Guadalajara. Mexico

Well, it seems like it is about time to say a few words here... yeah, been some silent few weeks, and as you have all experienced it in life, time just flies so fast, you know, the same old excuse of always :D
Well, we'll start this week (even though it may be like the only post for the week), with another fairy-dedicated post, and this time the random.org went for this Seattle guy that by now you are all fairly familiar with.... yep, it is Mr. Bryon!

It was more than a difficult task to decide what to choose from his pile of cards, so I guess I'll have to do more fairy posts in the future (as If I was so diligent about regular posts in the first place).

But anyways, lets get started and see a small part of Bryon's missiles on my mailbox ;-)

And first is up a card from Mexico's Guadalajara, where in the front you can see the Cabañas Cultural Institute with its copper dome, where its main attraction are the murals by José Clemente Orozco, which cover the main entrance hall.
Then there is the large Plaza Tapatia, covering 70,000 m2 and it says that this plaza ends at the Degollado Theatre, inaugurated in September 1866. The big question here is, find the theatre in the picture if you can :))

Speaking of Guadalajara, besides being named the American Capital of Culture for 2005 and hosting the 2011 Pan American Games, it is also the birthplace of Guillermo del Toro. If you still haven't seen his last masterpiece The Shape of Water, then I wholeheartedly recommend you to do so. Beautiful and heartwarming piece of art, with stunning performances, esp, the one by Sally Hawkins.

the stamp was issued in 2016, for the Closing of the International Year of the Light.

M.C.Escher

In general, I am used to receiving Escher cards mainly from the Netherlands, but who said they couldn't arrive from the USA too :))

The first card shows Escher's litograph work called "Cycle" dating from 1938. I wonder if the little guy on the card is excitedly running down the stairs to check his mailbox (as Bryon pointed it out :D). I for sure look like this when I actually notice the postman through the window, and hear the sound of him dropping something in the mailbox :))) 

The first card arrived with this fabulous 1983 set of balloons, where on the left side the Intrepid (1861) is shown, a hydrogen gas balloon or aerostat built for use by the Union Army Balloon Corps for aerial reconnaissance purposes during the American Civil War. 

It was one of seven balloons constructed for the Balloon Corps and was one of the four larger balloons designed to make ascensions to higher elevations with a larger lift capacity for telegraph equipment and an operator. It was the balloon of choice for Chief Aeronaut Thaddeus Lowe overlooking the Battle of Fair Oaks. 

On the right side you can see the Explorer II, a manned U.S. high-altitude balloon that was launched on November 11, 1935 and reached a record altitude of 22,066 m. The helium balloon carried a two-man crew consisting of U. S. Army Air Corps Captains Albert W. Stevens and Orvil A. Anderson inside a sealed, spherical cabin.

The two stamps in the middle show regular hot air balloons. Still haven't flown with one, but been wanting to do so if I ever go to Cappadocia, and of course, if my budget allows it at that moment, which I highly doubt, since it revolves around 160 euros... per person, not per balloon :D

There are two other small stamps on the card - the 1c Bobcat from 2012, while the other one is from 1991, showing Cole Porter.

As you could notice, none of these stamps have been cancelled, which is actually way better than what happened with the stamps on the card below...

This is another one of Escher's litographs, titled "Drawing Hands", and was first printed in 1948. It depicts a sheet of paper out of which, from wrists that remain flat on the page, two hands rise, facing each other and in the paradoxical act of drawing one another into existence.

and if you were wondering what was wrong with the stamps, here you go... a pen line all the way from left to right. These kind of people should seriously be banned from post offices or coming nearby ones. This is one of the worst crimes in the résumé of a postal worker, that should be marked in both red and bold. Who had the heart to destroy such a lovely issue of four Coral Reefs stamps issued in 1980. Featured are: the Chalice Coral from American Samoa, the Finger Coral from Hawaii, the Brain Coral from the US Virgin Islands, and the Elkhorn Coral from Florida.
Again we have two smaller stamps. First is the Flag over the Supreme Court issued in 1981, and next to it is a bird stamp from a set of 3 issued in 1991.

Fort Steele Historic Town, Canada

To the stamp lovers, with a faint heart, after the previous post, you may want to close your eyes on this one too..if you are a Star Trek fan on top of it all, then just proceed at your own risk... don't say you haven't been warned :))

A fantastic card from one of Bryon's trips to Canada, showing a vintage train in Fort Steele, which is located in the South Kootenays, about 20 km NE of Cranbrook B.C. This train was built in 1923 in Canada and used in logging on Vancouver Island until 1960. To make this train functional again, the water boiler was rebuilt in 1975 by retiree H. Hawkins. The train is dedicated to all the craftsmen who designed, built and maintained "iron steam horse" locomotives.

and here we are at the scene of the crime. Do you see the felony here? Monstrous! Let the people decide what kind of punishment this kind of uglification deserves. I bet Canada post made an effort to issue this so that it can end up being crossed out with black pens.
Issued in 2016 to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of Star Trek - this is one of the several sheets, portraying the U.S.S. Enterprise NCC-1701 & Klingon Battle Cruiser

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 :))))))))))))))

Finding Nemo

And I decided to throw in one more card for today.

As many of you know, in 2012 the USPS issued a set of a Pixar stamps, with the motto, Mail a Smile. And besides the stamps, they also issued matching postcards. Bryon of course, sent those to me, and here I choose my favourite cartoon from that series, and one of my all time favourite cartoons as well, Finding Nemo.

I'm pretty sure there is no need for any special introduction or explanation who Nemo is.

However, my favourite character ain't Nemo but actually Dory, and probably it has been the favourite character of many, since in 2016 they released the Finding Dory cartoon. Super cute as well.

Anyways, from the Finding Nemo one, I have many favourite scenes and surprisingly enough, they all have Dory in it. So here is just one of them :))

A matching stamp of course, and also a stamp from 1982, featuring the Barrymores

Well Bryon, what else could I say except a millions of thank yous for all these beautiful things and the many many more that are still to be featured. It's really been a pleasure!!!

And to the rest of you, thanks for dropping by and...see you next time :)

Vienna, Austria

Seems that winter days are back =/ Not that we had had any actual winter, but after some days of beautiful sunshine and nice temperatures, it is all gray and dark and rainy and cold again...blah :((
So being that I don't have that many obligations today and the weather is kinda begging you to stay indoors (not difficult to convince me at all), here comes another update, and today it is all dedicated to Postcrossing meeting cards :)
I have received a lot of these over the years, I have already posted some before, some are still left to see the light of the blog, but for today I have randomly chosen the following, most of which arrived during last year.

Will open this with one of the many cards I have received from Anita and from the meetings that have been taking place in Austria. And most of the time they have some specially designed cards for the event, like the one you can see here, where the Postcrossing meeting was merged with a book fair in Vienna - now how perfect is that? Books and postcards! And I'm pretty sure there were cakes somewhere in the story as well :)

I have never really asked who is the designer behind these cards, but now that I think about it, it might be Anita itself actually :) And I am really happy that I had the chance to meet her recently during my one day trip to Graz where from what I thought would be a cup of coffee, turned out into a lovely day well-spent! She really made sure we feel welcome and cosy in Graz!

On the back of course you can see the signatures, where I recognize like just half of the usernames. However, I am delighted with the stamp! Falco! Can't believe it it's been 20 years since he had died (speaking of deaths, today I learned that Stalone has moved into a different world as well...actually seems like a lot of famous people have already said goodbye to this world already this year and one that truly saddened me was when I heard last week that Jóhann Jóhannsson died too =/)

The Falco stamp was issued last year, commemorating 60 years since his birth. And besides the great stamp, the cancellation is also very interesting, though I am not exactly sure if it is supposed to represent something special or no - I see the name of Lustenau given, along with its postcode.

Thanks a lot lot to Anita for this one and all the other lovely cards she has surprised my mailbox with.  ❤

Kinsey's Locomotives, USA

Next is a meeting card from over the pond! And I just realized that the majority of meeting cards I receive are from Europe, and rarely something coming from a different continent. I guess I just don't know the right people :D

But I surely know the right person for this one :P It is from the meeting in Seattle that took place last July the 30th and the guilty one why I have this card is of course Bryon :) And he made sure to enrich my train cards' collection as well :)
The card shows the Heisler locomotive (rebuilt and regauged by Heisler Locomotive Works) in Redmond, Washington in 1922.

Now I do not really recognize the majority of the usernames, but I do see that people had fun with leaving coffee marks on this one... I wonder why :D They were even kind enough to explicitly tell me about the origin of the stain, so you can see a cappuccino, an americano, a chai and something jam-filled - I guess it is some kind of a cake we are talking about :)

As for the stamps - the red pear definitive was issued in 2017, as well as the sharks ones, which come from a set of 5 (showing the Great White Shark and the Mako Shark), and also we have a stamp commemorating the bicentennial of the American Revolution, issued in 1971.

Well thank you Bryon very much   ❤

Porto, Portugal

Next is a card that dear Marta sent me from a small meeting held in Porto on November 11th, last year.

If there is something typical about Portugal, it is all these beautifully decorated tiles and these can actually be seen at the São Bento Railway Station! That is really thoughtful Marta! Thank you so much!

There are approximately 20,000 azulejo tiles, dating from 1905–1916, and were composed by Jorge Colaço, an important painter of azulejo of the time. You can see different scenes, events, and personalities depicted on these walls, like the Battle of Arcos de Valdevez and Egas Moniz before Alfonso VII of Castile, D. João I in Oporto, with his fiancé and the Conquest of Ceuta,  the Battle of Valdevez, a meeting between the knight Egas Moniz and Alfonso VII of León in Toledo etc etc etc.

there is even a train sticker on the back of the card :D The stamp is from a set of 4 issued in 2017, representing Trees of the Mediterranean. This one shows a strawberry tree or Arbutus unedo.

Muito obrigada Marta!  ❤ 

Antwerpen, Belgium

The one before the last is a card from a mini meeting in Antwepen that took place on August 7th, 2015.

The card was sent by dear Valentina, who often surprises me with something in the mailbox :)
The card shows St. James' Church, a former Collegiate church in Antwerp, built on the site of a hostel for pilgrims to Santiago de Compostela. The present building is the work of the Waghemakere family and Rombout Keldermans, in Brabantine Gothic style. The church contains the grave of Rubens in the eastern chapel.

The guy on the left, Karel van de Woestijne, is from a set of 4 Culture Edition stamps issued in 1978, while King Albert should be from 1998.

Thank you so much for thinking of me Valentina!  ❤

Helsinki, Finland

And one more meeting card for today, which is from one of the bigger PC meetings regularly organized out there, and Helsinki is one of those places where some of the International meetings have taken place. I still haven't attended a bigger meeting and on one hand it makes me sad, on the other hand I wonder if people actually have time to chat or is it all just writing and signing postcards... I mean even with the mini-meetings I have been a part of, it is insane how much time the writing/signing cards consumes, let alone an International meeting with dozens of people attending :)

This is from a meeting in Helsinki, that took place on August 3rd, 2013, and I would have to thank Jetske for making sure I received one of these calm winter scenes of Helsinki  :)

And here also the Postcrossing Parents have attended and signed my card, so it is even more special to have received this one. The adorable stamp is from a set of 3 Garden Berries' stamps issued in 2013.

Thank you dear Jetske for the card  ❤! And to the rest of you for reading! Enjoy the week ahead - hopefully the weather will be on your side :)

Bangladesh

Good day to you all.. after like a month after the previous post. But at least it is not a year. And in my defence, the last few weeks have been hectic, in several life spheres but now I am having some me-time, and lets put up a few posts here. This weather outside sucks anyway...

I've been doing some thinking and I have decided to do some posts dedicated to some of my postcard fairies. You know how I just cannot choose cards totally at random but always have to overcomplicate stuff and find some meaningful pattern and blah blah blah...
So there we go, and my postcard-fairy of the day is Sissel, a name you have encountered here on a lot of occasions, esp. with those breathtaking Norwegian cards ;-)
And today's first card from Sissel is as part of a fantastic trip she took last year (all her trips are fantastic though), and among all the other places, she got to visit Bangladesh too.
Not my first one from Bangladesh, the debut was here, few years ago. But also not my last since another Bangladesh card is on my way from what I know, I just hope it doesn't get lost in the dark halls of the postal service somewhere.
Regarding this one, I am not exactly sure what it represents; looks like some kind of a celebration for a National Day or something. I could say a protest as well, but the few faces I can spot look kinda cheerful and not in a protesting mood, so I don't know. Still it is a super cool card!

the stamp on the right was issued in 2012, commemorating the 100th Anniversary of the Bangladesh Police Academy, while the other one is from 1989, representing Bangladesh Landmarks, showing the Curzon Hall, a British Raj-era building and home of the Faculty of Science at the University of Dhaka. The building was originally intended to be a town hall and is named after Lord Curzon.

Aurora Borealis, Norway

And here comes the beloved Norway!

It was a tough choice. I have literally hundreds of Norwegian cards and a good deal of them feature the Northern Lights. However, I chose this one due to the stamp on the back, the kind of you don't get to see frequently on postcards. On letters, might be, but on postcards, I don't think so.

no, this is not a stamp, it is a MEGA stamp ❤. Yep, the entire mini-sheet is here!
Issued in 1980, for the International Norwex Stamp Exhibition Jubilee, featuring different means of transport. Recently due to unpredicted circumstances I also had to stick a sheet of this size on a postcard, with the difference it was a regular size of a postcard and I had already written on it, so what's beneath the stamp will now remain a mystery to the recipients...
There are two other stamps on this card. The blue one with the lighthouse is from a set of 3 issued in 1977 in a buildings' series, while the other one was issued in 1989 in a set of two, for the 250th anniversary of the public schools.
A whole lot of oldies here - lovely!

Chiang Mai Thailand

Next is again an Asian card, this time from Thailand.

I think that this is a kind of a view every postcard collector loves coming across when travelling. Not only because of the large choice of postcards, but just look at the way they have been arranged, so appealing to the eye!
This is a scene in the Wualai Walking Street in Chiang Mai. You know, I never heard of Chiang Mai until I met these two lovely ladies during my trip in Vientiane. French girls who actually lived in Chian Mai and while talking to them I realized what a lovely place this is, though maybe it has become way too touristy for my taste, but still.
Unfortunately, from what I could see, they had to leave Thailand for good few months ago, but I hope life is still good for them back in France. Big hug to Sandrine and Claire while we are at it.

again, a bunch of super-fantastic stamps! The mailboxes were issued in 2016 in a set of 10 for the National Children's Day and they feature AESAN mailboxes (the red one is from Thailand while the yellow one from Vietnam). The owls are from a set of 4 issued in 2013 (on the top is the collared owlet or Glaucidium brodiei, while underneath is the collared scops owl or the Otus lettia.)

Edinburgh, Scotland

And one more Sissel card for today, this time from Scotalnd's capital.

As neatly explained on the back of the card "Evening light on the Old Town and Edinburgh Castle, views from Calton Hill".
I have written about the Castle before, so won't be repeating myself here. Though I think that so far I have it from all the possible angles and all views are just stunning!

a cute Christmas stamp issued in 2016 in a set of 8.

Soo, that would be all for today, It is about time I get down to some ACTUAL work.

Millions of hugs to Sissel for these cards and the bunch of others still not featured.

And see you soon with maybe another fairy-related post. Let's see who the random generator chooses next time ;-)

stay well!

Dhow Sailing, Zanzibar

Well hello there, for the second time this year! Sounds strange?! Yeah, to me too! I don't know if saying 'we better get used to it' is a bit far-fetched at this moment though :P But for as long as it lasts... hope you enjoy it!

I don't participate as often as I used to in the forum's swaps/tags/round robins, but sometimes I do end up catching a good spot, and that is how I ended up getting my first ever written and stamped card from Zanzibar! (I don't get new countries that often any longer, but when I do, it sure is a gem! ;-)

The card shows a dhow sailing (in the Indian Ocean, I guess) - word of the day: dhow - generic name of a number of traditional sailing vessels with one or more masts with lateen sails used in the Red Sea and Indian Ocean region. Historians are divided as to whether the dhow was invented by Arabs or Indians. (It is not like historians could ever agree on anything....)
They are primarily used to carry heavy items, like fruit, fresh water or merchandise.

Now, if to anyone this stamp saying Tanzania comes as a disappointment, it shouldn't, since Zanzibar is a semi-autonomous region of Tanzania and even though it has its own Government, postage stamps are a different issue. If you do have a read about Zanzibar's history of postage stamps though, it does get a bit confusing, being that it used Indian stamps in the 19th century and then later it fell into the hands of the British Empire. So the bottom line, in this year and this century, I couldn't have possibly received a Zanzibar card with a Zanzibar stamp, but the cool thing is that even on the Tanzanian stamps, they do show some Zanzibar-related things, so that counts :D

This stamp is from a set of 4 Tourism stamps issued in 2010, showing Zanzibar attractions - here you can see the Red Colobus Monkey.

Thanks a million to Olia for this card! It is actually really cool to be able to visit a country like Zanzibar :)

Montana, USA

Next is a card from one of the people from my list of 'responsible for keeping my mailbox entertained, whether I am on a hiatus or not'.

At first glance, one may not be fully aware about what this 'enough said' entitles - one could think Montana struggles with some electricity issues, but at second glance, that would mean half of the US does as well - though now with all the Trump's policies, who knows...

But what the author of this card actually wanted to point out was the population density in Montana - at 630 miles wide and 255 miles high, Montana is the 4th largest state but the 44th least populated one, having only seven people per square mile.... yep, enough said, you guys live in tranquility.

lot of cool stamps here. First the older ones. A unique set combining four stamps in a block that contains one overall design. (I am not sure what the exact philatelic term would be for this, it is not se-tenant). This issue commemorates the 100th Anniversary of National Parks and it shows the Cape Hatteras National Seashore, an area that contains some of the earliest sites of English colonial settlement. Issued in 1972.

The forever stamps are from 2017. The se-tennat hockey ones were issued by USPS and is a joint issue with Canada, celebrating the history of ice-hockey. The stamp on the right portrays a modern hockey player, skating on a pond in present day, wearing a modern uniform and contemporary equipment, while the left one shows a vintage player, representing the game's past, against a snowy background, wearing a vintage garb and old-fashioned equipment.

And last we have two definitive grape stamps issued in 2017, for additional postage. Hmm, too many things revolving around grapes lately, and the product thereof...

Thanks a bunch to Bryon for this one! :)))

Severn Valley Railway, England

A lovely train card sent by dear Anu.

The West Country Class No. 34027 `Taw Valley` was built in Brighton in 1945 and here it can be seen crossing the magnificent Victoria Bridge over the River Severn in the UK.

Anu always uses fantastic stamps! First we have two of the Theater stamps (built during the Shakespearean era) issued in 1995 in a set of 5 - here we have the Hope from 1613 and the Globe from 1614 (the rebuilt version, after being destroyed in a fire in 1613).
The train stamp is from a set of five British Pub Signs, issued in 1995 - this stamp shows 'The Station' by Andrew Davidson. And last of course, you have her Majesty, the Queen.

Thanks a lot lot Anu!

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...

Happy New Year 2018 and Welcome Back Here :)

*cough cough cough* (clears throat)

Well, hello hello hello out there! Oh yeah, look who's finally back! :D
You still can't believe it right? Me neither! What I esp. cannot believe is that it has been more than a year since I've done a real postcards-related post here - all those yada dada's don't count to the actual contribution to this blog, but frankly, I didn't expect that the whole Photobucket issue would end up being so demotivating in the end. But truth is, it was, cos the entire starting-things-from-scratch was so tedious, that I just never really got down to it. All the time I kinda secretly hoped that maybe Photobucket would get back to its senses and at LEAST let us unfortunate users use the photos that were already there, prior to their nonsensical decision - but of course, that day still hasn't arrived and obviously, it never will, so I just have to get over it and maybe, just maybe, one day, be able to repair the damage they had done.
But in the meantime, I guess it is time to continue this blog's sole purpose cos despite the dreadful silence here, there are still people out there who still check this place from time to time, and hope for something new. And here I would like to send special regards to my two regular bots in the form of william charles and linda clark - seems that a day doesn't go by without me getting a notification that one of you has visited one of my two blogs - you really seem to be dedicated to whatever you are doing ;-D

And lets get down to some actual business right now, with this super cute surprise that arrived in my mailbox today.

It just seems like the perfect card for this so-called 'grand entrance', plus it is holidays related, so looks perfect.
It is not signed, but based on the cancellation, I can assume who sent it to me ❤

And I just wanna wish you all Happy Holidays and a fab  year ahead. Hope life gives you health, love and lots of lovely surprises in your mailbox :)
Thank you for all the awesome cards you sent me last year - finding those surprises in my mailbox can often cheer me up even on a very shitty day, so keep them coming! :*

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!!