
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.
swimming (British Columbia)
Ray, in Victoria, sends this portend of the summer to come! May we enjoy our spring and the warmer months to follow!
Vienna (Austria)
The sender of this postcard is in fact German, although they were vacationing in Austria. They share a love for Alpine wines, especially Riesling!
Malaysian cartoon
This postcard comes from Malaysia with news of very hot weather in recent days and hopes for cooler days with the oncoming rain.
la vache qui rit (France)
Dominique écrit que tous les français connaissent cette marque de fromage: la vache qui rit. Moi aussi je la connais, mais d’où? Peut-être mon année en france il y a plus de 20 ans maintenant. J’imagine que je le trouvais pendant le déjeuner à la cantine dans le lycée où je travaillais.
International Polar Bear Day (Taiwan)
I somehow find it a bit funny that I would receive a postcard from semi-tropical Taiwan celebrating polar bears, but why shouldn’t people living in the tropics love arctic animals, too!?
panda hammock (Malaysia)
The person who wrote this postcard sends greetings for the Dragon Year! What a cute photo of a panda in a hammock!
hand drawn palm tree (Hawai’i)
Tracy drew us this palm tree from her vacation with Cynthia to Hawai’i. We received some photos from the place she was staying and it was replete with palms! Hawai’i is truly a paradise.
vintage poodle (Michigan)
Our niece and her boyfriend know us so well! They found this vintage poodle and of course they sent it our way!
California Pacific International Exposition
Here’s another postcard I sent Andy from my trip to San Diego.
“you are like the night…” (Taiwan)
This beautiful postcard comes courtesy of a PostCrosser in Taiwan. I wonder if my translation of 你就像黑夜,拥有寂静和群星 is correct: You are like the night — quiet and starry.
Mikulov (Czechia)
This truly beautiful panoramic postcard depicts Holy Hill in Mikulov. I’ve never been to Czechia but it is very high on my list of places to visit!
pride San Diego (California)
I took a weekend away last month to San Diego with my friend Stephanie, and Andy stayed home with Pinot. Of course I had to send him a “Hello” from my mini-vacation!
the language of the heart (Indiana)
This is another of the terrific postcards that Nozomi has collected for me. It’s beautiful! I’m not sure how useful these can be or how to use them perhaps as a semaphore? It’s beautiful nonetheless!
Marseille (France)
Marseille est une ville très connue, écrit Dominique, et pas pour toutes des raisons si belles. En fait, il régarde Pax Massilia, qui s’agit des crimes à Marseilles. Néanmoins, elle reste une ville très celebre qui mérite bien la visite.
Brown County State Park (Indiana)
Nozomi writes that she visited the park for a friend’s birthday party. The park is very popular during the Fall, but she recommends a winter visit, too!
Bills of Mortality (Scotland)
Lauren was in England at a conference at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, which she writes has an incredible museum with so many neat exhibits. We actually did visit last August when we were in Scotland, and I second the recommendation. It’s totally worth a visit!
“Earth” by Joby Harris (Indiana)
Nozomi sends this very thought-provoking illustration by Joby Harris. The caption on the back says “The Jet Propulsion Laboratory’s Earth science missions monitor our home planet and how it’s changing so it can continue to provide a safe haven as we reach deeper into the cosmos.” How quickly can this research go?
“Poodle” (Iowa)
This drawing, “Poodle, 2020” by Dylan Goldberger, comes from a PostCrosser in Iowa, who after sending this took her own dog for a walk! Terrific!