Fountain of Youth, USA

Ok, one more card for today. I don't wanna push myself too far after all this idling :)))

The card shows the Statue of Juan Ponce de Leon, discoverer of Florida and its first Spanish governor from 1513 to 1521, was dedicated on April 3, 1950, the 437th anniversary of his landing in 1513.
Quite a strange number for an anniversary...
As for the effects of the water drank, I cannot vouch, sorry :)

two stamps from that beautiful sheet of stamps featuring the Southern Florida Wetland, issued in 2006.
Another small birdy on the left, from a set of two issued in 1988, showing the grosbeak (the other one shows an owl), and a flag stamp from 1976, featuring the state of Florida (quite convenient, both this one and the Wetlands stamps, related to the card :))


Thanks to Bryon for this card, who is one of the few that regardless of my absence from the blog, feeds my mailbox quite regularly :)

Yeah, that would be all folks for now... might squeeze in another update before the end of the year, or maybe not...one can never predict what turn life will take...

Stay well!

Fort Lauderdale, USA

Glenn has been on one of his cruises lately, and as always, never fails to send me a card from wherever he is, regularly feeding my hungry mailbox.

This card is from Ft. Lauderdale, which if I got it right, was the embarking point, but seems it has arrived like, the last...  cos just the other day i received one from the Bahamas, saying it was the last stop - but then taking a look at the cancellations something doesnt make sense so I'm a bit confused,  but alas, what matters is that they have arrived :)

Ft. Lauderdale always associates me to my best friend from primary school who moved there back then. To the rest of the world it is this popular tourist destination with plenty of sunshine, lovely beaches at the Atlantic Ocean shores.
It is named after a series of forts built by the United States during the Second Seminole War. The forts took their name from Major William Lauderdale (1782–1838), younger brother of Lieutenant Colonel James Lauderdale. William Lauderdale was the commander of the detachment of soldiers who built the first fort. However, development of the city did not begin until 50 years after the forts were abandoned at the end of the conflict.
Three forts named "Fort Lauderdale" were constructed: the first was at the fork of the New River, the second was at Tarpon Bend on the New River between the present-day Colee Hammock and Rio Vista neighborhoods, and the third was near the site of the Bahia Mar Marina.

being disproportionate in size, the cancellations kinda overshadow the stamps and this is the thing that kinda got me confused - when I checked Glenn's blog, it said that he was already back from his cruise at the end of November, but the cancellation here says 04 December, so who knows what has happened.
The stamps are from a series of four Forever stamps issued in 2016, called, Sonbirds in the Snow. Featured on these three are, from left to right: the golden-crowned kinglet (or Regulus satrapa), the cedar waxwing (or Bombycilla cedrorum), and the red-breasted nuthatch (or Sitta canadensis).

Thanks a lot lot Glenn for this, and all the other surprises sent my way!!

Florida Keys, USA

A great card from Florida that Jean-Pierre sent me from his travels in 2011.

On the card you can see the Seven Mile Bridge coming south from Marathon to Key West and was one of the longest bridges at the time it was built. (1982).
It is located in the Florida Keys, a coral cay archipelago located off the southern coast of Florida, forming the southernmost portion of the continental United States.

Whenever I look at this card, it looks like a bunch of light-bulbs had been lined up, lurking from the water.

Three nice stamps here - the George Washington one from 2010, next to whom is Mother Theresa, issued in 2010, commemorating the 100th Anniversary of her Birth, while the third stamp is from 2011, simply titled Jazz.

Thank you very much Jean Pierre!!

Fort Lauderdale Beach, USA

a beautiful surprise from dear Jean-Pierre. Well, he always sends beautiful surprises...and you never know which part of the globe is gonna hit your mailbox :)

this is probably the most popular beach in Florida...at least for me...maybe coz Ive been hearing about it for ages...and in the lack of other info about Florida beaches, this one has remained engraved in my mind eternally.
Did you know that they call this place 'the Venice of America' coz of its expansive and intricate canal system? Ok, I doubt it has the charm of Venice...it is just too modern.
The city was named after a series of forts built by the United States during the Second Seminole War. The forts took their name from Major William Lauderdale, who was the commander of the detachment of soldiers who built the first fort.
(n.b - the Second Seminole War is also known as the Florida War, which occurred from 1835 to 1842 in Florida between various groups of Native Americans collectively known as Seminoles and the United States. It was a part of a series of conflicts called the Seminole Wars. The Second Seminole War, often referred to as the Seminole War, was the most expensive Indian War fought by the United States.

the stamps come from this beautiful Hawaiian Forests' mini-sheet, issued in 2010.

Sanibel - Captiva, USA

and another fantastic surprise from JP....this time from Florida

Sanibel is located on the Gulf coast of Florida and with Captiva they formed as one island over 6,000 years ago.
It is said to be a shell-collectors' paradise. One of the reasons for the accumulations of shells is the fact that Sanibel is a barrier island which has an "east-west orientation when most islands are north-south. Hence, the island is gifted with great sandy beaches and an abundance of shells. It is also due to the fact that Sanibel is "part of a large plateau that extends out into the Gulf of Mexico for miles. It is this plateau that acts like a shelf for seashells to gather.
To be honest, im quite lost with the explanations....but well, hopefully, you know what it wants to say.

3 lovely stamps on the card....2 from the 'adopt a shelter pet' issue from 2010 and one from the "Sunday Funnies" issue of 5.

Thanks a lot JP!! For everything!!

Florida, USA

And another great official card for today!

US-889780

This card arrived from Florida, showing a lighthouse in St. Augustine. Such a perfect choice for me!
St. Augustine is the oldest city in the US, and was founded by the Spanish in 1565. It also has the oldest fortress in USA, Castillo de San Marcos and this lighthouse is the oldest one in USA as well!
Erm, suddenly I dont know if I should feel old or young after so many repetitions of the word 'oldest' :P

and a bunch of great stamps! there are three copies of the Tiffany lamp issued in 2008...then two copies of the Navajo Jewelry stamp, issued in 2007...the 3c one is a definitive from 2002...and then at the top, you have two stamps from the great Sunday Funnies issue, from 2010. One is the Archie stamp, showing Archie sharing a chocolate shake with brunette Veronica Lodge on his right and blonde Betty Cooper on his left, while the other stamp shows Beetle Bailey, with Beetle smiling calmly while Sarge loses his cool.

Thanks a lot to Maria for the great card, lovely stamps and great info on the back of the card!

Key Lime Pie

In case you didnt know....recipe cards have taken a firm place on my wish list...this one in particular...is mouthwatering...i got it thanks to dear Katie :)

I may not be addicted to chocolate/cakes and such....but i actually cant resist a piece like this...to be honest, i am capable to finish this whole cake by myself...and later, of course wonder how come my jeans dont fit me anymore....
I just LOOOOVE such creamy/crunchy stuff....the ones that just melt into your mouth...Katie says that this one has a sweet and sour taste at the same time...oh my...sounds just sooo perfect to me! I would attempt to make one like this at home, but i doubt the outcome would be anything close to whats on the picture....but thats just an excuse more not to show it in public and eat it by myself :)))) yeah, im selfish and mean sometimes :D
This cake is actually Florida's state pie....soo, in US, each state has its flag, song, bird, motto...and a pie...and im sure im missing something as well.....in order to spare you the zooming, ill write down the recipe here as well:

4 eggs
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup lime juice (Key Limes if possible) - im not sure if we have this here at all
6 tbsp. of sugar
1/2 tsp cream of tartar

Preheat oven to 325 degrees, beat 4 egg yolks, add condensed milk and lime juice, beat until thick, pour into baked pie shell.
For topping, beat 4 egg whites, blend in sugar and cream of tartar, beat until stiff and forms peaks, bake in moderate oven until egg whites are golden brown.

mmhmm mhhmm mhhmm....all i have at home is something thats supposed to be sacher cake...if you are asking me, its not even close to what a real sacher cake should be like...but thats how the bakery  called it...i should assume they got the recipe wrong :)

btw...today is my grandmother's birthday...and i would love to dedicate this post to her...and this cake to commemorate her birthday. At this very moment thats the least i could do...when i go to see her, ill do more...she deserves it more than a lot....i love my grandmother more than anything in the world...its just a pity i cant and dont see her more often...Happy Birthday dearest Grandma!!!!!!

Florida, USA

What a lovely card!!
Feels especially great now that winter is approaching, to look at images like this...though i cant complain much coz right now the weather is actually nice and sunny and warm.....I wonder what the hell im doing in front of the PC then...

The card is called "A Shell Collector's Paradise"....well, ive never been thinking about shells in this manner so its funny to get to know their respective names....ok, the starfish, and the sponge or the coral...thats obvious....but i never knew shells like 'Sand dollars', 'Paper fig', 'Cats Eye' etc existed....
well, i just love this card...its really cool :)

Universal Studios, USA

The Famous Universal Studios...the card looks rather glamorous.

well...my initial relation to Universal Studious is the film industry...well...the card is actually related to the Universal Studios Florida...which itself is an amusement park located in Orlando, Florida whose theme is the entertainment industry, in particular movies and television. Universal Studios Florida inspires its guests to "ride the movies," and it features numerous attractions and live shows.
It has also been used for several movies, television series, commercials, music videos, and other events.

Universal Studios Florida is separated into seven different areas—Production Central, Hollywood, New York, San Francisco/Amity, World Expo, Woody Woodpecker's Kidzone and The Lagoon.

I wouldnt write about each of the areas coz it would be an endless amount of writing...but each of them offers a lot of versatile activities, characters, places to dine, to shop, attractions.....

what can I say, definitely worth visiting...

Florida, USA

Florida, USA

Florida, USA