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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blooming of flowers (Taiwan)

Our friends Philipp and Tobias traveled to Taiwan recently, in part, to gather some great teas. They’ve invited us to a tea tasting early next year!

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vintage Christmas wishes (Illinois)

We’ve been enjoying receiving all of the holiday cards from our friends and family; many people are surprised to learn that I don’t send a holiday card. I figure that I send enough mail throughout the year, so I’m saving myself the work of sending them myself. But that doesn’t mean I don’t love receiving them!! Thanks, Emily and Carter!

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French victory (California)

Our dear friends Greg and James congratulate us on our new home as well! The French victoire is a perfect way to celebrate the homecoming.

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geometric San Francisco (California)

As part of the congratulatory postcards, our neighbors Julian and Salvo sent this gorgeous postcard to welcome us to the neighborhood! We’re so grateful to be home and feel more so every day that we get to live here.

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Église de Sillegny (France)

Cette église me rappelle les églises de Valenciennes, même si elles ne sont pas dans les mêmes régions de la France. Dominique écrit que cette église est aussi connue comme la Petite Sixtine Lorraine. À l’intérieur, on trouve des peintures qui datent depuis 1540!

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the truth about puppies (Illinois)

Even though our niece and her husband don’t have a dog currently, they both had dogs in the house when they were growing up. So I guess that’s where this wisdom comes from. Luckily and perhaps inexplicably, Pinot never destroyed our things, but he did completely disrupt our lives!

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neko MUNI (California)

Leave it to MUNI’s stronger supporters, Kimee and Michael, to find and send us this absolutely fantastic postcard, depicting some of SF’s best offerings and an incredible mashup of My Neighbor Totoro and a MUNI bus!

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trippy reconnect (Germany)

This postcard is two layers; a translucent top layer and a printed bottom layer; they spin on the grommet in the center! It comes from an old penpal I haven’t heard from in a while. It was sent to my old address and I managed to snag it before we lost access to the mailbox for good. Did you know the USPS doesn’t always forward postcards?! Very upsetting.

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let’s go! (Germany)

Here’s a postcard from the Frankfort Airport, the busiest airport in Germany and the sixth busiest in Europe. Dominique was visiting Germany to see the interior design showroom of VITRA. I hope he found some good furnishings!

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winter chalet (California)

Julian and Salvo spent the Thanksgiving holiday in Sacramento with some friends, sending this postcard from their lodgings. This hotel has a postcard station with pre-stamped postcards?! I’m sold!

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feeling fowl (Illinois)

In response to a chicken-themed postcard I’ve sent, here’s a great response from our niece and nephew-in-law Emily and Carter, respectively! This is a terrific postcard from one of their recent trips to Fulton Market.

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Pike Place Market (Washington)

Julian and Salvo spent the week in Seattle and were surprised to miss most of the rain we had! They highly recommend Altura, so we’ll definitely have to check it out!

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here they come (California)

This postcards is from Kimee and Michael for Andy’s birthday and it’s just a delight! It’s the card that keeps on giving. The more you read and notice, the better it gets. The cherry on top is that the knight’s name, according to the legend on the back, is “Kris.” Fantastic.

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untitled (Oregon)

This photograph is by Teun Hocks. Of course Linda is the one responsible for this as she always chooses such intriguing postcards! All good news in this postcard which is exactly what we love to see, and of course what we wish in abundance for Linda and all our friends!

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ceci est Marseille (France)

Dominique m’envoie cette carte de ses vacances de l’année dernière. Je ne suis jamais allé à Marseille, même si elle compte comme la plus vielle ville de la France et aussi la deuxième plus grande.

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Tucson (Arizona)

Our friends Kimee and Michael were called to Tucson for a family emergency but still found the time to send this great postcard! It even has a fill-in-the-blank thermometer on the back for you to indicate the temperature upon sending (76F it appears!).

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More to come from the past…