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.

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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.

Kristopher Geda 7/21/21 Kristopher Geda 7/21/21

skydiving (Indonesia)

I have only received a small number of cards from Indonesia, especially given its massive population. This is certainly a welcome addition to my collection!

Kristopher Geda 7/20/21 Kristopher Geda 7/20/21

2018 PostCrossing Meetup, Dresden (Germany)

PostCrossing meetup cards are definite genre and super fun to receive! This one is even better than usual because it dates from 2018!

Kristopher Geda 7/19/21 Kristopher Geda 7/19/21

union postale universelle (Arizona)

This postcard comes from Pam in Arizona who taught me that Arizona is known for the 5 Cs: cotton, climate, citrus, cattle, and copper. I knew of the last four, but not the first!

Kristopher Geda 7/18/21 Kristopher Geda 7/18/21

the Winter Palace (Russia)

On the list of things that the Russians have in spades is grand palaces! Just take a look at the St. George Hall (or the Great Throne Room) from the Winter Palace in St. Petersburg! Who would not want to visit this stately place, especially all decked out for an audience with a czar? The sender of this postcard writes that she and her family travel frequently, including an annual trip from Moscow to St. Petersburg. Terrific!

Kristopher Geda 7/17/21 Kristopher Geda 7/17/21

Hiddensee Island (Germany)

Hiddensee Island is a car-free island in the Baltic Sea north of Germany. The sender writes about its shape and size, and all I could think about was Mackinac Island in Michigan where I grew up. It’s also car-free!
The thing that’s surprising is that almost all tourists find it charming to be car-free and that’s a major part of the draw for people to visit Mackinac Island; but why are they so against the idea of reducing their dependence on cars outside of vacation?

Kristopher Geda 7/16/21 Kristopher Geda 7/16/21

Ancient Rome. In a village. (Russia)

This beautiful art postcard depicts a piece from approximately 1880 called “Ancient Rome. In a village” by the Polish painter Henryk Siemiradzki. It comes by way of Russia from a seventeen year old whose favorite class is English!

Kristopher Geda 7/15/21 Kristopher Geda 7/15/21

pain au chocolat (France)

Here’s a great postcard from France, on which the sender tells me about her work in a bead store and her difficulty in growing plants. I love the up close image of a croissant along with the accompanying chocolate that is so traditional!

Kristopher Geda 7/14/21 Kristopher Geda 7/14/21

Yakov Khalip (Russia)

This fantastic image comes courtesy of PostCrossing and a great sender in Russia who explains her recent interest in the Malayalam language of Kerala, India. It’s so great to meet people from around the world and to discover what we have in common. It does make the world seem a smaller, friendlier place.

Kristopher Geda 7/4/21 Kristopher Geda 7/4/21

vérifiez la pression

Kristopher Geda 7/3/21 Kristopher Geda 7/3/21

macarons and coffee (Germany)

This beautiful card comes complete with a lovely story of the sender’s visit to San Francisco, which she enjoyed very much! I particularly love these nesting heart mugs because one of them is certainly for a left-handed drinker! Most mugs aren’t made with southpaws in mind, so I love that these certainly are.

Kristopher Geda 7/2/21 Kristopher Geda 7/2/21

eastern and western meadowlark (Florida)

This is a terrific postcard since I love nature illustrations! Why are birds so captivating to watch and read about?
Also, can the average bird-watcher really see such subtle differences between the eastern and western meadowlarks (or do their ranges not overlap)?!

Kristopher Geda 7/1/21 Kristopher Geda 7/1/21

Meringues (California)

Oh, if only I could show the back of this postcard! Janie’s handwriting is a work of art, as are the terrific vintage stamps she finds and uses to send these postcards. The front, as you can see, is no slouch either though! And given my love of baking, it’s the perfect card! Thank you, Janie!

Kristopher Geda 6/30/21 Kristopher Geda 6/30/21

Sooner State (Oklahoma)

Is the title of this postcard redundant? Anyway, it’s a beautiful illustration of a state I know very little about, despite living just 60 minutes away for almost two years. I love the art here as it perfectly captures a warm, summer day.

Kristopher Geda 6/29/21 Kristopher Geda 6/29/21

Georgia Peach Pie

Make it stand out

Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.

One of the things I request on my Postcrossing profile is recipes, and this postcard is absolutely perfect! Peaches are right in season now in California and I’ve been getting more into pie-baking this past year. Of course, Georgia is well-known for its peaches, so this postcard is right on time, too!