Portuguese Lighthouses

It is a pity that this letter sent by Pedro via Ilha das Flores (Azores) to be stamped with a lighthouse postmark, did not turned out as expected.

The stamp, belonging to the set Portugal in the European Union, 40 Years arrived safe and sound, and also did the letter inside.

It is always a pleasure to get mail related to lighthouses, and I have been lately spoiled by Pedro...

Cape Espichel Lighthouse was built in 1790 on the site of a hermitage that had been founded in the middle of the 14th century to hold an image of the Virgin, which had been found on a rock.

Cabo da Roca forms the westernmost point of continental Europe. Situated in the municipality of Sintra, near Azóia, to the west of Lisbon. The lighthouse started operation in 1772.

The stamp belongs to a 4-stamps series issued in 2024 to commemorate the centenary of the Portuguese Lighthouse Authority (Direção de Farois).

The Caffeinated Octopus

Collage on an envelope sent to Phillip (the USA).

Sunday Stamps | T Is for Technology

United Nations, 1965. Telstar Communications Satellite

Germany, 2017. 50th Anniversary of the Chip Card

India, 2019. 50th Anniversary of the Central Institute of Plastics Engineering and Technology.

Russia, 2021. Autonomous Robot FEDOR. The stamp belongs to the set Technological Achievements of Russia.

Taiwan, 2021. The left stamp is dedicated to Artificial Intelligence and AI, and belongs to the set that commemorates the 110th anniversary of the country. The right stamp belongs to the set Core Industries of Taiwan, and features defense and strategic industries.

This is my T-entry for Sunday Stamps.

Women on Postcards | I Is for Inspiration

This is a postcard from an exhibition of Willy Viez's works from 1999, but it was recently sent by Fabienne (France). I have not been able to find who the woman on this postcard is (as is often the case). But she certainly inspired the photographer.

There is a short text on the back:

[Women on Postcards - 2026]

Sending Happiness

Front and back of a letter sent by Laura (the UK).

Thursday Postcard Hunt | Jackalope

     A horned rabbit thought by some to have been hunted to extinction, the Jackalope still lives in the minds and memories of those fascinated by these creatures. The Jackalope has the body of a large rabbit but with antlers protruding from its head. The Jackalope myth came form the American West in the late-1700s and early 1800s. The creature appeared in stories told by trappers, cow-boys, and the first Euro-American settlers who came to the region.

     While there is little hard evidence to support the existence of most mythical creatures, there just might be some evidence of the Jackalope! Over the decades, there have been reports of large rabbits infested with "Shope papillomavirus," a virus that causes the rowth of hardenen, tumor-like skin, usually from the skull. Such a virus would create growths that, from a distance, could easily resemble horns. 

     There are also stories that the Jackalope is intelligent and that the creature likes to sing. According to cowboy folklore, Jackalopes have been known to join cowboys at night and sing along with their favourite campfire songs.

     Is the creature real? Or just an inside joke for Wyoming residents and visitors to Grand Teton National Park? We'll let you decide, but Wyoming does sells Jackalope Hunting Licenses!

Postcard sent from Britanny (the USA).

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Thursday Postcard Hunt
June theme: SHAPES

• Week 1 - Letters
• Week 2 - Curves
• Week 3 - Lines
• Week 4 - Irregular/Wavy

Everyone is welcome to share their postcards!

A Favourite Theme: Reading People

Lesen in den Ferien ('Reading during the holidays'), ca. 1900
Carl Larsson (1853-1919)

De pretenliefhebber (Dr. Aegidius Timmerman), 1898-1900
Jan Toorop (1858-1928)

Sent by Eve (Germany), Heleen (the Netherlands) and Bryon (the USA).

Do Not You Sometimes Feel Like Using Childish Stationery?

Letters sent to Laura (the UK), Bryon and Phillip (the USA).

Order & Structure

«I visit the post office once a month for stamps. I never buy seasonal stamps, only your classic star and stripes, because there is a certain structure, an ORDER, that needs to obeyed. If you keep the mechanism in order, the the contents of the correspondence, the material of the letters I mean, can go anywhere. Be anything. You can write to anyone. You can say anything you like.»

Virginia Evans, The Correspondent

(Thanks, Bryon!)

Sunday Stamps | S Is for Seasons

On January 24, 2021, in Barnesville, Georgia, the United States Postal Service issued the Barns stamps (Non-denominated priced at the Postcard rate) in 4 designs.

The stamps celebrate the beauty and history of American barns. The artist created digital paintings of four types of iconic barns found in the rural American landscape. With differing qualities of light and color, each piece reflects one of the four seasons:

• A round barn surrounded by the hazy light and warm colors of fall;
• A gambrel-roofed barn in summer;
• A forebay barn in an early spring countryside; and
• A Western barn on a winter’s night.

Ashley Walton designed the stamps with original artwork by Kim Johnson. Greg Breeding was the art director.

Information taken from here. This is my S post for A-Z Sunday Stamps.

Postbox Saturday | Rossell

The postbox of Rossell, next to a street mural that say: Planta't contra la violència (='Stand up against violence').

Lighthouses in Brittany

Heleen (the Netherlands) sent this postcard with a painting of the famous lighthouse or Ar-Men, and an adventure from 100 years ago:

Achille Beltrame (1871-1945). "The keeper of the lighthouse of Ar Men, on the French coast, had remained isolated from the mainland for 53 days due to bad weather conditions. He managed, thanks to a dangerous acrobatic journey, to return to land (1926).

The same lighthouse appears on the following postcard sent by Fabienne (France):

And some more lighthouses in Brittany, all sent by Fabienne as well:

Île Vierge

St-Georges-de-Didonne

La Vieille

Thursday Postcard Hunt | Typographies

Postcard sent by Fabienne (France).

Postcard arrived from Australia, no clue why the sender chose it, but I like the typography. I have no read this book.

Maxicard sent by Bryon (the USA), with different postmarks, showing the iconic Route 66. Just three days ago I wrote in a comment that I like these stamps, and yesterday this landed!

There are different postmarks on the stamps, front and back of the postcard:

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Thursday Postcard Hunt
June theme: SHAPES

• Week 1 - Letters
• Week 2 - Curves
• Week 3 - Lines
• Week 4 - Irregular/Wavy

Everyone is welcome to share their postcards!

Mail Labels from China

Receiving a Letter Then vs Now

From Itchy Feet, by Malachi Ray Rempen.

(Although this might not apply to the readers of this blog...).