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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les pommes d’Adam, 2017 (Pennsylvania)

T saw “these giant dog dingdongs & thought of [us].” How thoughtful! :-) This is an epoxy, metal, paint, and concrete sculpture, approximately 25 feet tall (!!!) called les Pommes d’Adam. T rightfully is skeptical. “The Apples of Adam?” they ask, scornfully. “Sure, if Adam is a dog.”
I couldn’t agree more.

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the “latest style” (Oregon)

I have to admit, I’m not sure why “latest style” is in quotes. What does it mean? Isn’t it the latest? Isn’t it a style? And what exactly does it look like to serve bananas like this?! Here’s hoping Matt and Katelyn can help provide some context when we see them next!

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Grand Rapids multiview (Michigan)

Our niece Phoenix was visiting family in Grand Rapids where she also went glow golfing (which she highly recommends). Grand Rapids is a great city, I agree!

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mosaic monarch butterfly (California)

This is the first postcard that we received at our new address, and of course it comes from the ever thoughtful Cynthia and Tracy! Of course it’s a monarch butterfly, which always makes me think of our dear, late friend who raised milkweed on her balcony in Montréal so she could also raise monarch caterpillars to release.

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Budapest (Hungary)

My former student sent me this fantastic postcard from the capital of Hungary on a trip there! Thanks, Hongjian!

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Pacific Grove otter (California)

Tracy and Cynthia are spending their annual month in cooler climes and sent this beautiful hello from the rich, abundant sea life in the Monterrey Bay!

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alligator (Florida)

Our niece Phoenix traveled to Florida this past month and sent us a great postcard from her trip there! When you think about alligators, it’s strange to imagine that these giant, human-eating reptiles just wander wild in the state!

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mint ice cream (Russia)

I find mint ice cream to be polarizing; some people really like it (I do!) and some people really hate it (Andy). What about you? This postcard comes from Russia but sadly the sender didn’t write anything about whether they like mint ice cream.

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au volant c’est le clignotant (France)

Dominique m’a envoyé cette carte postale, partie de la serié sur les routes et conduire en France. Même si cette carte postale est venue de la France, je dis qu’elle est également parfaite pour San Francisco, ou il me semble que les clignotants sont interdits!

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Mackinac Bridge (Michigan)

Nozomi writes, correctly, that “this postcard doesn’t do justice” to the beautiful Mighty Mac. I will admit that I feel like a bad Michigander because I often can’t remember how to spell “Mackinac” (at least I know it’s not pronounced mack-in-ack). There’s Mackinac Island but also Mackinaw City, so that’s where my confusion comes from, I think.

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cup noodles (Japan)

This lenticular postcard comes from Lauren and Jon on their trip to Japan. They visited the Cup Noodles Museum where they were even able to create their own custom flavor!

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northern peninsula (Michigan)

My friend Nozomi is taking a trip through Michigan and picked up this postcard is Marquette, the largest city in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. I’m surprised to see it written “northern peninsula” as I’ve never heard that term before!

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Taipei 101 (Malaysia)

My penpal from Lithuania, Andreas, took a big trip to East and Southeast Asia last month. While he was in Malaysia, he sent me this postcard from Taiwan, one of my favorite places on the planet! Taipei really is this stunning folks; run, don’t walk, to visit!

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modern cleaners (Indiana)

As she prepares to move out of state, Nozomi took the time to send me one last card from Indiana, which she’s called home for the past eight years. I agree; there’s something undefinably Midwestern about this scene. What could it be?

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ancient technology (Oregon)

Linda writes: “Isn’t this a weird card? I suppose many people haven ever seen a phone booth!” It’s so true. I’m not ready for this to be a marker of my age. We were visiting Muir Woods some years ago and they have a phone booth in the parking lot (there’s very little cell reception up there!) and a group of teenagers were having a grand time posing with the phone booth and taking photos for their social media accounts. I felt very old.

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Daniel Radcliffe (Indiana)

My friend Nozomi has been a fan of Radcliffe since she saw him perform on Broadway. She’s of course been aware of him since his debut in the Harry Potter series, which holds a special place in her heart despite it all. This postcard was purchased twenty years ago when she was living in Japan! What an honor to receive it!

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stand and deliver (Massachusetts)

How they found time to send a postcard on their last day on the island is beyond me! But J&S don’t know the meaning of “impossible” especially when it comes to their friends. This seven-card series has been such a joy—and the first of its kind on my blog! Thank you both, friends!

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More to come from the past…