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.
Key Lime Pie (Illinois)
This postcard comes from a bilingual (Spanish/English) teacher in Illinois! I’ve never been a big fan of cream pies, but this pie is so famous it might be worth trying. I wonder if I can get Key limes in California?
el Museo Guggenheim en Bilbao (Spain)
Aparte de las postales que recibo de mis amigos, no recibo muchos de España en Postcrossing. No sé si es culpa del algoritmo o quizás que no haya muchos españoles que usen el servicio. De todas maneras, el País Vasco es una de las muchas regiones que no he visitado, pero me gustaría muchísimo verla. Desde los primeros días de mi aprendizaje de español, he leído sobre el vasco como idioma y cultura, y me fascina. Es quizás el primer idioma indígeno/minoritario que conocí (aparte de los americanos más locales a mí). Desde entonces, siempre he querido saber más sobre los idiomas no oficiales o demi-oficiales de Europa.
calligraphy, two ways (Japan)
This postcard features calligraphy in two styles. On the right is a style that I find completely illegible. It’s so artistic and beautiful that I think it must take significant training and concentration to even read it, much less produce it! On the right is a much clearer style of writing, although there are a few words that I’d have a hard time reproducing myself (I have no idea what it says, of course).
la Boisserie (France)
I’m writing this entry in English because Dominique’s postcard highlighted a strong cultural difference between the US and France that I wanted to share with people who might not know much about France (but might know a lot about my home country). This is former French president Charles de Gaulle’s office from his private residence La Boisserie in Colombey-les-Deux-Églises.
I think to a US audience, it will not be surprising at all to learn that de Gaulle’s private residence has since been converted into a museum. This is especially the case because if an American can name any French president, present or past, it will likely be Charles de Gaulle (his name on the main airport in Paris doesn’t hurt matters either).
But as Dominique writes, “it is relatively rare that a President of the French Republic have his own memorial.” This is absolutely not the case for US presidents, who have been building their monuments to their own grandeur for decades. One of my favorite podcasts has a great episode precisely on these Yankee Pyramids. Imagine, my fellow Americans, a country that isn’t littered with countless and forgettable grandiose, expensive mausoleums to dead presidents’ hubris!
le Chat blanc (France)
A former student and now friend of mine sent me this delightful postcard from the Musée d’Orsay, which he visited over the holiday break from Sweden where he’s studying abroad. This is another case of wishing I could show you the postage, because he writes that the museum didn’t disappoint at all. However, he was disappointed by the postal system because they only gave him this “funny stamp” that didn’t have any adhesive or glue! I kind of like the stamp (some sort of anime, I think, known as “Goldorak” in Francophone places and “Grendizer” in Anglophone places). I like the juxtaposition of the anime with this 1894 painting by Pierre Bonnard.
Haupstadt Berlin (Germany)
Are there any German speakers out there who can help me with this card? Is this redundant? Haupstadt by itself I guess isn’t necessarily redundant, but when it’s paired with Berlin, I guess it is. Or maybe it’s a fixed expression? I haven’t been to Berlin yet, either, even though so many of my friends have highly recommended it to me. Some day!
vintage pulp fiction cover illustrations (Pennsylvania)
This postcard is really fun since it’s a vintage cover illustration of an old pulp fiction novel! As an avid reader, I can truly appreciate beautiful cover art, although for the past few years, I’ve been reading mostly on e-readers. While I love the e-ink features as it’s easy on the eyes, it does mean I miss out on the beautiful graphics and illustrations that so often come with books.
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (Massachusetts)
Also on Postcrossing, I suggest people send me touristy postcards. It’s funny because a lot of Postcrossers prefer not to receive touristy postcards; maybe that already have so many, and I guess they can all start to look the same after a while. But I love them! They especially give me an idea of what to do the next time I’m visiting that place. In this case, it’s the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, which this sender says is “one of '[their] go-to recommendations for anyone visiting.” Perfect!
tea and macarons (Canada)
On my Postcrossing profile, I suggest people send lots of different kinds of cards, and this sender has chosen a delicious treat! I love this style of tea glass, although I don’t own any. What do you call this style of glass?
postal items (Oregon)
Here is another excellent postcard from my dear friend Linda in Portland. I particularly love this style of postcard by Lou Paper, and I highly recommend others to browse the Etsy shop. A while ago, Linda gifted me a great variety of their postcards and I loved them so much that I went back and bought 100 more!
Alice au Pays des Merveilles (France)
Ceci est une carte postale venue de mon ancienne étudiante Faith, qui étudiait à Oxford et passait des temps dans la France, un de ses pays préférés. Elle écrit d’avoir appris sur Lewis Carroll et une vrai fille Alice Liddel, qui doit avoir inspiré le roman si célèbre! J’adore l’art-ci, et aussi le timbre que - malheureusement - vous ne pouvez pas voir. Merci, Faith!
the Dark (Wisconsin)
This postcard arrives from the Great Lakes region, from a fan of old sci-fi movies, both the good and the bad! I am also a lover of science fiction. I think part of it was inspired by the space operas and other science fiction (especially, Robert Heinlein) that my father used to read to me, him sitting on one end of the couch reading out loud and me on the other end watching the pipe smoke curl around our heads. I remember his hearty laughter at jokes about military rank that I lacked all context to understand. In my memory, he would plead with me “But a Rear Lieutenant could never be so insubordinate to a Left Reverend Platoon Admiral!” I had no patience for military ranks or the subtleties thereof, but I enjoyed the time together and the stories of fantastic worlds and creatures.
Sleeping Beauty story sketch (California)
Another terrific card from our friends Kimee and Michael, this one a story sketch by a Disney Studio artist originally in ink and crayon. I haven’t seen Sleeping Beauty since I was very young; although I’m not typically a big Disney fan, this one might be worth a re-watch, given it’s from 1959!
le campanile de Santa Maria del Fiore (Italy)
Ça peut semble incroyable mais voici une des peu cartes postales que j’ai reçoies de l’Italie. Celle-ci a été envoyé par mon ami Dominique pendant un voyage à l’étrangère. Je n’ai jamais visité la Florence, mais j’espère pouvoir la voir très tot. Dominique m’envoie des conseilles pour obtenir un très bon Chianti (il semble qu’il faut chercher l’etiquette avec un coq noir). Un jour, je vais gouter du vin et manger un bon repas avec Dominique. Jusqu’à ce jour-là, on a toujours des cartes postales. Grazie!
pecan pralines (Texas)
Sometimes I really wish I could share the backs of postcards publicly, but it’s just not fair to the sender. This person has sent the most delightful story about how she met her husband! Of course, I also love this recipe, which I may try, yet. Postcrossing comes through again with the great connections!
Rider Strong, autographed (Michigan)
This is one of my more unusual postcards, having been sent in 1996 from Los Angeles to my friend Leah in Michigan. At that time, she sent a lot of postcards, some to celebrities. A portion of these would respond with their own letters or postcards, band in this case we have Rider Strong’s autograph and a doodle. On the back is written “Thanx for your support Best Wishes, Rider [doodle]”.
I’m really flattered that Leah has sent it to me, from her large collection of ephemera. What a terrific holiday gift!
United Nations in the Winter (UN, NY)
This postcard comes from a former student who visited the United Nations while on a trip to New York City! She writes about how beautiful and magical NYC is, about encountering places she first learned about in the movies. That’s one of the great things about traveling to world cities like NYC or SF or Paris; you’ve already seen corners of them before you get there!
One of the best things about this postcard is that it was sent from the United Nations, which maintains its own postal system. So it doesn’t have US stamp on it, but rather a United Nations stamp (although the cost is listed as 37¢, which leads me to believe they sell their stamps in the currency of the host country. So great!
late(r) postcard (China)
This postcard arrived to my mailbox with quite a bit of surprise. It comes from a person I’ve never met in China and was originally written in March 2021 but perhaps not posted until June. Dorothea writes that she was asked by my friend Mélanie to send me a postcard due to my interest in China.
There was a problem with the address, it seems, and the postcard was returned to her. So she put it in an envelope and remailed it with a note in August. It still took a while to arrive, but what a grand memory and lovely message from Mélanie and Dorothea.
Even after her death, I am able to cherish not only our fond and beautiful memories, but also her thoughtfulness. I miss you, friend. Tu me manques, mon amie.
coast redwoods (California)
Sad that lenticular postcards don’t scan well; all well, they just need to be seen in person, I guess! This one comes from a former student of mine who’s traveling around California during the winter break. They’re even practicing with the all-gender social title “Mx.”!
the Islands of Hawai’i
This terrific map postcard comes from a student of mine from this past Fall who traveled to Hawai’i and writes that she “think[s] it is the best place [she has] ever been to.” I’m glad she and I are of the same mind - Hawai’i is a magical and beautiful place! I’m flattered that she thought of me while in paradise and picked up this postcard to send to me.