Rio, Mt. Rushmore, Riga and Ukraine

Here I am again. I promised an update each day of the weekend, so this is Saturday's. What do those four places in the title have in common? I'm not really sure other than I received a postcard from each and in postcard collecting, that's what counts.

Card # 1 comes from Rio De Janeiro, Brazil. This is another card from Dale, my brother, who has been on the go since 05 Nov 2010. He has just about completed his trip, he is now spending a week or so in Buenos Aires. The card shows us an aerial view of the statue of Christ the Redeemer and Guanabara Bay. Dale said it was hot but the beaches were fantastic. The four face same stamps are from a 2007 set of 4 definitives.

Ria sent the next card and it comes from North Dakota. The card though is of South Dakota and shows us Mt. Rushmore National Memorial. Also on the top portion of the card we see Iron Mountain Tunnel, the Needles Highway and a few of the beggars in Custer State Park. Ria also says there is a cave in the mountains behind the heads of Mt. Rushmore. I did not know that. This is the second card I have received from Ria. I hope we can continue swapping. She has a great postcard blog called Ria's postcards and Stamp Collecting . Ria used a 2003 American Clock definitive and two copies of the 2010 Angel with Lute stamp. I like this stamp and I am glad to add it to my U.S. collection. I kinda have a thing for U.S. definitives.

My third card this time is from Riga, Latvia. It shows two very old buildings. On the right is Blackhead's House. This building was first mentioned in 1334. A beautiful Gothic structure, it was destroyed in 1941, during World War II. It was recently rebuilt in honor of the city's 800th anniversary in 2001. On the left is St. Peter's Church. This Lutheran church, named after Saint Peter was first mentioned in 1209. One of the oldest Lutheran churches in the Baltic States, it has been an impressive feature of the Riga skyline since the dark Ages. It was added as a UNESCO WHS in 1997. The two copies of the stamp on the left are from a Coat of Arms set issued in 2010. The train stamp on the right , also issued in 2010 celebrates Railway History. It is a very nice stamp , I really like the color green. Unusual on a stamp.

The final stamp from Ukraine is a Christmas wishes postcard. It is actual a prestamped postcard with a preprinted Christmas stamp , top right, similar to the picture on the front of the card. The other stamps are as follows : top left- 1 of a set of 12 , issued 2008 , featuring the Zodiac.
top right stamp- issued 2009, 1 of a set of 4 , celebrating The national Song and the stamp in the 2nd row was issued 1997 and is a Christmas stamp. I have nothing on the small stamp on the bottom.

This concludes today's update. As always, leave your comments at the door.
Regards, see you all tomorrow, for South Africa day and Aviation day.

A Three Card Update

I guess it's certainly time I got back here live. It's just been so busy this past week. Although when I look back , I'm not quite sure why. Anyway, I have received quite a number of postcards and I hope to get to most of them by the end of the weekend. I mentioned in the last update that I had received 14 cards last week, well how does 15 sound this week. Twenty nine cards so far this month and we're just two weeks into it. As you can see I do have lots of stuff for the weekend, so be sure to return.

On to the cards. My three cards today come from The U.S. , Taiwan and Russia. The U.S.A. card is a 2009 prestamped postcard to which the sender has added other postage to make up the current rate, I guess. This card shows Ozzie and Harriet in a reproduction of their 2009 44 cent stamp as they appeared on their TV show, The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet. Bandleader Ozzie Nelson , his wife Harriet and their sons David and Rocky, played versions of themselves on a set designed to replicate their real life home. Comedy arose from their every day problems and misunderstandings as their sons grew up and married. Interestingly the 44 cent version of the stamp on the front is replaced on the reverse with a 28 cent prepaid stamp. The other stamps include an older 6 cent flag stamp and 1 of 5 automobiles stamps from a 2008 set. This one shows a 1957 Pontiac Safari station wagon.

Next up is Taiwan. On this card we can see The Taipei Confucius Temple, located in the Datong District of Taipei. Parts of the temple building , including the Confucius' palace, the side door, and the saints shrine were finished in 1881. The temple has become one of the city's main sightseeing spots. A Pauline sent this card and gave a reference to a blog called Collect ROC . As you can see the blog is operated by a Paul so what gives I don't know. It is a good blog though, with some great aviation related postcards. The three stamps are great topical stamps. All are from 2006 and are parts of a cats and dogs set.

Last card for today comes to us from St. Petersburg, Russia. Every time I show a card from this city to my lovely Teena, she always asks, "when are you going to take me to St Petersburg ?'' I really wish I had an answer for her. This is a great card , related to stamps, post office, philately, postcards, etc all stuff we love. Issued by the A.S. Popov Central Museum of Communications, we can see on the card, a street letter box in St. Petersburg from the end of the 19th century, a letter carrier delivering mail on bicycle at the beginning of the 20th century and a 1900s St. Petersburg postman. A great card indeed. The stamps are all definitives from 2008 and 2009. I do like the block of 4 showing the moose, though.

That's all I'll say today. A rather short update, but as I mentioned earlier, if you don't come back tomorrow and Sunday, you will surely miss some great stuff. Take care,
Leave a comment if you wish.

Cards, Cards, and More Cards

Well it's Sunday as I write this and we're still in the midst of a snowy , blustery winter storm. Yesterday was horrible , gusty winds, blinding snow and white out conditions. Foolishly I ventured out to see my newest grandson and his family. Driving out was a little tricky but the return drive was a nightmare . The normally 12 minute drive took 55 minutes. We were in constant white outs, more often than not, on the wrong side of the road. It was a lesson learned. I know now I will be much more careful if the weather is snowy and windy. Anyway, this type of day is a great day for postcards and /or stamps. Let's get to it.

On Friday, I received six postcards and that makes a total of fourteen for the first week of 2011. If only I could keep that average going for the whole year, it would certainly make it a banner year. My cards today come from Finland, Portugal, Austria, China, Spain and Belgium. By the way, if your country is not represented here, feel free to drop a postcard in the mail. I'll be sure to give it a plug.

All cards are official Postcrossing cards with the exception of the one from Austria. Today's first card is from Turku, Finland. Turku is a European Capital of Culture for 2011. This title is given by the European Union to a city for a period of one calendar year during which it organises a series of cultural events with a strong European flavor. This card was mailed from Finland but was purchased in London. It shows us the Tenacious, the largest wooden tall ship of her kind in the world. She is operated by the Jubilee Sailing Trust, a national charity which promotes the integration of the able bodied and physically disabled through crewing a tall ship. Tenacious sailed on her maiden voyage 1,548 days after her keel was laid, on 1st September 2000 from Southampton to Southampton calling at Sark, St Helier and Weymouth. She has been delivering freedom, fun and adventure for everyone ever since.
The card has two stamps issued on November 5th of last year. They show Santa and a reindeer, a common pair the world over. Both stamps are self-adhesive.

My next card comes from Lisbon. Although the card doesn't say so, I believe it to be a depiction of Commerce Square also known as Palace Square. Hopefully I'm right about this, if not I'm sure someone will let me know, via a comment. The sender of this card used just a beautiful stamp. It was issued past Oct 1st and commemorates 100 years of the Republic.

Now for the non official Postcrossing card. It comes from Nina in Austria. This card is the result of me sending Nina an earlier card. It is just a lovely winter scene , as if I needed another winter scene after this weekend. I can just look out the window and see winter. But I do appreciate the card, Nina. The stamp on the left was issued in 2010 and shows a wildcat. The other stamp is from a set of 3 flower definitives issued in 2007.

Card # 4 comes from China. It shows Grotto statutes in Peak Flown From Afar , located in Hangzhou. The actual statue on my card shows the Laughing Buddha, sitting on the cliff along a stream with exposed breast and belly. Many wonder why he has such a large belly, and the answer is - his belly is where Buddha keeps all the world's troubles. This card is from a fellow postcard blogger and he can be found at Gone With Postcards & Covers. The stamps used include, on the left, 1 of 4 issued in 1995 for Hong Kong. The other stamp was issued in 1992 and also is 1 of 4 featuring scenes from literature. A nice stamp actually , as is the set of 4.

Only two more to go, we're getting there, though. This car from Spain shows us a very tranquil scene. Rocky pathways, old stone houses and clothes hung out to dry. My kind of life. Eline used a 2008 King Juan Carlos definitive to send this card on it's way.

And finally. On this card we can see an old tram that operated between the Belgian towns of Aalst and Asse. Sadly, nowadays it has replaced with a bus. Not quite as charming, though. Veerle used a 2010 Christmas International rate stamp.

That is my update for this time. Thanks to all who sent cards and to those who didn't , I hope to write about yours soon. Just kidding. As always, leave a comment if you want. Take care.

The First Post of 2011

Welcome to 2011's first update. Tuesday was the first mail delivery day since New Year's Eve. I started writing this piece Wednesday afternoon. Took a break to watch the Canada Russia final of The IIHF World Junior hockey game. Well that turned into a real disaster for Canada, guess I should have continued on with the blog. It's now Thursday afternoon and I should get this finished soon. What did I find in the mailbox Tuesday- 7 postcards, not a bad way to start of the year. Cards arrived from Italy, Macedonia, Poland, Germany, Estonia, and Australia to name a few .

Let's start with the card from Italy. It has a great picture on the front of Cinque Terre, a rugged portion of the Italian Riviera. Cinque Terre or The Five Lands is composed of five villages. Shown on this card is Manarola. The villages and the surrounding hillsides are all part of the Cinque Terre National park and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was added to the list in 1997. The Cinque Terre is noted for its beauty. Trains and boats connect the villages but cars cannot reach it from the outside; however it is a very popular tourist destination. Just looking at the card, I can easily see why. It is certainly on the list of places I would love to see one day. Dale wrote this card way back on Dec 5th. It has been on the go quite a while. A recent women definitive was used.

Next up is Macedonia. This card is quite the surprise, coming from Ana. Ana and I have swapped dozens of cards over the years, but this one is still a first for both of us. We are both members of PostCrossing and as such we have sent and received cards from just about everywhere. Of course as members we really don't have a say who we send cards to or who we receive cards from. Hope that makes sense. Anyway, this is the first time Ana has sent an official Postcrossing card to someone she has swapped with and the same goes for me, first official card from someone that I have swapped with. Ana's card shows me my first view of Kokino Megalithic Observatory in the northeastern Republic of Macedonia. Discovered in 2001 it is at 1030 m above sea level and covers an area of a 100 meter radius. It is more than 3800 years old. It includes special stone markers used to tract the movement of the Sun and the Moon on the eastern horizon. Kokino has been nominated to be included on UNESCO's World Heritage Site list. NASA included Kokino on its list of ancient observatories in 2005, putting it in the company of Abu Simbel, Stonehenge and Angkor Wat. Ana used a wonderful and beautiful set of 2 stamps featuring Kokino from 2007. Thanks Ana , it was a delight to get your card.

Card # 3 comes from Poland. Sorry, but I couldn't find any information about what's on this card. However Lidka did use a number of good stamps. The top left stamp id from a set of 6 flora and fauna stamps issued in 2001. This one shows a Lynx. The other two are from a set of 4 Locomotives issue of 2002. The four make quite a nice set, one that would look good in my collection. I seem to be receiving more and more locomotive stamps lately. They all look good though .

I'm not sure at this point if you will actually be able to see my next card. It comes from Germany and wishes me Merry Christmas. It is a completely white card with a star cut in the top center , with the words Frohe Weihnachten near the bottom. Merry Christmas to you Tanja for sending this card. She lives near Cologne and at the time of writing the card, she says they have 40 cm of snow and everything was in chaos. I believe her , the stories on the news were nightmarish. Oh well, it reminds me of a small sign in my lovely Teena's garden which says "its takes winter to make spring ". Tanja used a number of stamps including a tulip definitive, and 2 others from 2009 issued for universal post.

Now for the Estonia card. Maria sent it from Tallinn. Maria says the card shows the smallest building in the Old Town of Tallinn. Located directly in front of The Holy Ghost Church, the small red building now houses a chocolate shop. The church dates from 1316. The stamp is 1 of 2 issued for Christmas 2010.

The final card this time is from Australia. It shows a scene from Walhalla. Located just over 2 hours east of Melbourne, Walhalla is a small historic township in the Gippsland District of Victoria. The area is blessed with raw, natural beauty and it's location is the reason people from all over the world visit Australia's "Valley of the Gods ". Johanna used 1 of 5 stamps issued in 2010 commemorating the 1942 Kokoda Campaign of Papua New Guinea.

I think that's it for postcards this time , but I do have a few other tidbits that I want to leave with you.
# 1 I just want to mention Michael's two blogs and I think that you might enjoy vistiting either or both. His first is called cddstamps on stamps and you can find it at http://cddstamps.blogspot.com where he writes about stamps , stamp collecting and philately. His other site is called cddstamps on aviation & aerophilately. This one you can find at http://cddstamps.wordpress.com . He always has something interesting and every now and then , some sort of quiz or contest. I have received numerous stamps, covers, postcards from Michael for taking part in his contests. Give him a shot , you won't be disappointed .

#2 Another blog that I highly recommend is Eric's called My Philately. It can be found at http://my-philately.blogspot.com . Of particular interest is his Monday Jan 03,2011 update entitled The Future of Our Hobby. Here he give a list of 5 good Philatelic Resolutions. These should be of interest to all stamp collectors, philatelists, cover collectors or postcard collectors. We all need to do our part. Finally Eric has said what many of us just think or feel.

#3 The final blog I would like you to have a look at is Don Schilling's The Stamp Collecting Round-up. You can find it at www.stampcollectingroundup.blogspot.com . Sorry, but I couldn't make the link work for Don's blog, don't know why, but just type it in and have a look see. Look at his Sat, Jan 01,2011 entry. He also has some Philatelic New Year Resolutions. Anyone interested in stamps, covers or postcards can't go wrong with these.

Sorry to go on and on here but if I encourage just one person with this , then it's worth it. So, have a look , and leave a comment on any of the blogs mentioned or on this one. It just lets the writers know someone is reading.

Another Grand Announcement and Two Cards

Here we go with another update. This one could be the final entry for year 2010. I'm not 100 percent sure about that of course but we will see. Just in case that it is , Happy New Year to one and all. I hope you all receive many postcards, covers and stamps in the coming year. Now to end the year , what better way , than with another Grand Announcement.

Today , my lovely Teena and I were blessed with the arrival of our 5th grandchild, our 4th grandson. Will Parker Anthony Moores entered the world this morning. He's quite a handsome little man and a great pleasure to behold. No pink this time unlike this past October, when pink was the order of the day.

Postcards, oh yes, right, sorry. Hope I didn't lose anyone here.

Luxembourg and Belarus. Both cards were received through Postcrossing.

Luxembourg , at 2.586 square kilometres , is one of the small countries. The card from Anne shows a number of attractions including Adolphe Bridge, an arch bridge in Luxembourg City, in southern Luxembourg. Built between 1900 and 1902, the bridge has become an unofficial national symbol, representing Luxembourg's independence. Anne used quite a nice stamp from 2004. It is 1 of a set of 3 issued to commemorate the National Museum of Art and History.

On to Belarus. It's good to receive a card from there but I have to wonder. The last 2 cards that I have sent to Belarus have failed to arrive there after more than 60 days on the go. Maria sent this card which shows a church somewhere in the country. Perhaps in Minsk as she is from there but I don't know for sure. The stamps here are just the regular, everyday flower and animal stamps from 2008. I don't know about you, but I'm tired of them. It seems every postcard I receive from Belarus lately has some combination of these stamps. I know , being a stamp collector for as long as I have, that I should be happy with my lot . And I am , but come on, use some of your other stamps. I checked the Belarus stamps in my online catalogue and they have issued some wonderful and beautiful ones, but they never arrive on postcards.

That's my spiel for today. As I said, just in case I don't get back here tomorrow ....................

Thanks for visiting and reading and also for your many contributions of postcards, stamps and even a few covers. Thanks also for your comments , I love it when you do. So ..................................
HAPPY NEW YEAR.

After Christmas Update

Welcome to this my first update after Christmas. I am hoping to get another one in before year's end. Before I actually get into this one I just want to welcome Shannon as another reader. He left a comment on the update for 23 Dec, saying that he had found my blog . He is actually my mailman, he delivers my mail, my postcards into my mailbox. So he is an important part to this blog and to my postcard collection. So, welcome Shannon, I hope you can visit the blog often and make sure my postcards get to the right mailbox.

Now onto the cards. I have four for today. These are the cards that arrived Dec 24th, the last date for mail here in Canada. Next mail should be tomorrow. If I am wrong here, I'm sure Shannon can correct me. The cards are from Vatican City, Morocco, Morocco again and Romania. Only the Romania card is from a Postcrosser. The other three are from my brother Dale. I wrote in my update of Dec 20th that I was expecting just one more card from Dale, and I expected it to be from Morocco. Well, I found three cards from him in the mailbox on Christmas Eve, the one from The Vatican and two from Morocco.

Let's look at the Vatican card first. It gives us a couple of views of St. Peter's Basilica. Located in Vatican City, St. Peter's can hold 60,000 people. It is regarded as one of the holiest Catholic sites and the greatest of all churches of Christendom. Construction on St. Peter's started on April 18, 1506 and was completed on Nov 18, 1626. Dale used two Vatican City stamps on his card. The first was issued in 2002 and is 1 of a set of 4 featuring paintings by the Italian painter Cimabue. The other stamp , issued in 2004, is 1 of 15 featuring Euro coins and their countries.

Dale's second card is from Casablanca, Morocco. It gives us a view of the clock tower of Medina and a wonderful street scene of the city of Casablanca. The city is Morocco's largest and its chief port, the largest in North Africa. The stamp here is the 2009 International Year of Astronomy issue.

Card # 3 , also from Dale, shows us some work by Pablo Picasso. Dale picked up this card in Barcelona, Spain but posted it from Casablanca. He describes Barcelona as a fantastic city, beautiful and modern, with incredible architecture. The 2009 issued stamp is from a set of 2 featuring fish.

Here is the final card and it comes from Romania. It shows us the Memorandistilor Monument located in Cluj-Napoca, the fourth most populous city in Romania.It is located in the north west part of the country and is considered the unofficial capital of the province of Transylvania. The monument is built on Union Square , on the corner of Avenue Heroes. It was built in honor of The Memorandum of Transylvania. It was a petition sent in 1882 by leaders of the Romanians in Transylvania to Frans Josef demanding equal rights for ethnic Hungarians. All I know about the stamp is that it was issued this year and features grapes and some sort of jug.

I think that's it for this time. Depending on what shows up in the mailbox, I hope to have another update before year's end.
Take care .