The Last Cards of Feburary

Well February is just about toast. March is around the corner. Here's a few cards to end off the month. Let's start with a couple from Sri Lanka.
The first card shows us Adam's Peak, a 2,243 m tall conical mountain located in central Sri Lanka. It is well known for the Sri Pada or sacred footprint rock formation near the top. The formation is thought in Buddhist tradition to be the footprint of Buddha, in Hindu tradition to be Shiva, and in Islamic and Christian tradition, to be that of Adam or St. Thomas.

Ravindra uses a nice selection of stamps. On the left is 1 of 6 in a 2014 Pigeon Island Marine Nation Park set. It shows a Sperm Whale. On the right is a 2017 definitive , while the bottom stamp, from 2017, commemorates the centenary of the Colombo Railway Station.

Today's second card is also from Sri Lanka, another one from Ravindra. This time we can see Govinda Hela, a giant rock mountain standing approximately 570 m above the ground, located along the Siyambanduwa road, overlooking the Gal Oya region.

Ravindra used a matching stamp to the card here. The right stamp is from the set of 12 Unseen Sri Lanka set, issued in 2016. The other stamp is the Sperm Whale as noted earlier.

Now it's a card from Bari, Italy - showing an old time Cessna aircraft. Those were the days.

This card was sent by Antonio, who lives in Bari , a port city on the Adriatic Sea.  I don't really know Antonio, apparently he sent this card at the request of Indrit. Antonio used a nice selection of stamps though. On the left is a Tourism stamp, 1 of 4 in a 1990 set.
The middle stamp is 1 of 2 in a set issued in 2017 commemorating the 80th Anniversary of the Historical Museum of the Guardia di Finanza. The stamp on the right , also issued in 2017, honours Mafia Victims, Pio La Torre and Rosario Di Salvo, both murdered in April of 1982.

Now it's time for the last card for today and the last for the month. This one arrived from Prague, Czech Republic. It's a look at Dancing House, constructed between 1992 and 1996. It was designed by Vlado Milunic and Frank Gehry. The top floor of the building is the only part of Dancing House open to the public, with a restaurant and bar.

Dominique used 2 stamps, one from 2016 and one from 2015. The stamp on the left celebrates the life of Antonin Holy, chemist and virologist. The other stamp celebrates the Chronicle of Dalimil - the first chronicle written in the Czech language.

There you have it, so ends February. Thanks to Dominique, Ravindra, Indrit & Antonio for the cards today. See you all in March.

A Little Bit of Something

Good day, this should be a short update with just a couple of cards. First is a train card from the U.S.A. It's the Mount Washington Cog Railway, the world's first mountain-climbing Cog railway. Climbing Mount Washington in New Hampshire, it uses a Marsh rack system and a steam locomotive or a bio diesel powered locomotive to get to the top of the mountain. It is the second steepest rack railway in the world after the Pilatus Railway in Switzerland. It is approximately 4.8 km long and goes from 820 m above sea level to 1,917 m , in 65 minutes. This railway opened in 1868.

A Postcrosser named Rain sent this card and used 3 different U.S. stamps. On the left is the 2015 Elvis stamp, in the middle is a 2003 Christmas stamp and on the right is a 2011 Save Vanishing Species stamp.

My next card is a Saturday Evening Post advertisement for Mennen Brushless  Shave Cream. Like the ad says " it's keep you presentable longer " .

This card arrived from Czech Republic with a very fine aviation themed stamp. Issued last year it showcases the Aero A-14. The rose stamp to the left is a 2008 definitive.

Now for a little something left over from last time. I mentioned in Thursday's blog that I wanted to show a couple of postcards that I received from Wolf in Switzerland. I neglected to do it in Friday's blog , but will redeem myself today.

All of these are Aviation cards - surprise, surprise !

First is a Yakovlev Yak -52 , a Soviet primary trainer aircraft used from 1979-1998.

Next is an Aeroflot Ilyushin Il-76, a four engine turbofan airliner. I think this one has seen better days.

The last one is an Aero Lloyd Airbus A321.  Since Aero Lloyd this aircraft D-ALAH has seen service with Livingston Airlines, Volare Airlines and Onur Air.

That does it for this time. My thanks for cards go out to Rain, Wolf and the Postcrosser from Czech Rep. Take care. See you again soon.

Cards From Europe, North America and Asia

Well, it appears I am on a bit of a roll the last couple days. New updates are appearing left and right, postcards are flowing like wine. Let's start today off with a card from France, Kaysersberg to be exact. Located in Alsace in northeastern France, Kaysersberg was the birthplace of Albert Schweitzer, who received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1952. This area of Alsace is one of the finest for producing fine wines., such as Domaine Weibach. Wine production here dates back to 1612.

Dominique used a 1973 stamp celebrating the 1806 Paris Industrial Exposition.

The Maredsous Abbey is the focus of my next card. It is a Benedictine monastery at Denee in Belgium. It opened in 1892.

Gerda used 2 large stamps from 2015 on this card . They are 2 of 5 in a souvenir sheet showcasing the Grand Palace of Mons.

It's over to the U.S next for another card from Mike & Ashley. On this one we see Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia, PA. This is the home stadium of the National Football League's Philadelphia Eagles - winner of the Superbowl , a few weeks ago. Seating capacity in the stadium is 69,000 and opening day was on August 3, 2003.

Mike & Ashley always seem to put recent stamps on their cards. It was no exception this time. Four stamps from 2016 - a complete set showing Service Cross Medals.

My next card is a 1983 photo of a lady sitting on a beach by Herman Wijler. I wasn't able to find much about the photo or the photographer, so it is what it is !

Nancy who hails from Oregon used the 2016 Moon Forever round stamp on her card.

Now it's Air Nippon Network - the subject of this next card.  JA802K, the aircraft with the flowery tail is a Bombardier Dash 8-300. It entered service in 2001. It has seen service with a number of carriers over the years and is currently in service with the United States Army, but with a different livery I'm sure.

This card originated in Japan and Mayumi used a fine selection of stamps. Even though the card is aviation themed, Mayumi used 3  railway themed stamps, along with one other. The bridge stamp is from 1973 and was issued for the opening of Kan-Mon Suspension Bridge. All 3 train stamps were issued in 1975. The left stamp shows a Class 7100 locomotive from 1880, the middle stamp shows a Class 150 from 1872 and the stamp on the right shows a Class C11 steam  locomotive .

That's today's update  and thanks go out to Dominique, Gerda, Mike & Ashley, Nancy and Mayumi for all the great cards and stamps featured here this time.  I have just 2 cards left here on the desk, so I'll try and get a small update here either tomorrow morning or sometime Sunday. We'll see how it all plays out. Thanks for dropping by, see you all again.

Albania, Year of the Dog, The Poconos, and More

It's that time again, time for a few good postcards. I want to start with Albania, actually 3 cards from Albania. First up is this view of Rana e Hedhum Beach. It's a powdered sand beach north of Shengjin in northwestern Albania.

Indrit used 2 stamps from a 2008 set of 3 featuring Archaeologically Excavated Cities.

Indrit's second card shows some local beauties from Kelmendi in traditional dress. Kelmendi is a northern Albanian tribe and region in the mountainous borderlands with Montenegro. The area is composed of a Roman Catholic majority.

Indirit used 2 nice triangle stamps from 2002. They are 2 of a set of 5 showing Mediterranean Cactus.

There was a time , not that long ago that triangle stamps were frowned upon and thought to be not at all collectible. Of course there always were some old triangle stamps that were collectible and quite worth having in your collection. Times change and now this past 20 or so years , many countries have issued triangle stamps and maybe they aren't so bad after all. Triangle stamps, round stamps, shaped stamps, stamps made of wood, wool, cork and even glass  - who know where it ends ?

Indrit's 3rd card is a nice view of Shengjini. This is a coastal town of approximately 8,100 located in northwestern Albania. It is well known for its beaches and resorts.

The Flower stamp on the left is from a set of 3 Albanian Flora issued in 2016. The other 2 stamps are from a Personalities set of 2 issued in 2000. The guy on the right is Bajram Curri, politician and activist. The other gentleman is Naim Frasheri, poet, writer and patriot.

Year of the Dog - I think this is my first Year of the Dog postcard, and maybe even stamps, but I'm not sure on that one. This one arrived from Viet Nam.

Jean Pierre used 2 of the Year of the Dog stamps issued by Viet Nam this year.

Shohola Falls, in the Pocono Mountains of Pennsylvania is the focus of this next card. The falls are 75 feet wide and roughly 50 feet wide and are 10 miles west of Milford , Pennsylvania.

This card is from Mike & Ashley. Haven't heard from them in a while, but good to be back on their mailing list. They used 3 Forever stamps on their card  this time. On the left is 1 of 5 in the set of Marine Life - Sharks. The middle stamp is Pluto, from the Planets set issued in 2016. That completes the Planets set for me.  On the right is the New Horizons Spacecraft issued in 2016 also.

That was the last card for today, but I still have this left. A nice cover received today from Wolf in Switzerland. A nice stamp on the left but a much nicer mini-sheet on the right. Can't you just smell that quince ?  To tell the truth, I've never seen a quince or even heard of them till now.  Guess I don't get out much !
Wolf included a bunch of great postcards in his cover - some wonderful aircraft cards.

I will show one or two of Wolf's cards next time.
Today thanks for cards go out to Indrit, Jean Pierre, and Mike & Ashley.  And Thanks to Wolf for the cover and cards inside.

Take care, see you soon.

Some More Cards

Well it's been a couple of great days at the mailbox. Yesterday I found eight cards inside and for the first 3 days of the week, a total of 12 cards. So I have lots to show off.
Let's start with this fine card from India. I was going to say that I haven't received a lot of cards from India, but then I looked it up and saw that I have received 26. Well this is number 27 and it's from a young boy  ( 9 years old ) in Bangalore. He wrote that he likes lego, sports, and pizza. Sounds about right for a 9 year old. Harsh's card commemorates the Inaugural Flight of Air India on June 8th, 1948 from Bombay to London. It's a reproduction of a First Flight Cover. Air India only started up in March 1948 so this was quite the achievement. The aircraft used was a Lockheed Constellation.

 Harsh used a great stamp on his card. It is 1 of 2 in a 2017 set showcasing Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport , serving Mumbai.

Today's second card is from Belgium and features a Smurf. The card celebrates The Smurfs and their 60 years of existence. They were created by Belgian comics artist Peyo.

Johan , as he often does, obtained a special commemorative cancellation on the stamps he used. The stamps are 2 of 5 issued in January commemorating 60 Years of The Smurfs.

Don't forget Johan's postcard blog  here .

Jakarta by Night is next - a view of the city at night. The city of 9.7 million people is located on the northwestern coast of the island of Java.

Agung used 2 copies of a stamp from a 2017 set of 3. In my stamp catalogue they are entitled EMAS. I'm not sure if that stands for Eco-Management and Audit Scheme or not. Perhaps someone out there will let me know.

Now it's time for a street scene from Portland, Maine. The city of 67,000 is set on a peninsula extending into Casco Bay. The card shows " Oldport " a district known for its cobblestone streets , 19th century brick buildings aand fishing piers.  The colourful , old , wooden buildings on the street scene are typical of many east coast port cities.

Nicole used a small selection of stamps. The Love stamp is from 2018, Te upper right stamp is the 2018 U.S. Lunar New Year issue. The other 3 stamps we have seen for years and they date from 2006, 2003 and 2007.

This next card is an interesting one. "We Can Do It " .  This was an American wartime propaganda poster from 1943 produced for Westinghouse Electric as an inspirational image to boast worker morale. Rediscovered in the early 1980s, it was called " Rosie the Riveter " . The image then made the cover of Smithsonian magazine in 1994 and later was fashioned into a U.S. postage stamp in 1999. Interestingly, two ladies , Geraldine Hoff Doyle and Naomi Parker, both claim to be the woman on the poster, but neither can be confirmed.

Strangely , this card didn't come from the U.S. , but from Minsk, Belarus. So it's a Belarus stamp. Natasha used a 2017 stamp, 1 of 4 in a set of Mammals. The one shown on this stamp is a Stoat or short tailed weasel. Looks like a long tail to me , but what do I know ?

I think that's it for this time. Thanks for cards today go out to Harsh, Johan, Agung, Nicole and Natasha.
Be sure to drop by tomorrow, I'm pretty sure I'll be back here.

Untitled Cards

Hello again. It's light snow flurries and a temperature of -12 C , feeling like -17 C. So a nice cloudy day . That's the weather, now the cards.
Let's start with this card showing Helsinki-Vantaa Airport. It is the main hub for Finnair and handled close to 19 million passengers in 2017. The airport was originally built for the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki. The first two aircraft, both DC-3s , landed on 26 June 1952.

Elina used a nice , large Finnish Flag stamp. The current flag was adopted in 1918.

My next card is from Bangkok, Thailand. It's a look at the Grand Palace and the Royal Barge. The palace was the official residence of the Kings of Siam and later Thailand from 1782 until 1925. It is now used for official Royal events.

Jean Pierre used 2 quite large stamps and a definitive , all from last year. The 2 large are from a set of 4 showing scenes along the Chao Phraya River.

Now it's a lighthouse card for all the lighthouse card collectors out there. This one shows the light on Virgin Island, just off Brittany opposite the village of Lilia in France. It is the tallest stone lighthouse in Europe , at 82.6 meters and marks the south-western limit of the English Channel.

Mary used a 2017 stamp, 1 of 12 in a booklet called Reflections.

Once again it's an Unseen Sri Lanka card. If Ravindra keeps sending them, it's be unseen no more, though . This one shows Senanayaka Samudraya, the largest reservoir in Sri Lanka, providing water for 70,000 families. That's the rising mountains of Inginiyagala in the background.

Ravindra used 2 copies of the 2013 Famous Sri Lankans issue, featuring Ven Baddegaman  Wimalawansa Nayaka Thero. The other stamp is from 2016, 1 of 12 in the sheet entitled Unseen Sri Lanka , and is a mirror image of the postcard image.

Here's the last card for today. It's from Czech Republic. The card shows some of the features of Plzen, a city in western Czech Rep known worldwide as the home of Pilsner beer.

Monika must love flowers, she used a fine batch on her card. They date from 2007, 2008, 2010 and 2011. The other stamp , in the top right is from 2017 and is called Retro Traffic, showing a train and a car.

That's it for this time. Thanks for cards go to Elina, Jean Pierre, Mary, Ravindra and Monika. See you all next week