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.
Panama-Pacific International Exposition (Illinois)
Yet another delicious vintage postcard from our niece and her husband in Chicago. This one depicts the Panama-Pacific International Expo (1915) and some of the incredible buildings constructed for it. When you visit SF, do please visit the Palace of Fine Arts, the only remaining edifice from that time. It’s truly a beautiful place to spend an hour or two wandering around!
furry chested cowboy (Australia)
What a beautiful mosaic treatment of this photo, sent by my penpal Matty. He writes about the lovely gifts he received for the holidays!
Munster (France)
Mon ami à lettres, Dominique, m’a envoyé cette carte postale de Munster en Alsace. En plus des vins qu’y se fait, il y a aussi le fromage très célèbre qui n'est pas si différent au Maroilles qui vient du Nord où j'habitais pendant une année.
Fontana di Trevi (Italy)
My penpal Lini took a trip to Rome with his husband and they really enjoyed it! I’ve never seen this particular angle of the Trevi Fountain, only having seen it from eye-level. It’s even more stunning from above!
Johnson’s Corner Gas Station (Colorado)
Besides its iconic appearance, I wonder why this gas station merits a postcard? Doing a little light websearching, I see that it’s more than just a gas station. Apparently, Jack Kerouac wrote about having stopped there, in addition to other features of it that make it famous. Great!
the Little Golden Book of Alternative Facts (Oregon)
This book must be what Republicans use to “educate” their children. How else can you explain their voting and antisocial behavior? Thanks to Linda for finding this delightful and horrifying look into the Conservative side of the US political spectrum.
blue singlet (Australia)
This is a congratulatory and new year’s greeting card from my prolific penpal Matty! He’s excited for us to have moved to our new home in Duboce Triangle very near the Castro. So are we!
For Love, and for Country (California)
I’ve been meaning to get to this exhibit on Amy Sherald, portraitist of our Former First Lady Michelle Obama at the SF MoMA. Luckily, Kimee sent this from her visit last week where she was captivated by the masterpieces!
Bercement silencieux (Ontario)
Voici une carte envoyée par mon beau-frère qui a passé une semaine à Toronto. Il a également visité le Musée des beaux-arts de l’Ontario où il a bien aimé cet oeuvre (1956) par Paul-Émile Borduas.
cat vibes (Illinois)
While Emily and Carter’s postcard isn’t doing much to combat stereotypes about cats, I can’t say I disagree with the sentiment, especially in the new year! It reminds me of an observation that our dear friend Salvo made: The single most convincing piece of evidence that our Earth is not flat, as some erroneously believe, is that we’re still here! If it were flat, the cats would have knocked us all off the edge by now.
gratitude (Pennsylvania)
Our dear friend T sends this beautiful postcard expressing gratitude and kindness—two of the many things we feel mutually! What a great way to start the year! Thank you, friend!
blooming of flowers (Taiwan)
Our friends Philipp and Tobias traveled to Taiwan recently, in part, to gather some great teas. They’ve invited us to a tea tasting early next year!
vintage Christmas wishes (Illinois)
We’ve been enjoying receiving all of the holiday cards from our friends and family; many people are surprised to learn that I don’t send a holiday card. I figure that I send enough mail throughout the year, so I’m saving myself the work of sending them myself. But that doesn’t mean I don’t love receiving them!! Thanks, Emily and Carter!
French victory (California)
Our dear friends Greg and James congratulate us on our new home as well! The French victoire is a perfect way to celebrate the homecoming.
geometric San Francisco (California)
As part of the congratulatory postcards, our neighbors Julian and Salvo sent this gorgeous postcard to welcome us to the neighborhood! We’re so grateful to be home and feel more so every day that we get to live here.
Washington Blvd and Park Street, Detroit (Illinois)
Our niece and her husband sent this postcard from Chicago — but which I assume they bought in Detroit before the move — to congratulate us on our new home!
Église de Sillegny (France)
Cette église me rappelle les églises de Valenciennes, même si elles ne sont pas dans les mêmes régions de la France. Dominique écrit que cette église est aussi connue comme la Petite Sixtine Lorraine. À l’intérieur, on trouve des peintures qui datent depuis 1540!
the truth about puppies (Illinois)
Even though our niece and her husband don’t have a dog currently, they both had dogs in the house when they were growing up. So I guess that’s where this wisdom comes from. Luckily and perhaps inexplicably, Pinot never destroyed our things, but he did completely disrupt our lives!
neko MUNI (California)
Leave it to MUNI’s stronger supporters, Kimee and Michael, to find and send us this absolutely fantastic postcard, depicting some of SF’s best offerings and an incredible mashup of My Neighbor Totoro and a MUNI bus!
trippy reconnect (Germany)
This postcard is two layers; a translucent top layer and a printed bottom layer; they spin on the grommet in the center! It comes from an old penpal I haven’t heard from in a while. It was sent to my old address and I managed to snag it before we lost access to the mailbox for good. Did you know the USPS doesn’t always forward postcards?! Very upsetting.