Dragons!

Mom sent me a small package of chocolates wrapped in furoshiki for Valentines. The packaging was made to look like a traditional train station bento box. I confess I was more excited about the stamps on the package. I tried to look up the name of the calligrapher behind each stamp, but the internet is deficient. Each stamp spells out "tatsu," which means dragon. Some are closer to pictographs than calligraphy. One of the joys of visiting Japan in late November is that New Year stamps come out that month. Also in abundance: rubber stamps associated with the upcoming zodiac year, DIY card-making supplies, and a gadzillion varieties of New Year postcards. I am surprised that such postcards are completely missing from Japanese stores in the US, since the weeks leading up to New Year is the biggest mail event in Japan. Surely there are Japanese expats who yearn to send off cards to relatives at home? In Japan, post offices set up desks on the street to sell lottery-style postcards and special stamps starting in late November. There is a rush to deliver mail so that people get their New Year greetings exactly on Jan. 1.  

Edge of Madness

And lastly, this inspiring card is from a 16-year old postcrosser from the Ukrainian town of Yevpatoriya. This castle on the edge no doubt houses vampires and other old world creatures. Or perhaps it is simply an old-fashioned lunatic asylum. She writes that a surprising number of people come to town to undergo "treatment." I love the fact that she left it up to my imagination as to exactly what the "treatment" consists of.

Lenticular Scooter

Looks like an ordinary, slightly out-of-focus card, but it is actually a fabu lenticular card sent by a former mailman in Stadskanaal, Netherlands.

Winter with Geese

A reminder that the most wonderful thing about postcrossing is getting a lovely surprise via snail mail. I love this wintry scene with geese migrating above.

All Kinds of Stickered Cards

 A 13-year old postcrosser from Finland combined drawings and stickers. Love the hedgehog, which I always associate with Europe.



A recipe card from Canada. I shall have to try the triple crunch salmon which salmon returns to California.

A random sticker/news story card. I love the mysterious black knit cap creature.

A second postcard from a Malaysian postcrosser.

A German postcrosser sent this fun card with skateboard stickers.

Finnish Traditions

Two fun cards from Finland. The little red house is not a house, it is a sauna. The bottom card says, sparingly, "peasant costume." the mom leaning forward is "snowing down south."

Sexy, Warm & Fuzzy

Random cards on this Valentine's Day. The sexy red heels are from a Finnish postcrosser, the sweet confection is from a Chinese postcrosser, and the lovey pets are from the Netherlands.

The Pride of Canada

A Canadian postcrosser sent this magnificent moose camoflaged behind stickers of national pride. I studied Canadian history nearly every year in school. I still don't know much beyond the Vikings and the Iroquois and log cabins.  

The Toilet Doesn't Work

I received this card from a postcrosser in Melbourne. The card depicts the Flinders Street train station. She explained that it is famous for its long-unused bathroom. This reminded me of lots of public transit bathrooms here that were put out of commission after 9/11. I particularly miss the one at a BART station near my house. Unlike Japan and many other countries, public toilets are hard to find in the States. This was true, even before 9/11.

Delicious

Two cards that remind me of Valentines. Perhaps it's the heart-shaped foil on the one top one and the chocolate piece in the bottom. Or perhaps it's the use of red and brown that makes me think of love?

Vintage Cameras

A pair of fabulous vintage cameras from a Russian postcrosser. One is called "Union" camera and one is called "Portable" camera. Can you help me guess which is which?

Weather Report

These cards from Dutch postcrossers tell the news in a creative way. The top one shares bits of what's going on including the weather and sudoku. The bottom one is a fantastic interpretation of winter. As it is, San Francisco is cold and wet today too.

Seagulls

Here's a bright multi-view card from a Polish postcrosser. He's included drawings of seagulls on two of the images. Apparently there are a lot of them in Ustka.

Dr Charles R Drew

Derrick Dodson sent a card of Dr. Charles R. Drew to commemorate Black History Month. Dr. Drew's research focused on blood storage. It immediately brought to mind a good friend who was recently diagnosed with a blood disease and is in need of ongoing transfusions. One doesn't realize how precious blood banks are, and how critical health coverage is, for those whose bodies inexplicably starts to turn on their own blood cells. 

An Old Street in Bonn

A vintage card from a postcrosser in Bonn. I have bittersweet memories of that city from my visit last year. It was wonderful fun to explore it with Sherri but Jacqueline weight on my mind. She had told me of her illness the day before I left for Germany. 

Formosan Pheasant

This Taiwanese postcrosser sent a unique, plastic card of a Formosan pheasant. It can be punched out and used as a bookmark. Formosa. A much more romantic and exotic name than Taiwan.

In Memory

Cyrilla, an artist and Jacqueline's friend, sent this lovely lotus card. It still seems strange that I cannot pick up a phone and call Jacqueline. It would be the time of year when we started to talk about baseball and the possibilities of going to see some games in SF or Philly.

Mountains and Mountains

The top mountain, unidentified, is from a postcrosser in the Ukraine. A Japanese postcrosser sent a simple, graphic image of Mt Fuji below. I grew up with mountains behind me and the ocean in front. Glad that I live in a city that has both.

Hot and Cold

 A Belgian postcrosser sent a mid-summer card with a cat all sacked out on the beach.

And in contrast, the Swiss postcrosser sent a card of the Glacier Express, which boasts of being the slowest express train in the world!

Veggies and Butterflies

Two cheerful cards from Dutch postcrossers.
The veggie card included a poem: "The warmth of a January Day, Warms the heart in every way, Trees in motion swaying and swooping with a notion. The leaves are whirling in the wind, Clouds are stirring. What a warm January day."
The butterfly card writer wrote about her grandmother, who liked to create postcards.
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