stuffed bhindi (India)

This delicious postcard arrived very late due to my recent mail trouble. But what’s more interesting is the state of the back of it! I have no idea who it arrived given how destroyed most of it was in the mail. All I can make out is the following text on the left-hand “message” side:

ristopher,

many

ards in

ox :)

a nice day

regards

June 26, 2021 +38°C

How did it even arrive? There’s no mailing address! It’s clearly for me, and I’m waiting for Postcrossing to help me identify the ID so I can register it after its nearly three month trip! I The postcard feels as if it’s been water-damaged, and part of it is peeling away. Strangely, the stamp is intact.

Update: the postcard ID was found! This postcard took 82 days to travel and be registered. Amazing!

en Périgord Nord (bis) (France)

This is a truly captivating image, the birth home of Etienne de la Boétie in the sixteenth century. It’s hard to imagine a house that someone might have been born almost 500 years ago still standing in a street and you can walk by it and put your hand on it.

Much earlier this year, I received a postcard also from Dominique also from the same area, but a different view. I love collecting different views of the same place; when I can finally visit, it will all seem so familiar!

Dominique wonders about the aforementioned writer who is best known in Anglophone circles as the penpal of Michel de Montaigne. He writes in the postcard “Penpal or something more? History, always straight-laced, doesn’t give a definitive answer.” But I think we all know that the best people in history are LGBT, yeah? :-)

Live free or die (New Hampshire)

My dear friends Kay and Pei recently moved to New Hampshire to start a new job, so they sent this terrific postcard of their new home state. It’s one of the few US states that I haven’t yet visited, so I’m thrilled to have an additional reason to do so! I’m tickled to see a Pittsburg in New Hampshire, since there’s one out here in Northern California, too. And of course, I often confuse it in speech with Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania where we all met.

man and child (Germany)

Here’s a postcard from Postcrossing that’s really beautiful in its simplicity. The sender wasn’t sure whether this qualified as LGBTQ, as I welcome in my profile. I think this absolutely qualifies - even though I myself am not a parent and have no desire to become one, plenty of LGBTQ people are, so this is absolutely such a card. Also, who doesn’t love cute babies?

la tarte aux quetsches (France)

This sweet plum tart looks absolutely divine, even more so because I have a bag of plums on the counter waiting for me to do something with them. The plums I have are quite a bit bigger, but I could certainly make it work!

You already know that this recipe comes from my penpal Dominique, who tells me he reads both my postcard and my baking blogs. I get a lot of inspiration for my bakes from his suggestions! Merci bien, Dominique!

Bixby Bridge (California)

Sometimes, postcards can over-sell the area or object that they’re depicting. People who have never had the pleasure of driving along Highway 1 in California along the Pacific Coast might see this and think it’s another of those over-sells. But having visited Big Sur and the famous Bixby Bridge here on multiple occasions, I can tell you that this view is 100% real.

The postcard itself arrives from two of my students from this past summer, Jialu and Chunlin, who were both a delight to have in class as much as they are in person. They seem to be taking ample advantage of living in California and take every opportunity they can to refresh themselves with a road trip or a visit to Monterey. They are absolutely doing it right!

Heidelberg (Germany)

You may have been wondering where all the lovely postcards from my penpal Dominique have been - they’ve been on their way, but were unfortunately held up in the mail due to some errors. However, I’m happy to report a lot of lovely postcards finally were delivered after many days or weeks of delays.

This beautiful image is really a great one, and it depicts Heidelberg Castle, which I’ve sadly never visited. But I do love the multiple colors of stone and brick here which I assume depict the various additions that were made as the castle grew and evolved over time.

multilevel Minsk (Belarus)

This postcard arrived from Minsk some time ago, but unfortunately I was having trouble with my mail delivery. A hold we’d placed during some travel somehow got extended for two more weeks, so I was without my beloved postcards and letters (and bills!) for ages. I love the artwork here, though!

Baden Baden (Germany)

This postcard arrives from Germany courtesy of my French penpal Dominique, who was working at a hospital along the border and so took the opportunity to send this. He writes that this building is a former train station now converted into the second largest concert hall in Europe, after the Bastille Opera in Paris. Sad though I am that a grand old train station might no longer serve such a purpose, I’m happy to hear it’s living on in new and exciting ways to serve the public!

questionnaire de Marcel Proust (France)

Usually I write in French when I receive a card from France, but this one I think merits an English translation — shaky though mine will be — for those who might not read French. Here goes:

• my main personality characteristic

• what I want in a man

• what I want in a woman

• what I love most about my friends

• my biggest flaw

• my dream job

• my life’s dream

• what would be my greatest sadness

• what I would like to be

• the country where I would like to live

• my favorite color

• my favorite flower

• my favorite bird

• my favorite novelists

• my favorite poets

• my favorite fiction protagonist men

• my favorite fiction protagonist women

• my favorite composers

• my favorite painters

• my real life hero men

• my real life hero women

• my favorite names

• what I hate more than anything

• characteristics that I hate the most

• the military event that I admire the most

• the reform that I appreciate the most

• the gift of nature that I would most like to have

• how I would like to die

• the present state of my soul

• flaws that you’re willing to overlook

• my motto

United Nations flag (Indiana)

This card comes from my penpal Nozomi, whom I met when we were both in grad school back in Pittsburgh over a decade ago! It was during that time that she got this postcard on a trip to New York City, and the United Nations. She writes that she’d been saving it for a special occasion and figured my birthday was one such (and it arrived right on time!). I’m flattered that I might receive such a beautiful postcard from so long ago. What a real gift! Thank you, friend!

South Shore, Lake Tahoe (California)

I’m not posting this lovely vintage postcard until just now, but I received it in advance of my birthday from my friend Alex! What great timing! I have only been to Lake Tahoe once and it was in winter when it certainly looked much like this. I have always wanted to revisit, especially in the summer. Maybe next year!

morning cup of joe (Washington)

Of all the icons of Seattle, coffee must be among the very first or second (behind the Space Needle, I suppose?). It’s perfectly fitting then that I should receive this postcard from someone living not far from Seattle. It’s a great city and I highly recommend a visit!

Men’s Quadrangle (Indiana)

I’m not sure why it never occurred to me to seek out vintage postcards of Stanford, but this postcard from my penpal Nozomi was a great reminder to do so! This feature of the University of Indiana is currently called “Wright Quadrangle” but in days past it was known as the Men’s Quadrangle. I wonder when it made its gender-inclusive transition and what prompted it? Of course, I also wonder whether there was a Women’s Quadrangle?

marriage equality (Australia)

These three postcards arrived in a plastic envelope; at first I thought they might be damaged, as this is a technique the USPS uses when a postcard has been damaged during transit. However, I found instead that this was a clever technique from the sender to include more than one postcard in a single mailing!

junk mail (Indiana)

I wonder if I care less about junk mail because I receive so much genuine mail that’s addressed to me by a real person? I truly think that most Americans receive 95% junk mail and bills, and so the mail is offensive and a hassle, or at best, boring. But for me, I can easily deal with the junk mail because I know it’ll be outweighed by the real stuff.

So that my penpal and former classmate Nozomi would send this postcard is a true delight. I laughed out loud when I received it. Maybe this postcard is made specifically for snail-mailers like Nozomi and me? In any case, it’s a real gift.

Wagner Falls (Michigan)

Recently, two of our niblings traveled to Michigan’s Upper Peninsula to visit some waterfalls and go camping. I haven’t been to the UP since my penpal came to visit way back in 2000, so it’s been absolutely ages! They write that they did some hiking and visited Pictured Rocks (which I’ve never visited). Maybe Andy and I will take a summer drive through the UP some time?

Black Forest Cuckoo Clock Shoppe (Oregon)

Continuing her fine tradition of fantastic cards not from her home area, Linda has sent this beautiful card of the Black Forest Cuckoo Clock Shoppe. I’ve never been, but I’ll bet it’s a fun place to visit!

This card reminds me of the Black Forest Cake I earlier this summer, which I might make a return to. It was really delicious, and I’m still putting the left over boozy cherries in my cocktails.

Opavian Silesia (Czechia)

This extra long postcard arrived via PostCrossing but unfortunately the sender didn’t write much in the message. It seems like a waste of real estate? Sometimes there’s so much to say but a postcard only has so much room (sometimes this is a feature - pro tip: if you host a big event and expect to send thank-you notes, such as a wedding or graduation party, print up postcards with your image! You can save on time in writing the thank-yous by getting right to the heart of your gratitude, and save postage if you’re sending the postcards domestically).

Groeten van Texel (Netherlands)

Comme Dominique, mon ami à cartes postales, écrit bien: plein de PostCrosseurs collectionnent les cartes de phares. C’est pour ça qu’il m’en a envoyé une et je l’adore! J’ai déjà écrit ici que mon état de jeunesse a le nombre le plus grand de phares de tous les états américains. En plus, il y a quelque chose de très romantique quant aux phares, même si la vie là-bas n’est pas de tout un cadeau.

Merci à Dominique pour m’envoyer cette carte qui me plaît beaucoup. Elle est aussi la première carte des Pays-Bas que j’ai reçue de lui.