took place from 23 to 27 of September 2015. The festival is a large gathering of boats of yesteryear and has taken place since 2003 on a biannual basis.

Dominique used an older commemorative from 1967 on this one. It is from a Tourism issue featuring the landscape of La Baule in western France.

Card # 7 - I've been collecting postcards for just a little over 10 years now and only had one from Albania in all that time. Now I have a second, thanks to Indrit. Be sure to check out his fine postcard blog called " Postcard Albania " right here . Indrit's card gives a look in Gjirokastra, a city in southern Albania dating back to 1336. Its old town is a UNESCO World Heritage Site , having been designated as such in 2005.

Indrit used 2 stamps, on the left is a 2004 stamp , 1 of 25 in a set celebrating 50 Years of the National Gallery of Arts. On the right is 1 of 2 from 2014 highlighting a Kuci Meeting.

Card # 8 - Now it's another one from Jobbo, from Thailand . This one shows some Thai Royal memorabilia, a couple of old calendars from 1996 and a Royal photo on the wall.

As usual on Jobbo's card, this one also arrived with a bunch of stamps - 5 in fact. Let's get to them. Top left - 1 of 5 issued for National Children's Day, bottom left - 1 of 4 issued 1998 fir International Year of Oceans.  The middle stamps - top - 1 of 6 issued in 1992 to celebrate The Queen's 60th Birthday. The bottom middle stamp is 1 of 6 issued in 1990 showing Royal Palaces. Lastly, the stamp on the right was issued in 2006, 1 of 6 celebrating The King's Diamond Jubilee.

Card # 9 - Another card from Thailand, this time from Jean Pierre. This card shows many of the Buddhas in Wat Pho. Here you can find the largest collection of Buddhas and the largest reclining Buddha.

Jean Pierre used 3 stamps on his card. The stamp on the left and also the middle stamp were issued in 2016, 2 of 6 showcasing the Songkran Festival, the Thai New Year's festival.  The larger stamp on the right dates from 2014 , showing Buddha and celebrates the Chinese New Year.

Card # 10 - The last one for today. And it's from Turkey. It's a wide view of Antalya, a Turkish city, a gateway to Turkey's southern Mediterranean region. It was first settled around 200 BC.

This card is a private swap with Levent. He used 2 Bird stamps from 2004. They were issued in a set of 8.

So there it is. Ten cards down. Thanks for all of today's great cards go out to Levent, My Lovely Teena, Gerda, Ana, Sherryl,Jean Pierre, Jobbo, Indrit, Nadine, and Dominique. Thanks to all reading this and do drop by again soon. Any thoughts, comments, etc, just leave a comment. Take care.

A Foggy Day Update

Good day to you all. Yes, it's foggy here today, at times you can hardly see your hand before you. It's been 10 days since my last writing. Time flies when you're busy. We had a little 2 day excursion to the Banff National Park - Banff and Lake Louise. We also took in an indoor soccer tournament  - our grandson Xander scored 9 goals during the 4 games, and his team won the silver medal. Then there was a birthday party for Xander and also his brother Zach and finally a Hawaiian Luau , to break up the winter. All in all a busy few days, with little time for postcards or blogging.

With the fog today and it being Family Day here in Alberta, I figured today would be a good day to visit a few postcards.

This first card came as a surprise and remains somewhat of a mystery. It is from Mali in West Africa and was posted in Bamako, the capital. The card shows a group of locals enjoying the shade of a large , old tree in Sangha. Sangha is a commune of Mali of roughly 260 square kilometres and approximately 25,000 inhabitants.

As I mentioned this card this card arrived as a mystery. It is signed by a Mike and by Taouvik Boukari, both unknown to me. Now I sent out a few feelers and it was suggested to me that the card might be the work of Maick, from The Netherlands.  He has a blog called " A Journey of Postcards " . Whoever actually sent it or is responsible for sending it ,  I do indeed say a big Thanks.
The 3 stamps include 2 face different - a 100F and 2 500F values, and were issued in 2015 showing Timbuktu Manuscripts.

Next is a card showing hay bales in the Saint-Lambert region of Belgium. It is a black and white photo by Jean-Marie Vandeloise.

Johan used 2 copies of the beautiful January 2017 stamp entitled Hope Springs Eternal Youth.

This next card shows a 1987 photo by John De Andrea called
" Diane " . Others in this set by De Andrea are called Marla and Juliette  .

I think Diane shows that the body can convey emotions based on position.

This is another card from Carla in Italy- we have swapped cards a number of times over the last few months. Carla used 2 nice aviation themed stamps showing Italian Aviation Pioneers. A set of 4 was issued in 2003.

Now for today's last card. Another one from Johan. Salut !! Hello to you , too.

A nice big stamp , 1 of 6 issued in January to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the Gaston Comic Strip. Nice matching cancellation.

There it is , a little smaller that my usual update but it is what it is . Thanks for today's cards do to Johan, Carla and whoever sent or arranged the Mali card. Drop by again soon. Take care.