world of pain

Somewhere not far away the cherries are in full bloom. I sent this card to a friend, with an Issa ku from haiku-a-day:

world of pain--
and the cherry blossoms
only add to it

honda takeshi

A card came yesterday from Honda Takeshi, an artist from my old 'hood in Tono, Iwate prefecture, who uses charcoal pencil and paper. The piece shown is from his Walking in the Mountains series. This one is April and shows a tree clawed by a bear. It's been so long since I've been back to Tono that this card just about made me cry.

the babe's best bread

With this fabulous postcard Sandy S. of Baltimore celebrates her Lithuanian grandfather's bakery, which was in the same 'hood where Babe Ruth was born. Family lore has it that as a kid the Babe bought bread at the bakery. Definitely an all-time favorite!

doug and desi

Felt-tip pens, oil pastels, and old baseball cards went into the making of this memory. Doug Glanvile was last seen writing for the NY Times; don't know what Desi Relaford is doing. I sent the card to mrpotani.

"bless the child"

Another fab work by Lauren Camp. 'Nuff said.

"the whole damn orchestra"

That's what Lauren Camp aptly titled her appliqued and quilted take on the great Ella Fitzgerald, shown in this postcard. Camp has a wonderful series of works on jazz, which traveled around the US for years. Check it out at www.laurencamp.com.

heart

This surprise heart arrived yesterday from German postcrosser Jenny. She said she "felt creative" and painted it to send. Lovely! Thanks very much.

pitching basic

May all our pitchers do this! I cut the quotation from clippings sent by a friend in Kyoto, painted a piece of cardboard red, and cut up a card made last year to make this new one.

j-roll

Another old media guide yielded a Jimmy Rollins page. I turned it into a postcard with oil pastels, baseball stamps, and Wite-Out. I happened to be at the game described where J-Roll hit a grand slam in the 5th, tied the game, and won some fan a car. It was a truly hysterical game from its crazy start to euphoric finish.

what happened to...

It started with a question: What happened to these minor leaguers? Might also ask what has happened to the mails. Why is it again taking a week to go from PA to San Francisco? I made this card from recycled cardboard, a baseball card from the old Red Barons, and oil pastels.

Oakland A's Postcards

The Oakland A's giveaway on Friday night was a pack of postcards - 40 cards in the pack to commemorate 40 years of the Athletics in the Coliseum. Each card is a nifty team portrait and the back identifies the players in the picture, including the batboys. Cool!

cable car

German postcrosser Sina, a student of geography, sent this card she made. She took the photo on trip she made on her own to San Francisco after a university field trip through the Midwest. I love the snapshot quality.

usps scores

I spoke too soon. It took a week from Pennsylvania to San Francisco but the card below finally arrived.

play ball

I made this card for mrpotani's A's, hoping it would reach the Bay Area for opening day. Instead, it was a disappointing loss in the mail. For the card I used recycled cardboard and paper and oil pastels. The elephant was part of a photo from a friend's trip to South Africa.

chutley

Super second baseman Chase Utley is Mrs. October's fave on the current Phillies team. I found the Utley page in a 2001 minor league media guide destined for recycling and made this card to send her, using oil pastels, various baseball stamps, and Wite-Out. Utley is a true grit "dirtbag".

lorraine glessner show

Lorraine Glessner, the artist I interviewed yesterday, has a show on at the St. Asaph Gallery in Philadelphia until April 20. Glessner works in encaustic. This postcard shows a detail from a piece called Bloom.

mrs. october steps to the plate

Before I dropped my 93-year-old friend Jessie F., aka Mrs. October, off after Monday's home opener in Philadelphia, I badgered her about making a baseball card for the current mail call. After all, she's been a Phillies fan all her life, her father played professional ball, and she's been to every World Series game since 1964. Not happening, she said, I'm not clever or creative. This afternoon I got back from interviewing an artist in Philadelphia to find this card in the mail. A home run!

bamboo grove

These stamps were on an envelope of baseball clippings sent by a friend in Kyoto. The bamboo grove stamp is awesome.

Home Opener 2008

I created this digital greeting card using my home opener ticket and a photo taken at the McAfee Coliseum last nite. Great crowd and great views from the Westside Club. Welcome back baseball...all's right with the world again!

all that glitters

I'm sending this card to Mrs. October to give her some dates for day games. At 93, she prefers to skip the night ones. I added oil pastels and baseball card cutouts to the paint and glitter of a card sent to me last year. In the majors, relief pitchers too are recycled forever.