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.
the Trickster (Oregon)
Linda knocks it out of the park again with this terrific postcard from Portland. It depicts a piece of art by Lea Moore (1998) called Trickster, and it says “The trickster is a mythological figure found in early native cultures worldwide. It corresponds more closely to the fool in tarot. The wink - just when you think you know something, you don’t.”
clean Pittsburgh (Pennsylvania)
This postcard was a delight to receive from my friend Lauren who passed through Pittsburgh on a road trip out east. I was happy to make a few recommendations, two of which she took me up on and enjoyed: The Warhol Museum and the Bagel Factory.
Greetings from Amsterdam (Netherlands)
I love that this card is not 100% rectilinear since the top of it is decorated and cut out in honor of the lovely façades we see on Dutch buildings. My penpal Lino sent it to me while visiting his daughter in Amsterdam. What a beautiful city to visit and to live in!
Suomenlinna (Finland)
In honor of this year’s World Postcard Day, Jussi sent me this postcard from a Finnish meetup, presumably in Suomenlinna. I’m not one for military history, but the site just looks so beautiful that I think I’ll visit it after all! :-)
Colmar (France)
La ville de Colmar - et peut-être des autres villes/villages en France - doit engager mon ami Dominique pour attirer des touristes. Il écrit de Colmar que c’est une ville à visiter n’importe le temps: en été, on marche partout en profitant des restaurants et les vins de la région. En hiver, on marche partout en profitant du “plus beau marché de Noël en Alsace.” Wow.
Acadia National Park pt. 2 (Maine)
Wow, not just one postcard but two from their birthday trip to Maine! I know what you’re thinking, because M & K thought it too, and so did I! As they so aptly put it: “These two mountains are called the Bubbles but I think we all know they are the Boobles.” He he he. Boobles, indeed!
Acadia National Park (Maine)
This is one of those terrific linen postcards that feel so beautiful in your hands, and the scalloped edge is the kind of thing I repeatedly run (gently!) under my fingernail. It’s such a tactile delight.
Beyond that, of course, is the delight of receiving such a postcard from our dearest friends M & K on their trip to Maine to celebrate M’s 40th birthday. I’m certainly sold on the closing line of their postcard: “I think you would like Maine - lots to do and very good food.” That’s it for me, folks!
Central Michigan University (Michigan)
This postcard comes from our niece Alyssa who’s just started her first year at CMU studying education. Confession time: Michigan is blessed with so many great universities that it never occurred to me that I might study outside the state. When I moved to Pittsburgh for grad school at the University of Pittsburgh, I was shocked during my first weeks how many people had said they’d attending “CMU.” Some even said they were currently attending CMU! I couldn’t believe the commute from Pittsburgh to Mt. Pleasant… it was an embarrassingly long time before I figured out that CMU also meant “Carnegie Mellon University.”
humpback whale (Mexico)
I’ve been giving Andy a hard time, both in second and third person, for his work trip to Puerto Vallarta last week. He managed to pick up and write this postcard for me, despite being completely busy from morning to night with work meetings and socials (which although exciting and fun, don’t constitute a vacation). He takes such good care of me.
Sare (France)
This time, I’ll write in English for my non-Francophone friends. Dominique writes that he believes that the Basque Country (le Pays Basque, in French) is perhaps next to Corsica and Brittany in its similarities with Alsace (his native region). Why? Well, with its own language, a rich history, its identifiable architecture, and the traditions in festivals and food, it stands apart from the rest of France. I haven’t visited any of these regions, so I’m dying to see for myself!
“The Moon (Luna)” (Oregon)
Where does she find these terrific postcards?! Linda had a great Fall weekend in Hood River with her friends. This past week, we’ve also had some Fall-like weather, early for the Bay Area, and I am definitely here for it!
the Dallas Arboretum (Texas)
Recently, Kimee and Michael ran the quarter marathon at this arboretum! Despite living in North Texas for almost two years, I’m sad to say I never visited it. I’m sure it’s really lovely in the Spring and Fall!
Tijuana (Mexico)
Matty added Tijuana, Mexico to his North American trip and sent me this great postcard. I’ve never been to Tijuana nor have I seen the Reloj Monumental, but maybe someday soon I’ll get to!
Santorini (Greece)
How many times have you seen these images and dreamed of going to Santorini? Well Julian and Salvo went, and sent us this postcard from their terrific vacation. In speaking later, they say that the photos just don’t do it justice. How is that even possible?!
berceau légendaire d’Henri IV (France)
Voici une carte de Dominique qui écrit de la fin de ses vacances. Néanmoins, il m’a envoyé cette jolie carte postale du berceau légendaire d’Henri IV. Si vous régardez avec attention, vous verez que son berceau est une carapace de tortue marine! Je suis étonné.
“Berceau légendaire d’Henri IV, décor de 1822 | Carapace de tortue marine et orenementation de lances, couronne et casque debois doré, plumes d’autruche; tapis et drapeau de taffetas, velours de soie brodé d’or reposant sur une table de sapin.”
Pacific Grove (California)
This cute postcard comes from Pacific Grove where Tracy and Cynthia were vacationing this past week. We were very lucky to host them a few days prior for dinner and enjoyed our evening together. I’m thrilled they took the time and effort to find and send a postcard. This one is especially cute!
friendly hellos (Oregon)
Mon beau-frère et sa copine sont allé au Pacific Northwest pour rendre visite ma belle-mère. Pendant son voyage, ils ont visité Portland d’où vient cette carte postale si mignone. Je l’adore!
the Acropolis (Greece)
Our dear friends vacationed in Greece and Italy recently, sending us this postcard from their stop in Athens. Although I’ve been to Greece before, I haven’t yet visited Athens, so this is high on the list! They wrote about great sights, biological and not!
Taranto (Italy)
I will admit that at first I thought Lino had visited Toronto (Canada) and then when I flipped it over and looked at the front, I thought ‘Well, that’s not like any part of Toronto I’ve seen before! Granted, I’ve only ever visited twice, but…” Instead, it’s a beautiful city in Italy!
Do you believe? (Oregon)
I’m embarrassed by how long it took my to figure out this postcard - but I get it and I think it’s quite clever! I am particularly struck by how many of these I don’t really think of as aliens. Thanks for Linda for this postcard. She also writes a hilarious story that I can absolutely identify with. “I tried cleaning my oven this week with the ‘It’s sooo easy’ baking soda paste method. Even Martha Stewart raves about it. Clearly she has never cleaned an oven because it was not easy and took forever.” Well, at least the oven is clean now? Ha ha ha.