Via Airmail

San Francisco Cable Car

San Francisco, California, U.S.

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Postcrossing card #99

As Long As There Are Postmen

This cool postcard came from a US Postcrosser.  The postcard was designed by a fellow letter writer who also blogs.  You can see her blog here and find cool things in her Etsy store here.  And yes, the quote is great:

"As long as there are postmen, life will have zest."

A reminder to "send more mail"!

This card was metered, so no stamp this time around.

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Postcrossing card #90

University of Washington

Doesn't the University of Washington-Seattle have an especially attractive campus?  The postcard description reads "Sunday afternoon on the quad with blossoming cherry trees".  You can see a virtual tour of it here.  I'm fond of cherry trees, so I could be happy sitting outside here on a sunny afternoon.    

The stamp celebrates Glacier National Park in Montana. 

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Postcrossing card #76

Grand Duchess Anastasia

I'm acquiring quite a collection of postcards of the Russian Royal Family--the Romanovs.  I'd not seen this view before, but it shows the Grand Duchess Anastasia Nikolaevna, the fourth daughter of Nicholas and Alexandra.

Interestingly this photograph is held in the Library of Congress; it is part of the Sokolov Commission Papers.  I received it from a Postcrosser in the US and it had the standard Aloha postcard stamp. 

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Postcrossing card #74

Brilliantly Colored Roses!

I think this is a pretty amazing picture.  I love the vibrant colors of the roses.  The sender of the postcard is quite talented as she happened to take the photo herself!

I wasn't going to scan the stamps as I am so used to seeing and using them, but then I decided that they might be of interest to collectors.  So, from left to right there is Navajo Jewelry, an American Clock, and George Washington--out first President.

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Postcrossing postcard #69

Vile Bodies by Evelyn Wagh

I love these Penguin Books postcards.  This is the second one I've received.  It joins Virginia Woolf's A Common Reader, which is a Pelican Books imprint.  Penguin covers are very distinct and I know they are color coded depending on genre.  My library has a book on their cover design over the years and I really need to check it out again and see how the designs have changed through the years.  I've not read Vile Bodies by Evelyn Waugh, but I have read another of his books (Scoop).

I know people who collect these Penguin paperbacks and I would love to collect them myself, but they are hard to come by where I live.  I have a couple in my own book collection, so I will just content myself with collecting the postcards instead. 

The postcard was sent from another Postcrosser here in the US who managed to use stamps that are unfamiliar to me.  The 19¢ Hot Air Balloon stamp is from 1991 and the 13¢ Folk Art USA: Quilts stamp is from 1978!  You can see more stamps from that series here.  How's that for a blast from the past.  I wonder how people get their hands on stamps so old?

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Postcrossing card #65

One of the Finest (or, tall tales)

I'm afraid I don't fish or know much about fishing, but I think this is one tall tale!  A fish as big as a horse (not that there aren't big fish, but a trout)?!  Every fisherman's drea, right? 

"Bringing out a big rainbow trout.  This is one of hte finest ever caught in these parts." 

The card came from Nevada by the way.

I just used the last of my own Pixar: Mail a Smile stamps, so I was happy to see I get one on a postcard as well (a  nice change from the Aloha shirts62).

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Postcrossing card #62

Delaware, United States

A new state card to add to my collection: Delaware.  "Delaware is the 'First State', the second smallest state (after Rhode Island) and has more square miles than France.

The stamps include an American Toleware coffeepot stamp and  a Lavender stamp from the Herbs series.

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Postcrossing card #40

New Haven, Connecticut

This is one of the first 'handmade' cards I've received through Postcrossing.  It's pretty cool as the postcrosser's mom took the photograph.  It shows the city of New Haven in Connecticut taken from the top of East Rock.  New Haven is perhaps best known for Yale University, the third oldest university in the US.

She also used a custom stamp, which I have heard about but had never seen before.  I know you can get them through places like Zazzle, though of course they cost a bit more than regular stamps.  I've thought about trying my hand at them, but can't quite decide whether to do it or not.  In any case, I do love the image that was used.

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Postcrossing card #33

Don't Feed the Bears!

This is the first humorous postcard I've received and it brought a smile to my face when I found it amongst the other cards.  It's from a American Postcrosser who lives in Wisconsin and happens to be the Mayor of her town.  How's that for crossing paths with a political 'mover and shaker'.

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Postcrossing card #16