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.
Vancouver multiview (British Columbia)
Hot on the heels of Andy’s trips to Vancouver, BC, his mom and stepdad made their first trip just a few weeks ago. Decades ago, my mother-in-law had heard about the incredible Vancouver public library, and as they’re consummate library nerds, it was one of the first stops on their tour. They were not disappointed!
Tirana (Albania)
Some countries have a very different indigenous name for themselves and Albania is a great example of this! The Albanian for Albania is Shqipëria! So cool! Thanks Matty for sending this to me!
Jama Masjid (India)
I keep writing about Matty’s “European tour” but given that it had a stop in Massachusetts and one in India — evidently — it’s not the right term! I can’t wait to learn more about this trip!
Second City (Illinois)
One of my goals is to see a Second City show in real life, but I’ll have to settle for SNL skits as many of the stars have come through Second City first! Thanks to Kimee and Michael for this missive from their attendance at a show!
Millennium Force (Ohio)
The last postcard, I think, from the Geda Trip to Cedar Point finally depicts a roller coaster I know! I remember reading about the Millennium Force, which I believe was the tallest, fastest, steepest roller coaster at the time of its opening. Our nephew Hunter proposed to his girlfriend on the trip and they’ll be married soon! Congratulations!
Who cares? (Germany)
Dominique always finds the most exciting postcards to send! According to automatic translation, the front reads “Neurodermatitis? Who cares?” The back provides a little bit more context; this is an advertisement for a websites about how to treat the condition!
JFK Presidential Library (Oregon)
Our dear friend Linda took a trip to the East Coast to visit some friends. She writes about the JFK Library and Museum and her trip overall. Maybe a trip to Italy is in the works?!
Valravn (Ohio)
Another missive from the Geda trip to Cedar Point! This one is from our two nieces Alyssa and Phoenix who won a prize at a guess-my-weight event and slept on the most uncomfortable fold-out couch ever, respectively.
Redlin Art Center (South Dakota)
This sender chose a beautiful, oversized postcard to send. She works part-time talking to farmers about their farms, which sounds like a truly fascinating job!
Maverick (Ohio)
Our nephews and nieces went to Cedar Point on a family trip and they sent postcards from their amazing trip! This one comes from our young nephew Jasper who visited Ohio for the first time!
sun and moon (Illinois)
While the postcard is really beautiful, the sender (whom I won’t link to) didn’t send such a nice message. I’m a bit put out by it and I’m not sure what they want to communicate other than their spite for the city. They write “I see you’re from Michigan! Beautiful state! And San Fransisco [sic] used to be Beautiful [sic], heard that not anymore (sadly). Best wishes!“
What’s the point of writing this? To insult my city? To say how great it is to live in a small, Illinois town where people drive business owners out of business because they want to host a drag show? Well done, I guess? What a nasty, unhappy life they must live.
Heidelberg (Germany)
The only drawback to this beautiful lenticular postcard is that it doesn’t scan or photograph well! I’m grateful to the sender for choosing this stunning one to send to me.
Ostseeinsel Usedom (Germany)
This beautiful postcard comes from a small town south of Berlin in Germany. I’m interested in Usedom, which is an island divided between Germany and Poland!
I’m from the Midwest… (Illinois)
Kimee and MIchael picked this terrific postcard up for me on their trip to Chicago! Now, I won’t quibble here about whether Michigan or Chicago are part of the Midwest (I argue we’re Great Lakes, not Midwest), but I do have strong morals/els!
Zagreb (Croatia)
This postcard didn’t get forwarded to my current address, so I only picked it up a few days ago! But Matty passed through Croatia on his grand European tour, sending me this beautiful postcard, which is not rectilinear in outline!
a peculiar bird (Illinois)
The USPS gets a great many things right so much of the time, so it is quite surprising when something unexpected happens. In this case, the postcard that our niece and her boyfriend sent was a bit mangled in the mail, arriving in a plastic apology envelope. It must have taken quite a bit to rescue it, since it was sent almost a whole month ago. Still, the USPS came through and delivered it nonetheless, so good on them!
Do you know the famous limerick about pelicans?
A wonderful bird is the pelican.
His bill can hold more than his belican.
He can hold in his beak
Enough food for a week,
But I’m damned if I see how the helican.
Chicago dog (Illinois)
AS part of a support trip for the Chicago Marathon, our dear friends Kimee and Michael visited the US’ third-largest city. I’m glad they notice the small details, especially the lovely painted nails on this hotdog-friend!
Wörlitz (Germany)
I recently sent a bunch of postcards out on PostCrossing for World Postcard Day. Those postcards arrived and now I’m receiving their “replies,” this one coming from Germany. The sender has a particularly dark outlook, despite the sunny aspect of the postcard. He writes ”We have a rainy autumn now, but not with hurricanes like USA. Florida is really dangerous this time. And San Francisco is waiting for the next earthquake.” Well, happy postcrossing to you too, friend!
Runners from Day of the Dead (Texas)
Andy went to Austin, TX recently and visited the Mexic-Arte Museum. He saw this postcard and thought of us, writing “Here’s a depiction of you and me running into our mid-late 100s.” From his pen to the goddesses’ ears!
la Tour Magdala (France)
J’ai reçu cette carte postale de mon ami Dominique en France. Il me récommend de visiter cet endroit, surtour pour l’histoire et l’art de la tour.