This card is from a beach on the North Sea, where the sender and her family will be travelling for their three week holiday. I hope they had a good time!

The sender says she purchased this card at the Miniature Life Exhibition by miniature photographer Tatsuka Tanaka. The exhibition description reads: Tatsuka Tanaka regularly uploads and shares photographs of miniature depictions, or mitate , of scenes from normal life that he creates using diorama figurines and everyday products. These works quickly spread throughout the world via social media and bring joy to people of many different cultures and generations. In this exhibition, we will display about 120 representative photographic works, as well as 50 of these miniature scenes and objects, that have beed made in recent years. The exhibition will introduce visitors to the charm and secrets of the active, hardworking, and unique artist, Tatsuya Tanaka, who works incorporate both current affairs and lighthearted humour in line with the ongoing tradition of Tsukurimon citizen culture that began in Kimamoto during the Edo period. 

The sender is from North Carolina, but she purchased her card from Nebraska, where her son lives. This is a watercolour created by William Henry Jackson showing Buffalo Bill Cody. According the the card:  For 18 months the Pony Express carried the mail from St. Joseph, Missouri, through Nebraska, Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, Nevada, and ending in Sacramento, California. Buffalo Bill Cody made the longest non-stop ride of 322 miles over one of the most dangerous portions of the entire trail in 21 hours and 40 minutes using 21 horses. 

This image shows the Andromeda and two satellite galaxies: Messier 32 (M32), the blue dot just above Andromeda, to the left and centre; and Messier 110 (M11), the hazy blue oval below the central spiral of Andromeda. The image was taken by NASA; JPL-Caltech University of California, Los Angeles.  Andromeda is a barred spiral galaxy and is the nearest major galaxy to the Milky Way. It is categorized at Messier 31, M31, and NGC 224. It has a diameter of 152 000 light years, and is 2.5 million light years from Earth.  Messier 32 is a dwarf "early-type" galaxy about 2 490 000 light years from the Sol Solar System. It is a satellite galaxy of the Andromeda Galaxy and was discovered by Guillaume Le Gentil in 1749. It has a radius of 330 light-years.  Messier 110 is a dwarf elliptical galaxy that is also a satellite of the Andromeda Galaxy. Charles Messier first saw the object in 1773. It was also independently discovered by Caroline Herschel in 1783, and her brother William He...

J oensuu was founded by Tsar Nicholas of Russia in 1848, when the Grand Duchy of Finland belonged to Russia. By the end of the 1800s, Joensuu was the largest harbour city in Finland.  Joensuu is home to the European Forest Institute, It was established in 2022 with 30 member countries, and about 130 member organizations from 40 countries working in diverse research fields.  It role is to provide policy support on forest related issues. It also facilitates and stimulates forest related networking as well as promotes the supply of unbiased and policy relevant information on forests and forestry. It advocates for forest research and for scientifically sound information as a basis for policy making on forests. 

The sender's friend designed this Postcrossing 20 card. It shows many important landmarks of Vancouver and area.  On of the landmarks is Lions Gate Bridge, officially called the First Narrows Bridge. It is a suspension bridge that cross the first narrows of Burrard Inlet and connects the City of Vancouver to the North Shore. It is 1823 metres long, 11 metres tall, and has a ship's clearance of 61 metres. There are three lanes, with the middle lane being a reversible lane to accomadate traffic patterns. It is estimated that 60 000 - 70 000 vehicles cross it per day.  It was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 2005. 

A wonderful postcard of a postal worker, wearing cross-country skis, in front of the post office in Lapland.  Hollola is a muncipality of 23 000 people. The tallest structure in Finland, the Tiirismaa TV-Tower, is located here. Winter and summer sports are popular here including cross-country skiing, downhill skiing, hiking, and golf.  Hollola has ancient roots and it is first mentioned in documents in 1328. 

A photo from Grant Teton National Park in Wyoming. It is a 1300 square kilometres and includes most of the peaks of the 64 kilometre long Teton Range. It is only 16 kilometres south of Yellowstone National Park. The park is named after Grand Teton, the tallest mountain in the Teton Range. It rises to 4200 meters above Jackson Hole.  There are more than a 1000 species of vascular plants, dozens of species of mammals, 300 species of birds, more than a dozen fish species, and a few species of reptiles and amphibians in the park.  The park is popular with mountaineers, hikers, fishers, and recreation enthusiasts. There are more than a 1000 drive in campsites and 320 kilometres of hiking trails that provide access to the backcountry for backcountry camping

I'm not sure if this is St. Peter Church in Waltrop or not. If it is, Waltrop developed around the parish church of St. Peter in the 9th/10th century. It was a coal mining town starting in 1905, but both mines closed in 1979 and 1992. 

This is a great Scenic-Pop postcard from Niagara Falls. In the one photo it shows the "Maid of the Mist" tour boat with the American side of Niagara Falls in view. Pull on the tab and it shows a great aerial view of the Canadian Horseshoe Falls. 

A Postcrossing 20 meetup card from Ingersoll, Ontario. It looks like about 10-12 people attended, based on the signatures and ink stamps on the back. 

There is a Manhattan in Kansas! It is a city of 55 000 people, and nicknamed itself "the Little Apple" as a play on New York City's moniker of the "Big Apple." It was founded by the New England Emigrant Aid Company as a Free-State town in the 1850s. Eli Thayer started the company to transport anti-slavery immigrants into the Kansas Territory. The Kansas-Nebraska Act was to allow the population of Kansas Territory to choose whether slavery would be legal in the territory. Thayer and his company believed if they move enough anti-slavery immigrants to Kansas, they would be able to shift the balance of political power in the territory, which in turn would lead to Kansas becoming a free state when it eventually joined the United States.  The company wanted to send 20 000 immigrants, a number they didn't get to. In fact it is believed only about 2000 arrived. It did spur pro-slavery people from Missouri to move to Kansas to ensure its admission to the United State...

A cute card from a Dutch tween. She lives in Hoogeveen, located in northern Netherlands. It was developed in the 17th century as a peat colony. To transport the peat, wijken, or smaller canals were dug every 160 meters. This created a grid of canals in Hoogeveen. The canals were the main method of transportation for not only peat, but other goods.  In the 1960s, with the rise of automobile and truck transport, many of the smaller canals lost their economic importance and many were filled in. 

Climate Pledge Arena is a multi-purpose indoor arena located north of downtown Seattle. It was originally built in 1962 for the 1962 World's Fair. The city bought it after the fair and it was used for entertainment purposes. From 2018-2021, the arena underwent a US$1.15 billion redevelopment, which included preserving the original exterior and roof. The renovated arena has seating for 17 151 for hockey and 18 300 for basketball.  The arena is now the home rink for the Seattle Kraken of the National Hockey League, the Seattle Torrent of the Professional Women's Hockey League, the Seattle Storm of the Women's National Basketball Association, the Seattle University Redhawks, and the Rat City Roller Derby league of the Women's Flat Track Derby Association. It was the previous home of the Seattle SuperSonics of the National Basketball Association, who left Seattle for Oklahoma City in 2008.  The first National Hockey League game in Climate Pledge was the Kraken versus my bel...

Jeffrey's Hook Light, aka Little Red Lighthouse is located in Fort Washington Park along the Hudson River in Manhattan, under the George Washington Bridge. It was constructed in 1921. It is a New York City Landmark, and a National Register of Historic Places. It was a working lighthouse from 1920 to 1947, when it was deactivated. It was relit in 2002. 

This is a photo of the former Taichung train station building. It was built in 1905 in a wooden building style and started operating in 1908. In 1917, it was rebuilt as a red brick structure with Renaissance architectural style. It was replaced in 2016 by an elevated station. The ground level station was shut down.

A beautiful card from Jixi, in north east China. Jixi  鸡西  has a population of 1.5 million people. It is 30 kilometres from the border of Russia. It is an important coal mining base in China.  Zhenbao Island  珍宝岛  is located near Jixi and was the site of a territorial dispute with the Soviet Union in 1969. The island is located on the Ussuri River.  On 2 March 1969, People's Liberation Army soldiers ambushed Soviet border guards on Zhenbao. The Soviets suffered 58 dead and wounded, while the Chinese reported 29 dead (the Soviets claim it was 248 Chinese soldiers killed, and 32 Soviet border guards killed with 14 wounded). On 15 March, Chinese artillery fire bombarded the island forcing the Soviet to leave. The Soviets counterattacked with tanks and mechanized infantry and artillery, forcing the Chinese to retreat. There were a few small skirmishes after that.  On 21 March, the Soviets tried to call China to discuss a ceasefire. Mao refused the take th...

Paul Bunyan is a giant lumberjack and folk hero in American and Canadian folklore. He is usually accompanied by his pet ox and working animal, Babe the Blue Ox. He originated in the oral tradition of North American loggers, and was later popularized by William B. Laughead in a promotional pamphlet of the Red River Lumber Company.  Paul Bunyan was adapted by many writers. Walt Disney Studios produced Paul Bunyan as an animated short musical and Mel-O-Toons made a cartoon about his exploits.  There are oversized statues of Paul Bunyan and Babe in a number of communities in Canada and North America. 

A great Postcrossing Meet Up card for the 20th anniversary of Postcrossing in Redwater. Looks there were three participants!  Redwater is located about 50 kilometres north of Edmonton and has about 2100 residents. The name comes from the Redwater River, which is usually ochre-coloured and drains into the North Saskatchewan River. 

Hildesheim is home to the M'era Luna Festival. It began in 2000 and is a gothic festival that features many different styles of music including metal, future pop, aggrotech, synthpop, gothic rock, dark wave, and EMB. It is held at Flugplatz Hildesheim-Drispenstedt, a former British Army base. It is one of the biggest dark music festivals in Germany, averaging 20 000 - 25 000 per year.  The sender took this photo on her trip to Thailand. 

The is a photo of the mudflats off the Hallig Nordstrandischmoor. Nordstrandischmoor is an undyked islet just north west of Husum. Nordstrandischmoor has an area of 1.9 square kilometres. As of 2008, there were 27 people living on the island. In 2010, the school had 3 students and was the smallest school in Germany. The highest point on the island is only 3 meters above sea level.  There is a railway that runs to the mainland. At high tide, ships can dock. At low tide people can walk to the mainland. 

This is a photo of Castle of Chaumont. It was founded by Odo I (973-996), Count of Blois. The castle has changed ownership many times over it's history. Many people of the enlightenment and romantic periods have been guests at the castle including: Juliette Récamier (1777-1849) - a French socialite whose salon drew people from the leading literary and political circles of early 1800s Paris. She is considered an icon of neoclassicism, cultivated a public persona as a great beauty, befriended many intellectuals, sat for the finest artists of the time, and spurned an offer of marriage from Prince Augustus of Prussia. Adelbert von Chamisso (1781-1838) - a German poet, writer, and botanist.  Benjamin Constant (1767-1830) - Swiss/French thinker, activist, and writer of political theory and religion.  Chaumont itself has a population of 1100 people and is a commune and town in the Loir-et-Cher department and the administrative region of Centre-Val de Loire.

A great multiview card of some of Australia's most recognizable animals - koala, kangaroo, emu, and echidna (well, maybe not this one). It's an appropriate card for the sender as she volunteers and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Queensland (QLDRSPCA).  The QLDRSPCA was created in 1876 in Brisbane's Town Hall. They didn't do much at first so there was another attempt to get it going again in 1883. In 1888 the Society established, for the education of youth, the Band of Mercy, to try to educate people on caring for non-human animals. Today there are 3000 volunteers in Queensland. In the Animal Care and Protection Act 2001, the QLDRSPCA has legal powers to investigate reports of animal cruelty. 

Pictured is the Leal Senado Building  民政总署大楼  in Macau. Just like Hong Kong was a British territory until 1999, the same was with Macau, except it was the Portuguese that controlled it. Both are now special administrative regions of China. The Leal Senado (Loyal Senate) Building was the seat of Portuguese Macau's government. Today it houses Macua's Municipal Affairs Bureau. It was built in 1784. 

This card is the part of a package for Drumsticks. I've sent a few of these cards away, too, usually Kraft Dinner or Jello. Some people ask for food packaging. The sender is former United States Army with 38 years of service! Today he owns and operates a 160 acre farm. Mattawan is located in south west Michigan and has a population of almost 2600 people. 

The card comes from Šal'a, which has a population of almost 20 000 people. The biggest employer is a chemical company called Duslo Šal'a, while textiles and construction are also significant contributers to the local economy.  The French on the front translates to: On the count of three, I'll take off!

Leipzig is located in the Central German Metropolitan Region and 150 kilometres from Berlin. There are 633 000 people who live here. It has been an important part of trading in Germany since medieval times. The Leipzig Trade Fair dates back to 1190. Between 1764 and 1945, Leipzig became the centre of publishing in Germany. It didn't fare as well under East German rule, but underwent a renaissance in urban and economic revitalization and a modernization of its transport infrastructure.  Leipzig University is one of the oldest universities in Europe. It was founded in 1409. Leipzig is also a major centre for music, including classical and modern dark wave. The Thomanerchor (St. Thomas Choir of Leipzig) is a boys choir that was founded in 1212. The Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra was established in 1743 and is one of the oldest symphonies in the world. Bach, Medlelssohn, and Wagner all lived and worked in Leipzig. Friedrich Schiller wrote his poem "Ode to Joy" in Leipzig. 

This card comes from a Chinese ex-pat living in Austin. She was in Boston for her first two years in the United States but moved to Austin because of the warmer weather. The card she sent is a neat painting of a beach scene. 

Death Valley National Park was established in 1933 as a national monument, and then 1994 as a national park. It is also designated as a dark sky park by the International Dark-Sky Association. It is the largest of the contiguous United States (that means the 48 states that are not Alaska and Hawaii), the hottest, driest, and lowest national parks. Badwater Basin is the second lowest point in the Western Hemisphere at 86 meters below sea level.  The highest recorded ambient surface temperature was recorded at Furnace Creek in 1913, where a temperature of 56.7 degrees Celsius was recorded. Average temperatures of 48.9 degrees Celsius are common in the summer. 

A great song lyric by a great Canadian singer/poet, Leonard Cohen. It comes from the song A Smokey Life  (1979). I've never seen your eyes so wide I've never seen your appetite quite this occupied Elsewhere is your feast of love I know when long ago we agreed to keep it light So let's be merry one more night It's light enough to let it go Remember when the scenery started fading And I held you until you learned to walk on air So don't look down, the ground is gone There's no one waving anyway The smoky life is practiced everywhere So set your restless heart at ease Take a lesson from these autumn leaves They waste no time waiting for the snow Don't argue now, you'll be late There is nothing to investigate It's light enough to let it go Remember when the scenery started fading And I held you until you learned to walk on air So don't look down, the ground is gone there's no one waving anyway The smoky life is practiced eve...

Canton is located in northern Georgia and has a population of 33 000 people.  This card was drawn by Kathy Lam and is entitled Cat Heart Dance . The sender chose it thinking that because I have two cats, it would be appreciated! It is. 

Norwalk is a city of 17 000 located 16 kilometres south of Lake Eire. It is a part of the Cleveland-Akron-Canton Combined Statistical Area.  This card celebrates the 20th anniversary of Postcrossing. The information on the back reads: For 20 years, Postcrossing has grown to 800 000+ members in 200+countries, turning ordinary mailboxes into windows to the world - building friendships, sharing cultures, and making life a little brighter, one postcard at a time. Amen!

St. Gallen has ancient roots dating back to Saint Gallus. Gallus was an Irish missionary and hermit who established himself by the river Steinach in 612. A monastery on the site was founded in c720 by Saint Othmar. It prospered in the 9th century and became a site of pilgrimage and a centre of trade, along with one of the first monastery schools north of the Alps. By the 10th century, a settlement had grown up around the abbey.  In 926, Magyar raiders attacked the abbey and surrounded the town. Saint Wiborada reportedly saw a vision of the impending attack and warned the monks and citizens to flee. They heeded her call, but she herself remained behind and was killed by the Magyar's. She later became the first woman formally canonized by the Vatican.  The oldest football club in Switzerland and second oldest in continental Europe, FC St. Gallen, play here. They play in the Swiss Super League. They were founded in 1879. They have had relatively little success and usually finish ...

Yokohama is home to the CupNoodles Museum Yokohama  カップヌードルミュージアム 横浜 . It is a museum dedicated to instant noodles and Cup Noodles, as well as its creator and founder, Momofuku Ando  安藤 百福 (1910-2007) . There are four stories of exhibitions and attractions. There are various exhibits to display the history of instant ramen and Momofuku Ando's story. There is even a workshop where you can create your own one-of-a-kind Cup Noodles.

Alice's Restaurant was once a general store and the first commercial building in Sky Londa. During the 1960s the restaurant was bought by one Alice Taylor, who renamed the restaurant after herself. Motorcyclists, hikers, and tourists made Alice's Restaurant a must stop. It was bought in the 1870s and has been family owned and operated every since. It is still a popular destination for motorcyclists and bicycle riders in the spring and summer.  The family that bought the restaurant in the 1970s kept the name Alice's Restaurant as a homage to Arlo Guthrie's song Alice's Restaurant .  Here are the lyrics to Alice's Restaurant: Lyrics This song is called Alice's Restaurant, and it's about Alice, and the restaurant, but Alice's Restaurant is not the name of the restaurant, that's just the name of the song, and that's why I called the song Alice's Restaurant. You can get anything you want at Alice's Restaurant You can get anything you want ...

The sender said I might enjoy the Cajun humour on this card. Cajuns are usually described as the descendants of the Acadian exiles who were deported during   Le Grand Dérangement - Acadian forced deportations from Nova Scotia. People in Louisiana frequently use Cajun as a broad cultural term without necessitating race or descent from the deported Acadians. French colonists were already living in Louisiana prior to the Acadian deportation. However, most Acadians can trace their ancestry back to approximately 50 families who were living in Port Royal, Acadia (now Annapolis Royal, Nova Scotia) in 1671. Most Cajuns can trace their ancestry to areas in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island,  Québec , and Maine.  Cajuns have become famous for their French dialect and have developed rich culture including folkways, music, and cuisine. 

Glacier National Park was established in 1910 and covers about 4100 square kilometres. It is located in north-west Montana and borders the Canadian border and Canadian national park, Waterton Lakes. In fact, the two parks are known at the Waterton-Glacier International Peace Park and were designated as the world's first International Peace Park in 1932. Both parks were designated by the United Nations as Biosphere Reserves in 1976, and UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1995. In 2017, Waterton-Glacier were given Gold Tier status by the International Dark Sky Association. 

A funny card entitled Admiral's Dream  by Vilijus Vaisvila.  Kaunas is home to the Vytautas the Great War Museum. It was established in 1921 by  Vladas Nagevičius-Nagius. In moved to a larger site in 1936.  Vytautas the Great (c1350 - 1430) was ruler of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania from 1401-1430. Modern Lithuania idolizes Vytautas as a nation hero and was an important figure in national rebirth in the 19th century.  The museum is more than artifacts of Vytautas the Great. Instead it displays artifacts from Lithuania and Kaunas from prehistoric times to the present. There are a large number of historical weapons. There are displays dedicated to the military skills of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, There are displays of firearms, uniforms, ammunition. Lithuanian renaissance figures have statues on site. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the eternal flame are located in the square in front of the museum. There are more than 10 statues of Lithuanian military chief...

Lovebirds from Finland. I'm not going to try to identify the birds in the photo. The sender commented on the length of my marriage and that was the reason for the card!

This is a photo of the Montana state capitol building in Helena. There are also several state facts on the card: Capital - Helena Nickname - Big Sky Country Population - 950 000+ Land Area - 147 139 sq mi (381 088 sq km) Flower - Bitterroot Animal - Grizzly Bear Tree - Ponderosa Pine Gemstone - Sapphire, Agate Bird - Western Meadowlark Grass - Bluebunch Wheatgrass Helena was named the capital city of Montana Territory in 1875 and remained the capital city when Montana became a state in 1889. There were two referendums to determine the state capital and both results determined that Helena would remain the capital city.  Today Helena is a city of 32 000 people. It is a slow growing city and has a low unemployment rate. Many people work in the education field at the public schools, Helena College, and Carroll College. There is also Fort William Henry Harrison, the training facility of the Montana National Guard and Fort Harrison VA Medical Center nearby. 

Radnor is a suburb of Philadelphia. It's economy is based on the largest commercial business district on the Main Line (the Main Line was a part of the Pennsylvania Railroad - suburbs along this route are collectively known as the Main Line). There are a number of realty, energy, insurance, wholesalers, technology, and financial companies in Radnor. 

The sender picked up this card while vacationing at Kurashiki. This photo comes from the Kurashiki Canal Area, which is popular with tourists.