Bodie Island

The current Bodie Island Lighthouse stands 48 m tall, and is the third that has stood in this vicinity of Bodie Island on the Outer Banks in North Carolina and was built in 1872. It was renovated from 2009 to 2013, and was made climbable by the public. There are 219 steps that spiral to the top. It is one of only a dozen remaining tall, brick tower lighthouses in the United States — and one of the few with an original first-order Fresnel lens to cast its light.

I really like receiving different postcards of the same lighthouse, with photographs taken in different light. This way I can get a better idea of ​​the place.

Postcards send by Marina, Ilyse and Mim (the USA).

Thursday Postcard Hunt | Old Trains

I have not received any postcards with trains recently, so I am re-posting old ones...

Dampflokomotive Nr. 30 (1904)
(Germany)

Dampflokomotiven Nr. ZRS 422 0108
MÁV 22.034 und CSD 313 432 in Zvolen AM 11
(Hungary)

Nova Gorica Railway Station and Večnamenska locomotive (1944)
(Slovenia)

The Locomotve No. 23
(United States)

And remember...

Sent by Yvonne (Germany), Bertalan (Hungary), Jože (Slovenia), Catherine (the USA) and Laura (the UK).

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Thursday Postcard Hunt
August theme: TRAVELLING

• Week 1 - Trains
• Week 2 - Boats
• Week 3 - Animals
• Week 4 - Buses, Cars

Everyone is welcome to share their postcards!

USPS Postcrossing Stamps

On 26th May the USPS Postcrossing stamps were out in the world. Three weeks later I got this maxicard from Bryon (the USA), which bears not one but two stamps, along with the First Day Cancelation.

There are four different designs that make difficult to choose a favourite. You can read more about this issue, including an interview with Jackson Gibbs, the illustrator, on the Postcrossing blog.

I got another one on the back of a postcard:

Women on Postcards | P Is for The Princess and the Pea

Illustration from the fairy tale of Hans Christian Andersen The Princess and the Pea, by Anton Lomaev.

Mazes and Labyrinths are a favorite subject, but I think it's not easy to find postcards that show them. This postcard was sent by Nata (Russia) via Postcrossing.

[Women on Postcards - 2026]

Thursday Postcard Hunt | United States Capitol

United States Capitol. Postcard sent by Alisa (the USA).

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Thursday Postcard Hunt
July theme: ARCHITECTURE

• Week 1 - Churches
• Week 2 - Houses
• Week 3 - Palaces
• Week 4 - Stations
• Week 5 - Shelters

Everyone is welcome to share their postcards!

Do You Get a Lot of Postcards of Volcanoes?

Just asking because I received two in May:

Mount Fuji (Japan)

Volcanoes in Olot (Catalonia)

Postcards sent by Yuki (Japan) and Imma (PC).

Lighthouses on Postcards

Amrum lighthouse (Germany). Sent by Detlef.

Weskapelle (Germany), but sent from France by Fabienne.

Sheep's Head (Ireland). Sent by Dieter (Germany).

Scheveningen (Netherlands). Sent by Noëlle.

Kołobrzeg Lighthouse (Poland). Sent by Magdalene

Tokarevsky (Vladivostok, Russia). Sent by Alexei

Marblehead (Ohio, USA). Sent by Phillip.

Summer Mail - III | Rowing

Zamboanga Vintas

 The Amstel River with the Magere Brug (='Skinny Bridge')
Illustration by Dick Bruna

Sent by Allen (Philippines) and Heleen (the Netherlands). 

Summer Mail - I | Citrus

Citric mail sent by Fabienne (France):

And a colourful postcard received from Anna (Poland):

Sometimes I send something refreshing, too, like this letter to Laura (the UK):

Thursday Postcard Hunt | Columns

Old travel poster of one of my favourite cities. Sent by Jenny (Germany).

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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!

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).

The Whole Journey

Westerhevesand , built in 1908, must be the best-know lighthouses in northern Germany. This postcard was sent by David via Postcrossing. 

The sender was king enough to add a couple of stamps of lighthouses (and two more of the nice series World of Letters).

Usually, when I receive a postcard from Postcrossing, I upload the image to my wall. Sometimes I find that the sender had already uploaded it before sending it. I like the idea of ​​the sender of this postcard: it's like we can know about its previous life, and see the whole journey.

And the same with other Postcrossing postcards from the USA and Belarus:

Thursday Postcard Hunt | Dream Beaches

Copacabana Beach, Rio de Janeiro (Brasil)

Bellingham, Washington State (the USA)

Holiday Isle, Florida (USA)

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Thursday Postcard Hunt
May theme: PARKS AND GARDENS

• Week 1 - National Parks
• Week 2 - Public Gardens
• Week 3 - Beaches
• Week 4 - Forests

Everyone is welcome to share their postcards!

Thoughtful Choice

Sometimes I am surprised by postcrossers. Someone from Austria chose this 2008 stamp for me, commemorating Spain winning the UEFA European Football Championship that year. I am not into football, but I think it was very thoughtful from the sender.

Spanish stamps are not allowed to feature living people (except the royal family), so I find it curious to see Iker Casillas on a stamp.

Plus, the stamp is (almost) written in Spanish.

Fifteen Years

Can you believe this blog is 15 years old?