Cards to Almost End October

How are you today ? It's a nice , sunny fall day here today in Alberta. A good day for postcards I think . So let's get right to the good stuff. I want to start off with an Aviation themed card, actually the first two cards will be Aviation / Airline related.
Card  # 1   --- This one arrived from South Africa but it showcases a Dakota Douglas C-47 of the Naval Air Transport Service of the United States Navy. The Naval Air Transport Service operated between 1941 and 1948. It was started five days after the attack on Pearl Harbor.  It operated 540 aircraft and had 26,000 personnel.
The aircraft pictured here , aircraft 50819, was built at Kansas City and came off the assembly line during November 1944. It was then assigned to Squadron VR-2 at Norfolk , VA. The aircraft was retired in 1959 and put out to pasture at Mid Atlantic Air Museum in 1980.

David sent this card along and used a 2017 International Small Letter rate stamp , 1 of 5 in a Winemaking set.

Card # 2 --- This one is a Boeing 737-300 of Fisher Air. This airline was headquartered in Prague, Czech Rep. It was founded as a charter airline in 1996 and operated until 2005. It had a fleet of only 3 aircraft. This particular aircraft OK-FAN had its first flight in 1997. It had a varied history, flying for Fisher Air until 2004 when it moved to Air Polonia in the early part of the year. Then later that year it went back to Fisher Air until 2010, when it moved to Air Nigeria where it flew until  2012. Its last flights were with Air Indus from 2013 until 2015. It has been stored since May of that year.

Richard, a Postcrosser from Ostrava in northeastern Czech Republic sent this card . He used a 2011 Z rate definitive stamp featuring Architecture.

Card # 3 --- From Germany, it's a look at the Ruhr Viaduct in Herdecke. This stone railway bridge , built between 1875 and 1876, is a real beauty and makes for great picture taking.

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Heiner used 2 stamps on his card. On the left is one more of the long ongoing Flower definitives. On the right , from 2017, is 1 of 2 issued called Micro Worlds.

Card # 4 --- David's card of the Julian Alps region of Slovenia arrived from Bled. It is a small town on Lake Bled. Located just offshore , on a small island , is the Assumption of Mary Pilgrimage Church. Visitors are allowed to ring the church's bell with the hope that their one wish will come true. Also seen on the card , just above the church on shore is Bled Castle, the oldest castle in Slovenia, dating back to 1011.

David used 2 recent stamps , both issued this year.On the left is 1 of 2 in a Europa issue of Bridges. On the right is a Souvenir Sheet of 1 showcasing Pivka National Park. Very nice indeed.

Card # 5 --- From Paris comes this card with a panorama view of the city during the Paris World's Fair of 1900. Shown is the Eiffel Tower, built for the 1889 world's fair. It is the most visited paid monument in the world. In 2015 it was ascended by 6.91 million visitors.

Jean Pierre used a 2018 stamp celebrating Lucie and Raymond Aubrac, French Resistance members.

Card # 6 --- This next card is from Zagreb, Croatia. It's a look at  some of the buildings around Zagreb Cathedral which was built in the early 19 hundreds.

David used a 2017 stamp showing the Church of St. Mark, one of many churches in the city of Zagreb.

Only 2 more cards to go , so hang in there.

Card # 7 --- It's time for a beach, what do you think ? A beach wouldn't be too bad right about now. This beautiful beach in in the Costa Brava region of Catalonia, Spain  near the small village of Tossa de Mar. Here's an interesting fact about Tossa de Mar. In 1989 it became the first place in the world to declare itself an Anti-Bullfighting City. The list has grown to 31 towns or cities in 7 countries since then.

Josep & Assumpta sent this card and used used a rather unique shaped stamp - it's shaped like a chess piece. It was issued this year and not only is it shaped different, it is also heat sensitive. It lightens up in color when heat is applied.

Now the last card  - # 8 for the day --- It's from Sri Lanka. It's a look at a golf course and a couple of buildings in Nuwara Eliya, a city in the tea country hills of central Sri Lanka.The area is nicknamed ' Little England ' . It is known for its temperate , cool climate - it is the coolest area in the country.

Ravindra used 2 stamps on his card. On the left from 2012 - a stamp celebrating the 58th Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in Colombo. On the right , issued in 2012 even though it is dated  2011, a Peony stamp.

The End. Yes, that's all for today. Hope you enjoyed these cards and stamps. Thanks today go out to Bruce, Richard, Heiner, David, Jean Pierre, Josep & Assumpta and Ravindra. Can't do it without you guys and others like you. Take care, drop by again, leave a comment or not . Cheers!

Time to Catch Up

Yes, it's time to catch up here on the blog. I haven't been around for a while , so it's time to get back at it. Let's start this time with a card from the United States. It was sent from Landrum, South Carolina - a small town in the western part of the state. Carol's card shows a New York model from around 1925.

Carol used 2 older stamps  - the 10 cent and the 5 cent ones. These date from the time of much cheaper postage. The other 2 stamps are Forever stamps valued at 50 cents each. Both were issued this year. On the far right is 1 of 20 in the O Beautiful Landscapes set. The other one honors First Responders.

My next card is a Train card for all the railroad nuts out there. All I know about this train is that it is Russian.

Katya used a 2012 stamp. It shows the UNESCO World Heritage Site of Wrangel Island, possibly the last place on Earth where woolly mammoths survived.

I like the picture on this next card. A little guy, perhaps a Postcrosser, trying to get his postcard in the mailbox. This is the post office on Taketomi Island, Okinawa, Japan. A nice looking post office for just around 325 people.

This card arrived from the city of Nara, which was a former capital of Japan. The stamp is from 2015 and was issued for International Letter Writing Week.

Now here's a card from Ljubljana , one of Europe's greenest and prettiest cities. David's card gives us a look at the Franciscan Church of the Annunciation in Preseren Square. It was built between 1646 and 1660.

David used 2 fine stamps on this card, both Mini-sheets of 1 and both issued this year. On the left is one highlighting Fauna - Domestic Animals. On the right , one celebrating World Bee Day. I truly didn't know there was a World Bee Day. Once again I learn something from my postcards and stamps. World Bee Day is May 20th, the birthday of Anton Jansa who in the 18th century pioneered modern beekeeping in his native Slovenia.

Just three cards to go , so hang in there. Two of the cards were sent by Dominique and the other by Ravindra. Let's look at this first one from Dominique. It's from the Stiftsmuseum in Aschaffenburg. It houses items from prehistoric, Roman and medieval times.

Dominique used a special stamp here. It was released by Kultur in Hessen in conjunction with Deutsche Post to help promote cultural sites in Hessen.

Here's Dominique's second card. It's a look at the Isenheim Altarpiece, an altarpiece painted by Matthias Grunewald around 1515. It is on display at the Unterlinden Museum in Colmar, Alsace, France.

Two stamps from 1973 arrived on this card. On the left is a stamp celebrating Stamp Day 1973. On the right, a stamp commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Identification of the Leprosy Bacillus by Norwegian physician Gerhard Armauer Hansen.

Now it's last card time. Ravindra's card shows Galle Fort and Galle Lighthouse. The fort dates from the late 19th century while the lighthouse was built in 1938. It is 18 m high.

A nice circular postmark cancels the 2 stamps on this card. The top stamp is from 2013 and is one of two issued for the 23rd Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. The bottom stamp, also 1 of 2, highlights the visit of Pope Francis to Sri Lanka.

That's all for this time. Big thanks for cards go out to David, Katya, Carol, Dominique and Ravindra. Take care and drop by again.

Cards From Here and There

Hello again, time for a few good cards again. As the title of today's blog says, they are from all over. Let's start with an Airline related card, I mean what's not to like about that. This first card arrived from Belgium and showcases Sabena Belgian Airlines - the national airline of Belgium from 1923 to 2001. Looking at the postcard, maybe their theme should have been  ' The World on A Platter ' . 

Johan used a very recent Dragonfly stamp. It was issued on 24 August in a sheet of 5 different designs. Beautiful cancellation also.

Card number 2 is another Airline / Aircraft card. Hey, I don't send them, I only happily receive them .

It's SP-LOA , a Lot Polish Airlines Boeing 767-200 ER. This particular aircraft started service in 1898 with LOT Polish and then in in 2008 saw service with Mexicana. From 2010 until 2012 it flew for Aeromexico and has been stored since Nov of that year.

Jean Pierre used a mini collection of Polish stamps on this one. We'll look at the two smaller stamps first. The top one was issued in 2004, one of the ongoing Polish Towns set. The yellow stamp is from 2015, one of the ongoing Flowers and Fruits definitives. The larger left stamp is 1 of 4 in a set of Flora - Polish Herbarium, issued in 2017. The last stamp, on the right, was issued in 2014. It was issued to note the Canonization of John XXIII. It is a Joint Issue with Vatican City.

 


Next is another card from Belgium, again from Johan.  Here we see Bruges, the capital and largest city in West Flanders. The historic centre of the city has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000.

Johan once again secured a great  Day of Issue cancellation. It shows a Woolly Mammoth canceling a Mosasaurus. The stamp , issued August 25th is 1 of 5 in the set of prehistoric animals.

Now it's time for another of my Towns of Newfoundland Postmarks. This one is number 44,  Hopedale. This is a town of around 585 people , located in the north of Labrador. Hopedale is the capital of the Inuit Land Claims Area Nunatsiavut. Originally known by its Inuktitut name Arvertok, the community was renamed to Hopedale by Moravian Missionaries.
The card shows the Moravian Church in the town. It is a Canadian National Historic Site.

The stamp used here is from this year. It is 1 of 5 in a set called Weather Wonders.

Warning - it's another Airline / Aircraft card. An Air Namibia  B747 - Aircraft V5-NMX.  The card shows the aircraft on the ground at Frankfurt in 2001.

 Jean Pierre used 2 great stamps on this card. On the left is 1 of 12 in a set of Flora and Fauna - Biodiversity of Namibia. It was issued in 2007. On the right , from 2018, is 1 of 5 Birds - Francolins and Spurfowls of Namibia. Both of these sets would make great additions to any stamp collection. And , let's not forget the nice, clear, circular cancel - always a nice addition to any card.

Just 2 more cards to go folks, so hang in there. The first one is from the U.S.A.  It an old look at Rock Creek Bridge in Big Sur, California. It was built in 1932.

This card was a private swap with Nicole.She used 2 postcard rate stamps , one from 2017 and one from 2015. The other stamp is a Forever stamp, 1 of 4 in the Dragons set issued in August.

Here it is , today's last card. It comes from England. On Dominique's card  we see Chapel Street in the town of Penzance in Corwall. It's located about 255 miles from London. The victory at the Battle of Trafalgar was first announced in England when a messenger ran up this street and told the audience at a local theatre.

Dominique used an International Postcard rate Universal Mail stamp .

Well folks that's all for this time. Big thanks for cards today go out to Johan, Jean Pierre, Dominique and  Nicole  .
Thanks for dropping in , come back again.

Thanksgiving Day 2018

Yes, it's Thanksgiving Day here in Canada. Canadian Thanksgiving  and what blog wouldn't start the day off without a Thanksgiving Day postcard, featuring a turkey.

 
No matter where we live , I guess many of the things we are thankful for are the same - life, health, freedom, family , love, time, waking up today, good friends, freedom of religion, vaccines, enough to eat , clean water and much much more.

Now here's a card for all the train people out there. This one highlights the Tennessee Valley Railroad Museum and the Norfolk Southern Heritage Locomotives. When I see a train , I'm always interested in the graffiti drawn on the cars. I think they would make a great postcard collection.

Christy may have visited the museum in Chattanooga on Sept 11th, but she posted her card in Baton Rouge the next day. She used a Star Trek stamp from 2016 and a Save Vanishing Species from 2011.

My next card shows a view of Remiremont, a town of about 7,500 people in north eastern France. Its principal shopping street is rue Charles de Gaulle and is shown on the card.  The statue at the end of the street is the Statue of the Volunteer of 1792. It was created by Paul-Francois Choppin in 1899. On the right side in the middle is the Remiremont Abbey.

Dominique used a stamp from 2015. It commemorates the 50th Anniversary of the ONF- National Forests Office.

Here's one more way to get your outgoing mail on the way.  Arrive at the mailbox on a sled. That's OK  if it's all downhill. This little guy with the sled dates from 1968. Interesting thing about this card is something that's printed on the reverse. It says ' printed in West Germany ' .  So that means the card is at least 28 years old. 

Hinrika used Flower definitive and a Numeral definitive along with a 2015 stamp featuring Baby Animals. It is from a set of two.

Now I have 2 cards from Sri Lanka to end the day. First is a look at 5 or 6 elephants in Pinnawela, the village in Sri Lanka , about 90 km from Colombo.The village is well known for its elephant orphanage , home to 88 of the gentle pachyderms.

Ravindra used a mini stamp collection on his card. The top left stamp is from 2018 and celebrates World Health Day. Top right, again from 2018, was issued for Vesak or Buddha Day. At lower right, from 2013, is a stamp issued for the 23rd Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. At lower left, a Butterfly stamp featuring the Sri Lankan Birdwing.

Ravindra's second card shows us a tea plantation at Nuwara Eliya, a city in the tea country hills of central Sri Lanka. It's name means 'city on the plain' or 'city of light '. It is often referred to as ' Little England' , as it does have a vaguely British -country-village feel to it.

This card arrived with 2 of the Sri Lankan Birdwing Butterfly stamps . Also it has a Peony Flower stamp from 2012.

There it is done for another time, That's the way I saw it today. Thanks for cards going out to Ravindra, Christy, Dominique, and Hinrika. Once again, Happy Canadian Thanksgiving to one and all. Hope you all enjoyed your turkey. This is no time to be a turkey, not to mention Christmas. Take care.