A Lithuanian medical student named Leva sent this postcard of a painting called Fairy Tale, by famed Lithuanian artist Mikalojus Konstantinas Ciurlionis. She had just visited a museum dedicated to Ciurlionis and been impressed by the beauty of his work. I Googled him and discovered that he was a musical prodigy as well as an artist. He called himself a "synesthete", able to perceive color and music simultaneously. Thanks very much, Leva. A "smiley day" to you, too.
Sandra Sapienza carved a postcard-sized stamp of a cicada for her printing class, then used it to make this Valentine's Day card. What's next? She mentioned working on a lobster.
This stunning postcard of the Potala was sent by a 15-year-old postcrosser in Shanghai. She wrote that it was the first postcard she had sent abroad. Excellent.
This postcard, sent by a South African postcrosser, speaks to me. I learned to weave one year in a rusty, disused bus in rural Japan. Lovely stamp, too.
A 15-year-old postcrosser named Maria sent this whimsical handmade card from Finland. Thanks, Maria!
A message from Minsk from a postcrosser who is a proud resident of the city is my first postcard from Belarus. Exciting!
Every so often I stop at the Westside Post Office in Bethlehem. This is how it looked the other day on a raw winter morning, sandwiched between Dollar Tree and Citi Financial, two emblematic outfits for sure. One of the clerks staffing the counter at the p. o. had decorated her window with a Phillies calendar and pennant. "I like looking at the guys," she said with a smile.
Another surprise if belated New Year's card, this from indigo artist extraordinaire Fukumoto Shihoko. I wrote about her years ago after she had a show at the then-fab gallery at Takashimaya in New York and used to see her now and then in Kyoto. It's an indigo world for Fukumoto, whose work keeps getting deeper and deeper.
February 2 is Groundhog Day. Will Punxsutawney Phil see his shadow or not? I say not and that spring is around the corner.
Here's a magical view of "Middle Earth", a.k.a. New Zealand. The postcard was sent by a German postcrosser who intends to move there. Good stamps, too.
A Dutch postcrosser named Sandra sent this postcard of her "beautiful historic city", along with kind words about this blog. Like postcards, kind words are always welcome.
Mrpotani found these postcards, which arrived yesterday, at the yearly White Elephant Sale held at an Oakland museum. Both were published by the Lafayette Historical Society in Lafayette, CA. The bottom one shows a local baseball team from the early 1900's. The top one, simply priceless, is of the old post office, circa 1900. Wouldn't you know the site of the post office is now a supermarket parking lot?
I don't know Amy Faust but she sent me a postcard advertising her participation late next month in The American Craft Council Show in Baltimore. Always happy to support the arts!
Another pretty bird stamp from Taiwan and some great elk (you call them elk, we call them moose) stamps from Russia.
A Russian postcrosser sent this postcard showing the remarkable railway station in Sochi, a resort city on the Black Sea, which will host the 2014 Winter Olympics.
Inga also sent this blue, blue postcard from her year-end trip to Chile and Argentina. In Chile she visited a penguin haven on Isla Magdalena. The breeding grounds for Magellanic penguins, it was declared a Natural Monument in 1982. These penguins make quite a fashion statement.
My German-Canadian friend Inga sent me a package, using a recycled padded envelope. I like the way someone, either the sender or a German postal worker, marched these pink flowers across the envelope.
