Corbière Lighthouse, Jersey

Believe it or not, the cards I shall post here today have been in my draft section since last July... I mean, maybe I could have waited until it reached the one year anniversary after all, as one of my greatest blogging 'achievements'...

How I ended up in that situation I'm not quite sure... but well, as you can see, haven't been the most regular blogger in the first place, so it shouldn't come as a surprise.

But lets cut the rant, now that these cards have finally deserved to see the light of the day... and for today the subject of postcards is Lighthouses! One of my all time favourite topics... and the favourite topic of many people out there :)

First is the Corbière Lighthouse from Jersey, which I ended up receiving twice... once as a swap with Martin and once as a surprise from Janek :)
It is located at the extreme south-western point of Jersey in St. Brélade. The name means "a place where crows gather" even though seagulls have long since displaced the crows from their coastal nesting sites.

The rocks and extreme tidal variation around this stretch of Jersey's coast have been treacherous for navigation and La Corbière has been the scene of many shipwrecks, including that of the mail packet "Express" on 20 September 1859.

As I said, I have received this card twice, and both came with lovely stamps.
The stamp above on the right is from a set of four Christmas stamps issued in 1999 (never would have guessed this was a Christmas stamp unless written on it). The one of the left is from a set of 6 transport stamps issued in 1998, with this one showing the Morris Bus.

Regarding the other two stamps - the one on the left is from a set of 8 Wild Flowers stamps issued in 2005, showing the lesser knapweed (Centaurea nigra). The other one is from 2007 from another set of Wild Flowers stamps, showing the Shrubby St. John's Wort (Hypericum androsaemum).

Kilaeua Lighthouse, USA

Next comes a card from Bryon.

The card shows the Kilaeua Lighthouse, on the northernmost point of the Hawaiian Island, built in 1913.
Interestign fun fact about it is that it can be seen briefly in Disney's animated film Lilo & Stitch, and it plays a more important role in the sequel, Stitch! The Movie. In the film, the lighthouse serves as a rendezvous point where the protagonists are to trade Jumba Jookiba's first 624 experiments (the 625th experiment was taken by Gantu earlier) with the antagonist Dr. Jacques von Hämsterviel for Jumba himself. The lighthouse in the franchise was said in the movie to have shut down years ago due to the financial troubles of keeping it running. Towards the end of the film, however, Experiment 221—an electrical experiment that Lilo names "Sparky"— is given the lighthouse as a new home, and he uses his power to make the beacon shine again.

Well, for those of you who have watched it, this may be interesting trivia... i still need to put this on my watching list :)

a number of lovely stamps on the back! Two are from the amazing last year's set of Bioluminescent Life of a total of 10 stamps. The stamp on the left features a firefly, while the one on the right a marine worm. These stamps do not glow in the dark, as some may wonder, but they are highly reflective under white light - something I yet need to test.
The remaining two stamps are quite older - the left one, issued in 1977 shows the Peace Bridge, an international bridge between Canada and the United States - and as the name suggests, it was named to commemorate 100 years of peace between the United States and Canada.
The last stamp is from 1968, simply titled Register and Vote - and I guess it is another self-explanatory stamp as well :)

Tahkuna Lighthouse, Estonia

Another lighthouse from Janek on today's menu.

This is the Tahkuna Lighthouse on the Tahkuna Cape, on the Hiiumaa Island. It was completed in 1875 and is the highest cast-iron tower in Estonia, whose height is 43 m. It has remained unchanged since its construction.

two beautiful lighthouse stamps on the back! The one on the left, showing the Vaindloo Lighthouse was issued in 1996, while the other one, issued in a set of two in 2005 shows the Norrby upper lighthouse (the other stamp in the set shows the Norrby Lower Lighthouse)

Cape Byron Lighthouse, Australia

So, one more card for today, this one from down under, sent by Heather.

This is the Cape Byron Lighthouse veiled in some early morning mist. It is an active lighthouse located at Cape Byron in New South Wales and is Australia's most powerful lighthouse, with a light intensity of 2,200,000 cd. Cape Byron is the easternmost point of the mainland of Australia.

And more lovely stamps with this card as well!! Two adorable WWF stamps from a set of 4 issued in 2011. This set is an Australian Territories Joint issue (so one of the stamps is from the AAT).
The other two stamps are actually issued by the Cocos Island. They are from a set of 20  Marine Life stamps issued in 2011. So beautiful!

So guys, enjoy the weekend ahead! And thank you fro dropping by :)

Korkyra Lighthouse, Croatia

It took me a while to figure out which lighthouse this is since the card bears absolutely no information - and after some extensive googling, seems like I have nailed it! I didn't dare bother Agi during the festival for such a trivial question :D

This is the Korkyra lighthouse (a very cool and for me, unusual name for something located in Croatia) built in 1871 on the island Vela Sestrica in south part of Pelješac channel.
As you can see, from the card, there are rooms as well which indeed you can rent, for around 460 euros per person per night, and in return you should get some peace and quiet - yeah, tranquility does come at a certain price unfortunately...

the stamp is from a set of 4 featuring castles in Croatia - this one shows the Mailáth castle in Donji Miholjac, considered one of the most well preserved castles in Croatia.

Kolka, Latvia

A surprise card from dear Liza, showing the Kolka Lighthouse in Latvia.

The Kolka lighthouse is on an artificial island which was created between 1872 and 1875. The original lighthouse was made of wood, and its light was first lit in June 1875. As the island settled into the sea, the current tower was built. It began operations on July 1, 1884. It has been automated since 1979.
It is said that the Cape of Kolka on the Baltic Sea is the most dangerous place for navigation, near the Latvian coast.

And this card comes with a lighthouse stamp too, showing the Akmenrags Lighthouse, issued in 2008.

Hvala ti puno Liza!!

Oregon Lighthouses, USA

There is something really appealing to the eye (at least mine, even though it is short-sighted), when you have a series of postcards on a theme that come from the same designer/publishing house.

And here we have 3 of the kind, showing three beautiful lighthouses that can be found in Oregon.

First is the Cape Arago Lighthouse, first lit in 1934, automated in 1966, and deactivated in 2006. Today, only the third light remains standing, all other buildings having since been demolished. The site is not open to the public, and the entire area is fenced off.
Well good it exists on a card at least...

Four cool stamps, 2 from the set of 4 Paintings issued in 2014 representing artists from the Hudson River School. The first one is by Thomas Moran, while the second one is by Asher B. Durand.
Then below we have the Mariner 10 on a stamp, from a set of two Space Stamps issued in 1975, while the last one is from 1971, featuring the American artist, John Sloan.

Next is Cape Meares, an inactive lighthouse on the coast of Oregon, built and first lit in 1890, while the U.S. Coast Guard permanently switched it off  on  June 25, 2014, as it was no longer considered necessary for safe navigation of the seacoast.

here we have the other two art stamps from the above mentioned issue (here we have the works from Frederic Edwin Church and Thomas Cole. Below we have the two superb stamps from 1971, celebrating a Decade of Achievements for the US in Space. And lets not forget that red stamp, that is from a set of 4 issued in 1945, featuring Franklin Roosevelt

I was about to say that this series could've been called the Inactive Lighthouses of Oregon, but this one proved me wrong, cos it seems to be still active nowadays, the Yaquina Head Lighthouse. Being 28m tall, it is the tallest lighthouse in Oregon.
Made in Paris in 1868 and shipped to Oregon, Yaquina Head Light was first lit August 20, 1873, and automated in 1966. It is active with an identifying light characteristic of two seconds on, two seconds off, two seconds on, and 14 seconds off.

Another oldish red stamp, issued in 1958, to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the birth of Noah Webster (the Father of American Scholarship and Education). Right above it is a very nice stamp from a set of three issued in 1973, presenting the Progress in Electronics. And then two newer ones, from 2014. Two hot rods, or to translate it into understandable English - old, classic American cars with large engines modified for linear speed :))))))))))))))

Johor Strait Lighthouse, Singapore

Last for today is this beautiful Singaporean lighthouse, which I realized I have twice in my collection.

The first one was sent by Valentina from the Postcrossing meeting in Singapore held in July that year. Out of ll the names, I could only recognize that Lee Hock Peng and sybones attended as well.
The other card arrived as an official last year.

There are only 6 operating lighthouses in Singapore today, and this is one of them. The Johor strait is an international strait between Singapore and mainland Malaysia. Unfortunately google didnt prove very useful regarding this one, except that the lighthouse is Located at the end of a jetty at the Raffles Marina in Tuas, just west of the Second Link Expressway bridge over the strait and that there is a white flash every 10 seconds, and that it has a 12 m round cylindrical concrete tower with lantern and gallery, painted white. The navigation light is mounted atop the lantern.

Very useful google, indeed..

The stamps from Valentina's card show two from the Vanishing Trades series - first is one from 2014, showing a cage maker, while the other one is from 2013, showing a lantern maker (such crafts and trades have been vanishing from Macedonia as well...)

The other stamp is from 2017 from a set of 6 stamps called 'Morning of Singapore'. Well mornings usually relate to rush hours and chaos - this one seems to be rather calm so I guess it relates to one during the weekends :)))

Thanks to Valentina and deezee for this card, and to everyone signing it at the PC meeting, and thanks to you for dropping by.
Till next time...

Suurupi Lighthouses, Estonia

I really great maxi-card from Estonia that has been neglected since 2011...don't know why...

Here you can see the two Suurupi lighthouses; the Suurpi rear lighthouse, which was completed in 1760 (the one on the left) and the Suurupi front lighthouse (the one on the right) which was built in 1859 and is the oldest and currently the only wooden lighthouse still functioning in Estonia. It acquired its final shape after several alterations in 1888.

Suurpi, btw, is a small village in Estonia :)

there are three stamps on the back...the two below the airmail sticker were issued in 2011 in a set of five from the Post Horn series. The other one is a definitive from 2007.

North Reef Lighthouse, Australia

A great maxi-card I received as an official this year, plus it is a lighthouse ♥

AU-471392

The maxi-card shows the North Reef Lighthouse in Queensland, which was first constructed in 1878.

Its construction is unique, having a hollow concrete base that both gives it resistance to the shifting nature of the sandbar and serves as a fresh water tank. As such, it is considered one of the major achievement in Australian lighthouse construction.
It is also notable in that due to the harsh conditions and remote location, only bachelors were allowed to serve as lighthouse keepers. (bachelors as in 'unmarried men' in this context). Does this mean that the conditions were that harsh that they thought these lighthouse keepers may not survive, and may not go back to their wives and children?!!

 At 24 metres  it is also the tallest of Queensland's timber framed iron clad lighthouses.

there are two stamps on the back which I find a bit confusing, since this is one of those postage prepaid cards, and as you can read it yourselves, it refers to delivery worldwide...so why would one need to use more postage then, I don't get it?
Anyways, till someone solves my mystery - the upper stamp was issued in 2008 in a set of four Tourist Precincts stamps and this one shows The Rocks in Sydney. The other stamp is from 2007 from a set of four Australian Wildflowers - here you can see the Green Spider-Flower.

Thanks to Margaret for this lovely lighthouse!

Genova, Italy

A card showing a beautiful lighthouse in Genova...and I think that I dont actually have many Italian cards with lighthouses in general...

This lighthouse is considered as one of the most famous ones in Italy and also the symbol and landmark of Genova. With its 76 meters it is considered to be the world's fifth tallest lighthouse, but if you consider it as a whole with the natural rock on which it stands, as it is commonly perceived and represented, its height 117 m.
Also, rebuilt in its current shape in 1543 replacing the former lighthouse, it is the world's third oldest lighthouse.

I didn't know till now (since google constantly underlined it) that the correct name in English is Genoa and not Genova as I had thought (and as it is stated on the card, since that's the correct Italian name, and as we also pronounce it here in Macedonia, with 'v').

a nice big stamp issued in 2012 in a set of two stamps showing Botanical Gardens (this one showing one in Catania).

Thanks a lot to Carla for the great card and stamp!

Cape Eluanbi, Taiwan

Two cards from Taiwan, which, if I figured out correctly, show the same lighthouse...I'm saying this, cos the second card doesn't bear a name of the lighthouse, but according to the structure and layout and all, it must be the same one :)

TW-1368092

The first one arrived as an official and is really cool cos that small square in the right up corner is actually a small window, which turned out to be showing the image perfectly when scanned! 

The Cape Eluanbi lies at the it is the southernmost point of mainland Taiwan and nowadays it is called "The Light of East Asia", because its intensity is the most powerful among Taiwan lighthouses.

Btw, I realized that this is some kind of series of Taiwanese postcards called "Love Taiwan" and that Glenn has received a fantastic one representing the Alishan Railway! 

the stamp on this one is from a set of four stamps showing lakes, issued in 2014.



The other lighthouse card arrived for the FB surprise group from Elva. Btw, I was somewhat convinced I had another card showing this lighthouse...but then again it might be I've seen it too frequently on postcrossing...but frankly, I really have NO idea and I feel like my mind is playing tricks on me =/

The lighthouse was built during the Qing Dynasty in 1888 and according to Wikipedia, is the only armed lighthouse in the world, with a trench surrounding it and many gun holes on the wall. The extra fortifications were required at the time it was built because of frequent raids by local aboriginal tribes

the stamps are definitives issued in 2013, representing different kind of berries - the one on the left (in two copies), shows us a Ribes formosanum, while the other one shows a Hylocereus undatus (or White-fleshed Pitahaya)

Vladivostok, Russia

ok, one more card for today...no, sorry...that would be, one more POST for today but three cards....


all three show the Tokarevskaya Koshka lighthouse in Vladivostok,. All three received last year...

this spectacular card was sent by Maria...I don't know if the colours are real, or it has been a bit photoshopped, but it is not like I really care, cos this final product is just pure perfection!

It is named for Capt. M.J. Tokarev, whose ship surveyed the area in 1862-63. In recent years the tower has been dwarfed by a huge modern tower that carries power lines across the Vladivostok harbor entrance. Located at the end of a mole at the entrance to Vladivostok harbor and at the extreme southwestern tip of the Egersheld Peninsula. Accessible in good weather by a hike of about 3 km (2 mi) from the end of the city's bus line. However, the access to the lighthouse is underwater at high tide.

and wouldn't you be squealing with excitement when you see that your lighthouse card comes with a matching lighthouse stamp??? I know I do  *blush*
It was issued in 2010, to commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the City of Vladivostok. Well they really picked the perfect subject for the commemoration.
The other two are the set of 2008 definitives

RU-1516111

this one is an official....the lighthouse at wintertime...in the background you can see the bridge to the Russkiy island.

and again a fantastic match, since Elena, the sender, also used the Vladivostok stamp..plus besides another definitive, she also used another lovely lighthouse stamp, from a set of 3 issued in 2005 - this one represents the Mudyugsky lighthouse

RU-1428019

another version of the lighthouse that arrived as an official...the lighthouse in its winter glory....yeah, there is some special mysterious charming feeling about lighthouses in winter, in the midst of frozens seas....

there is a 2008 definitive at the bottom...at the top, on the left side is a stamp issued in 2012, commemorating the 400th Anniversary of the Reunification of the Russian State, while the other one is from 2009, from a set of 4 stamps representing the Solovetskie Islands, and this stamp here shows the St.-Troitky church.

No objection, Russia has one of the most beautiful stamp issues!

Thanks for reading...hope you liked the posts today...sorry for the excessive rambling though :)

Pulteney Point Lighthouse, Canada

last card for today again comes from Glenn (well, we began the update with a card from him, so let's end it in the same manner =))

this amazing view comes from the Canadian Malcolm Island (Northern Vancouver Island), and if you take a better look, you will see the Pulteney Point Lighthouse.
Pulteney Point marks the separation of Broughton and Queen Charlotte Straits. The island and point were named in 1846 by Commander George T. Gorden of the HMS Comorant after Admiral Sir Pulteney Malcolm, a Scottish born British Naval Officer.
Kwakiutl legend tells that their ancestors watched the island rise up out of the water and that someday it would return to its watery grave. For this reason, while the Kwakiutl used the cedar from the island for masks and totem poles, they never inhabited it.
The Pulteney Point Lighthouse, a square, wooden building with a square lantern rising from the center of its roof, exhibited a light at a height of thirty-eight feet above high water. The fixed white seventh-order dioptric light was lit for the first time on September 12, 1905.

There is a really nice and interesting but rather long story behind this lighthouse, so if you want to read the rest of it, just click here

Glenn used some really awesome stamps! Just wondering...when did the Canadian post stop printing the year of issue on the stamp itself? Makes it harder to track them down, but I was lucky this time, cos it turns out they were issued in 2013 and that is the first year I checked :)
and they come from a mini sheet of four stamps, representing Canadian Recording Artists. So cool! Love them!!

Thanks so much again Glenn!

And thank you all for reading! Curious which is that other new country? Well stay tuned and keep following the posts here...and I promise I won't take too long to kill the suspension =)

wishing you all a nice week ahead!

Bodie Island Lighthouse, USA

ok, one more card for today, and hopefully I'll manage to write this post as well, cos blogger has been playing some tricks on me all night long...grrrrrrrr!!!

Robin sent me this lovely lighthouse for the new edition of the Choose a Country RR. It shows the Bodie Island Lighthouse in North Carolina, and as the back of the card says: During the Civil War, in 1861, Confederate troops slipped into the Bodie Island Lighthouse and blew it up. Rebuilt by 1872, the existing Bodie Island Lighthouse is part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. The old keeper's house is open as a visitor's centre and museum.

So if you are nearby, go for a visit =)

well-known stamp :)

so that would be all for today...see you next time :)

Morris Island Lighthouse, USA

Just like the last US card, here again we have a lighthouse, this time coming from South Carolina. Been a while since Ive posted a South Carolina card, so here is a good reason to show this one.

US-2124574

This beautiful card arrived as an official, showing the Morris Island Lighthouse, and as the back of the card says, the original Charleston Light, which is the sixth oldest station in the United States. With the original lighthouse of 1767 destroyed by the Confederate Army in 1861 to take a reference away from Union ships, the Morris Island Lighthouse was rebuilt in 1872. Standing 161 feet tall, when lighted it could have been seen 19 miles out to sea.

well, if you've been receiving mail from the US lately, probably you've seen this stamp...it seems to be used rather often...it is one of the latest Forever stamps, showing our beautiful planet Earth.

Guia Lighthouse, Macau

next comes a beautiful card from Macau. Funny that I have received a number of Macau cards lately but even funnier is that most of them have been sent from China, which is really disappointing...even more that you cant really complain coz people get so thrilled to send you a Macau card, but are just not aware of my teeth-cringe when i see the card-stamp discrepancy...luckily, this one does not fall into that category :)

And this is my first ever Macau lighthouse...I must admit I had no idea Macau had lighthouses actually until I received this card.
As the back of the card says: Built in 1864 which is high above atop the Guia hill. It is the first modern lighthouse on the Chinese coast. The geographical coordinates of the Lighthouse also mark Macau's geographical location on the World's atlas.
It is a part of the Guia fortress, a historical military fort, chapel and lighthouse complex, which is also a UNESCO whs as a part of the Historic Centre of Macau.

both stamps were issued in 2010. The left stamp is from a set of 5 stamps showing antique telephones in Macau (just beautiful!!!), while the other one is also from a set of 5 stamps, commemorating the 10th anniversary of the Macau food festival. This one in particular, shows us the Xiao Long Bao, which is a type of steamed bun or baozi from the Jiangnan region of China, especially Shanghai and Wuxi and is traditionally steamed in small bamboo baskets.

New London Ledge Lighthouse, USA

And one more lighthouse for today, this one coming from Connecticut, USA.

the back of the card says: Located at the mouth of the Thames River in New London, CT., this lighthouse was built in 1909. Ledge light was automated in 1986 and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. A local legend has this light haunted by "Ernie", a jilted husband.
It is funny that this lighthouse has been under a lot of investigations for paranormal activities that have been reported, but unfortunately, not enough evidence has been gathered.
Btw, this seems more like a house to live in than a lighthouse. It is really cute.

the two stamps at the top are a part of the Earthscapes series issued in 2012, while the one a bit down is from a set of 4 architecture stamps issued in 1979, with this one showing us the Baltimore Cathedral, designed by Benjamin Latrobe.

So, that would be all for today....till next time.

Lighthouses of Michigan, USA

Here is a great card showing just 6 out of the 100+ Michigan lighthouses (if we are to trust the back of the card :))

card sent by Bryon...and when I read his cards, I have a feeling that he is more in the 'air' than on the 'ground' :)))))
I have no idea which Michigan lighthouses are shown here...I tried making comparison with some Michigan lighthouses I have...but no success...though this means that it is a real challenge to actually collect all the Michigan lighthouses :) Who knows if all of them are even on a postcard?

I LOVE that photography stamp! It is just soo cool! It is a 15c stamp issued back in 1978.
As for the other two..they are a part of the fantastic Earthscapes series....more of which you can read about at the post on my stamps-blog (yeah, that was a brag for those who havent seen it :))
Which reminds me now I need to think of a post for the Sunday Stamps entry....uhmm, what to choose, what to choose...ill try not to go with a train :)

thank you thank you Bryon!