Wordless Wednesday

For the Wordless Wednesday, I would like to add this postcard. I have a collection of them and some are very hilarious! They are also all for trade as my daughter bought 2 copies of the postcard book. She absolutely loved them!

All About Women RR

I have so enjoyed participating in this special Round Robin! Although the name of the group was "Women in groups", all of the cards I received were also black and white! I never thought I would enjoy the black and white cards so much! I always love color, but I am rethinking now...

First card comes from Paris, France. "Can you hear the drums and hear the beat?" asks my sender.

Another card is from the Netherlands. The caption reads: "Eddy van der Veen, 1996/ "Stranddutje!" (which in English means "beach nap"). Nice nap!! I wonder if the gazebo was provided or they brought it themselves??

To continue the theme of elderly people, comes this card from California. I loved the caption MonkeyFlower left me: "I guess these women are having fun. The one on the left does look like she wishes that she was somewhere else".

And on with the sun and nap, this card is from Helsinki, Finland. It is a french card that is copyrighted to Robert Doisneau "The Hairdressers in the Sun, 1966". A bliss!!!

All About Women

I participated in a very nice exchange of postcards through "all about women"- colored women round robin.

From Alice Blue_Zamia: "America Dances: Girls fall into sync in a dance class, Washington, DC, 1942. ". Alice writes, "Washington, DC schools were racially segregated through the 50's so these girls would have attended an all black & inferior school. The schools in the city were still horrible when I was growing up in Maryland in the 70s." Thank you so much, Alice!

From Maren in Germany comes this African beauty.

From France, arrived this beautiful card with an Indian woman. "A Rajastani lady in her traditional dress."From Hong Kong, comes this beautiful painting of a Chinese beauty. Thank you, Winnie!

A Festival of Postcards, #3 - SIGNS

For the July entry in the Festival of postcards, I have a few cards. The theme of the Festival is Signs, which is fun but a bit difficult! I have a single card featuring ONLY a sign, but I also have a few with signs on them. :) It was very hard to pick which ones to put on this blog, so I picked my most favorite cards and places that I have seen myself.

From our most recent trip to Florida, come two cards with signs. The Universal Studios' Islands of Adventures is a large amusement park, that is located in Orlando, Florida. Back reads, "Take an amazing journey through five awe-inspiring islands, each one featuring new and exciting adventures that bring your favorite stories to life. Explore Seuss Landing, The Lost Continent, Jurassic Park, Toon lagoon, and Marvel SuperHero Island, where the world's most technologically advanced rides and attractions challenge you to Live the Adventure!" This is an actual SIGN in the front of the Park. It was an exciting park to visit, especially if you have teen or preteen children. They are also opening a new Harry Potter "island" in 2010! We can't wait to go back!

Another postcard comes from my favorite EPCOT World Showcase in Disney World, Florida. I am not sure whether this sign says "The China Pavilion" or "The Temple of Heaven" (the blue building right behind the gates). It is located in the front of the China Area.Our local Science Museum of Minnesota has a lot of signs in the front of it! It is a very nice and large Museum. They have an Omnitheater and lots of permanent and traveling exhibits. Right now, you can visit "Titanic: The Artifact Exhibition".

From our travels to the Bahamas, comes this little house. "The Gable House is a prime example of old Bahamian architecture."

We loved the town of Puerta Vallarta on the Pacific side of Mexico. The main street of town is located along the shore and looks like a promenade, called "El Malecon". There are a LOT of signs on that street! During the day, there is an open air market with sellers coming from different regions of Mexico. Come there at night and you will see town come to life in a different way! It seems like everybody is there, strolling, talking, eating, watching the painters, clowns, performers, and dancers. Every night, there was a different troupe entertaining the public.
This is a vintage reprint card from a small town on the border of Minnesota and Wisconsin, Stillwater. You can definitely see the SIGNS of celebration on the Main Street! On the back, it reads, "Traffic control for Stillwater's downtown Main Street does not seem to be a problem in 1913, photo looking south". I would have loved to be there for the 4th of July! And the SIGN of soon approaching Christmas in Salzburg, Austria, is the Christkindlmarkt - "The Christmas Fair". My friend, who lives in Salzburg, visits it every year and usually gets lots of nice Christmas decorations and gifts at the Fair.

Postcard Scavenger hunt #5, Night/Lights

I love participating in the Postcardy's Postcard Scavenger hunt! This months hunt is for the modern cards featuring the night scenes from someone's hometown or recent travels. Since Postcardy and I share hometown (Minneapolis), I have only a few cards to add. Most of them are from Saint Paul, together with Minneapolis they are often called "Twin Cities". Also, I would like to add a couple from our travels in the US.

From our most recent trip to Orlando, Florida, we brought a lot of nice cards. :)

If you ever visit Disney World, make sure to stay for the amazing fireworks/light show at the Epcot park.

And a picture of "old" America. Colonial Williamsburg, Virginia, Governor's Palace. It was home to seven royal governors and the firsst two governors of the Commonwealth of Virginia, Patrick henry and Thomas Jefferson.

A tranquil Setting

This card arrived through "Your Hometown" Round Robin from Morris, Connecticut. Morris is a small town with population of ~2400 people. They are celebrating 150th anniversary of their town this year! Congratulations! I'm sure such a small town doesn't print many postcards. :) So, the nature view is an appropriate card. There are no views of the town on Google Maps, either.

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Postcard Friendship Friday - Native American Art

Postcard Friendship Friday
My Postcard Friendship Friday contribution is going to be the Native American Art postcards. I bought them at the National Cowbay and Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. If you ever go to Oklahoma, make sure you visit this museum! They have a very large and unique collection of art works, paintings, artifacts, etc dedicated to the Native American and Cowboy cultures. Very interesting!"THE DRUMMERS" by James Auchiah, 1906-1974, Tempera on Paper, 1931, from the collection of the museum. "KIOWA AND COMANCHE" by Monroe Tsatoke, 1904-1937, Watercolor on Paper, 1933.

I thought this card would fit my theme. :) There are many more Indian tribes that were forced to relocate to Oklahoma territory and start a new and opressed life there. There is a huge outdoor town dedicated to them in the south-eastern part of the state, called Indian City Anadarko, USA. Another interesting place to visit in Oklahoma.

June RR - Utah and Louisiana

I am continuing to receive the cards through June Round Robin. There is 31 participants from all over the world right now, so I am hoping for some very unique cards from far away places! Here are the ones I received this week. First is a night view of Salt Lake City. Beautiful! Would love to visit Utah, especially to see the Mormon Temple and to go skiing! I love going on vacations and always try to find interesting and educating places to visit. I would do a big research before going to Salt Lake City. There is a lot of history there. I did read a few books about the Mormon religion and it seems so different to me, who grew up with the religion of atheism and later, became a Christian.

Another card is from New Orleans, Louisiana. Nikinna collects fleur de lis's and send me one. :) It is a fitting symbol of her city.

2 new cards from the US

Last couple of days brought me three new cards. I just love the Round Robins!!! They all came through the "US and Around the World" robin. My first 4 out of 5 official cards have arrived to Finland, so I am anxiously waiting for my firlst official cards. Should I mail more right away or wait for the first ones to arrive?? Big question to pound, LOL...
This one is from the state of Washing-ton. I visited Seattle, WA last fall and saw Mount Reinier from a distance. It would be fun to go look at it closer! "At 14,411 MOUNT RAINIER is the highest volcano in the 48 contiguous states and is the tallest mountain in Wasginton State. Some os the most spectacular meadows of alpine flowers and towering forests are here and are found in few other places. On a clear day Rainier dominates the horizon for hundreds of miles."

Next is the card from New Orleans, Louisiana. Very pretty, back says "Rain on Royal Street". New Orleans is on my list of cities to visit in the future. I hope it gets rebuilt all the way after Katrina.

2 NEW postcards

Hurray! Hurray!

I received 2 new postcards today through the "Us and Around the World" Round Robin. They are my first cards and I am SO excited!!! Also, I am happy to receive these post-cards, because they are from the area where we used to live and where I met my husband!

I lived in Oklahoma for over 7 years and my husband's family is still there. So, we visit often and love the state. Thank you, Shelby!

Another card is from Texas! It is a Southern neighbor to Oklahoma. I have been to Dallas many a times, especially while travelling abroad. This is a nice map card from Deana, thank you!!!

Minnesota map postcards

To start, I would like to share some cards from my current home state of Minnesota. I know lots of people like and collect the map cards. Here are some examples of the map cards that I found.

Minnesota is one of the Great Plains states, which is located in the very north of the United States, on the border with Canada.

The origin of the name Minne-
sota is based on a Dakota Indian word meaning "sky-tinted water."

Hence, the nickname of the state - "Land of 10,000 Lakes". Not only Minnesota is located on the Great Lakes, there are SO MANY little lakes, ponds, marshes and rivers here!

Sometimes, it is also called, '' The North Star state". The State Motto is "L'Etoile du Nord" (The Star of the North)

Capital of Minnesota is Saint Paul. Together with Minneapolis, two cities are often called "The Twin Cities".

Flower is Pink and White Showy Lady's Slipper,
insect is Monarch Butterfly,
state fish is Walleye (Stizostedion v. vitreum),
and bird is Common Loon (they are everywhere! We have a couple coming to our pond every year!)

Amazingly enough, the state animal is not listed! However, there is a gopher on one of my cards :)