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.

Kristopher Geda Kristopher Geda

Road to Hāna (Hawai’i)

One of Lauren’s first stops was the Road to Hāna on Maui. After staying overnight, they did a beautiful hike in the morning on the Pipiwai Trail in Haleakala National Park. There are so many great national parks in Hawai’i - I hope to visit them, too!

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Fisherman’s Wharf (California)

I almost never receive postcards from San Francisco, given that I live here. This postcard comes from my good friend and former program-mate Lauren, who was passing through SF on an extended lay-over on her way to Hawai’i with her husband. We were lucky enough to meet up for dinner, and she sent me this terrific vintage postcard, too!

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Sedona (Arizona)

It’s the end of the term, so I’ve been really busy and haven’t had an opportunity to upload many postcards. This postcard arrived a few weeks ago already from our friends Greg and James who visited Arizona on a quick vacation. I haven’t yet visited Arizona, but I hope to in the near future. Sedona is certainly on the list!

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“Where the Golden Gate is Golden” (California)

We spent a terrific weekend with our friends Julian and Salvo last week and in recognition of those great days, they sent this beautiful postcard. Living in San Francisco, and enjoying the friends and amenities that this city has offered, makes me really appreciate the gold that is the Bay Area. What a privilege to live here.

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license plates of the USA (Oregon)

As it turns out, one of my uncles collects license plates. I can’t imagine having such a heavy collection (postcards are weighty enough!), but his garage is nearly full of crates of license plates. I wonder what he’d think of an art piece like this. Linda sent me the postcard of this art piece, which I really appreciate.

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la lutte contre les infections nosocomials (France)

Des temps en temps, en apprendant les langues étrangères, on apprend des nouveaux mots dans la nouvelle langue et également dans l’ancienne. Avec cette carte postale reçue de Dominique (la 96ème!), j’ai appris le mot “nosocomial” qui est le même dans les deux langues le français et l’anglais!
Il écrit que cette carte postale a été crée par les laboratoires pharmaceutiques il y a quelqeus années pour favoriser la cause de la lutte contre les infections nosocomials. Fascinant!

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Colosseo (Vatican City)

My friend Apolline sent this postcard from her recent trip to Rome, Italy, where she must have also visited the sovereign nation of the Vatican City. I’m fascinated by microstates - the Vatican being the micro-est of them all -and especially what the budgets must look like to run a whole postal system for a country with just 453 inhabitants! With so few people, it’s no wonder that the Vatican City boasts over 2 popes per square kilometer!

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Valentine’s Day lace (California)

Kimee made the stamp for this Valentine’s Day lace print by hand! She said that carving Pinot’s poodle poofs was good exercise for this one, which is intricate and beautiful. Happy Valentine’s Day from Kimee and Michael to us, and from me to you!

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Vancouver (Canada)

Thanks for my penpal Ray for sending this beautiful illustration of Vancouver. We had planned to travel to Vancouver this Spring, but unfortunately it won’t work out. Instead, I have this great picture to inspire me and keep me focused on the next opportuntiy.

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Monterey Coast (California)

Tracy and Cynthia made a get-away to the Monterey Coast at Pacific Grove and thoroughly enjoyed themselves. Among all their terrific activities, they found the time to send me a postcard. I’m very grateful for this super cute otter and her delicious snack!

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Amliche Buntmachung (California)

What a beautiful postcard from my penpal Janie, who picked this up on her last trip to Austria. Based on internet translation, the front declares: Official Coloring (or maybe: Official Colors?) and has phrases of inclusion and pride for LGBT people in the rainbow. On the back, it declares “Viel für die Vienfalt erreight: 15 Jahre Wiener Antidiskriminierungsstelle für gleichgeschlechtliche und transfender Lebensweisen.”

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Lake Shore Drive (Illinois)

My former student and now friend Jialu has started her PhD at Northwestern and sent me this lovely postcard - vintage style - of one of my favorite cities in the US. She also celebrated a very important life milestone and wrote about the meal they shared to mark the occasion. Congratulations, Jialu! <3

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Freiburg im Breisgau (Germany)

Dominique writes that this city is very well known for being the gathering point of many important thinkers, including Weber, Heidegger, and Hayek among others. Now, it’s known for its school of medicine and many beautiful parks.

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mail on the moon (California)

How my friends find such unique and exciting postcards I guess I’ll never know. Kimee and Michael are absolutely no exception to this observation. Would that I could receive mail postmarked from the Moon!

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Hawai’i Volcanoes National Park

A former student of mine sent me this postcard after his recent trip to Hawai’i. The national parks are among the jewels in the US crown, although I’ve never been myself!

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Nancy (France)

Voici la place Stanislas, “bâtie entre 1752 et 1756, sur les plans d’Emmanuel Héré, pour le roi Stanislas. Au premier plan, grilles de Jean Lamour, au centre, le musée.” Dans mon expérience, la France est pleine des jolies pièces dans tous les coins. Merci, Dominique!

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Happy Year of the Rabbit (Illinois)

My penpal KAK sent me this great new year’s greeting! It’s really lovely; I’m excited to see what the Year of the Rabbit brings this year.

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rainbow lobster (Massachusetts)

This delicious postcard comes from Nozomi who attended a conference in Boston. It’s funny to me that lobster is an ingredient now synonymous with haute cuisine but was once so common that everyone ate it.

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Abitibi, Québec (Canada)

Mon amie Corinne m’a envoyée cette carte postale depuis un village près à son coeur à Abitibi. Voici la gare CNR à Senneterre. J’adore les gares par tout et j’admis que je ne connais pas de tout celles du Canada!

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More to come from the past…