Bye, bye, October!

One of my favorite months is circling the drain, which means......it won't be long until Christmas! Let's celebrate with some totally unrelated postcards!

This photograph appeared at the 1900 Paris Exposition exhibit, but the woman's name has been lost to time. 

For all you cat lovers out there.

This is an ancient dolmen (prehistoric tomb) near Sochi, Russia. I was interested in learning more about this monolith, but googling it gave me only links in Russian, which I could not read. Fortunately, the sender of this card, Irina, was kind enough to answer my questions. Here's part of what she told me:

"Scientists think that it's an ancient sanctuary, where our ancestors used to meditate. The dolmen is basically a huge single piece of sandstone with a flat platform carved in it at the height of 4 metres. Above it there's the front wall with a hole in it. The builders used this hole to carve the inside room through it. Besides, the monolith was placed in such a manner that its front wall faces the summer solstice.

The dolmen is roughly 9,5 thousand years old. It's called "Volkonskii dolmen" in the honour of duchess Volkonskaya, who spent a lot of time communicating with it spiritually. When you come close to the dolmen, you can look inside through this hole (there's also a door and some steps carved out in the stone, but you're not allowed to get inside, so you can only peek into the room). However, some people reported feeling strange after that, so the guides usually advise to consider your potential before looking. I don't think there's something particularly weird inside, but those places have ancient energy about them sometimes, and some people feel it.

There's also this legend about the two stones and a river not far from the dolmen. There lived two brothers of noble blood, but the younger one fell in love with a simple girl. So the elder brother told him to just forget about it, but the younger said that he'd rather turn into stone than live without his beloved. When his words came true, his elder brother couldn't bear it, and also turned into stone. And when the girl learnt about what'd happened, she turned into a river that flows nearby, so that she stays eternally close to her beloved. Pretty romantic :)"

Thanks, Irina, for all the fascinating information! I'm not sure if I want to peek through that hole or not!

One last vintage Halloween card.

 

I recently got my first map card from Luxembourg! Thanks, Alice!

A 1925 illustration by Tom Purvis is shown on this Museum of Modern Art postcard. This woman is either drowning or having a great time, I'm not sure which. Thanks to Aimee for this card and the other great ones she sent that I'll be showing you in future posts.

See you in November!

'Round-the-World, Pt. 2

Hope you've had your porridge, because we're off again!

Isn't this a great bear? He doesn't seem too happy with his porridge though. He was hoping for French Toast and maple syrup.

A beautiful Mediterranean scene. And a great cow stamp on the back.

A country lane in New Hampshire. Betcha there's some maple syrup in them trees.

This postcard from The Netherlands asks the eternal question, "Wat izzit?". This really had me scratching my head, but I finally figured out what it is. 

Amazing Thailand. With stamps that sparkle!

What a gorgeous photo this is - Dawn at Sungai Palas tea plantation in Malaysia.

You are probably hot and tired after all this traveling, so how about a nice bath with your ducky?

More tomorrow!

'Round-the-World, Pt. 1

Today will be one of those "no theme" days, just cards I like that I have recently sent or received. There's a bunch, so this may stretch over several days!

 

This card from Taiwan shows a group of Chinese glove puppets. I think they are all waiting for Wal-Mart to open up. These puppets have carved wooden heads and embroidered costumes. How many of you can say that?

I thought it was interesting that this Las Vegas card was printed in Italy.

A reproduction of an old travel poster, one of my favorite types of postcards. The man is a rock collector and has been filling his pocket up with them. The woman is wishing she had stayed back at the hotel.

From South Africa, a land of contrasts. My camera wants me to take it there.

Here's a good one. This is Muriel Page as The Flame Dancer with Pima tribe members Red Feather and Running Buffalo, at the 1933 Chicago World's Fair. Admirers christened Muriel Page "Princess Burning Wings". Don't try this at home.

 

My friend Sipsu in Finland, with whom I share a birthday, just sent me this wonderful Inge Löök card. Inge Löök draws the best old ladies! These two look like they've set their purses down and broken into a bit of spontaneous dancing. (Probably waiting for the cafe to open.)

I have only made a slight dent in my un-blogged cards, so I will probably be back sooner than usual. I know this is very exciting for all of you.

Halloween eye candy

Lately I've been sending and receiving a lot of postcards with vintage Halloween images. Now don't be frightened!

This young lady appears to be filling her pumpkin with small pieces of paper in preparation for setting the pumpkin on fire. I don't know....your explanation is as good as mine. Vintage pumpkin soup perhaps, or a very old type of mailbox.

I wish I could get my cats to use a broom.

The owl is looking at the girl, the girl is looking at the cat, and the cat is staring off into the distance. Typical cat - not wanting to get involved.

 

This isn't even a FRIENDLY Halloween card - it's just plain strange. A snake? A bat sitting on a pumpkin? The stuff nightmares are made of. And here I am about to go to bed - OH NO!!

Well! I'm going to be up all night for sure now. I'm glad no one told me about the Pumpkin Headed Halloween Man when I was a kid. Or maybe they did. That would explain any number of mental problems.

Sweet dreams!

Old travel posters

Over land and sea we go, thanks to some reproductions of old travel posters. 

I'm getting a little queasy. Did you bring along any Dramamine?

Words I have never spoken: "I'm taking the steamer to Canada next week." I have had steamer clams a few times though. Very tasty. Do you know why they're called "steamer" clams? Because they are cooked in steamer trunks such as this.

In fact, it was quite common to be accosted by thugs when leaving your ship upon arrival in Canada. Without warning, you could be knocked flat by a heavy bag of clams swung by a hungry thug. Alas, your steamer trunk is gone. The more thoughtful thugs would dump your belongings from your trunk before taking it away.

Some very popular Canadian clam dishes were named for those special flavors the clams acquired when steamed in trunks. "Old Lace Clams" and "Striped Cardigan Clams" are still considered delicacies.

This pretty girl seems to have a mutant turtle attached to her neck. Nevertheless, she is quite happy and her teeth are very white.

Imagine all the cocktails you could drink in the 42 hours it took you to get from Los Angeles to New Orleans. The woman on the right is rising for yet another wobbly visit to the ladies' room.

I shall now bid you adieu for the day. I have clams to steam.

Cue Twilight Zone music

The Edge of the World

by Will Barnet, 1979

What is this woman thinking as she stares off at the horizon? (Pick One)

1. Should I cook my crock-pot roast for 8 hours on high or 12 hours on low?
2. Something bad always happens when the sky is this color.
3. I wonder why I am feeling so blue.
4. Why does Herb always send me out here when he makes a phone call?
5. Where are my arms?

Hel

by Susan Seddon Boulet, 1992 

 What is this woman thinking? (Pick One)

1. My sinuses are killing me.
2. I TOLD my hairdresser, "NO SPARKLES"!
3. Even with this mask, I get asked SO often for autographs.
4. Herb should have called by now.
5. My hands are freezing, and very ugly.

 Plume, a medicine man of the Blood Tribe.

What is this man thinking? (I really don't care how many you pick.)

1. This is absolutely the coolest hat I've ever had! Thanks, Mom.
2. I can never get back up after sitting on the ground like this.
3. I love this show - "Real Squaws on the Plains".
4. Must kill more bear, finish necklace.
5. Is this blog entry going to end sometime soon?

Yes, thank you for your answers. They will be compiled and used to make very important decisions, or not.

Stop staring at me!!

There have been eyes staring in the window at me lately, and little voices asking when another blog entry will be posted. They are creeping me out, so I will post an entry today. Wouldn't you, if you looked up and saw this?

Let's see, it's mid-October already. How did that happen? Reminds me of a post card I saw many years ago with this caption: "The hurrieder I go, the behinder I get."

On to some images! 

If you are having trouble sleeping, it may be the fairies and goblins hovering round your bed. Or that giant-sized moon shining right in your window. Considering what all she has to put up with, this young lady seems to be sleeping quite contentedly. She must have taken a pill.

 This is a 1945 photograph of lightning striking the tip of the Empire State Building. Pretty cool, huh?

Ah, one of my very favorite places: Monument Valley, Utah. This photo was taken by Ansel Adams in 1950. It's still unusual to see color photos by Adams, since he is associated so closely with black & white photography.

The Moorish Warrior by William Merritt Chase, painted about 1876.  This particular warrior is the inventor of the Band-Aid, for obvious reasons.

Another Halloween card to finish off today. Don't look at this too long or you will dream of demented pumpkins tonight.

More soon - honest!