face tattooing, Atayal people (Taiwan)

What a truly beautiful postcard that arrived last week from Taiwan! The sender writes about the “aboriginal” peoples of Taiwan, including the Tayal, one of whom is depicted here with face tattoos, “an ultimate glory.” The writer also writes about the Paiwan people, who are the second-most numerous aboriginal group in the country.

I’ve been fascinated by the many aboriginal groups of Taiwan, especially because their languages have helped linguists and anthropologists understand the migration of Polynesian people. Before the so-called “Age of Exploration,” Polynesian people were the most widely-distributed ethnic group on the planet, ranging from Taiwan to Rapa Nui (Easter Island), to Aotearoa (New Zealand) and Hawai’i!

Waddenzee (the Netherlands)

I was really struck by the colors and foregrounding of the fence here, in this postcard depicting the famous Waddenzee (a UNESCO World Heritage Site). The sender writes that at low tide, you can walk to the islands, although you need a guide due to the dangers inherent. Of course, ships who wish to pass must wait for high tide.

There’s something familiar about this; this could be the north shore of my home state of Michigan.

Tom of Finland (Finland)

This postcard arrives from my new Finnish penpal Jussi, who writes about his favorite movies—among them, The Usual Suspects and the James Bond franchise. This image, in contrast, is a Tom of Finland drawing, which are very famous among gay men for their hyper-masculine traits and exaggerated sexuality. This drawing certainly exudes masculinity but may lack some of the overt eroticism seen in other pieces.

lighthouses of the Outer Banks (North Carolina), part 2

Perhaps one of the biggest drawbacks to a digital collection such as this is that you can’t feel the postcards. This has a lovely scalloped edge and it’s a linen postcard, even printed with soy ink. The feel of this postcard is so soft and supple, which makes it a joy not just to read and look at, but also to hold and feel. Leave it to Mejdulene and Katie to not only pick a beautiful image to represent their trip to the Outer Banks, but also to pick a postcard that is such a great tactile addition to my collection!

Mütter Museum (Pennsylvania), part 2

Two great postcards from a fantastic museum! I also love the artifact of its sending, a golden smudge in the middle. Some people would see this as a flaw, but at first I thought it had been deliberately added as a ghostly specter (is that redundant?). One of the things that Renée writes about is how many of the human remains are paired with what is known about the people before death. While I’m sure a collection such as this has a lot of ugly in its past, this seems like one step toward recognition of the people whose remains make up much of the museum’s collection.

anthropomorphic Ireland

This postcard is absolutely phenomenal! I love reimaginations of geographic areas as people or animals, and this one is perhaps the best I’ve seen in a long time! It even hints at the Partition of Ireland into the Republic and Northern Ireland. This is really a great one!

lighthouses of the Outer Banks (North Carolina)

This terrific postcard comes from our dear friends Mejdulene and Katie, who took a trip to the Outer Banks recently. I’m impressed to read that after a day of bicycle riding, they even conquered over 200 steps to climb to the top! I visited a lighthouse years ago during one of my visits to the Outer Banks and it was spectacular.

Mütter Museum (Pennsylvania)

Visiting this museum was a childhood dream of our friend Renée, who stopped by earlier this week and picked up a postcard to send to Andy. I remember hearing about it, too, when I was younger and I definitely put it on my list of places to visit. During my one visit to Philadelphia, however, I didn’t take the time to do so, so it’s still there. Maybe Renée can make a re-visit with us when next we see her?

Oklahoma map

I love a good map card, and this one is a perfect example. In fact, the shape of Oklahoma lends itself perfectly to this kind of card, as you can easily fit in a logo or other images under the panhandle. Having lived in north Texas for a few years, I’m well-acquainted with some of the interstates in Oklahoma, which I traveled frequently between Texas and Michigan.

Zhostovo style (Russia)

One of the things I love so much about exchanging postcards is that I always learn something new. This art style is familiar to me and I certainly associate it with Russia, but I did not know its name (Zhostovo) nor did I know that it originated as a painting style on metal trays!

The sender of this postcard included a truly beautiful message as well, which touched me deeply. I’ve offered to start a correspondence which I hope works out!

Charleston Waterfront Park (South Carolina)

This postcard comes from a private swap proposed by a Postcrosser who attends The Citadel in South Carolina. I haven’t been to Charleston but this park does look really beautiful. I do like the main fountain on the left which looks like a pineapple!

girl sleeping on a yak (Los Angeles)

This postcard arrives via Postcrossing from a former SF resident now living in LA. It’s a beautiful illustration! I love the peacefulness of the sleeping girl coupled with the alarm or bewilderment of the yak!

Dutch royals

This postcard comes from Postcrossing and features the royal family of the Netherlands. From left to right: King Willem-Alexander, Queen Máxima, the Princess of Orange, Princess Alexia, and Princess Ariane.

I have always found royal families to be fascinating, maybe because the US doesn’t have a royal family (although, for a fun read, check out Emperor Norton). However, most of the people I know who grew up in and are subjects of (that is: citizens of) kingdoms or empires have quite mixed feelings on their own royal families.

Virtual Postcrossing Easter Meetup (Finland)

This is the second postcard from my new Finnish penpal whom I met through Postcrossing. This is a really beautiful postcard from a meetup, which is an opportunity for Postcrossers to meet in person to talk about their hobby and meet other likeminded people. But this one was virtual (of course) so I’m even more impressed that they were able to get so many signatures on the back! How did they do it? It’s really beautiful!

Niō in Hōryū-ji Temple, Nara (Japan)

My good friend and mentor Linda has found a solution to our global lack of travel problem: where to get postcards?! She writes that her local vintage shop has a nice collection of postcards so she’s having fun finding them to send to friends. This one is in Japanese, otherwise I’d tell you more about it. Here’s what I do know: it’s a depiction of Niō in the Hōryū-ji Temple in Nara, Japan. I haven’t visited Japan so I also don’t have much to tell you about it, but you can already guess what I’m going to write next: it’s high on my list!

Cité de Carcassone (part two)

Voici la quarante-sixième carte postale de mon ami Dominique, et la deuxième de la Cité de Carcassone. J’adore cette vue car elle me fait penser sur les passages subterraines et secrètes où peut-être un prince s’echapperait pour aller voir son amoureux sans que la famille en sache rien. Un jour très tôt, j’éspere, je pourrai visiter la cité et reflechir sur ces (im)possibilités.

love is love (the Netherlands)

This beautiful postcard comes via Postcrossing! I really love the bright and joyful atmosphere here. The sender lives in the Netherlands, where they’re celebrating 20 years of same-sex marriage (and their society hasn’t collapsed, yet, as many Christians presaged!). On my own wedding day, my marriage wasn’t recognized just a few hours after we signed the license because we drove into Virginia for dinner. When we drove cross-country later that year, every time we would cross a state border, we’d check to see if we were married or not. Luckily, this was only ever a joke and we never really had to worry whether we’d be able to support each other as any other married couple might.

She sender writes that she reads a lot of LGBT romcoms, in part because much of the media about and by LGBTQ people tends to focus on trauma and tragedy. To be sure, these are important and real aspects of many LGBTQ people’s experiences, but sometimes you want some cotton candy, you know? Here’s hoping everyone finds the love they most want, and they can live their lives openly and happily.

Death Valley National Park (California)

This postcard comes courtesy of our dear friend Kaylé who took a trip to southern California and visiting Death Valley National Park. I’ve never been here, or to any of the national parks in southern California, so I’m very eager to visit. I guess you could say I’m dying to visit? Anyway, she writes that if I like deserts, this is the park for me. I’m not sure if I like deserts as I haven’t really visited any, so I’m happy to give it a shot! Thanks, Kaylé!

“All My Life” (Germany)

I recently updated my Postcrossing profile to invite LGBTQ-themed cards, including love between people of the same gender. This is the first response to that invitation! What a great postcard to receive. The back indicates it’s a still from the film “All My Life” by Maher Sabry. I haven’t seen it; I wonder if it’s available to stream in the US?

Visoko (Bosnia & Herzegovina)

This is my first card from Bosnia and Herzegovina! It’s slightly disappointing that the sender wrote simple “Greetings from Visoko <3” but perhaps their English is a bit limited. Still, I’d love to learn more about this place and whether the sender lives there, has visited there, or if it’s just a beautiful and famous location in the country. I have a new penpal from Serbia whom I’ve really enjoyed corresponding with, so of course I’ve been learning more about the countries that were formerly part of Yugoslavia. What a rich and fascinating history this part of the world boasts, stretched millennia back into prehistory! Look up the country of Bosnia and Herzegovina; it’s truly fascinating how it was formed! I’m also eager to visit.