Italy via Portland, Oregon

Yet another beautiful postcard from my dear friend Linda arrived today. She writes that she’s running out of postcards from her previous travels, which is a situation I’ve found myself in lately, too! Because I’m not traveling nearly as much as I used to, even to take day trips here and there, I find that I have so few postcards to send to friends and family. I have been going through some old postcards however and deciding which ones to send off. I haven’t been to Florence, but I hope to visit it someday soon!

Peggy’s Postcards: Chersonissos, Crete (Greece)

Here’s another postcard from Peggy’s Postcards and this one is from the beautiful islands of Greece. While I haven’t been to Crete itself, I have visited Tinos and Mykonos, which isn’t that far away. The Greek islands are really spectacular and definitely merit a revisit. I wonder how (little) they’ve changed since Anne sent this postcard some decades ago?

Dear Peggy, We’ve now reached Crete and it is a beautiful island. Unfortunately, we no have only five days left so we have to return to Athens to catch our plane soon. Greece is just great and the people so friendly. So far we have been to Corfu, Sparta, Geraki, Corinth, Nafplion and Athens. It has been quite a varied tour. I start at Strathclyde a week on Monday - I must say work doesn’t seem too inviting at the moment. I hope you have every success in the coming year. Don’t forget Scotland, so until we meet again, Yours, Anne.

Peggy’s Postcards: Plaza y Pirámide de la Luna (Mexico)

This is the inaugural Peggy’s Postcard of the new blog, and what a beautiful card it is! This one was sent from Mexico to Peggy while she was living in Edinburgh, Scotland. Unfortunately, the date is illegible so I’m not sure when Grandma sent this postcard. Nevertheless, she wrote:

Dearest, someday your strike will be over. Am having a perfectly marvelous time in Mexico. Wish you could be with me - sunshine, memories, friends keep me going. I hope you are enjoying your house and your exciting experiences. Love, Grandma

The postcard depicts La Plaza y Pirámide de la Luna (the Plaza and Pyramid to the Moon) in San Juan Teotihuacan, México. I haven’t visited any of the many ruins in Mexico, but I hope to get the chance to do so soon! Just remember: without the indigenous peoples of the Americas, among the many beautiful things we wouldn’t enjoy today are this temple, chocolate, tomatoes, potatoes, corn, and squash!

the return of Peggy’s Postcards

Starting today, I’ll be continuing with my series of Peggy’s Postcards. If you’re new to my postcard collection, this is one of two special sets of postcards that I’ve been posting. In contrast to my standard posts, these postcards were not sent directly to me. Instead, Peggy’s Postcards is a collection of almost 5 dozen postcards that the eponymous Peggy donated to me while going through her extensive correspondence. Many of the postcards were penned originally by Peggy herself and sent to friends and family from her various travels across the US and the world many decades ago. Knowing that I like postcards, she sent me the lot and has given me permission to post them (with addresses and other identifying information redacted). I upload the front and the reverse of these postcards, and usually transcribe the message, too. I’ll be picking up with the nineteenth postcard in my collection (they’re in no particular order), and as my energy and interest dictates, may upload the first eighteen at some point. Enjoy!

German drinks

This is one of my favorite postcards in recent memory, and it comes via Postcrossing! How many of these terrific German drinks have you tried?!

Collonges la rouge - Corrèze (France)

Encore une jolie carte postale de mon ami Dominique, qui sait toujours quelles types de cartes vont me plaire. J’adore les vues des petits passages dans les villes européennes. En fait, l’architecture n’est pas de tout la même, mais cette image me rappelle les petits ruelles dans la ville où j’habitais il y a trop d’ans: Valenciennes. Celle-ci, par contre, se situe dans le sud-ouest de la France. Je me demande: qui habite ici dans ce bâtiment? Qu’est-ce qu’il/elle en pense des photos qui adornent les cartes postales envoyées de l’est de la France jusqu’à l’oueust des États-Unis?

Shenandoah Nat’l Park - Virginia

What a beautiful view! I really miss the spring colors that come with living in a place that actually has weather to speak of (not that I’d trade the lack of snow to shovel…). This terrific view comes from my best friends Mejdulene and KB who send memories of travel and wishes to meet “someplace warm and beautiful to eat snacks and explore.” If that isn’t a Spring 2021 mood, I don’t know what is!

Gay Street - New York

It’s too bad we just bought a place (I’m just joking) because otherwise I’d be looking for property on Gay Street in the West Village in New York City! I’ve always loved remarkable street names and I often take photos of them for my own and my friends’ amusement. This postcard comes via Postcrossing and I am so grateful to the sender’s sense of humor!

abstract skyline - Washington

This postcard comes from our friends Greg and James who live in Sacramento but took a “vaccine vacation” to Seattle. Both educators, they were able to get vaccinated and took a road trip to get out of town. We’re envious of their travels and looking forward to joining them as soon as we’re all vaccinated, too!

Pilot Mountain State Park - North Carolina

A distant relative of mine reached out to me on a DNA testing site to make contact and find out how we’re related; it turns out, we’re fourth cousins on my maternal grandmother’s side! Lisa is an avid amateur genealogist and has connected a great many people to lost and previously unknown family members. It was a real treat to find that despite our distant kinship, we have quite a lot in common! She sent me this beautiful postcard from a park near her house where she often hikes and spots birds. Thank you, Lisa!

a vintage, rockstar kitchen in Liverpool (UK)

One of the things I was so thrilled about in our new place is the spacious kitchen with ample workspace and the full-sized refrigerator and stove/oven. Our old place had 3/4-sized appliances, which our neighbor semi-affectionately dubbed “dollhouse fixtures.” Still, there was a certain charm about the postage stamp-sized counter and the bakes I was able to produce in the old place. Here, I feel a certain pressure to produce even more elaborate baked goods since I have the space and modern amenities (including a microwave and dishwasher for the first time in almost a decade!). Still, I think I’ll just make a batch of chocolate chip cookies to be safe. Thanks to Peggy for this beautiful view of a vintage kitchen in Mendips, Liverpool. Thanks to Wikipedia for teaching me that this is the childhood home of John Lennon!

sparse coastal landscape

This terrific image comes courtesy of our dear friend Kevin who sent a lovely congratulations on our move. Indeed this view is quite different from the one in our new place, but the rockiness and grey clouds certainly call to mind portions of the Pacific Coast that are not too far from where we live.

Brno (Czechia)

Today a private-swap from a Postcrossing user arrived from Czechia’s second largest city, Brno. I haven’t been to Czechia yet but I hope to visit it soon. I’m so curious to know the story behind the alligator depicted on the postcard! I didn’t think Europe had any large reptiles like that.

national monument (Bangladesh)

This is my first postcard from Bangladesh! It arrived courtesy of Postcrossing and I am so thrilled to add another country to my collection. I don’t know much about Bangladesh to be fair - just that it sits to the east of India and has an enormous population, especially in relation to its geographic size. The stamps tell a dramatic story of “War Crimes in Bangladesh, 1971” with some very disturbing photographs. I’ll need to do some more research.

“Die Mühle Am Wall” - Bremen (Germany)

What luck! This postcard comes via Postcrossing from Bremen in northern Germany. I was struggling to read it until my very talented niece helped me translate it. The sender asks me about the Town Musicians of Bremen, a famous fairy tale — I haven’t heard of it so I think I’ll do some research. The windmill reminds me of the windmills in Golden Gate Park, too!

Lichtenberg - Bas-Rhin (France)

Mon ami très fidel m’a encore envoyé une très belle carte postale, cette fois une illustration parfaite du Château de Lichtenberg dans le village de Lichtenberg. Très tôt, j’éspere, nous pourrons voyager en résponsabilité et santé, et je pourrai voir ce château et le reste d’Alsace moi-même. Jusqu’à ce point-là, je compte sur les cartes postales que Dominique m’envoye. Merci, mon ami!

‘Saukko’ (a Finnish otter)

This is a private swap from a Finnish Postcrossing user and I am so thrilled to receive it! There’s something very captivating about otters, be they Eurasian otters (as in this case) or sea otters (as we have here on the Pacific coast) or North American river otters (as we were lucky to spot in the wild a few years ago while hiking along the San Andreas Fault). This one of course is no exception!

a Japanese pangram

This card comes from a user in Japan via Postcrossing; they sent me this beautiful depiction of an old style of writing Japanese called “iroha.” Further, this card depicts a pangram - using all of the letters in Japanese! The famous pangram in English is “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.” Do you know a shorter one?

That is in fact the plot of one of my favorite books, called “Ella Minnow Pea” by Mark Dunn. Check it out!

Sanibel Island Seashells

This postcard comes from my sister-in-law who lives in Florida with my niece. One of their favorite places to visit is Sanibel Island; on their most recent trip, my niece braved the water (even though it was only 65F!) and then they collected shells, including some crab claws. I remember combing the beach for shells and being so envious when little brother found a shark tooth! I wanted one so badly that I eventually convinced my parents to buy me one (at an exorbitant price, I’m sure) at a local souvenir shop. If only I’d known then about the power of postcards instead of natural ephemera…

Map card of Georgia

This is the first Postcrossing card I’ve received at the new address — while moving, I paused the receipt of cards even if I was still sending some. I’m so happy to be getting mail here; it really helps the new condo to feel like a home.

This of course reminds me of my last trip to Georgia when I visited Atlanta for the 2019 TESOL Convention. I have great memories of the Georgia Aquarium with its Taiwanese whale sharks, and of course the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, which was moving and difficult and such an incredible experience.