USA from Michael

Michael wrote me this card showing the Kilauea Volcano in Hawaii just to say hi. Must have wanted and needed a break from his studies. Totally cool image!

OFFICIAL Card - Finland

Birds just make me smile and this little Wagtail is no exception. Ela from Sastamala, Finland wrote sharing her favourite cookie - cranberry with chocolate chips - one of my favourite combinations, they sound scrumptious. Love the bird stamp she used too and love when senders really try to make me smile. It so works. The text as Ela translated it means "keeping busy".

Random Act of Smiliness - Baltimore, USA Meet-up Card

Carol was co-ordinating a Meet-Up in Baltimore, Maryland back in September. She was offering to send cards out to people via the Forum. I took her up on the offer and received this great card of the Inner Harbour signed by the participants.  In exchange I sent her a card from the Ingersoll Meet-up I attended in July. We have since traded a few emails back and forth and I understand she is a new reader of my blog. So, a special shout out to Carol - Hello and Thank You!!!

OFFICIAL Card - Netherlands

I think some cards just find their person. This is a great example. Amber and Marleen are a mother and daughter Postcrossing team who sent this card to me in September. Marleen writes "What a coincidence I bought this card yesterday at a second hand shop". That is an understatement! What are the odds of finding a card in pristine condition (even the cut outs are perfect - no bends!) that is 15 years old and the next day selecting a name and that person has Olympics on their wish-list. I would but a lottery ticket! The card shows Tonny de Jong, an Olympic hopeful for The Netherlands in the 1998 Nagano Games. Once again, great stamps too!

Have you ever had some hard to believe coincidences like this?

OFFICIAL Card - Germany

Steff sent this card in September to me showing wonderful "Castles on the Rhine". She wrote telling me about the region she lives in and the wine festivals held in the towns and villages each October.

Random Act of Smiliness - Bulgaria from Eileen

I am very lucky to have crossed paths with Eileen. She is such a thoughtful and generous person. In September she was off again, this time to Bulgaria. Lucky me, she sent this wonderful map and multi-view. How cute is this stamp!

Lottery Win - Lori from USA

Lori was hosting a lottery to celebrate her 6th anniversary with Postcrossing. You guessed it, I was the lucky winner. She chose this card for me showing a vintage map and shared with me her appreciation for maps. She picked up these stamps at a monthly show she attends. How cool are these! Almost 30 years old, never ceases to amaze me the things people hang on to. Another super win - yeah me!

August - Ayn from United Arab Emirates

Another card from Ayn sent to me on a crazy hot day. It was 44C when she sent this to me in August. As I write this it is a "warm" 2C, much better that it was earlier in the week!

The view shows the Burj Khalifa from a slightly different perspective. This view is stunning! I can't even imagine what it would be like to be surrounded by the clouds like that. She wrote to me about her plans to celebrate the end of Ramadan. She aslo mentioned the irony of how it is too hot to go to the beach in the summer and they wait until the winter to go when the temps reach 25C, very ironic!

Another great stamp too, UAE has some really great ones.

OFFICIAL Card - Germany

Daggi went for a weekend getaway to Weimar and sent this card to me. It shows different monuments in and around the city. Weimar is an UNESCO site. Her message was wonderful telling me what she saw and how much she enjoyed it. My favourite line is "...breathing history in every stone!" That is pretty poetic.

OFFICIAL Card - Great Britain

This sweet hummingbird card came from Stefanie who is going to school in Bath, England. She is originally from China and by the sounds of it has studied abroad for several years. She wrote to me about a dish she was making to celebrate the mid-autumn festival. She said food helps to remind her of being with family, this statement is so true! One of the dishes was laobing. Can't say that I can recall ever having it but it does look good.

I also {love} the rainbow of stamps she used. The Christmas stamp is from 2007. I often wonder how people stumble across old stamps like this.

Direct Swap - Nicole from Netherlands

At the end of the summer Nicole was offering arty alphabet cards to swap through the form. I was happy to hear the "S" was available and we agreed to a swap. She was looking for stamps showing cats and/or dogs. I was lucky to still have some of these stamps promoting pet adoption. My card arrived shortly after with another great Europa stamp. So far I have never heard from Nicole to see if my card arrived. I've sent a few messages and they have not been read nor responded to. I can assume she has or she would have been in touch. How long would you wait before you "close the file" so to speak?

OFFICIAL Card - Taiwan

Chu-Ting sent this card in August saying that is is "far away" from New Year's. That may be true but why wait when you have a great card like this to send! Love the colours and the design.

USA from Michael

There are many reasons why I love my friend Michael. High on the list is his never ending thirst for learning and developing. He has gone back to school, again, this time for his PhD. Seriously. So excited for him and watching his journey unfold. He was in Virginia awhile back for something to do with his degree and visited the gallery of this artist, David Cochran.This picture sure has a whole lot going on. Don't know when I would have noticed the pig head on the side of the door if Michael hadn't pointed it out. Sure does keep you busy discovering new things.

OFFICIAL Card - Malaysia

Violet started this card by writing "Greetings from Borneo", not something that comes through my mailbox that often! This beautiful sunset is the perfect backdrop for Mount Kinabalu which is the first UNESCO site for Malaysia. Another wonderful flower stamp, this time another of my favourites - hydrangea.

Random Act of Smiliness - J.J. from USA

Something a little different from my friend J.J. just because. This sea lion was photographed in Galapagos, Ecuador.

Lottery Win - Agi from Croatia

Another great card I won through a lottery this past summer. Agi lives in Murter, Croatia and was offering this shaped card. I really enjoy shaped cards which you really don't see to often. The water looks so inviting! Love the peony stamps, another one that somehow escaped being cancelled.

Random Act of Smiliness - Alida from Canada

Alida is one of the people I have had the pleasure to get to know better outside of our July Postcrossing meetings. At the beginning of September she sent me this sweet illustration by one of her favourite Finnish artists, Raija Nokkala. (For some reason I cannot get my link to appear to refer you to more info on this artist - sorry!) The sheep in this piece are so sweet, you can kind of feel their fluffiness! What really stopped me when I received this card was the postmark. Alida always seems to find the coolest cancellations in the various post offices in Southern Ontario. This particular one is stamped from Port Dover during the week of Friday the 13th. This town is very well known for having literally tens of thousands Harley Davidson enthusiasts descend for the single day, rain or shine, each and every Friday the 13th throughout the year. Not bad for what is normally a town of less than 10,000. You can read more about the bike rally here and see images here.

Thank You Card - Andrea in Germany

I sent Andrea an official card back in July. A few weeks later I received this lovely card showing the coat of arms for the 16 States of Germany. What a wonderful surprise - thank you!

Direct Swap - Egypt from Ellen

Ellen is a nurse from England who was working in Saudi Arabia. Through the forum she offered to send cards from there. We agreed to swap and she received my card without any difficulty. Her card never arrived. Sadly, the cards she sent to others never made it either. To make it up to those she made arrangements with she offered cards from Egypt as she was going on a short holiday there. I was happy that this one came without any difficulties. Not what I would have expected at all. Glad she chose this for me as a camel ina desert is what pops to mind and this helps to expand my thoughts on the country.

OFFICIAL Card - Netherlands

This card was one I had in my favourites, at the time I honestly didn't know what it was exactly, just letters and pictures. I was glad Henny had one and sent it to me. I know know it is a Leesplankje or reading board. It was used in the Netherlands to teach children phonics and how to read. She included a great assortment of stamps and translated the words on one of them. Keep this up and I may actually be able to say something in Dutch!

Lottery Win - Joanna from Switzerland

This is from another lottery I was lucky enough to win in the summer. This metal postcard was being offered by Joanna. It features an advertising for Coca-Cola. I have always preferred Coke so for me it was a no-brainer to try and win it. Because it was metal she was sending in an envelope which I totally understand. I am glad she translated the back for me as I probably would of thought is said "affix stamp here". I had a good chuckle when I read "Please send in an envelope" and I agree with her - why add the address lines? Who knows! This is my first metal card.

Bahamas from Frankie & Erica

Wow those two sure do get around! After their trip to Florida at the end of September, Frankie and Erica heading over to Bahamas, specifically Atlantis. Jealous! I have seen and heard so much about this place I would love to make it there one day. In the meantime I was lucky that Erica remembered to send me a card. Sweet! I don't think the scan will do it justice (yes, I know you've heard that before!) but this card is printed on a funky clear plastic. Makes the water look sooo blue and clear! No mention of mojitos on this one....probably don't want us to think that is all they do on V-Kay! Thanks guys!

Direct Swap - Lyubo from Bulgaria

This is another swap I arranged through the Postcrossing Forum. Lyubo was offering cards from Bulgaria and not having a card from that country yet I gladly swapped with him. He liked cards showing mountains and I still had a few beautiful cards of the Canadian Rockies that my neighbour picked up for me on a trip out west a few years ago. For me, if I can only have one card so to speak I like a map. Lyubo had several to chose from and this one is great. It has a lot of details on the back on the places and is a welcome addition to my map collection.

OFFICIAL Card - Germany

If I thought four days from Germany was fast, this card made it in 3! What is it with German Post?!? That is amazing! Simone wrote telling me about herself and her hobbies. This card is actually the artwork from a book cover as seen here. I cannot get the page to translate for whatever reason so other than the title - "Of Sleep and Disappearance" I can't really say much else other than it is a nice illustration of a crane.

Direct Swap - Costa Rica from Cindy

Cindy actually lives in Toronto - an hour away from me. She was vacationing in Costa Rica and though the Postcrossing Forum offered cards. I wasn't too sure if she would be interested in a swap with me as many of our cards would be somewhat similar. Lucky for me she enjoys art cards and we agreed I would send her two for this one from Costa Rica. While it would have been nice to have a stamp on it she did mention beforehand that a postal meter was all that was available to her. Love that she chose a colourful bird card for me.