haban faience

I felt a tug of recognition the moment I picked up this card, sent by Lynn B. Sure enough, it shows a piece of Haban faience from a museum collection in Bratislava, Slovakia.

cats of the world

PostMuse sent this card, a souvenir of a visit to T&D's Cats of the World, an animal refuge in Penn's Creek, Pennsylvania, which rescues exotic animals. PostMuse said that the center was wonderful and that the animals seemed happy.

portrait de femme

Lesson learned: Always wear a hat when writing a letter. This card of a Adeliade Labille-Guiard painting called Portrait de Femme came courtesy of Lynn Berkowitz.

naked boy

A postcrosser in Minsk sent this card of a 19th-century painting titled Naked boy, by A.A. Ivanov. While the painting has a pensive summer feel to it, the expression on the boy's face is a tad disturbing.

Spelling Peace

A postcrosser from China created a very effective card made with simple materials: newspaper and stickers. I was pleased that it arrived intact, even though it was simply newspaper and tape glued onto cardboard. The back of the card was equally interesting, with a collage of news, torn note paper and pretty stamps.

FIFA

A fun card from a German postcrosser relaying news about the world cup games. I love the way she created word bubbles all over the soccer field!

Bonnet

This sweet altered card is from an Estonian postcrosser. She also used a hot pink bunny stamp sitting amongst the clover.

Spines

A lovely collage card from a German postcrosser who used the spines of old books to craft together this card. The stains and faded colors add depth and I love feeling the texture of bookcloth.

Bahasa Crossword

A wonderful collage card from an Indonesian postcrosser incorporating a crossword puzzle. All the answers are in Bahasa. I love the gorgeous sea turtles too - I miss the mythical islands of this country!

en route

I love this card sent to me by Jozef Bajus, who was recently in Atlanta visiting his daughter. During the trip, Jozef and his wife Olga visited the High Museum, where he saw this evocative work by African-American artist Radcliffe Bailey. A mixed media piece, it is called En Route.

rabbit year +

A postcrosser in Taiwan sent this sweet Year of the Rabbit card with some fab stamps from previous zodiac years cleverly affixed to the front of the card. She of course also used rabbit stamps for the card itself. Great card!

cool in leiden

A young Dutch postcrosser who loves swimming and fishing sent this card. It arrived on a day when the temperature here was 104F/40C. The card didn't cool me down but it did make me smile.

magic gardens

Friends Sandy and Louis stopped in Philadelphia on their way back to Maryland and visited Magic Gardens, a dizzying 'folk art environment' created by mosaicist Isaiah Zagar on South Street. Sandy wrote that she was "disoriented walking because of the multiple reflections" created by the many mirrors used in the sprawling mosaic.

milky way dreaming

Priscilla sent this striking postcard she got last weekend in Washington, on a visit to the National Museum of Women in the Arts. It shows a work called Milky Way Dreaming by Aboriginal artist Janet Forrester Ngala. It made we want to go immediately to look at the night sky.

gaudi dragon

A Spanish postcrosser named Jose sent this fab card of the Gaudi dragon that greets visitors at the main entrance to Parc Guell in Barcelona.

zaftigs

Lynn B. sent this ad card for a popular Jewish delicatessen in Brookline, from a recent trip to Massachusetts with her mother and sister. Love the dyspeptic dame featured. Zaftig is, of course, Yiddish for voluptuous.

tunbridge wells

Keeping it British, here is a vintage card of Tunbridge Wells, in Kent. Some years ago on a visit to England, my friend Carolyn took me to this old town and introduced me to a culinary ware shop where we each bought a knife for cutting tomatoes. It's the best knife of its kind and I still use mine. Love the Miss Marple look of the women at the fountain.

crooked

A postcrosser in the south of England (on a clear day she can see France) sent this amusing card of an old shop building in nearby Canterbury. Sadly, she writes that the children's bookstore that used to be there has recently gone out of business.

keep still

Another wonderful rabbit card from Sandy Sapienza, who may be in the neighborhood this weekend with her husband.

cooling down

The humidity of late has been brutal. These stamps helped remind me of cooler things.

russian tea

A Russian postcrosser sent this yummy card showing a traditional Russian tea ceremony. It's pretty, too.

round and about zeeland

A Dutch postcrosser who lives in the province of Hulst (it's on the map) sent this cool card, with lots of directions about getting around.

secrets of the silk road

Friend Lynn B. sent this card from a show at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthopology in Philadelphia. She and her husband recently moved to the city and are enjoying its many attractions. They spent a recent morning at the museum mainly to see the "heartbreaking Afghan war rugs, rather devastating in their beauty." They then had lunch at the iconic White Dog Cafe, before going on to see the big Sheila Hicks retrospective. Ah, city life.

Hues of Red and Black

From a postcrosser in Germany. Arminia Bielefeld is the name of a soccer club in northern Westfalen district. It is her favorite team!

Preferences

Two cards from the streets of Folsom. Two different clubs catering to two different tastes.

decadent frog

On a lighter note, an eight-year-old postcrosser with a cat named Helium (love it) sent this funny frog card. She also wrote that she loves reading Donald Duck magazines and eating blueberries. I second the blueberries, will pass on Donald.

animals in distress

As this postcard reminds me, Animals in Distress, the local rescue center I support, is having its annual radio fund-raiser this week. Alas, the center, which has been giving second chances to battered animals since 1977, is suffering a dire lack of funding. Blame the economy.

making lemonade

This tangy card is from a German postcrosser who works for one of Germany's biggest newspapers (hear, hear) and lives by the motto, If life gives you lemons, make lemonade. The card tied in perfectly with the one below from PostMuse, which arrived in the same mail delivery.

This card is part of a series by Linzie Hunter, who turned the subject lines of spam into offbeat postcards. That is making some kind of lemonade!

new year's in july

A Chinese postcrosser named Yuyu sent this zany Year of the Rabbit card along with some fab stamps. The contemporary buildings featured on two of the stamps were built for the Olympics. The one at top looks like a homage to the Polaroid camera. What memories it conjures up. Love the card, love the stamps.

Surveillance

A very interesting card from a postcrosser in Kazan, Republic of Tartarstan. She writes that her city has two distinct cultures - Russian and Tartar. A strange card shot from under a bridge, but even more striking is that little surveillance monitor. What is it looking for in these placid waters?

Wiley-esque

A cool card from a Portuguese postcrosser. The drawings are reminiscent of William Wiley.

Glacial

A great card of rocks formed by glaciers. This postcrosser just graduated from high school and was to be a video game designer. He also loves to ride his mountain unicycle. Huh? I cannot imagine how that's done.

That Rumpled Raincoat

This Dutch Postcrosser affixed an obituary of Peter Falk on the back of her card. I will forever remember him as Columbo and hope he got buried in his trademark rumpled raincoat.

Huangshan

This gorgeous viewcard from a Chinese postcrosser reminded me of the time I spent on these mountains. The trails are all paved in concrete and mostly steps up and steps down. Afterwards, I had to get a foot massage to relieve my sore legs. The fog helps create the illusion of fairies and goddesses in these mountains.

New from Lithuania

This Lithuanian postcrosser altered an art card by adding ink doodles and torn news articles. Too bad I cannot read what it says!

Stinky Tofu to Start

The secret sharer postcrosser recommends foods that are typical in Taiwan: stinky tofu, pearl milk tea, beef noodles, and pig blood pudding. She includes the former name of her country, "Formosa," which brings back memories of the colonial past.

Fit Not Hit

From the ground on Folsom Street. I went to his website - he teaches a combination of yoga and boxing for fitness. He also happens to be an accomplished public speaker, says the website. There is reference to a barbershop but no details provided.

crayon cat

Friend Carolyn sent this marvelous crayon cat by Louis Wain (1860-1939). She wrote that the insane asylum where Wain spent his last years is nearby, though she got the card at a local museum.

mae hong son

A Thai postcrosser who keenly appreciates her country's great natural beauty sent this lovely card of Mae Hong Son.

free!

Another cool free card from my co-blogger.

Pioneers of American Industrial Design

Who says the US has boring stamps? The USPS keeps coming out with one gorgeous sheet after another!!! Lucky again - I happened to inquire at the PO today about these stamps and the postmistress said, well yes, we have a few hidden away. I got 2 sheets right there and then! Included in this sheet are some of my favorite objects - IBM Selectric, Brownie Camera, Russel Wright dinnerware, Fiestaware, and the old-fashioned black telephone.

Civil War

Amazing stamp sheet commemorating the Civil War. On the left is Fort Sumter, when the Confederate forces attacked and the Union soldiers were forced to surrender. On the right is First Bull Run, which was the first significant engagement between Union and Confederate troops.