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.

Kristopher Geda Kristopher Geda

Amsterdam Canal Pride (Netherlands)

Matty is in the European part of his tour and visited the Netherlands for a few days. His second visit there has brought some shopping and less marijuana smell than before, so it’s all good!

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making tyranny great again (Oregon)

Linda sent this terrific postcard, which can only be described as “timely.” In more positive news, she is seeing the swift migration!

Trump Putin 2024 | Donald Trump’s recent statements that he would “only” be a dictator “on day one,” are merely more lies. His admiration for strongmen across the globe is clear - Vladimir Putin chief among them.

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Chicago, rat city (Illinois)

What a perfectly incomprehensible postcard! While the language is clear, I can’t tell if it’s ironic or if it’s really admiring of the rats! San Francisco has an awful rat problem, so I just can’t imagine anyone celebrating them. Emily has a great sense of humor!

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pride flag (Massachusetts)

Matty traveled to the East Coast of the US and visited glorious Provincetown during his 10 days in the Boston area. After that, he was off to Amsterdam on the European leg of his trip!

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Vancouver panorama (British Columbia)

Andy went to Vancouver for a work trip recently and I told him not to worry about sending a postcard, knowing that he wouldn’t have time to find one and mail it. I’d put it out of my mind until visiting our good friends Julian and Salvo who had a Vancouver postcard on their dining room table. Two days later, Kimee and Michael sent us a photo of theirs, thanking Andy. I privately was a little hurt that he’d send our friends postcards but not one to me! When this massive, panoramic postcard showed up a few days later, I realized why it’d taken so long. No worries at all!

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“a watchdog!” (Michigan)

Kim has had the same trouble I do — finding postcards! Those of us exchanging them are getting fewer with each year, so fewer places are selling postcards. Lucky for me, I live in a very touristic city, so finding San Francisco-related postcards is easy. But that’s more difficult elsewhere. Hence, the lovely joke postcards that Kim’s bought so our nephew Jasper and his brother Brandon can send some! Honestly, while some postcards are more interesting than others (their fronts, anyway), what really counts is the message and the time it took the person to send it.

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pineapple birthday (Illinois)

One of my oldest friends never ceases to make me smile, this time with a beautiful postcard of the peace-bringing pineapple. Paw Paw for Jesus, Erin!

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brown bear and cub (Alaska)

Normally, I only post postcards that have been mailed to me, but I’ll make an exception here for this fantastic lenticular postcard, especially one so beautiful as this! Furthermore, Yutian got it while she was in remote Alaska so it was particularly challenging to find stamps and a postbox.

Massive omnivores weighing between 600 and 900 pounds, brown bears eat everything from large mammals to fish, birds, nuts, tubers and rodents. Litters of one to four pups are born in their mother’s winter den while she hibernates. A pronounced hump, enormous claws and brown color distinguish brown bears, also called Grizzlies, from black bears.

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Pacific Grove poppy (California)

After a glorious month in Pacific Grove, Cynthia and Tracy are on their way back to the East Bay. I am so grateful for a great many things that they bring to my life, but here I am happy to highlight the great postcards that Tracy finds and sends.

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Flagstaff Train Station (Arizona)

Our dear friend Kimee was visiting Flagstaff and writes: “It’s really a toss up whether I am more excited about the this postcard or the underwater treadmill.” Amazing as this postcard is — and it is amazing — an underwater treadmill sounds super exciting! Why not both?!

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Berwartstein (Germany)

Quand les américains pensent à l’Europe, on pense toujours aux châteaux et les forteresses. Dominique écrit qu’il y a plusiers que sont maintenant des sites à visiter. J’imagine que celle ci mérite bien le visite.

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More to come from the past…