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.

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the wolf pack (Massachusetts)

Sent on the last full day of their vacation, J&S continued the trend of meeting their friends, old and new. As exciting as it is, poor Julian writes “Always fun, but of my poor introvert battery!” They’ll certainly need a vacation from their vacation upon their return!

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fine art (Massachusetts)

More of the lovely Naro Pinosa’s art is making its way to my mailbox by the day! On Day 3 of their adventures in Provincetown, Julian and Salvo enjoyed some terrific art, the high heat, and a marvelous Brunello. What could be better?!

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Southern Exposure (California)

What a delightful surprise! Our friends picked up this postcard at Southern Exposure where we hosted our anniversary party and wrote us a lovely message about the event and our friendship. I’m looking forward to seeing Paul and Rob soon!

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Ostuni (Italy)

My Italian penpal Lino has traveled to the famous city of Ostuni, which is often called “the White City.” I can see why!

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LOVE never ends (Nevada)

Earlier this month, we traveled to Las Vegas to attend the very last performance ever of the incredible Cirque du Soleil show The Beatles LOVE. My brother-in-law had been performing as an acrobat “sailor” (and occasional Mr. Piggy) for eight years and we were fortunate enough to get tickets to the final, friend-and-family show. It was so thrilling to see my brother up there performing with all the energy and passion we’ve seen this many years. He sent this postcard to us as thanks for our presence in the audience: as if we’d have missed it for the world!

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Peenemünde (Germany)

Dominique est allé pendant une semaine sans travaille en Pomeranie-Occidentale. Il a visité le site et le musée de Peenemünde d’où les Nazis lançaient leurs missiles sur Londres, Mbruxelles, les Pays-Bas, et Paris. Éffrayant!

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Death Valley (California)

There’s a reason this National Park is called “Death Valley” - it’s literally deadly. It holds the record for the hottest air temperature ever recorded: 134F (56.7C) on 13 July 1913. Besides the temperature extreme, Death Valley is also the lowest elevation in North America at 282 feet (86 meters) below sea level, and it’s just 85 miles (136 km) away from Mount Whitney, the highest point in the contiguous US with a peak at 14,505 feet (4,421 meters)! This postcard comes from our friends Greg and James who spent one of their birthdays there while the weather was a mild 118F (48C). Oof!

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en vacances avec toi (France)

Sur mon site d’échange de cartes postales — PostCrossing — il y a des gens qui ne veulent pas ce qu’on appelle “ad cards,” peut-être car elles sont gratuites et ne démandent pas beaucoup d’effort de l’éxpidateur? Néanmoins, je les aime beaucoup. En fait, les cartes postales traditionelles sont un peu le même partout. Mais les publicités sont vraiment locales et particulières. Celle-ci arrive de mon ami Dominique qui m’invite à m’inscrire pour gagner un bon d’achat de 100 euro!

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art deco Chicago (Illinois)

What a beautiful postcard to arrive from Illinois where our niece is living with her boyfriend! I love the de-saturated colors and art deco style. Chicago is everlastingly iconic!

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Mr. McElwyn (Illinois)

Our niece sent this beautiful vintage postcard, which she bought in Detroit but then sent from her new home in Chicago. I don’t know much about horse racing, but this website indicates that Mr. McElwyn was a very successful and well-respected horse.

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surface mining of hard coal (Pennsylvania)

Our very droll friend T found this postcard in a vintage shop and immediately thought of us, sending it along posthaste! They’re so funny that I just have to quote directly: “Nothing says ‘Wish you were here’ quite like an open pit mine & slag heap. Found this card in a junk shop, no idea when it’s from but I would guess 70s-80s? These were the fertile playgrounds of my youth and hope you can visit them someday. America runs on coal!” I couldn’t have said it better myself!

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Glacier Bay National Park (Alaska)

Our friends Rich and Mary are in Alaska with their son Eddie, exploring the natural beauty! They’ve seen such great wildlife! I’m very envious!

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I love Tomsk (Russia)

What a charming postcard! I really love hand-drawn maps! The city depicted here is Tomsk in Russia. I wonder what this hand is in the center? It looks vaguely familiar, like some archaeological find I should remember?

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Shihfen (Taiwan)

My dear friends Kay and Pei sent this postcard from Shihfen; they were back in Taiwan visiting family over the summer. I love Taiwan so much!

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Vegemite (Australia)

Did I really need to write “Australia”? Don’t we always know that Vegemite is from Australia?! This postcard’s writer asks whether I’ve tried Vegemite before, and I have to admit that I haven’t. But I have had Marmite; isn’t it the same thing?

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More to come from the past…