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

wonderful Malaysia (Germany)

This postcard comes from my penpal Andreas who was visiting Berlin for the weekend. From there, he sent me this postcard he picked up in Malaysia earlier this summer on a big trip through South East Asia.

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life is just… (Spain)

Oh if art doesn’t imitate life, I don’t know what art is! This is so so, true. But I just can’t imagine why Julian and Salvo thought of me when they saw this postcard?! ;-)

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Zurich (Swizterland)

Another great view from Matty’s North American-European tour! This time he’s in Zurich. The only problem, Matty writes, is that he “forgot how expensive Switzerland is!” Oh yeah. That economy is going to get you!

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tapes, menú, paella (Spain)

Our friends Julian and Salvo are galivanting in Spain for a few weeks and found time to send this infinitely charming postcard from one of my favorite cities of all!

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Mission San Juan Capistrano (Illinois)

At first, I couldn’t read the caption of this postcard but as I was examining it, I thought to myself, “It looks like an old mission…” Well, I was right! This one is the Mission at San Juan Capistrano. This amazing postcard is from our niece Emily, whom we’re looking forward to seeing soon at a family wedding!

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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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More to come from the past…