Cool trip

Hi, everyone!  If you read my last post you'll know that we were taking a short trip to the Oregon coast to escape the recent heat in Salem. We were very successful - it was only 59F when we reached Lincoln City. The weather forecast was about 15 degrees too optimistic. And the predicted "mostly sunny" skies didn't materialize either. In fact we ended up getting sprinkled on a little bit before the day was over.  It was fun watching all the tourists in their shorts, huddling together and wondering why the heck they had come HERE for vacation!

So....we definitely got cooled off, and now that we're back home the temperature has moderated and we have a nice sunny day. Guess that will teach us to leave home!

Now from the Postcard Fun Box.....

When I was a teenager (in the 19th century), I had loads of pen pals from all over the world. I could never make contact with anyone in Russia though (or the U.S.S.R. as it was then known), which is why it's still a treat for me now when I get a card from Russia.  The one above is Leonardo da Vinci's The Madonna with a Flower, 1478. 

The Barossa Valley in South Australia is one of the country's most famous wine regions. This region was settled mostly by Germans fleeing persecution from the Prussian province of Silesia (what is now Poland).  It's amazing to me that some vineyards here are planted with Shiraz grape vines that are 100-150 years old. And I have trouble keeping a geranium growing for three months.

Those 150-year-old Australian grape vines are just babies compared to these rice terraces in the Philippines.  These 2000-year-old terraces were carved into the mountains, without the aid of machinery, to provide level steps where the natives can plant rice. In 1995, they were declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. 

 
Here is a street scene from Taipei, Taiwan. 

And a man who just couldn't take the nightlife anymore and decided to go fishing instead.

Once in a while a creative person will send me a handmade postcard. I am very impressed with this one from Canada, which is made from copies of six artist trading cards (ATCs) created by the sender. Too cute!


Remember, tomorrow, August 20th, is Father's Day in Nepal. Be sure to get those cards in the mail!