Here are the postcards!
I’ve been collecting postcards since 2008. Since then, I’ve sent and received over 1800 postcards from all over the US and dozens of countries. I respond to every postcard I receive, so I’m always open for private swaps.
My origin story: Back when I was a young boy, I got the idea to write a letter to several world leaders, but I only ever ended up writing the US president and the Queen of England. I was so tickled to receive responses from President Bush and then Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II! Well, they weren’t directly from the world leaders, but rather from their staff members. President Bush sent me an autographed photograph (which I lost later in a show-and-tell accident).
One of the Queen’s ladies-in-waiting sent me a very detailed letter, typed on Buckingham Palace stationery, answering all of my questions about the Queen’s horses and her corgis and her favorite foods. I marveled at the strangely-sized paper, the texture of the embossed coat of arms centered at the top of the page, and the stamps on the envelope. A real person had spent time reading my letter, responding to it, folding it and placing it in an envelope, and then more real human beings had taken the time and effort to transport it from London to some mail distribution center, to an airport in England, to an airport in the US, and back through the various USPS chains until it arrived in a plastic mailbox at the foot of my driveway in southeast Michigan.
I’m still fascinated by this process today, and all for less than the price of some chocolate! So I maintain correspondence with about a dozen penpals across the world, and send and receive postcards. At last count, I have a little under 2,000 postcards that I’ve received. Keep scrolling to see the most recent postcards that have arrived in my mailbox.
Gregangelo Museum (California)
One of the many things that make Kimee and Michael such great friends is their great dedication to the city we all call home. Kimee found out about this museum recently, which none of us had encountered before!
Oakland - Pitt (Pennsylvania)
Along with a terrific gift, our good friends Kay and Pei, sent this postcard that they picked up in Pittsburgh where we used to live! Thank you two so much!
Greetings from Cole Valley (California)
It's an embarrassment of riches with these beautiful, local postcards that Michael and Kimee are sending! Shouldn't all our neighborhoods have a town square?
Flora Grubb Gardens (Californias)
Kimee and Michael attended Cole Valley Nights where there was an abundance of postcards! This is from local business Flora Grubb Gardens which provided the gorgeous planters outside the N Judah stop at Carl Street. Support your local businesses, please!
Canberra anime scene (Australia)
Matty is responding to a slew of postcards I sent him (in response to a slew of those he sent me! It's a delicious, vicious cycle). This is a great illustration entitled “The Canberra La Niña Sky Cetacea Migration.” This is no doubt a reference to The Skywhale.
Stuttgart (Germany)
My penpal Lino was in Stuttgart celebrating his daughter's birthday! I'm envious of his travel, but I'm glad he enjoyed the trip!
bookshelf fantasy (Australia)
My penpal from the capital area of Australia responded to a postcard I sent a while ago soliciting book recommendations. He demured, saying he's not much of a reader. Nonetheless, he recommended: Holding the Man, Picnic at Hanging Rock, Cloudstreet, and Boy Swallows Universe. I'll look for them!
lions and tiger and bears (Illinois)
Emily and Carter went to the Lincoln Park Zoo last weekend and enjoyed seeing more animals than ever before. My pro-tip for zoos is to go as early as possible; I think most animals are more active early in the morning and then sleep during the mid-day (when most humans want to be in the zoo).
our old haunt (Pennsylvania)
What a great postcard to receive from my old friend and her wife! They were visiting Pittsburgh, our old haunt where we met, and sent this postcard!
NATIFS (Minnesota)
My dear friend Mejdulene was in the Twin Cities to give a talk and was able to have lunch at NATIFS, a “nonprofit founded by Chef Sean Sherman, rekindl[ing] and empower[ing] Indigenous food sovereignty through Owamni and other thriving food enterprises.” Mejdulene writes that the meal was made with all pre-colonial ingredients!
Melba resolves silently (California)
Hot on the heels of her last grand success in postcards comes this one, which couldn't be more perfect, especially in the wake of our recent trip to Chicago to eat at Sepia and Alinea. Even tonight I ate too much at our favorite neighborhood joint and so all I can say to Kimee's postcard is: Melba - it's me.
Tower of Babel (Germany)
Je suis vraiment étonné car cette carte postale a été postée le 12 mars, et elle n’est pas arrivée jusqu'au 7 avril! Je vois bien qu’elle a même reçu un timbre officiel à la poste. Néanmoins, j’adore cette carte postale et bien ce qu’elle réprésente (le peinture par Bruegel l’Ancien).
the Castro (California)
I have several friends whom I can count on to always find great postcards, and Kimee and Michael are at the top of the list. This one they picked up at Green Apple (on the Park)!
Haguenau (France)
En préparant son déménagement du Haguenau, où il habitait pendant plusiers années, Dominique est tombé sur cette carte postale. Il écrit que cette vue lui est particulièrement chère car en allant à la piscine, il passe sous le pont. :-(
Bottoms up! (Australia)
What a fun image from my penpal in Australia, Matty! He's preparing yet another multi-country trip, so I'm excited to receive any postcards he can send while he's away.
le port de Marseille (France)
Très peu de villes américaines présent cet aspect visuel spécifique quant aux vues aérielles: des nombreux bâtiments tous proches les uns des autres. Je l’adore tellement. Merci à Dominique de m’avoir envoyé cette carte postale si belle.
Make Australia Great Again
Normally I would have no place for this phrase, but that it's been reappropriated by indigenous Australians makes me smile a lot. Nothing could be further from the US version of this saying, and I love everything about it!
Chicago flag (Illinois)
This postcard comes from our niece and her husband who were hosting our other niece (her sister) for a week. I like this postcard because it explains the Chicago flag, one of my favorite flags!
Château d’If (France)
Dominique m’a envoyé deux cartes postales le même jour, une depuis la France et l’autre depuis l’Allemagne. Entre les deux cartes postales, on voit que la française est arrivée le plus vite.
Nizhny Novgorod (Russia)
What a beautifully-illustrated postcard of Nizhny Novgorod in Russia! The sender also affixed a lovely stamp from 1963! I'm not a philatelist but I can appreciate a really cool stamp when I see one!