Donald Barthelme

Recently I won a lottery where I could choose a Classic Writers' card.
There were indeed plenty of writers to choose from which really put me in front of a tough decision, until while scrolling, I noticed this card had the name of Donald Barthelme, and I immediately knew this was going to be my lottery prize!

Frankly, I had no idea how he looked liked, so if it wasn't for the caption, I would have completely ignored this card.
An American short story writer and novelist known for his playful, postmodernist style of short fiction  (April 7, 1931 – July 23, 1989), that I first encountered while at university, when I had the chance to read his story The School. One of the best short-stories I have ever read! Unfortunately back then the internet didn't have as many things as today, so not that many stuff could be found online (though sparknotes existed, which made university life so easier :P) Anyways, as I said, not many things could be found online so I only managed to find just another story by him, called "The First Thing the Baby did wrong" - hilarious!
And somehow after that I just kinda forgot about him (yeah, shame on me), until I actually won this lottery, which made me google him back and forth, and of course, now way more stories have been published on the internet - making me realize what I have been missing all these years.
However, now I'm kinda saving money to order at least some of his books cos I'd really like to have them in my collection - will worry later about lack of space :)


If you would like to read both these stories, just click on the links below

The School
The First Thing the Baby did wrong

And totally unplanned, this post coincides with Donald's birthday, who would have turned 87 today... and also if my dearest grandmother was alive, today we would have been celebrating her 81st birthday! I really really miss her! ❤ ❤ ❤ ❤

Bolivia

Hello all and welcome to a new postcards' episode :)

I must admit I've been a bit lazy this past week, but hopefully I will get through today's update which will open with a card from Bolivia.

I received this one as part of some lottery, that from this perspective I remember nothing about (well it was like 6 years ago so no wonder).
From what I could understand, on the card you can see people removing coca leaves - yeah, coca not cocoa as I had misread.
Coca is any of the four cultivated plants in the family Erythroxylaceae, native to western South America. The plant is grown as a cash crop in Argentina, Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru, even in areas where its cultivation is unlawful and it is well known throughout the world for its psychoactive alkaloid, cocaine. The UN Office of Drug Control estimated that 30,900 hectares of coca were planted in Bolivia in 2009, making Bolivia the third largest producer of coca after Colombia and Peru.
It is estimated that 35,148 of 54,608 metric tons produced in Bolivia is sold in unauthorized markets dominated by the cocaine trade, most of it from coca production in the Chapare (a rural province in Central Bolivia).

I wonder now if this card is legal in the first place :D

I love these huge cancellations, even though they sometimes give me the trouble having to delete the address and all without actually ruining the cancellation itself. As for the stamp, it is from a set of four stamps issued in 2008 for the 30th Anniversary of the Japan International Cooperation Agency in Bolivia.

Thanks a lot to Marisol for this card and I am really sorry I do not remember the exact lottery occasion for it.

Yuri Gagarin, Russia

well, apart from the Italian maxi card, some Russian cards of course...well a bunch of them actually....though I still have this feeling that I must have overlooked some :)

if you are not such a Gagarin fan, maybe you love Russian stamps....and this post has plenty of beautiful ones to show...
But before I get down to that, just wanted to show a picture of Yuri's night here in Skopje (it is an event organized throughout the world), and this time it was organized by the Russian Embassy here which I thought would be something spectacular, but was utterly boring but at least I got to meet some of my astronomy buddies and other friends....and at least pose for the picture with Gagarin....thanks to Iskra for the picture :)

and after the introduction lets get down to the cards....where for some I have NO idea how I have obtained them....yeah, blank cards....and the very first one is of such kind....

Found it in the 2010 pile, and it says it was issued by the State Institution of culture of Moscow, "The Memorial Museum of Cosmonautics".....other than that, it says "Yuri Gagarin - the first cosmonaut of the planet fulfilled the age-old dream of the Mankind about flight to space. On April 12th, 1961 spacecraft 'Vostok' with Yuri Gagarin on the board, made one Earth orbit and successfully landed. The era of manned space flight has begun.

well, as I said, it is blank, so no stamps nor any idea who sent it to me....


Now, when it comes to the next one, I have two copies of it, one received for the WOTM in 2012 from Alexandra, and the other one as part of a swap from Ekaterina in...unfortunately I cannot read the cancellation...

but both are written and stamped, so a few words about the stamps now...

on the first one we have one of the Russian Kremlins' stamps from 2009 (the Moscow Kremlin) and the other one is from a set of 4 stamps issued in 2011, for the Olympic Games in Sochi, showing Krasnaya Polyana, the only ski-resort at the Black Coast.

on the other card we have another of the Russian Kremlins' stamps  (the Rostov one) and three more - there are two stamps from the set of 5 issued in 2005, commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of A.I.Mikoyan...and the one on the right, issued in 2008 in a set of 4 stamps showing the Decorative-Aplied Arts of Dagestan.



next we have another blank card from 2010...with a smiling Yuri! ♥

now this one is not a maxi-card, even though at first glance it may seem so...

the sender, Natalia, had designed it herself, and she says this was her first designer's experience with a retro photo....well done Natalia!! And thank you for sending it to me! :

and she used nice stamps too....two more of the Russian Kremlins (haha, maybe by the end of the post I will have them all :P) - here you can see the Zarask Kremlin and the Nizhny Novgorod Kremlin, and also a fantastic stamp issued in 2010, showing the Curonian spit...and if you actually touch it, you can feel the rough sandy-surface!


Next is probably one of the most iconic Gagarin pictures, where he is holding a dove...but in general there is a trend of famous people being photographed with doves, promoting peace and all...

blank card unfortunately...



another one with this super-charming Gagarin smile :D

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received this one as an official from Elena in 2014 (I also have a blank copy, so if anyone is interested, let me know).

and among the three stamps here, we also have a matching one with Gagarin!!! Issued in 2009, for the 75th anniversary since his birth...we also have one of the 2008 definitives, and one from one of my favourite Russian cartoons with Karlson - it comes from a set of 4 cartoons' stamps issued in 2012.


Ok, i think we are like half-way through, and next comes a card dear Maria sent me in 2010

It was indeed issued to commemorate April 12th, and the world's first spaceman!



Next is probably one of my favourite Gagarin cards where you can see him in the company of Gina Lollobrigida at the Second Moscow International Movie Festival in 1961

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Received it from Polina in 2011, when Russia still had 6-digit IDs :)

On the stamp you can see another one of the Kremlins - the Ryazan Kremlin.


A card I received in 2012 from Anna for the wishlist-tag...

The English translation on the back of the card says "Long Live the Son of the Communist Party"!
I don't know how come the translation has the word 'communist' in it...or maybe it is understandable it refers to the communist party...but I do somewhat disagree with such wilful addition/omission of words..

anyways, the card comes with a nice stamp issued in 2011, showing the Pechora-Ilych Nature Reserve.


this next card is from the same series as the one above...an official received last year, sent by Larisa and Anastasia...sisters I guess :)

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the English translation says, "We are creative and friendly and clever, we're making space to be peaceful forever"! 

which word means 'clever' in Russian here? 

one more Kremlin stamp :D it shows the Astrakhan Kremlin. There is also one from the 2008 defintivies and one Sochi stamp from the set of 15 issued in 2014, showing all the different disciplines.


The next-to-last....

...received from Irina for the (no-more-existing) Favourites RR.
I wonder what's going through Gagarin's pensive head here....

A gorgeous stamp with Orcinus Orca from the set of two whales' stamps issued in 2012....and another 2008 definitive.


And this last card for this post, and today came as a surprise from dear Katya in 2013

another pensive Gagarin-look....probably before take-off :)

Here you can again see the Moscow Kremlin and another beautiful stamp issued in 2013 in a set of 3 Contemporary Russian Art stamps.


Sorry Yuri for the delay in this post....but I hope it still counts :)

and wishing you all a nice weekend....yeah sorry, that would be all for today, but I just wanted to make one update dedicated to Gagarin...I will try to come back soon with a new regular kind of update...promise! :)

Pikakala, Finland

next we have a Finnish delicacy

this is called Pikakala and is considered as a typical fish dish that includes salmon medallions garnished with dill and served with mushroom stew and potatoes.

definitely looks delicious to me, plus it is a light meal, and probably easily prepared.

there is a recipe on the backside about a trout file...but it is in Finnish unfortunately, so I am not able to share it with you...

there are two stamps on the card....the left one is from a set of 4 of those oddly shaped imperforated stamps, this one representing water, while the other one was issued this year in a set of 5 'mailboxes' stamp. Really lovely!! This is a 2nd class stamp. Here, we have no such division of 1st and 2nd class stamps....

Dolphins, Portugal

Ill close the update today with this lovely lovely dolphin card...ive always loved these animals, but having the chance to see them live recently, they absolutely captured my heart for good!

I won this card in a lottery hosted by Joana and this lovely creature here is supposed to be swimming somewhere around the shores of Azores.
Have you ever swum with dolphins? I havent, but i think that it must be one of the most calming things one could do, when you just forget about all the stress and all the problems, and you just let yourself be charmed by one of the most intelligent and friendliest of animals....i wish i lived somewhere near the ocean, and everyday i could go and play with them, feed them, take care of them....but where i live, im stuck with my cats only :)

a city-transport stamp, issued in a set of 3 in 2008.

thank you Joana for the lovely card...and to everyone else who's guilty for making my mailbox happy :)

till soon...

Sea Cucumber, USA

A card I won in a lottery....along with a matching stamp...and a matching poster...and I never would have known there was something like a Sea Cucumber if I hadnt gotten this card....

Here is what the back of the card says:

"Sea cucumber" is a generic term that encompasses more than 1,000 species of marine invertebrates. The species depicted on this stamp is Enypniastes eximia. These creatures are most abundant on the ocean floor, where they feed on nutrient-rich sediment. A few species, including Enypniastes eximia, swim to higher depths after feeding, probably to avoid bottom-dwelling predators. Enypniastes eximia is transparent, and its coloration varies according to body size; small individuals are pale pink, while large adults are dark brown-red to crimson. This particular species is bioluminescent (?!!).  A predator that strikes Enypniastes eximia (if i write it a few more times, i will probably learn its spelling by heart) is quickly covered with a sticky, glowing skin that makes it vulnerable to its own predators.

Erm...does it even look like a cucumber? And how many sea 'vegetables' are there actually

Either way, very interesting.

Eyjafjallajökull, Iceland

After some silence, here I am again...stuck into some period of chaos and uncertainties...hence the fact i havent had the chance nor time to post here for a week...i cant tell how things are  gonna develop in the future, but for today ill post a bit more cards than usual...not coz i wanna catch/make up...but i just have really some nice cards to show.

First one comes from Iceland....a card I was more than lucky enough to win in a lottery! And it shows that (in)famous Eyjafjallajökull volcano, of which im pretty sure you have all heard about...I dont think there is a person who is mail-involved, that hadnt heard about this since your mail was rather delayed...if you had to travel somewhere during this time, there is a great chance you were stranded at some airport...and some business wouldnt have been business if out of this, people didnt think of a way to earn money....this volcano became so popular (even though the majority of people cant pronounce it properly) that it had to be put on postcards, and postcard collectors had to have it! Me as well...and it finally came as a great surprise!
Ha ha, this card is so lovely that it is hard to believe this volcano is capable of being guilty for so much troubles all over :)

there is even a matching stamp, issued this year, in a set of 3 stamps, showing volcanoes of course :)

Herceg Novi, Montenegro

Ok, this last card would be more like whining and complaining....

Well, I am just recalling my last year's holiday in Montenegro and how it was so fantastic...and this year I am going nowhere....and that make me feel devastated. In general, I have never had a problem if I need to spend the summer in Skopje, but this year for some reason, it is all so different...this year I am just craving to go somewhere, to get out of here, to have a rest from it all, to be in the sun, by the water....but unfortunately this year it cant happen...and it has never felt so unbearable....I cant really explain the reasons, but thats how it is...I wont even be too picky about where to go, as long as I am to go somewhere....

the stamp is from a set of 4 issued in 2006, representing the 2006 FIFA World Cup held in Germany.
Thanks to Rajko for sending me this card, which I actually won in his lottery :)

thats all for today folks...see  you again, sooner or later...

France

A GORGEOUS map card I won in a lottery!

I love it how colourful it is and it shows the division of France it its departments, while the mice you can see on the sides, are singing traditional children's songs.
Well my knowledge of French is sort of equal to zero, so unfortunately i cant help you with these songs..if it were English Children's songs on the other hand....oh well..then i would have probably been able to sing them for you...I got to learn quite a versatile repertoire of those throughout my years working as an English Teacher.

The stamp is from a set of 8 issued in 2009, representing Tourism.

Turkey

I got this card in a lottery i participated in....its been quite a while since i had won a lottery card (well, neither i had really taken part in many) so it was a nice surprise to win this one...what makes it special is coz it was a lottery for spreading happiness and good things around....i feel as if the card itself has some positive karma in it...

It gives the seven advice of the Mevlana....its both in Turkish and English. Mevlana is an Anatolian holy man who gave hope and inspiration to humanity. According to Mevlana, love is the only thing necessary to attain God. A plant or an animal may also love, but it is only man who has the capacity to love with his body, mind, thoughts and memory.

here are his seven advice:
- In generosity and helping others, be like a river
- In compassion and grace be like the sun
- In concealing others faults be like the night
- In anger and fury, be like the dead
- In modesty and humility, be like the Earth
- In tolerance be like sea
- Either exist as you are or be as you look

I know that these kind of thoughts always trigger my never-ending-analyzing mind, but if i do that now, its definitely gonna be an endless post :)

Moscow Metro Station, Russia

I got these 3 cards in a lottery...they show the interrior of the subway in Moscow....I cant say anything else except that the interior is way too beautiful...

The Subway in Moscow is the world's second most-heavily used rapid transit system. Opened in 1935, it is well known for the ornate design of many of its stations which contain outstanding examples of socialist realist art.

This is the vestibule of the metro station "Mayakovskaya", 1938
This station is on the Zamoskovretskaya Line and is considered to be one of the most beautiful in the system.It is one of the finest examples of pre-World War II Stalinist Architecture making it one of the most famous Metro stations in the world.

 

 This is the vestibule of the metro station "Novoslobodskaya", 1952. It is a station on the Koltesvaya line. Opened on 30 January, 1952 as part of the second stage of the line, it is one of the most famous stations on the system for its unique stained glass decoration.

I think that out of the three, I love this station the most :)

 

The last of the cards shows the vestibule of the station "Komsomolskaya-Koltsevaya" (in the circular line), 1952.
The Komsomolskaya station is the is the most famous of all those on the Koltesvaya line and of the whole system, and an icon of Moscow itself, partly due to it being located on Moscow's busiest transport hub Komsomolskaya square which serves three railway terminals. As such the station's connotation is of a gateway to Moscow and to the rest of Russia, and its theme is of the patriotic history and inspiring future of the nation. It was opened on 30 January, 1952, as part of the second stage of the Ring line.

In my PC i have an entire folder of pictures from the Moscow subway....all of them magnificent...its soooo great to have some postcards as well, and actually get to know the name of the stations on the pictures and read something more about them.

Miracle Called Friendship

Here I am, here I am!!
Well, due to working circumstances, again I havent been able to make an update for several days...not that I actually have zero minutes of free time...but when i have loads of tasks to finish and go to work and all, i just am not in the right frame of mind for uploading postcards...I find doing this as something I enjoy, not something thats a 'must' and has a deadline and all...coz thats more like forced update, not a wanted one and thats now how im doing this...this is something i utterly enjoy, so thats why i want to do it under the right circumstances...just that i havent had a nice decent weekend in a long while...not to mention that i was ill as well, so it was a really unpleasant weekend in general...i even got to the point of feeling depressed...but im ok now...both physically and emotionally...so i guess things are ok :)

This is the second of the two poetry cards I won in a lottery...this one is in English, so I guess its not needed to be doing any re-writes....and i wont go into analyses, thats for sure :)
There aint much to be said about it..everything is already said in the poem itself...
I dedicate this one to all my friends out there...and to everyone who considers themselves as a friend of mine...thank you for everything :)

Machu Picchu, Peru

And this is my new country!!! Number 81!!! We are moving forward, heehehhehehehee!!!

And i have this one thanks to Veronika who as well sent me that Valparaiso card, and as well two other Chilean cards, but you'll get to see them at some future update....I actually won this one in a lottery...and actually this is the first card i had won in a lottery, just that Veronika wasnt able to send them until recently...yup, i do know how it feels actually :)

Machu Picchu (or Old Mountain) is a pre Columbian Inca site, situated on a mountain ridge above the Urubamba Valley in Peru. Often referred to as the 'Lost City of the Incas' Machu Picchu probably is the most familiar symbol of the Inca Empire. It is also one of the New Seven Wonders of the World.

It was built around the year 1460, but abandoned as an official site for the Inca rulers a hundred years later, at the time of the Spanish Conquest of the Inca Empire. Although known locally, it was said to have been forgotten for centuries when the site was brought to worldwide attention in 1911 by Hiram Bingham, an American historian. Since then, Machu Picchu has become an important tourist attraction.

Machu Picchu was declared a Peruvian Historical Sanctuary in 1981 and a UNESCO whs, in 1983. Since it was not plundered by the Spanish when they conquered the Incas, it is especially important as a cultural site and it is considered a sacred place.

It was built in the classical Inca style, with polished dry-stone walls. Its primary buildings are the "Intihuatana", the "Temple of the Sun", and the "Room of the Three Windows". These are located in what is known by archaeologists as the "Sacred District" of Machu Picchu. 

Cape Cod, USA (02)

A lottery card.....again.....i still wonder if there really is something reciprocal between having luck in these kind of things, and the real life in general...ive already mentioned this somewhere, im not sure at which card exactly..

This is actually a great card....both lighthouses and a map implemented into one :D


Lighthouses of Cape Cod, Massachusetts

Until the Cape Cod Canal opened in 1914, every vesse sailing between Boston and points south had to weather the dangers of Cape Cod's dreaded sand bars that thrust out into the Atlantic Ocean.
In 1977, the US government constructed the first lighthouse on Cape Cod. These lonelt sentinels have since provided guidance to mariners.

Lake Ontario

A card I won in a lottery....



The back of the card says: Lake Ontario sunsets, often acclaimed as some of the world's most beautiful sunsets, are a source of great pride among area residents.

It is one of the five Great Lakes in North America. The lake is bounded on the north by the Canadian province of Ontario and on the south by Ontario's Niagara Peninsula and by New York state, US.
Since its somewhat shared, thats why i didnt label it with a country...even though to me it arrived from the US.

The lake's name is derived from ontarí:io, a Huron word meaning "great lake". The Canadian province of Ontario was later named after the lake.

Jij bent jij

Another lottery card....i got two poem cards, and here is one of them...with a poem in Dutch....


Since im no Dutch speaker, I asked Adriana to translate it for me, so i can have an idea what the poem is about, and i can as well, post it here for you...here it is

You are You
Are you different than someone else?
Yes of course, you are you,
you've been specially created
of another bit of clay

Just look in a mirror
to the piece of art you are:
your face, your body,
your character, your talents.

That's how God has woven you
you're allowed to stand in this world
to experience all sorts of things
and to go your own way

See, you are a miracle
just on her way and yet you're wise.
Just be you and stay special
go with God, have a good journey.

dont know about you, but i like it....

France

An amazing, breathtaking view of a lighthouse, thanks to Valerie!

It is called The Four Lighthouse.
It was first operating in 1874 and was put in automatic in 1992. The rock on which it was built, is a natural barrier for breaking the waves coming with the strong west winds. 
The Four lighthouse indicates the south-west entry of the English Channel. It is certainly one of the most approached lighthouse on the French littoral. His light, 30 metres above sea level, is covered most of the time.

Cape Cod, USA

A card I won in a lottery...it is a set of three cards...here is the first one today....
Funny thing...there is a saying (at least here) that the one who has luck in cards, doesnt have it in love....i end up winning lotteries a bit often....khm....

And a beautiful lighthouse for me...

Nobska Light, Woods Hole, Falmouth, Cape Cod, Massachusets

Operated by the coast guard, Nobska Light has a commanding position overlooking Falmouth and Woods Hole harbours. Unlike many other lighthouses, Nobska Light does not revolve, it blinks in a fixed range every five seconds............now thats a lot of blinking....

Sigmarigen, Germany

the last one for today is a card i got in a lottery....obviously im a castle-magnet when it comes to lotteries :P


This castle is called Schloss Sigmaringen, for which its town, Sigmaringen is renowned. It was the seat of the Vichy government-in-exile during the closing months of the WW II.
There is LOADS of history which i think goes into really unimportant details, so ill skip that part now :)

Its an interesting castle....and in general, i like them, so its nice to have actually been able to get this card :) Thanks!

Chambord, France

A lovely card that i won in a lottery! My first one!


I think this is another magnificent view!
Shows the castle of Chambord in France, which is one of the most recognizable châteaux** in the world because of its very distinct French Renaissance architecture, that blends traditional French medieval forms with classical Italian structures.

It was constructed by King Francois I, in part to be near to his mistress the Comtesse de Thoury, a member of a very important family of France, whose domaine the château de Muides was adjacent. Her arms figure in the carved decor of the château.

It is the largest castle in the Loire Valley.

**châteaux - plural of château, which is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor or a country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally - and still most frequently - in French speaking regions.