You Look Familiar ...

About six months ago, I featured a postcard of San Francisco's Chinatown that features two photos of this very same building, 40 years apart. There is a cable car in both those photos, in just about the same position as this photo. This photo seems to be a bit more recent, judging from the cars, than the later photo in the first post. I'm beginning to think there is a photographer whose job it is just to take photos of this spot for Chinatown postcards.

Melissa writes that as a little kid she thought this Chinatown was the only Chinatown in the world, outside towns in China. She writes, "for me that [San Francisco Chinatown] was wondrous, exotic." I had a smile a mile wide when I read that, because I thought pretty much the same thing when I visited this Chinatown nearly 40 years ago.

When Melissa got older she learned that lots of cities have a Chinatown, and the specialness of the Chinatown of her childhood lost a bit of its magic. Chinatown began to feel "like a McDonald's," common and ordinary. But it also made her think more about what makes a place special, and she discovered it isn't the exoticness as much as it is the history and connection to a place. The San Francisco Chinatown is the oldest in North America, and that makes it special. And Melissa's memory of the wonder she felt as a child also makes it special.

TV Pilot in the Making

Arles is in the Provence region of France, and Marie notes that the Roman architecture found in this city reflects the influence of both Roman and original inhabitants. In this postcard you see the ancient Roman amphitheatre in the upper right.

Marie notes that today you still meet "Romans" on every street and the influence of the ancient times is still apparent in the food and lifestyle of the contemporary people. I have to admit that when I read Marie's use of "Roman," I had an immediate image of a man in a toga walking the streets of this lovely Provence town, with French bread under his arm and a bottle of Champagne in his basket. The idea set me to thinking about how I could write a screenplay for a television series about an ancient Roman transported to modern day France and learning he hasn't traveled very far.

The Glory of Black and White

Andrea writes that Stephansdom (St. Stephen's Cathedral) in Vienna is a welcome respite from chaotic life, even with all the tourists. She just takes a few moments to sit and let her thoughts wander. And may light a candle for loved ones. Just the smell of the candle and the extinguished match is enough to bring calm.

The postcard features a section of the cathedral, the Mittelschiff (Center Aisle) not usually open to tourists, just for those who attend service. There is also a tower you can climb up to get a high view of Vienna.

This card is old and looks to be a real photograph. It is a stunningly beautiful view and being in black and while makes it all the more striking.

A Different View

I’ve got a number of Canadian views featuring tulips, and never gave it much thought. Tulips are lovely flowers and make for an impressive spring garden. However, thanks to LK, I now know why tulips are so special to Canadians.

During World War II the Canadians were very helpful to the Dutch royal family, giving them shelter. One of the Dutch princesses was born in Canada. The tulips are a thank you for that kindness.

LK also notes that this view is rather odd as it doesn’t show the main feature of Ottawa’s Parliament building, the Peace Tower. I rather like that this is not a typical view. I've got other views of this beautiful government buildings (here and here) that do feature the Peace Tower. And, of course, I have different messages on the back of these cards, making each a unique addition to my collection. All three postcards will be kept together, an all-around view of the Parliament.

An Escape

You’ll find this charming little church, St Peter’s, just outside Kona Town, near Magic Sand Beach, on the Big Island of Hawai’i.

Kahli has spent many brilliant days on the Kahaluu Beach just beyond the church. She writes that it is best when there is a light rain “when the ocean becomes glassy and the water hitting your face is warmer than the water you are paddling through.” This is just what I need to escape the stormy skies that prevail here is Pittsburgh.

How My Garden Doesn't Grow

This view is Ice Lake Basin in Southwest Colorado and Karen writes that the columbine in this picture is protected by state law. It is the state flower and grows wild in the mountains.

I’ve spent many hours trying to get a wild meadow look like this in my yard. I don’t much like grass … it requires too much maintenance. One of the flowers I thought would thrive is columbine, the purple and white flowers in this photo. It hasn’t though, probably because I’m not a very good gardener and tend to forget to follow-up after planting.

First Giveaway, With Two Ways to Win

As much as I love postcards, and I do love postcards, I also love writing short notes on fun, beautiful, or otherwise intriguing notecards and lettersets. Years ago I was very active on Swap-Bot, an international mail exchange site, but I drifted away a few years ago, for many reasons, but primarily because the site can get incredibly contentious and stressful. This is due partly to the ratings system and the inability of people to accept that sometimes life gets difficult and the least important thing at that time is a hobby.

However, I decided to set aside those concerns for now and set up a swap to exchange stationery. The details for My Stationery is Not Stationary (the words are homonyms and often confused and you can read the details by following the link) are simple enough, and I have recently sweetened the deal with a giveaway, which I’ll explain later in this post. I would love if some of my regular readers joined the swap, which means setting up a membership at Swap-Bot. There is a Frequently Asked Questions page and I recommend everyone who decides to join the swap read that page.

For the giveaway … I am offering a lovely tote bag from Sapling Press that features the homonyms “stationery” and “stationary.” The image here is a photo of my very own bag, and I have two more to giveaway. The box under the bag is my box of notecards and stationery.

Here are the rules for this giveaway;

Comment on this blog post, leaving a way to contact you if we have never corresponded. It can be your PostCrossing username, your blog, or your email. Don’t leave your mailing address if you aren’t 100% comfortable with having it available for everyone on the Internet to see.

OR

Join the swap on Swap-Bot. Once you join that swap, I will have all your contact information.

OR

Do both and double your chance to win the bag!

I will pick one random winner from the comments, and one random winner from the Swap-Bot swap. If the random winner happens to be the same, I will leave it up to that person to pick a random winner (I’ll number the comments and swap participants and use the old “pull from a hat” trick). The winners will be drawn on 17 July 2010.

If you really must have one of these bags, and want to own without taking a chance, they are available from Sapling Press for $15. Visit the site and click the envelope to email for more information. I don’t have any connection to Sapling Press, however I just discovered it is a local Pittsburgh letterpress company, which thrills me to no end. I love when I just happen to discover a local artist!

Also, years ago I founded a lovely group called Notecards to Go on Swap-Bot. After a lengthy time away from the group (there are some incredible people who filled in as administrators while I was gone), I have started to promote it again. The group swaps include sending themed notes to partners, and exchanging unwritten notecards. Unfortunately, you can't view the group homepage without a Swap-Bot membership, but I'd love to have my blog readers join the group, and promote it to their friends, so if you join Swap-Bot, or are already a member, message me from Swap-Bot and I will make sure to send you an official invitation to the group. The swaps are low-key and you are never required to join any of them if you are part of the group. There is a participation requirement of 10 completed swaps, but I know who my regular readers are and have no problem releasing them from that participation requirement.

What's More Interesting Than a Castle?

Castle Schoenbrunn in Vienna is such a lovely and impressive building. Anna visited this UNESCO World Heritage site when she was about 12 years old. Her mom lived in Vienna after escaping Hungary during the revolution (I am guessing 1954). Anna remembers the castle, but, more than that, she remembers seeing a prostitute in the Vienna streets one night and her mom telling her the woman was a "dancer," the theatrical kind of dancer ... not the exotic kind. Anna didn't say if she believed her mom, and only got wise after the fact, but I suspect a 12 year old would probably have that figured out.