
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.
Jinlun Bridge (Taiwan)
This postcard depicts the Jinlun Bridge in Taiwan. I don’t believe I drove on this bridge when I was last there, but there’s always a future trip to Taiwan in the mix!
hedgehog (Indiana)
Nozomi is right, this is a very cute hedgehog! She also writes that the Japanese word for this species is “needle-mouse,” but it’s neither a hog nor a mouse! It reminds me that the word for panda in Chinese translates as big-cat-bear; again, it is neither a cat nor a bear!
love is in the air (Washington)
What a bizarre, yet beautiful postcard! The caption reads: Billions of cicadas will emerge in 2024 for a once-in-a-lifetime event when Broods XIX and XIII co-emerge to sing, whoo [sic], molt, and mate.
le Paysan du tendre (Romania)
This postcard comes from Romania and the sender writes that French verbs are a real headache. I couldn’t agree more! This poem is “le Paysan du tendre” (1974) by Marcel Mariën, a surrealist from Belgium.
I was going to try to translate it but I gave up. Suffice it to say that the poem consists of the frame “Je te conX” where X is either a verb or maybe verbed-noun. The first line is made-up verb “conpisser” which I think we can interpret as “piss-with” or “co-piss.” So maybe: I piss with you? It gets weirder from there!
Ono no Michikaze
The sender of this postcard writes that the person depicted is Ono no Michikaze (or Ono no Tofu) who was a nobleman and calligrapher during the Heian Period. Beautiful!
downtown Atlanta (Georgia)
This postcard comes from a longtime penpal name Eleanor who lives in Virginia. However, we met quite by happenstance! I was visiting Atlanta for the 2019 TESOL Convention, and I went to a BBQ joint on my last day there to eat lunch and write several postcards. I was sitting at the counter waiting for my food to arrive and I was writing so many postcards, that I’d attracted the attention of the people sitting on either side of me. We made conversation and exchanged addresses; I sent them each a postcard, and one of them responded. In time, our friendship grew and now we exchange regular letters! Eleanor was back in Atlanta for a conference she presented at and sent this hello!
le Metropolitan Opéra de New York (France)
Cette carte postale est arrivé de Dominique; je trouve très intéréssante l’idée que l’opéra américain serait diffusé aux cinémas français. J’imagine bien qu’un opéra français serait traité comme ça, mais un opéra américain?! Fascinant!
Gandalf (Indiana)
Nozomi sends this postcard from her collection; she bought it some 20 years ago when she was still in senior high back in Japan. They sell merchandise like this at movie theaters. What a great piece of memorabilia to receive!
Okanagan Valley (British Columbia)
What a beautiful map postcard this is! I’ve never been to British Columbia, but I hope to visit some time in the near future! I hadn’t considered the possibility of visiting wine country up there, but why not?!
dungeness crab (Washington)
Andy and I visited Ft. Vancouver National Historic Site to get a stamp in our passport and I found these terrific lenticular postcards! They scanned really neatly, I can see. I sent this postcard to Andy since he’s a big seafood lover.
vintage love (British Columbia)
This beautiful postcard came inside an equally beautiful card wishing us a happy anniversary! Thanks, Ray!
shear a sheep (Germany)
Lucky for me, our other niece speaks German and was able to translate this postcard for me: If you have a short hairdo again, then we’ve got pure spring. I think we’re missing a joke here because she says it’s not really funny in either German or English; it’s just that it rhymes in German! Still, it’s pretty cute!
Levain Bakery (Chicago)
Our niece moved to Chicago with her boyfriend to pursue careers in restaurants, and on an exploratory visit last month, she visited this bakery and sent me their charismatic postcard!
pumpkin poodle (Germany)
I’m not 100% certain that this card depicts a poodle, but it could be! That’s the beauty of this breed; with their ever-growing coat, you can choose so many styles for how they look! From witchy to bewitching. :-)
watercolor poodles (Pennsylvania)
Lucky for me, poodles are such a popular dog that there are thousands of depictions of them! I love receiving new ones, like this one!
wading firefighter (Finland)
I can’t decide if this man is carrying a motorcycle helmet or a firefighting helmet - but does it really matter? his hair is so perfectly coiffed that it’s clear the helmet is an accessory and not a functional piece!
Hatshepsut (France)
This postcard comes from Aurélie in France who says there was something about this card that made me think of her. Maybe the hieroglyphics (which I don’t read)?
Australian Pride
You’ll see that this postcard arrived on June 1, the first day of Pride Month. What perfect timing!
soupe oignons carottes (France)
I love receiving recipe cards, but how often do they come bilingually, like this one?! Terrific!
Lons-le-Saunier (France)
Même si Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle ait écrit la Marseillaise (le chant national de la France) — il est évidemment né à Lons-le-Saunier - mon ami Dominique écrit que le chant soi-même a eté écrit à Strasbourg. Il écrit également que le chant a eté critiqué recemment d’être raciste et homophobe. Je ne m’en doute!