Chestnuts - It Must be Autumn

Jacqueline sent this wonderful, nostalgic handmade card made from an old sweet chestnut bag. This is one of the pleasures of autumn in Japan - the aroma of chestnuts being roasted and bags of these nuts everywhere, especially at train stations. Japanese chestnuts are sweet and smooth, not the often mealy variety you find in the States. These chestnuts in the same style red bags are now sold here in Japantown and big Japanese supermarkets but they are only second best to eating them piping hot on a cold day in Kyoto.

in a funk

My computer is in a black hole and I am unable to post images. Just to keep up with what's happening, I'll list the altered cards recently received. First is one from Finland, an image of a letter being penned, which is altered with a decorative leaf and postcrossing ID. Another one from Finland shows a black & white photo of two dogs decked out in outlandish glasses, pearls, and fancy hats. The added tag, in Finnish, translates as "About normality and other aberrations." Card three is from Ukraine and shows a marvelous old building loaded with gargoyles. The sender attached a cross-stitched jack-o'lantern. The last one is from Norway, a handmade card gessoed and collaged with silk and images of sea and sky. It says, "The sky is the limit." I hope to post all of these cards soon! Meanwhile, thanks to all.

salvador dali

The Dutch postcrosser who sent this Salvador Dali card says that she always visits the Dali museum whenever she goes to Spain. The back of the card has this wonderful quotation from Dali: "Each morning when I awake, I experience again a supreme pleasure--that of being Salvador Dali."

chinese retro

A Chinese postcrosser sent this cool retro card of an advertisement from the 1930's.

in 1492 columbus sailed the ocean blue

A Finnish postcrosser sent this interesting card showing the first trip made by Christopher Columbus to the New World. She said that her sister designed it. Very cool.

melbourne with dinosaur

An Australian postcrosser altered this old shot of Melbourne with a devouring dinosaur.

hungary, australia, and finland

everything's coming up horseshoes

A German postcrosser, and jazz pianist, sent this wonderful postcard by Gerhard Gluck. The timing was just right, with the Phillies going into Game 1 of the NLCS in Los Angeles last night. They won 8-6 in a wild one over the Dodgers. Keep the lucky pigs and horseshoes coming! You can check out this pianist at youtube.com/gspiano.

yummy, yummy

A Finnish postcrosser named Anu made this altered card by cutting out some of the chocolate hearts and cutting 'bites' into others. Deliciously amusing!

bright box

I saw this vivid mailbox at L&T Auto, a wonderful auto parts place that specializes in VW's and Audis, while I was looking for a hubcap. The lot outside was filled with all kinds of Volkswagens and the tidy shop with all kinds of retro signs and other memorabilia. Why the mailbox? For nostalgia, for decoration, for Christmas, I was told. Nice folks and great service, but it gave me a pang to think that the mailbox was a bit of nostalgia.

lucy

Sandy also sent this funny card of Lucy. I've often heard about Lucy but have never seen her and certainly did not about her landmark status.

cat and lantern

Tokyo friend Keiko sent this card showing a Kiyochika print called Cat and Paper Lantern. It brings back so many things about my years living in Japan.

jersey devil

Friend Sandy S. sent this postcard of the Jersey Devil, a folklore character said to roam the Pine Barrens region of New Jersey. A perfect card for Halloween.

kyomomiji

Tokyo friend Motoko sent this postcard which gives a nod to Kyo (as in Kyoto) momiji (maples). Kyoto is famous in Japan for its fall foliage.

"the lost art of gratitude"

I made this to send to a postcrosser who said she liked handmade cards. I used a spare announcement card from a friend's group show and two photographs taken by my old friend Mr. Takahashi on an outing we made years ago to view peach blossoms at a place outside of Tokyo. I borrowed the title of a recent Alexander McCall Smith novel for the tag. Thanks to all.

altered pei

A Canadian postcrosser in Nova Scotia altered this postcard of a favorite place, Prince Edward Island, with a photo of a favorite writer, Lucy M. Montgomery. Montgomery is of course the famed author of Anne of Green Gables, which is set on the island. A real treat to get this card!

altered with cats

A cat-loving Brazilian postcrosser altered this card which shows the approach to the Mariano Procopio Museum. Sweet!

kimono paintings

Priscilla Otani (you know her) is showing a series called kimono paintings at the Art Explosion open studios this weekend in San Francisco. Isn't autumn wonderful? October baseball and art shows galore.

sum of all parts

Artists Jozef Bajus and Ginny Lahr produced the image on this card in collaboration with iXpress artists. The results of the collaborative art project will be on display from November 20 to January 3 at the Burchfield Penney Art Center in Buffalo, New York.

greetings from xiamen

Friend Yue, who lives in Xiamen, Fujian, sent these pretty flowers and cachet in honor of Teachers' Day in China. I met Yue while teaching English as a second language in a volunteer program at the local library. Her husband was a research fellow at a local university, and she was studying English. Their son Xu, who was in primary school at the time, is now applying to grad school in the States. Thanks, Yue, it's been grand knowing you. All the best to Xu.

gaudi

Mrpotani sent this card from Barcelona.

two at the weinstein

Detroit, Carbro Prints, 1958, by McDermott & McGough.

Also on view, I Will Never Forget You, the Frida Kahlo Portraits, by Nickolas Muray.

The two shows above are on at the Weinstein Gallery in Minneapolis, Minnesota, from October 9 to November 7. www.weinstein-gallery.com

branchdale, pa

The modest Branchdale post office. located in a little apartment building, looks as if it is fighting for its life.

lansford, pa

Stopped at a light on Rt. 209 in Lansford, I took this photo of the local post office, which oddly had no identifying name or zip code.