States Project | The Cornhusker State

The Nebraska postcard for Bryon States Project bears a curious postmark on the back, which indicates the day it was received by the postmaster. Can you appreciate it on the picture? (Now I understand this one!)

Sunday Stamps | Four Lighthouses

The latest Lighthouses on stamps I have got for this week Sunday Stamps.

Lavezzi (Corse, France)

Friedischsort (Germany)

West Quoddy Head (Maine, USA)
American Shoal (Florida, USA)

Love Winter

Collage on an envelope sent by Laura (the UK).

Multiple Postcrossing Accounts

These postcards arrived from Hong Kong via Postcrossing, a year apart. The one above arrived on 2 February 2023, and the one below, on 3 January 2024.

A couple of weeks ago, when I was sorting through my postcards, I realised that they had been sent by the same person. How that could be? A mistake of the system? It is simpler: she or he holds more than one Postcrossing account.

I do not really understand what is the aim of having more than one account. And that is what Postcrossing says about having multiple accounts:

Postcrossing does not welcome multiple accounts per person. The project is designed with safety and fairness in mind and for that, certain limits have been applied to each account. By having more than one account, those restrictions no longer apply, creating several problems for other members and for Postcrossing as well. [...]

We occasionally tolerate that one person holds more than one account if within a reasonable amount, and only if we see strong evidence of proper usage. But, we still do not welcome such practices and we strongly discourage anyone from doing it. Postcrossing monitors the project for multiple accounts held by a single person, and we reserve the right to delete any such accounts without warning.

Thursday Postcard Hunt | Verulamium

Roman theatre in Verulamium, a town in Roman Britain. It was sited southwest of the modern city of St Albans in Hertfordshire, England.

Postcard sent by Laura (the UK).

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Thursday Postcard Hunt
January theme: COLOURS

• Week 1 - Blue
• Week 2 - Green
• Week 3 - Orange
• Week 4 - Pink
• Week 5 - Red

Everyone is welcome to share their postcards!

States Project | The Magnolia State

The design of the postcards and stamps of the States Project are older than three years. So, they do not include recent changes. For instance, the flag.

The current Mississippi flag, adopted on 11 January 2021 and it includes, effectively, a magnolia:

Reasons to Write

This is a calendar of official and unofficial observances created by LetterMo. You can download it from here as a pdf, if you want to.

Star of Light

Although the Christmas season finishes today, I think it is the right time to upload this postcard received by Heleen (the Netherlands) last year. It shows the Three Wise Men, pictured by Anton Pieck.

Letter sent by Alan (the UK).

Sunday Stamps | Arrastre de Latas

The Spanish postal company, Correos, usually issues two Christmas stamps: A-rate (for letters within Spain) and B-rate (for letters to most of European countries). One thing I like about the A-rate stamp is that Merry Christmas is written in the four official languages of Spain: Galician, Catalan, Basque and Spanish.  

 

This year, one of the stamps features a curious tradition in Algeciras (Spain): the Arrastre de Latas (='Can Dragging'), an event that originated in 1900. 

According to the popular legend, the tradition began in a time of economic hardship, when the Three Wise Men left no toys in the city and parents told their children that they had fallen asleep. Since then, children drag cans with the idea of ​​making a lot of noise and preventing the Three Wise Men from forgetting their city again.

Nowadays, tens of thousands of children and adults participate with creations made from recycled cans. Every year, the sculptures that line the streets are more impressive, and a competition is organized that rewards the most original and creative ones.

Go to Sunday Stamps to see more Illustrations!

New Year Resolution: Write Letters!

PB955 Typewriter
thepatternbook.co.uk

Card sent by Laura (the UK).

States Project | Land of 10,000 Lakes

Have you missed them? I have! But one month ago eight of Bryon's States Project postcards landed together.

There is always a lot to discover in these postcards. For instance, the Minneapolis Skyway System or the Honeycrisp Apple.

And, definitely, the mail monsters do not love those flag stamps!

Thursday Postcard Hunt | The Lighthouse of Piran

The lighthouse of Piran (in the tip of the peninsula) is a defensive tower that was part of the Venetian walls. It is called Bastione and was built in 1508. See more images here.

This postcard was sent by Ania (Slovenia).

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Thursday Postcard Hunt
January theme: COLOURS

• Week 1 - Blue
• Week 2 - Green
• Week 3 - Orange
• Week 4 - Pink
• Week 5 - Red

Everyone is welcome to share their postcards!

С Новым Годом / Happy New Year

Sent by Eduard (Russia) and Phillip (the USA).

Mail Adventures in 2024

Of the last few years, 2024 is not the year I have sent the most mail. 

Postal services are not working properly, at least in my area. Most people I write to are already aware of my complaints: In November, the number of days I received mail reached the terrifying figure of one day. (It had been two days in October, and three in September.) After that, 35 days without mail. It is not my penfriends' fault, of course. It is not even the postman's fault. But, you know, it is discouraging.

Besides that, the mail box I like to use (because it is on the way to work) is still out of service. I guess some of my letters and postcards got caught in the storm that caused the water leaks, and we lost them forever. Besides that, the Mail Monsters attacked a couple of letters, but luckily they survived.

The saddest of all things is that a pen friend passed away.

·.·.·.·.·oOo·.·.·.·.·

All in all, I was tempted to write that this has not been a good mail year. However, I realised that it has been, as far as this blog is concerned:

• In May, Mail Adventures reached the post number 4000 and its 13th Bloganniversary.
• I have published a whopping 345 posts this year. That is the highest number since this blog was born. Honestly, I do not expect to beat the record next year.
• I managed to participate all 52 weeks in Sunday Stamps. And the same for Thursday Postcard Hunt. That must be some kind of record, too. Anyway, it has been really fun, and I thank Violet for hosting both, and all the participants.

·.·.·.·.·oOo·.·.·.·.·

And, when I come to think of it, I realise that mail has had a BIG place in my life this year. For instance:

Sunday Stamps | Castillo de San Marcos

The last Sunday Stamps theme this year is A Favourite. That is almost impossible: the latest stamp mailed to me is always the favourite!

So, among many favourites, I have chosen this one, which is not so easy to get by mail due to its high value. 

It was issued on April 2021. According to the USPS site:

[...] celebrates the oldest masonry fortification in the United States, the Castillo de San Marcos, in St. Augustine, Florida. The stamp art features a digital illustration of the fortress based on a contemporary photograph. With a view toward the northeast corner of the fortress, the artwork captures it in the golden glow of sunrise over Matanzas Bay. Art director Greg Breeding designed the stamp with art created by Dan Cosgrove.