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.
Transamerica Building (California)
I absolutely love this art-style, especially when it features such an iconic building as the Transamerica Pyramid! The San Francisco Reddit will feature, every once in a while, a discussion about getting to the top of the pyramid. Sometimes, service workers will post their photos from the last time they serviced the shining light at the top. It’s very alluring!
This postcard was sent by our best friends Katelyn and Matt to wish us a happy anniversary! It was very thoughtful of them to send a card, especially such a beautiful one!
Nashville, Indiana
This postcard comes from my longtime penpal and former classmate Nozomi in Indiana. I believe this is the twentieth Indianan postcard I’ve received from her. She writes that this Nashville is sometimes called “Little Nashville” so it’s not confused with the capital of Tennessee. I love it!
assurément humain (France)
Voici la cinquantième carte postale de mon ami Dominique, qui m’a aidé à comprendre la dernière carte postale qu’il m’a envoyée. Celle-ci je comprend très bien. Il écrit sur la dernière que les soignants se concentrent sur les minutes qui comptent entre la vie et la mort, et pas les heures incéssantes dont ils travaillent pour nous sauver la vie. Maintenant, je comprends! Merci merci!
San Francisco skyline (California)
This absolutely beautiful postcard isn’t done any justice through the scan. It has delicate gold detailing, for one. But it’s sent by our good friends M and P who are inviting us to see them in person after over a year of video calls. We have so much to catch up on, and this terrific postcard is a great reminder of the many reasons I love living in San Francisco.
illustrated Philadelphia (Pennsylvania)
Mejdulene and Katie sure know how to pick them! This terrific illustration of Philadelphia - the city of brotherly love - comes courtesy of a fantastic couple who took an impromptu road trip to Philly for the weekend. I can’t decide whether I was more pleased to receive this cute postcard or to learn that they ate their “faces off.” That’s how you do a roadtrip!
Aloha from Hawai’i
Many times, the scan doesn’t do justice to the physical postcard, and this is certainly one of those times. Tristan has sent us a beautiful, wooden postcard with a gorgeous image printed on it. When I write “wooden,” I mean it though. This isn’t printed on wood veneer, but rather a block of wood at least 1/4 inch thick (maybe 1/2 centimeter) with a beautiful finished edge! What a fun postcard to receive!
Love Lebanon (UK)
This postcard arrived from Amar in the UK, an artist who has created a series of postcards that my friend Mejdulene told me about. The postcard series features Palestinian-inspired designs and 100% of the profits will be donated to the Palestinian Children’s Fund. The shipping was very reasonable and arrived quite quickly!
Petäjävesi Old Church (Finland)
Another terrific postcard from my Finnish friend who is on vacation “up north” with his family. I wasn’t sure about the history of this place, so I looked it up: imagine a wooden building from 1765 still standing and in such great shape (especially after falling into disuse for about 50 years)! It’s older than my country in fact!
Metz (France)
Voici une carte postale de mon ami Dominique, qui m’envoie aussi des recettes françaises et alsaciennes par email. J’en ai essayé une, et j’espère avoir le temps d’en essayer une nouvelle qui me paraît très bonne!
Ici la ville de Metz, pas trop loin d’où j’habitais pendant mon séjour en France. En fait, je connais à l’époque-là un colleague de l’université qui a été placé à Metz pendant la même année que j’étais à Valenciennes. Malheureusement, nous n’avons pas eu l’ocasion de nous revoir. Donc il faudra que je visite Metz dans le futur!
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German sweets
This postcard comes from a sender whose hobbies overlap quite nearly with mine: reading, baking, hiking, traveling, Postcrossing, and living near a wine region. I’m not sure if that last one is really a hobby, but at least we have that in common! How many German desserts have you tried?
Collognes-la-Rouge, Limousin (France)
Voici encore une très jolie carte postale de mon ami Dominique, qui m’envoie les cartes de sa propre collection. Ici, une vue du village Collonges-la-Rouge, première étape pour le Pelerinage de St. Jacques de Compostelle en Espagne. J’ai beaucoup aimé apprendre le mot en français pour le pelerinage, car je l’ai appris premièrement dans mon cours d’espagnole comme: Camino de Santiago de Compostela. Un jour, même si ne je suis plus réligieux, j’aimerais suivre le chemin-là.
Alida Hoeve cheese farm (the Netherlands)
I wonder if this is another thrift store find from my great friend Linda? In any case, it’s a terrific find and I’m very grateful to have received it! It depicts the inside of a cheese farm (and wooden shoe cobbler?!) from the Netherlands! I’ve only been to the Netherlands twice, and then only to Amsterdam (this is in Volendam), so I have quite a bit of travel to do! Plus, who doesn’t love cheese?
the Milky Way via Grand Canyon Nat’l Park
Every quarter since the pandemic started, I have offered to mail each of my students a postcard in the hopes of creating some extra bit of a personal connection. Although I am grateful to have a job and to be able to deliver effective courses online, I dearly miss seeing them in person. This is my small way of trying to deliver a small smile during what is certainly an incredibly difficult time to be a student.
Here is a postcard that one of my students sent in return with some very thoughtful and touching words. She writes that this card is an inspiration to us both to travel when it’s safe and responsible to do so, which is a thought I can get 100% behind.
It’s great to see a smile go round-trip, so mille grazie, Maria!
exciting postcards (Finland)
How cute! I love the recursivity of this image (the postcard is depicted inside the postcard) as well as the excited looks on the animals’ faces. This is definitely me every day when I run down to the mailbox to see if any postcards have arrived. Imagine my delight last week when this one arrived from my friend Jussi in Finland, complete with stamps from other Finnish postcrossers!
Farol de Natal (Brazil)
This terrific postcard arrived today from a retired firefighter in Brazil! Strangely, it was in a plastic sleeve despite being in good condition. I wonder who added it? The sender? The Brazilian post? Or the US post?
Williams-Brice Stadium (South Carolina)
This postcard comes from a new penpal of mine in South Carolina. Embarrassingly, I sent him a postcard that he’d already received, so I’ll have to find something particularly good to send him to make up for the accident! He writes about how excited he is that the University of South Carolina has decided that the stadium pictured here will be open at 100% capacity. I’m sure many sports fans will be thrilled to be able to partake live and in person in their favorite events!
Maui Wine (Hawai’i)
If it looks like the image is a bit washed out, that’s because it is. But far from a bug, this is a big feature of this beautiful postcard, sent by my brother-in-law during his last few weeks in Hawai’i. The postcard is printed on koa wood, which is a tree endemic to the Hawai’ian islands and it’s beautifully supple! The card itself depicts the vineyards of a winery on Maui: Maui Wine. It’s great timing, as we just got back from a weekend in Paso Robles where we were tasting wines!
He’s been staying there for a few months to make a more informed decision about whether Hawai’i is really his future home. I’ll be eager to see him in a few weeks so we can discuss his experience in person!
el Diablito (Washington DC)
My very good friend Katie sends this love from Washington DC, after having seen the collection of postcards in a shop. She knew exactly which one to send and writes observantly: “He has one cloven hoof and one goofy chicken foot - maybe the hooves are like devil puberty, the last thing to show up?”
What are the developmental milestone of devils, I wonder?
Grüsse aus Braunschweig (Germany)
Make it stand out
Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
There’s something about those great, German schlosses (schlossen?) - they just have a steadiness and permanence to them that captures the eye. This postcard comes from a retiree who lives in a very small village and is working on his garden. That doesn’t sound too bad for a retirement, does it?
the English Country Lane
I go back and forth on art cards, but I LOVE a hand-drawn map, especially when it’s as charming as this. Also, how often do you see maps that depict England only (and not including Wales or Scotland)?! The sender of this card is a polyglot after my own heart; we have so much in common!