OFFICIAL Card - USA

Linda lives outside of the Detroit area and says she has traveled to the area I live in several times. She sent me this card by artist Thomas Kinkade, titled "Pathway to Paradise". I think this was my first US Christmas stamp from 2014 too. Love the wreath!

USA from Michael

Michael once again was on the move. This time he was in San Diego for a vaycay with his hubby. Loved seeing all of his pictures online and truly loved finding this surprise waiting in my mailbox one day.

USA from Michael

To say my friend Michael cannot stay still is an understatement. This time he was in Santa Barbara for school. So proud of him and all the work he is putting into his PhD. He did have some downtime and visited a few wineries - no surprise there! Always gives me a great feeling knowing that he is thinking of me and takes the time to show me and send me a card.

OFFICIAL Card - USA

As you may be able to tell from reading my blog I like birds. Of all birds, I think I would have to say my favourite are hummingbirds. I can and do literally sit for hours in the warmer months and watch them come to the feeders I keep for them. They are amazing, so small, so fast and so consistent! Claire is a Canadian who winters in Arizona. She sent me this beautiful card and told me how she had baby hummingbirds in her tree last year. That would be an amazing sight. Great stamps too!

OFFICIAL Card - Netherlands

This card has piqued my curiosity. It was sent by a lady named Puck. The view shows the Empire State Building and she tells me about her trips to New York City. The message on the back as well as the stickers are all printed on. The kicker for me is it is prepaid, and the company info for the card is a Dutch website. I can't make it all out as the airmail sticker is covering it and it isn't an easy peel off. I don't think I have ever some across a prepaid card from Europe. I will have to do a little bit more digging.

OFFICIAL Card - USA

I recently added cards depicting stained glass to my profile. Kristen sent me this card, which is my first since making that addition. It shows the art piece St.Adrian of Nicomedia which hangs in a museum in Worcester Massachusetts. Kristen shared all the details of her day with me and some of her favourite things. It was a great message.

USA from Michael

I had a wonderful lunch with Michael last week. Two hours is not enough time to get caught up, but I will take what I can get. He was in New York City for a few days before Toronto and he picked up this beautiful skyline for me. Until next year my friend.

OFFICIAL Card - USA

The long, harsh and all around brutal winter we had last year was for a brief while a distant memory. The Fall has been colder than usual. Just in case Mother Nature didn't want us to forget her, it snowed on Hallowe'en. A few days before that, this aerial view arrived from Lilly showing Melbourne, Florida. She told me it was 26C as she was writing my card and she checked that it was only 6C here - yikes! I really hope it isn't going to be a repeat of last year.

OFFICIAL Card - USA

Grace is a Chinese student studying and living in the Boston area of the USA. She sent this card to me showing the interior of the Xiguan Grand House in Guangzhou, China.

OFFICIAL Card - USA

I do get a good giggle when someone mistakes the "29" is my Postcrossing user name for my age and not my house number. Jack recently sent this card to me and did just that. This card shows Fenway Park in Boston. Sadly, the Red Sox have had a better decade than the Blue Jays but you got to live to dream, right?!?

Random Act of Smiliness - Hilarie from USA

Hilarie was in a "postcard writing mood" and I was the lucky recipient of one of the cards she wrote one day at the end of September. My very first trip on a plane when I was 8 was to Cape Cod. The stamps she chose from the issue featuring Barnum & Bailey posters are fantastic! Perfect card for me - a great map and a great trip down memory lane for me - thank you Hilarie!

OFFICIAL Card - USA

Ana Cristina sent this card to me from New Jersey. It shows a group of Dall sheep in Alaska. She writes that she has just joined Instagram, which coincidentally I have too. Personally, I don't get the attraction. What about you? Do you Instagram? If so, why? What am I missing?

OFFICIAL Card - USA

This lovely Eurasian Jay flew into my mailbox from Dominike at the beginning of September.  She is from Poland and is taking part in a high school exchange program. How cool would that be! Lucky girl!

Random Act of Smiliness - J.J. from USA

J.J. is a big fan of Princess Diana and sent this card to me on the date of her death. The photo on the card dates back to 1985. The postmark is truly unique. The Smithsonian Postal Museum was one we were hoping to get to but just did not have the time to fit in on our recent trip. Thanks J.J.!

OFFICIAL Card - USA

Heather lives in northern New York very close to the Canadian border. So close in fact that on the map that pops up on Postcrossing it actually looks like the pin is in Ontario. The card she chose shows Tibbetts Point Lighthouse part of the 1000 Islands. I've only been there once and seeing this card think this will be on the list for possible trips next summer.

OFFICIAL Card - USA

Another truly vintage card came my way recently. This card looks like it was printed in the 1950's or 60's. Elizabeth is in Minnesota and chose this card showing sheep at Plimoth Plantation in Plymouth, Mass. It reminds me of our Black Creek Pioneer Village, a spot the kids and I were at a few weeks ago. Another lucky day for me as Elizabeth also used some amazing bird stamps!

Washington D.C.

Like any vacation, there is so much to see and often not enough time to see it. Our recent trip to Washington D.C was no exception. It was a little strange how many people asked us "Why go there?" to which of course my answer was "Why not!". My son has always been a fan of the Night at the Museum movies and he did a fair amount of research on the city for a school project in the Spring. With what he discovered it made "why not" look more and more fun all the time. We focused much of our activities around the Smithsonian Museums and to say we didn't scratch the surface would be a fair statement. This card I picked up for myself was from the American Art Museum. Interestingly, it was one place that all four of us equally enjoyed and fit our itinerary just perfectly. This work by Mike Wilkins was by far one of my favourites.

OFFICIAL Card - USA

Ed lives in Salem, Oregon and sent this very different black and white card to me in July. The image shows the State Capitol Building engulfed in flames as it was destroyed by fire in 1935. Even odder is it was the second time that happened. He wrote me a bit about himself and says he works for the state and is regularly in the new capitol building. While tragic, the image and the information taught me something new.

OFFICIAL Card - USA

I absolutely loved the message that Heather wrote on the card she sent me of the Michigan State Capitol in July. One of the prompts I suggest is to describe your ideal day. The day she described could easily be my ideal day too! Sleeping in, reading a good book, Mexican and Thai food and DVDs. I would swap out her cats for kids and add in some wine and chocolate. Sounds perfect - no? What would your ideal day look like?

Random Act of Smiliness - J.J. from USA

Back in July I received this card from J.J. The stamps which I believe are part of a wedding series were being reissued and they were offering cancellations for collectors. The floral design is lovely, however I must say the very liner design of the cancellation doesn't quite match up for me. Either way, nice to be thought of. Thanks J.J.!