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.
Summer Tea (Germany)
Martina sends this postcard from Juist at the far north of Germany. She writes that goods are delivered via horse-drawn carriage and cars are prohibited! It sounds a bit like Mackinac Island to me!
coffee and a pastry (Washington)
I do so love a pastry and a coffee, and this postcard is just perfect! I can just read the legend on the back of the card and I believe this is “Holly Golightly’s Breakfast” by Joël Penkman.
Cuxhaven (Germany)
I received this terrific coastal postcard from Sinn, Germany! The senders visited SF back in 1993 and 1994, and hope to visit again, pending the outcome of our 2024 elections. I don’t blame them.
Are you…? (Ohio)
Helen sent this excellent postcard and included a delightful story. I hope she doesn’t mind if I reproduce the highlights here. Her sister was charged with walking Cyril Ritchard’s poodle, named Trim during rehearsals at the Shakespeare Festival in NYC. One day, they stopped by the Helen’s office to say hi and she got to know Trim. Later, Helen was out running some errands and saw Ritchard walking Trim; she ran over to greet Trim and then looked up to say “Oh, and you must be Trim’s owner!” She writes that she was mortified, but I think that Ritchard was probably used to his poodle being the star of the show, and maybe relieved to not be immediately recognized.
Sydney Opera House at dawn (Washington)
Alyson visited Australia back in 2018 and visited the Sydney Opera House nearly every day, she was that smitten with it. Recently, she was cleaning up around the house and found this postcard and decided to drop it in the mail to me. I do love a later postcard!
“Shadows on the Wall” etc. (Germany)
I received these prints of oil paintings done by the sender, Birgit! I love the colors and depiction of these men! What a great job she did!
keep calm and drink tea (the Netherlands)
I’ve requested postcards of food and drink, and these two lovely senders filled the brief perfectly!
beautiful spring day (British Columbia)
This terrific burst of spring color comes from my penpal Ray in Victoria, BC! He sends news of the spring flowers that have begun to color his landscapes.
And how!
hand-drawn Golden Gate Bridge (California)
How quickly the student surpasses the teacher! I introduced Tracy to PostCrossing just this past December and now, not only is she exchanging cards with a fervor, but she’s begun drawing her own cards as well! Combine that with her thriving penpal hobby and I’m starting to feel a bit left in the dust — proud, but behind. Ha!
Steamtown National Historic Site (New York)
Mejdulene and KB have been exploring the national and state parks in New England for years now. This postcard, sent with yesterday’s, is even older she writes! Terrific!
McGraw Hall and Libe Slope (New York)
I’ve written before how much I love later-cards — postcards that were purchased with an intention to send them but which were lost of forgotten for some time. I believe it was a postcard from this sender, the inimitable Mejdulene, that first sparked my love of later-cards. Here is another one, found early during her stay at Cornell but now that the end of the visiting gig is in sight, dropped in the mail. It’s like a fine wine or cheese - aged to perfection and the perfect expression of its time.
Rothenburg (Germany)
Voici la première carte postale allemaine que je reçois de mon ami Dominique depuis assez longtemps. Il écrit que Rothenburg et une des plus belles villes d’Allemagne. Un jour, j’espère, je pourrais la visiter!
Opéra cake (California)
This past weekend, I made an opéra cake and I shared it with Tracy and Cynthia. In return, Tracy hand-delivered a hand-drawn image of the cake I made! It’s great to trade creative pursuits with such great friends!
mushroom taxonomy (Arizona)
I love that this sender hasn’t updated his profile since he was a kid! Terrific!
flamingos (Oregon)
Who doesn’t love a lawn flamingo?! I admit I thought these were those plastic jobbies, but it turns out, it’s a real flamingo! Thanks, Linda!
Paso Robles (California)
This postcard comes from Paso Robles, which is one of our favorite places to go wine tasting!
sunflower greyhound (California)
This darling postcard arrived in the mail written simply “Thank you for the help with the manuscript.” The sender has a beautiful signature which may be a T or an L, or a quite stylized M. I’ll have to do some digging to see who sent it! I do love it, though!
All Dressed Up (France)
Cette carte postale vient grâce à Dominique en France. La pièce s’appelle “All Dressed Up” (2022) par Elmgreen & Dragset. Je l’adore!
