Imagining India

Arjuna's Penance - Mahabalipuram - India

Can you imagine India in 1972? If you can, imagine being an exchange student in India in 1972. Fiona was an exchange student with American Field Service (AFS) in 1972, and she spent a few months in Madras, where this temple, Mahabalipuram, is found. She writes that her Indian "father" took the entire family to visit the temple, quite an adventure because it involved a car. And the trip was made all the more adventurous because of the attention Fiona's blonde hair and blue eyes attracted.

When I was a teenager, I wanted so much to be an exchange student with AFS. My parents were not keen on the idea, so it never happened. If I could have a "do over," would be more forceful in my desire.

A Poet's Bench

I love this view. I think if I were in Minsk, Belarus, I would spend all day with Adam Mitskevitch, contemplating the world. I love that he is cloaked in snow in this picture. I love that he seems to be sitting on air, though I know there is a bench under his bottom. I suspect my dear friend Marie, who writes an extremely soothing blog about benches on her way, will also like this image.

Annie adopted this postcard and comments that the caption on the back, which reads "Ruins of great castle gate of XVI century" is quite wrong. If there is a castle gate, we can't see it. Or maybe Mitskevitch wrote a poem with that title and the gate is what he is leaning on? Annie writes that Mitskevitch is a Polish poet who is frequently linked to Belarus, so it is possible that the caption refers to a poem.

This is the first Belorussian postcard to appear on my blog. Belarus is one of the countries that has become quite active on Postcrossing. They are 19th for most postcards sent! And that is out of 208 countries, and there are only about 3,000 users from Belarus. I think Finland needs to watch out for their number one status :-)

Arkansas In Its Natural State

This wonderful state fact card was adopted by Rebecca, via Juli in Wyoming. Rebecca has lived in Arkansas for ten years and writes that she sees many of the state symbols right outside her door. Mockingbirds are everywhere and the deer come to nibble her tall grass. Rebecca is a beekeeper, and currently has seven hives, helping to keep the honeybee safe in Arkansas. They have apple trees, which, thought they have yet to produce blossoms or fruit, will be wonderful for the bees someday. And Loblolly Pine ... Rebecca smiles at just the word. It is a fun word, and I suspect it has Native American origins.

Arkansas is the Natural State, a nickname that always makes me smile. I don't know of any state that is "unnatural," though I suppose California could make a stab at that nickname. Just so you know, California is a gorgeous state! And has lots and lots of natural beauty. But, it also seems to have a high incidence of unnatural beauty, too.

The Mythical Corn Palace

Back when I first started exchanging postcards online, I learned about the Mitchell, South Dakota, Corn Palace. The building's facade is redesigned every year and decorated with corn and other grains. I loved this grand scale art project and it became almost an obsession to find someone who has actually been to the Corn Palace who could send me a postcard about it. I have not yet found anyone who has been to the Corn Palace, but lots of people know about it. I'm beginning to think it doesn't really exist!

Karen adopted this postcard of the mythical Corn Palace and writes about her new electronic device ... a scanner. She has been busily scanning received postcards for PostCrossing, a task which can sneakily take many, many hours. I've did that when I got my first scanner. It seems like you have only been scanning for a short time, but when you look at the clock, it after midnight and everyone is in bed and you have no idea how the entire evening slipped away.

Rhode Island is a Big State

Rhode Island is actually the smallest state in the US, but, let me tell you, when you are driving from Pittsburgh to Boston, Rhode Island seems like it is a lot bigger than it is. The route we takes travels diagonally through the state, and after driving all the way across Pennsylvania, a truly big state, that diagonal Rhode Island drive feels like forever.

Cindy took a road trip from New York to Cape Cod in Massachusetts and stopped in Rhode Island for a rest stop. She took one of the free roadmaps of the state to prove she was there, which is something I'd do, too. When she got home she put the map on her refrigerator (it is common practice in the US to load up our very large refrigerators with all sorts of ephemera) and then added photos of the trip to the map. The map became a conversation piece for visitors to her home. I love that!


Providence, Rhode Island, had the first automated post office in the country. The postage stamp on the back of this mapcard commemorates that event in 1960, but when the stamp was first proposed it was met with resistance because it was seen as "self-serving." And because automation meant that real people would be without jobs. But, the Postmaster General approved the stamp anyway, and it turned out to be very popular. Back in 1960, 4¢ was the rate for domestic first class postage. You could mail a letter for 4¢!

California Fun

Julie writes that she was born in California, but grew up in Georgia. Her memories of California are of the big oil rigs, which she aptly describes as "the ones that look like dinosaurs going up and down," and orange trees. She lives in Florida now, so the orange trees are still in the picture. Sadly, this year, the only oil is the sort that washes up on beaches. 

I love the "fun facts" in the white box. Julie notes that she didn't know California raised more turkeys that any other state, "at least not the feathered kind." I'm not sure, but I suspect Washington D.C. might hold the record for most non-feathered turkeys ;-)

Interlude XXVI - Mail from a Mail Carrier

I got a very cool bit of mail the other day. An envelope containing a self-addressed envelope, and some postage, from a United States Postal Service employee! It also has a note about my project and I guess it has to do with Orphaned Postcard Project being featured on the USPS blog, Your Postal Blog. I'm thrilled and will be sending an orphan for adoption.

Surprises like this always brighten the bluest days.

Not Scratch and Sniff, But Just Imagine ....

Cory adopted this lovely vintage postcard via Juli in Wyoming. Cory wrote a fun message, starting with "I wish this was scratch and sniff!" These scenes bring back wonderful memories of growing up in Maine ... the way the smoke from campfire clung to her hair, and then her pillow, and the sound of the red squirrels protesting in the trees over her head. She writes about balancing on slippery rocks, trying to catch a glimpse of a sunfish. And of her mom using a canoe oar to save their pet duck from the jaws of a snapping turtle!

Maine is a lovely place, and I wish I had paid more attention to its delights when I was a teen and we were camping in the woods. I was more concerned with keeping my three younger sisters out of my "stuff."