A great shot of NASA's space shuttle Discovery. This particular shot was taken for mission STS-95 on 29 October 1998.  Discovery was the third of the five operational shuttles, or orbiters, to be built. Between its first mission (STS-41-D on 30 August 1984) to its final mission (STS-133 on 24 February 2011) it was launched 39 times, the most of all five shuttles. It was the first of the three operational shuttles to be retired and is on display at the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center of the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum.  Over the course of its life, Discovery flew 238 million kilometers; 5830 orbits; and spent 365 days in orbit over 27 years. In 1985 it was launched four times. 

The Queen's Head Rock is a natural formation and is named so because...well, just look at the photo. It took over 4000 years to form. The neck is 1.25 meters and is weathering at a rate of 20-50 millimeters a year. 

Windsor is a city of 230 000 and is located across the Detroit River from Detroit, Michigan. In fact, the two cities are connected by the Ambassador Bridge, the busies commercial crossing on the Canada-United States border. About 25% (US$13 billion) of all merchandise traded between Canada and the United States crosses the Ambassador Bridge. It opened in 1929. The Canadian and American governments recently approved the construction of a new international crossing bridge further downriver from the Ambassador Bridge. It will be operated by the Windsor-Detroit Bridge Authority and was named in honour of Gordie Howe, one of the greatest players in National Hockey League history. Howe spent 25 of his 26 National Hockey League seasons playing for the Detroit Red Wings. Construction on the new bridge is expected to be completed in 2024. 

Very excited to receive my first postcard from Sri Lanka. The sender has sent a tourist card of Galle Fort  ගාලු කොටුව , which is located in the south of Sri Lanka.  Galle is a former Portuguese fort that was built in 1588. The Dutch fortified it 1649. It is a historical, archaeological, and architectural heritage monument and is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site.  Today Galle has a multicultural and multi-religious population. Galle (the city) has a population of 113 000 people and has developed around the fort area. 

Since racing cars are the focus of this cars, let's have a look at the Chinese Grand Prix  中国大奖赛.  It was first held in 2004 and is at the Shanghai International Circuit  上海国际赛车场 . The circuit is 5.451 km long and racers have to go around it 56 time to complete the 305.066 km race. The race was suspended from 2020-2023 due to Covid-19, but will not start up again on the Formula One World Championship until 2025.  Rubens Barrichello of Brazil won the first race in 2004 driving a Ferrari. He completed the race in a time of 1:34:012. Jenson Button of Great Britain was second, and Kimi Räikkönen of Finland was third.  Lewis Hamilton has the most wins at the Chinese Grand Prix with six wins (2008, 2011, 2014, 2015, 2017, 2019), and Mercedes constructors have won six as well (2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019).  When first built the Shanghai International Circuit cost US$240 million, the most expensive on the Formula One World Championship Tour until 2...

A great card from Abington. I was never into He-Man or She-Ra, but what a neat card. And a Christmas one at that.  Abington is a town of just over 17 000 people. In 2012, Abington celebrated its tricentennial. The local indigenous people called the area Manamooskeagin "great green place of shaking grass" before Europeans arrived. The two streams in the area were called Schumacastacut "upper beaver brook' and Schumasastuscacant "lower beaver brook." The name of the town was in honour of Anne Venables-Bertie, Countess of Abingdon, wife of the second Earl of Abingdon, who helped Joseph Dudley secure the governorship of the colony.  Jesse Reed invented a machine that mass-produced tacks for the shoe industry. As such, Abington's primary industry for much of the 1800s was the manufacture of boots and shoes. Half of the footwear provided for the Union Army during the Civil War came from Abington. 

The sender is a farmer, a nurse, and a sheep rancher. They live near Urana. Urana is a small town of 300 people. Its an agricultural area known for sheep ranching, growing wheat, and growing other grains. The sender grows barley, wheat, canola, and lupins.  Ulrana is an aboriginal word that means temporary shelter.  The notorious bushranger (men who took robbery under arms as a way of life), Dan 'Mad Dog' Morgan and an accomplice, held up the police magistrate in Wagga Wagga in 1863. Wagga Wagga is close to Urana. The magistrate that was held up was Henry Baylis. After the incident he led a group of men to chase down Morgan and his accomplice, Clarke. At the bushranger's camp, a firefight occurred leaving Baylis and Clarke wounded. Morgan and Clarke still escaped the firefight.  Morgan was finally caught and fatally shot in April of 1865.