This is a vintage postcard from 1972 entitled Tourism Year of the Americas '72 . It features four iconic tourist attractions in the United States: Monterey, the redwood trees, Gloucester, and the USS  Constellation . It is also a prepaid postcard. The cost to mail this card in 1972? Just six cents!

This postcard arrived with Happy New Year wishes from Ocean Park, a small hamlet of around 1,800 people on the Long Beach Peninsula in western Washington State. Although it is a quiet coastal community today, Ocean Park has an interesting past that reflects the history of the peninsula. In the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, Ocean Park was a stop on the Ilwaco Railway and Navigation Company, a narrow-gauge railroad that operated along the Long Beach Peninsula from 1889 until 1930. The railway connected the small communities scattered along the coast, carrying passengers, freight, and holidaymakers to the peninsula's beaches. While the tracks have long since disappeared, the railway played an important role in the development of the area and remains an important part of its local history. Today, Ocean Park is known for its relaxed pace of life, sa ndy beaches, and easy access to the Pacific Ocean. It's the kind of place where people come to enjoy nature, whether t...

This postcard comes from somewhere just outside Colorado Springs, in the United States, but the sender’s home sounds far removed from the city itself. They describe living in a remote cabin about a half-hour drive from Colorado Springs, high up in the mountains at an elevation of 2790 metres. At that altitude, life takes on a very different rhythm. The sender mentions they experience what feels like nearly nine months of winter each year, which is not surprising given the height and the mountain climate. Snow can linger well into spring, and early autumn likely brings the first reminders that winter is never far away. It’s easy to imagine long, cold seasons, crisp air, and heavy snowfall shaping everyday life. Colorado Springs itself sits at the base of the Rocky Mountains, but places like this cabin are part of a much more rugged and isolated landscape. The nearby peaks and forests create a sense of quiet separation from the city below, where weather, wildlife, and terrain still play ...

One of the things I enjoy most about receiving postcards is learning about the lives of the people who send them. On this card, the sender mentions that Thanksgiving is just a week away and that she is looking forward to the holiday and a welcome break from school. Thanksgiving is a holiday celebrated in only a handful of countries, including the United States, Canada, Saint Lucia, and Liberia. Although each country has developed its own traditions, the holiday originally began as a time to give thanks for the harvest and for the blessings of the previous year. Similar harvest festivals can be found in many cultures around the world, reflecting a shared appreciation for a successful growing season and the importance of community. The roots of Thanksgiving are both religious and cultural. Early celebrations often included prayers of gratitude and communal feasts, but over the centuries the holiday has evolved into a largely secular occasion centred on family, friendship, and sharing a m...

The sender recently adopted two black kittens named Nanii and Hai. 

This card shows a gondola and gondolier at the Venetian Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas. The Venetian was one of my favourite casinos to visit when I was in Las Vegas. It is ornate inside and out. There was an area inside that felt like you were on an Venetian street. We didn't ride the gondola but maybe next time.  The sender lives in Las Vegas. I remember asking someone I played Scrabble with online who lived in Las Vegas how can you live in Las Vegas? I said I could imagine there are a lot of distractions. She responded that most locals don't go to the Las Vegas Strip and there is a lot to do in Las Vegas that has nothing to do with gambling or high end entertainment. 

Today's postcard features the cover of the vintage Ladybird book Flight Three U.S.A.: A Ladybird Book of Travel Adventure . For anyone who grew up with Ladybird books, this postcard is a delightful reminder of the colourful illustrations and educational stories that introduced generations of children to the wider world. Published as part of the Travel Adventure series, Flight Three U.S.A. invited young readers to embark on an exciting journey across the United States. Through vivid illustrations and engaging storytelling, the book explored famous cities, landmarks, landscapes, and the thrill of travelling by air. At a time when international travel was still a rare experience for many families, books like this allowed children to discover distant places from the comfort of their own homes. Ladybird Books became a fixture of childhood in Britain and many Commonwealth countries during the second half of the twentieth century. Known for their distinctive format, affordable price, an...

This card is part of a series on animals in ancient America. This particular piece, titled Bottle with Fox Figure,  is estimated to have been created between 300 and 600 CE in the northern highlands of Peru . The object is an example of Pre-Columbian art , which refers to the visual arts of Indigenous peoples across the Caribbean, North, Central, and South America before European contact in the late 15th and early 16th centuries. Looking at this postcard, it’s fascinating to think about how much of this artistic tradition has been lost over time. Woven textiles, for example, were widely produced but rarely survived because of their perishable nature. What remains—ceramics, metalwork in gold, monumental sculpture, and paintings on walls, pottery, and rock—offers only a glimpse into much larger and richer cultures. Even so, pieces like this small fox-shaped vessel manage to carry a surprising amount of personality across centuries.

The sender from North Platte sends a state information card. Date of Statehood - 1 March 1867 State Bird - Western Meadowlark State Flower - Goldenrod Nebraska is one of the largest corn producers in the US. Corn production measures more that two times that of any other crop in the country. Nearly 1/3 of the nation's corn crop is exported.

The sender is from Gulf, a small unincorporated community of 122 (2020) people. It is located near the Deep River.  The card is of Grandfather Mountain, located at the Grandfather Mountain State Park near Linville. It is the highest peak on the eastern escarpment o the Blue Ridge Mountains, at 1812 meters. 

The sender of this card hails from Carrollton, a suburb of Dallas. It has been named in Relocated America and Money magazine's best places to live. The card is from Zion National Park (also see Post 3731) and the Zion Angel. I will copy out what the card says about the Zion Angel: As the story goes, a couple and their two children were hiking in Zion National Park in 1972. Young Becky wandered too close to the trail's edge and suddenly fell off a steep ledge. She dropped for 30 feet (about 9 metres) before a tree branch caught hold of her overalls. Becky hung by the branch, suspended high in the air. Her parents and older brother could not reach her. Becky's brother began singing a hymn, beginning with the words, "Come to Zion, come to Zion; Zion's walls shall sing with praise." Shortly after he began singing, an angelic woman appeared next to Becky, lifted her from the tree branch, and then soared the 30 feet back up to Becky's family, placing her safely ...

I'm not sure where the postcard went. No photo! Newtown is a town of 27 000 and dates back to 1705. During the American War of Independence it was a Tory (pro-English) stronghold. Of course, Newtown is infamous for the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting in 2012. The shooter, who I will not name, killed his mother and then went to Sandy Hook Elementary School where he killed 20 - grade one students and six adult staff members. He then killed himself when police arrived at the school.  The gun culture is such a baffling part of American culture. In Canada gun ownership is a privilege, like having a driver's license. I have no issues with gun ownership. They are tools for farmers, usually used responsibly by hunters and those in a gun club. However, no one needs automatic or semi-automatic weapons. It should be a difficult process to buy and own a gun. 

The sender is from Bellevue, Washington , located just across Lake Washington from Seattle . This postcard comes from a recent trip she took with her husband to Jordan , Turkey , and Ireland —a journey that spans quite a range of landscapes and cultures. I’ve actually written about Cappadocia before in Post 4013. Bellevue is the fifth-largest city in Washington , with a population of nearly 152,000 people. It has grown into a major technology hub and is home to the headquarters of T-Mobile US . Many other global tech companies—including eBay , Meta Platforms , ByteDance , Oracle , Salesforce , Google , and Microsoft —also have major offices there. The city is also closely tied to the video game industry. Companies such as Valve Corporation , Bungie , Sucker Punch Productions , and The Pokémon Company International are based in or around Bellevue. Looking at this postcard, it’s interesting to connect a place known for cutting-edge technology with a journey that spans ancient landsca...

The sender used this card as her Christmas card a few years ago, which makes it feel a bit more personal—like a small glimpse into her hometown. She’s from Portland, Tennessee , a small city in north-central Tennessee with a population of around 13 000people. It’s part of the Nashville Metropolitan Statistical Area, so while it has a small-town feel, it’s closely connected to a much larger city. Portland’s early settlers were drawn to the area for the production of dark tobacco. The climate and soil conditions made it especially well suited for growing this crop, and tobacco farming played an important role in the town’s early economy. Today, Portland is growing quickly, helped by the expansion of nearby Nashville . Many residents commute there for work, making Portland part of the wider rhythm of the Nashville area while still mai ntaining its quieter character.

The sender had travelled to Orlando to visit Universal Studios Resort. The card is from one of the theme areas of the resort, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. In this area of the resort visitors can visit Hogsmeade, Diagon Alley (which this card depicts), and the Ministry of Magic and Place  Cachée.  There are eight rides at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, along with 12 different shows, seven dining spots, and a variety of shopping venues. 

The card is entitled The Legend of the Sea Horse  and says: Even among the many strange creatures of the ocean, the Sea Horse is one of nature's more unusual fish. It had a head shaped like a tiny horse, a body covered in rigid bony plates, and snake-like tail that is used to grasp seaweed and coral. The Sea Horse might also be mistaken for a small dragon from a child's fairy tale. Sea Horses are commonly seen on coral reefs in the warm coastal waters of Florida, where they eat plankton and the eggs of other fish. They range in size from 6 to 12 inches, swim upright with the aid of a single dorsal fin and come in a wife variety of colours.  The female Sea Horse places her eggs in the male's kangaroo-like chest pouch, where they are fertilized and are born after a gestation period of 4-6 weeks. These wondrous tiny creatures live for about four years. 

This card comes from Beverly , which is located in northeastern Massachusetts. It was first settled in 1626 by English colonists, though the Naumkeag had lived in the area for centuries prior. This card features The Goonies , the 1985 film directed by Richard Donner and written by Chris Columbus , based on a story by Steven Spielberg . When I first received the card, I thought the movie was based on a book; however, the image shown is actually a made-up book cover created for the design. The Goonies starred Sean Astin , Josh Brolin , Jeff Cohen , Corey Feldman , Kerri Green , Martha Plimpton , and Ke Huy Quan . It follows a group of kids who live in the “Goon Docks” neighborhood of Astoria and call themselves the Goonies. When they discover a treasure map, they set out to find the treasure in hopes of saving their homes from foreclosure due to the expansion of a golf course. I remember this movie from when I was growing up, and I think I may have seen it in a movie theatre. It beca...

If your postcard happens to come from Macungie , you can frame it as more than just a dot on the map. Macungie is a small borough in eastern Pennsylvania, part of the Lehigh Valley region, and despite its modest size, it has a surprisingly strong connection to manufacturing and music. It’s the kind of town where local industry quietly shapes global influence—something you might not expect at first glance. One of its most notable claims to fame is that it serves as the headquarters of the Allen Organ Company , a world leader in the design and production of church and theatre organs. Founded in 1937 by Jerome Markowitz, the company started with a mission to make organ music more accessible through technology. Over time, it became a pioneer in electronic and digital sound. In fact, in 1971, Allen introduced what is widely considered the world’s first commercially available digital musical instrument—an innovation that helped shape how modern electronic music is produced and experienced. ...

Bigfork, Montana is a small town of about 4,300 people located just south of Kalispell, Montana , near the northeastern shore of Flathead Lake. Despite its size, Bigfork attracts visitors year-round thanks to its mix of outdoor recreation and vibrant arts scene. Tourists can enjoy golfing, boating, hiking, browsing local art galleries, and attending live theatre performances—especially at the well-known Bigfork Summer Playhouse . In the autumn, the town hosts the Bigfork Independent Film Festival (BIFF), which celebrates independent cinema with a focus on Montana-made films and filmmakers, recognizing and awarding local talent. The postcard itself comes from Jackson Hole, Wyoming . This scenic valley lies between the Gros Ventre Range and the Teton Range . The name “Hole” comes from early trappers, who used it to describe a valley surrounded by mountains. Rich in wildlife, the area was an ideal habitat for beavers and other fur-bearing animals, attracting fur trappers in the early ...

Thiis is an art card for a showcase at the Rochester Contemporary Art Center in August-September 2024. This is the information found on the back: R. G. Miller Tsi Non:we Entewaha'hara'ne (Our Path Forward) Tsi NonEntewaha'hara'ne showcases the art of R. G. Miller, a Mohawk artist and survivor of the Mohawk Institute Indian Residential School. The exhibit features large oil paintings and mixed-media artworks create by Miller from 2003-2008, vividly portraying his harrowing experiences and the ongoing impact of his trauma. This powerful display repudiates the genocidal practices of settler-colonialism and affirms Indigenous sovereignty through art. The exhibit is an important contribution to the national truth and reconciliation process in Canada, a process that has not yet begun in the U.S. This exhibition may be emotionally intense for some viewers, support will be available on-site during events. Presented along with the film R. G. Miller: Truth in Painting (An Afterno...