Illuminated Summer Letters

Letters sent by Rosemary (Canada), Pina (Belgium) and Laura (the UK).

Sunday Stamps | Wintertime

I got this envelope from John (the UK) last week: a bit of snow to make me dream in the middle of a heatwave!

This week, Sunday Stamps' topic is Snow/winter scenes to cool us all down.

Crossing the Ocean... Thrice

One of the letters I published yesterday as part of the Beer Appreciation Day post, was sent on 15 August 2021. 

On 3 December 2021 I found it in my mailbox, with the dreaded label:

Return to sender

Not deliverable as addressed

Unable to forward

The address was correctly written, but maybe too much decoration confused the postal machines. 

I resent it few days later, inside a new envelope. It arrived in twenty days.

Beer Appreciation Day

On the first Friday of August, the Beer Appreciation Day is celebrated around the world. Last year, I made envelopes using beer labels & packaging with lovely designs. Here you can be some of them, sent to the USA and the UK:

"Everyone must believe in something.
I believe I'll have another drink, excuse me..."

Do You Get Often Post From Mars?

Barchan Sand Dunes
This 2016 Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter image provides a view of barchan sand dunes, which is the term for any crescent-shaped dune. The shape of the dunes pictures here suggest two intersecting wind currents blowing from different directions.

Sent by Bryon (the UN).

Sunday Stamps | Cities & Towns

Villages and towns from different countries for today's theme in Sunday Stamps: Urban Scenes.

Canada

From the series Streets of Canada

French River (Prince Edward Island)

France

Rochefort-en-Terre (Morbihan)

Cassel (Nord)

France / Belgium

Dinan (Côtes-d'Armor, France) / Dinant (Belgium)

Spain

Capileira (Granada)

Ciudad Rodrigo (Salamanca)

Switzerland

St. Ursanne (Jura)

Every Incoming Postcard Seems a Perfect Travel Destination... (I)

Madurodam Park, Netherlands

Walla Walla, Washington, USA

Dartmoor, Devon, England, the UK

North Wales, the UK

Bratislava, Slovakia

Postcards sent by Heleen (the Netherlands), Bryon (the USA), Alan (the UK), John (the UK) and Bruno (PC).

Swiss Cows

I don't get mail from Switzerland very often. This hand-decorated envelope was sent by Heleen. It included, among other surprises, a view of old Zurich:

... and, of course, Swiss cows!

Totes les cartes són romàntiques

«—T'he escrit una carta.

—Com?

—Aquesta tarda, després de tornar d'Ovcara. Te la passaré. Potser t'ajudarà a dormir.

—M'has escrit una carta?

—Oh, no et facis il·lusions. Forma part d'un petit treball que estic preparant, però he pensat que t'agradaria llegir-la.

—D'acord.

—No t'espantis, no és una carta romàntica.

—Totes les cartes són romàntiques, Stefan. Sembla mentida que et pensis el contrari.»

Natàlia Romaní, La història de la nostàlgia

Sunday Stamps | Queen's Birthday

I got this letter last week from Alan (the UK). This sheet was issued by Royal Mail on 4 August 2000, and commemorates  Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother's 100th Birthday.

Today's theme in Sunday Stamps is Heads of State. On the sheet you can see Queen Elizabeth the Queen Mother, Queen Elizabeth II (head of a couple of states...) and heads-of-state-to-be Prince Charles and Prince William. 

The not-so-new and controversial Machine code stamps included on the envelope feature also a head of state(s):

No Paper in Heaven

«"I el pare?", em vaig atrevir a preguntar tres mesos més tard. "Quan tornarà, el pare?" La Gertrude s'estava a la butaca a prop de la llar de foc amb una copeta de xerès a la mà. Em va mirar fixament i sense canviar de postura em va respondre: "No ho farà, petita. El pare no tornarà". "Per què?" "Perquè s'ha mort." "Què vol dir que s'ha mort?" "Que ha deixat de viure." "I ara on viu?" "Al cel." "I quan m'enviarà una carta?" "Al cel no hi ha paper." "Vaja... doncs... si no hi ha paper..."»


Natàlia Romaní, La història de la nostàlgia

Past Summer

 

Postcard sent by Julia (the UK) throught the Postcrossing site.

Selfless

I got this postcard from Belarus through the Postcrossing site, but I have not idea what it means. There is no clue on the back. бескорыстный means 'selfless'. 

A Whole Country on a Postcard!

Canada

Poland

Taiwan

Postcards sent by Bryon (Canada) and Łukasz (Poland) and Sara (Taiwan). 

By the way, the Taiwanese postcard was posted on 20 February 2021 and arrived on 29 June 2022. That I call slow mail! 

Can you appreciate the postmark on the stamp?

Sunday Stamps | George Morrison

Sun And River (1949)

Phenomena Against the Crimson:
Lake Superior Landscape (1985)

George Morrison (1919 –  2000) was an Ojibwe landscape painter and sculptor from Minnesota. These colourful stamps featuring his works were issued by USPS on 22 April 2022.

Spirit Path, New Day, Red Rock Variation: 
Lake Superior Landscape (1990)

Lake Superior Landscape (1981)

To see more 2022 stamps, go to Sunday Stamps!