Monday, January 31, 2011

St. Herman's Cave, Belize


Belize
St. Herman's Cave, Hummingbird Highway

unused, from 2011

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St. Herman's Cave is of great archaeological interest. It was used by the Maya during the Classic Period. Pottery vessels were found, which were used for the collection of Zuh uy Ha (virgin water) from driping speleothems (cave formations). Other interesting finds included spears and torches.

Normally a permit is required for all archaeological caves in Belize. This cave is an exception, as it is open to all park visitors without permit.

You can walk on a concrete path with steps for more than 1.6 km underground, but it can be slippery when wet.

Two miles from St Herman's Cave is the Blue Hole, an azure blue swimming hole fringed with vines and ferns. It is fed by a stream which comes from St Herman's Cave. (Maybe the reflection of the water is why this cave looks blue-green in this postcard.  It looks almost like it is underwater!)

Sunday, January 30, 2011

Disney - Cinderella's Winter Dream by Randy Souders

"Cinderella's Winter Dream"
by Randy Souders

unused, 2011 - Art of Disney Postcard from Walt Disney World 

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Randy Souders (born November 8, 1954 in Chickasha, Oklahoma) is an American painter. He is best known for highly detailed works painted with acrylic on wood panels, and sometimes on canvas. His early subject matter typically featured nostalgic interpretations of rural and small town scenes, landscapes with historic architecture, and interior still life often incorporating antiques and Americana.  In 1990 he began a parallel career as a featured gallery artist for the Walt Disney Company.

Saturday, January 29, 2011

Curacao, West Indies, Entrance of the Harbour


Curacao West Indies, Entrance of Harbour

This is postmarked in 1928 with a Curacao stamp of Queen Wilhelmina and a ship - 10.

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Curaçao is an island in the southern Caribbean Sea, off the Venezuelan coast.
The Country of Curaçao, which includes the main island plus the small, uninhabited island of Klein Curaçao ("Little Curaçao"), is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Curaçao is the largest and most populous of the three ABC islands (for Aruba, Bonaire, and Curaçao) of the Lesser Antilles, specifically the Leeward Antilles. It has a land area of 444 square kilometres (171 square miles). As of 1 January 2009, it had a population of 141,766.
Curacao stamp 1928 
The 30th Anniversary of the Reign 
of Queen Wilhelmina, 1880-1962
Queen Wilhelmina and ship, 10

Friday, January 28, 2011

Grauman's Chinese Theatre, Hollywood California


Greetings from a World Premier at
Grauman's Chinese Theatre
Hollywood California

The Chinese Theatre has been the scene of many gala world premieres.  Thousands of cheering fans line the streets and gather outside the theatre, to enthusiastically greet the hundreds of ilustrious stars and celebrities that attend.

color photo by William M. Graham
The King and I was released in 1956

unused, but has writing on the back:
Katie,
Here is Hollywood and one of its famous spots.  A vacation out here would be much nicer than in Florida I think!! - Merlin
(As a Floridian, I would have to disagree  :)

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Grauman's Chinese Theatre is a movie theater located in Hollywood, California.  Built over 18 months, beginning in January 1926 by a partnership headed by Sid Grauman, the theater opened May 18, 1927, with the premiere of Cecil B. DeMille's film The King of Kings. It has since been home to many premieres, birthday parties, corporate junkets and three Academy Awards ceremonies.

Among the theater's most distinctive features are the nearly 200 concrete blocks set in the forecourt, which bear the signatures, footprints, and handprints of popular motion picture personalities from the 1920s to the present day.

Variations of this honored tradition are imprints of the eye glasses of Harold Lloyd, the cigars of Groucho Marx and George Burns, the magic wands of Harry Potter stars Daniel Radcliffe, Emma Watson and Rupert Grint, the legs of Betty Grable, the fist of John Wayne, the knees of Al Jolson, the ice skating blades of Sonja Henie, and the noses of Jimmy Durante and Bob Hope.
Western stars William S. Hart and Roy Rogers left imprints of their guns. The hoofprints of "Tony", the horse of Tom Mix, "Champion", the horse of Gene Autry, and "Trigger", the horse of Roy Rogers, were left in the concrete beside the prints of the stars who rode them in the movies.
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Here is a postcard of the theatre during the day from 1949 ....

Thursday, January 27, 2011

We Use Big Bait for Fishing, Canada Exaggeration Postcard

We Use Big Bait Here
Greetings from Twin Oaks Lodge, Fernleigh, Ontario

postmarked with a canada 4 cent queen stamp

the sender writes:

I got your little ole card from the little ole South.  Iv'e been catching some little ole fish on a little ole hook on this little ole lake.  I will see you when the Ranger gets us.

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Rapunzel - Tangled - 3D Disney Movie


Disney - Rapunzel (Tangled)
Neu Verfohnt
Die Frisur Sitzt Auch in 3D! (The Hair is also in 3D!)

postmarked in 2011 with two Germany stamps

I LOVE this movie!!!

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When first put into production, the film was promoted as having the title Rapunzel Unbraided, which was then changed to Rapunzel.

Disney's previous animated feature The Princess and the Frog in 2009, while being highly critically acclaimed and taking in nearly $270 million worldwide, was not as successful as Disney had hoped. Disney expressed the belief that the film's emphasis on princesses may have deterred young boys from seeing the film. In order to market the film to both boys and girls, Disney changed the film's name from Rapunzel to Tangled, while also emphasizing Flynn Rider, the film's prominent male character. Disney was criticized for altering the classic title as a marketing strategy. Floyd Norman, a former Disney and Pixar animator and story artist, said, "The idea of changing the title of a classic like Rapunzel to Tangled is beyond stupid. I'm convinced they'll gain nothing from this except the public seeing Disney as desperately trying to find an audience." Justin Chang of Variety compared it to changing to the title of The Little Mermaid to Beached. In Italy, Germany, Austria, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and Russia, it is simply known as Rapunzel - A Tangled Tale.

On November 24, 2010, the day of the film's release, directors Nathan Greno and Byron Howard disputed reports that the title change was a marketing decision. They said they changed the title from Rapunzel to Tangled because Rapunzel is not the only main character in the film. They went on to say that you can't call Toy Story "Buzz Lightyear," and they really needed a title that represented what the film is, and that it’s a duo, and it stars Rapunzel and Flynn Rider.



Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Phra Nakorn Khiri in Phetchaburi, Thailand


Phetchaburi
Phra Nakorn Khiri

postmarked in 2010 with four Thailand flag stamps

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Phra Nakhon Khiri is a historical park in Phetchaburi, Thailand, located on a hill overlooking the city. The name Phra Nakhon Khiri means Holy City Hill, but locals know it better as Khao Wang, meaning hill with palace.

The whole complex was built as a summer palace by King Mongkut, with construction finishing in 1860.

The site was registered as a historical park on August 27, 1979, with two of the palace buildings now housing a branch of the Thai National Museum.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Rough Going Over The Sierra - James Wilson Marshall, Discovery of Gold

Rough Going Over The Sierras
The Steep and rugged ascent of Carson Pass was the most dreaded section of the entire California Trail.  Many emigrants had to unload and dismantle their wagons, hoist them up the cliff, and reassemble them on top.

Coloma
El Dorado Country
Where Gold was discovered in California on January 24, 1848 by James Wilson Marshall
Marshal Gold Discovery State Historical Park

postmarked in 2010 with a 28 cent stamp

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James Wilson Marshall (October 8, 1810 - August 10, 1885) was an American carpenter and sawmill operator, whose discovery of gold in the American River in California on January 24, 1848 set the stage for the California Gold Rush.
.....

On the morning of January 24, Marshall was examining the channel below the mill when he noticed some shiny flecks in the channel bed. As later recounted by Marshall:
"I picked up one or two pieces and examined them attentively; and having some general knowledge of minerals, I could not call to mind more than two which in any way resembled this, very bright and brittle; and gold, bright, yet malleable. I then tried it between two rocks, and found that it could be beaten into a different shape, but not broken. I then collected four or five pieces and went up to Mr. Scott (Owner of the mill who was working at the carpenters bench making the mill wheel) with the pieces in my hand and said, "I have found it."
"What is it?" inquired Scott.
"Gold," I answered.
"Oh! no," replied Scott, "That can't be."
I said,--"I know it to be nothing else."

News of the discovery soon reached around the world. The immediate impact for Marshall was negative. His sawmill failed when the all able-bodied men in the area abandoned everything to search for gold. Before long, arriving hordes of prospectors forced him off his land. Marshall soon left the area.

He returned to Coloma in 1857 and found some success in the 1860s with a vineyard he started. That venture ended in failure towards the end of the decade, due mostly to higher taxes and increased competition. He returned to prospecting in the hopes of finding success.
He became a partner in a gold mine near Kelsey, California but the mine yielded nothing and left Marshall practically bankrupt. The California State Legislature awarded him a two-year pension in 1872 in recognition of his role in an important era in California history. It was renewed in 1874 and 1876 but lapsed in 1878. Marshall, penniless, eventually ended up in a small cabin, earning money from a small subsistence garden.

He died in Kelsey on August 10, 1885. His body was brought to Coloma and buried on the property where he had owned his vineyard. In May 1890, a monument was erected over his grave site. A statue of Marshall stands on top of the monument, pointing to the spot where he made his discovery in 1848.

Sunday, January 23, 2011

Trike from a Harley Motorcycle and a Volkswagen Beetle


The front is a Harley Springer Motorcycle and a VW Beetle was used for the back seat.  The motor is in the back from the Volkswagon.

The floor is diamond plate aluminum.  The colors are yellow and orange and the silver design on the body is hand painted to match the diamond plate on the floor!

unused, This is a picture that was printed with a postcard back -  from 2011

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Tanks or Cisterns of Tawila in Aden, Yemen

View of the Tanks, Crater, Aden

Photographed by Mr. A. Abassi - This is a Real Photograph - 

This is postmarked in 1954 with two Aden stamps.

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The Cisterns of Tawila, or the Tawila Tanks, are the best-known historic site in Aden, Yemen. The site consists of a series of tanks of varying shape and capacity. 

Originally there were about 53 tanks, but only 13 remain following a succession of renovations. The existing tanks have a combined capacity of about nineteen million gallons. The tanks were designed to collect and store the rain that flows down, and to protect the city from periodic flooding. 

Today, the cisterns are primarily a public park and a tourist attraction. They have not been filled for at least fifteen years and do not serve the city’s water needs. 

 

Friday, January 21, 2011

Snake Charmer in Ceylon (Sri Lanka) - Sodium Pentothal


Ceylon: Snake Charmer with Cobra

This is postmarked in 1950 with two Ceylon stamps

the 'Sender' writes:

Dear Doctor,
Ceylon, land of contrast, in its remote areas lived the Veddas, a primitive folk, probably direct descendants of an ancient civilization.  But there is another Ceylon, of modern stores, fine hospitals.  In them you'll find PENTOTHAL - agent of choice in intravenous anesthesia the world over.    - Abbott

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Sodium thiopental, better known as Sodium Pentothal (a trademark of Abbott Laboratories), is a rapid-onset short-acting general anaesthetic. It is a drug on the "Essential Drugs List", for any basic healthcare system.

It is used for: anesthesia, medically induced coma, lethal injection, psychiatry, and in some areas of the world it is used in a truth serum.
Ceylon (Sri Lanka) stamp 1950
Local Motifs 


Thursday, January 20, 2011

Two Alabama Map Postcards

Alabama

1- Lake and Swans in Avondale Park, Birmingham
2 - Entrance to Fort McClellan, Anniston
3 - Amelia Gayle Gorgas Library, Tuscaloosa
4 - Vulcan, The Iron Man, Birmingham
5 - Alabama State Capitol, Montgomery
6 - Bunker Tower, Mt. Cheaha State Park
7 -  Noccalula Falls, On Lookout Mountain
8 - Pulpit Rock, Cheaha State Park
9 - Noccalula Falls, Gadsden
10 - River Terrace, Bellingrath Gardens, Mobile
11 - Bankhead Tunnel Under Mobile River, Mobile

unused
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Alabama

1 - Birthplace of Helen Keller, Tuscumbia
2 - Big Spring Park, Huntsville
3 - Wheeler Dam, North Alabama
4 - Vulcan, Birmingham
5 - Dock Scene, Mobile
6 - Bunker Tower, Anniston
7 - Denny Chimes, Univ. of Alabama, Tuscaloosa
8 - Azalea Bushes in Full Bloom
9 - Noccalula Falls, Gadsden
10 - State Capitol, Montgomery

postmarked from Birmingham, AL with 9 cent  US Capital stamp in 1976

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

SR.N4 Hovercraft in Ramsgate (England)

The International Hoverport, Ramsgate (England)

unused

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The SR.N4 hovercraft was a large passenger and vehicle carrying hovercraft built by the British Hovercraft Corporation.  Work on the SR.N4 began in 1965 and the first trials took place in early 1968.

The SR.N4 was the largest hovercraft built to that date, designed to carry 254 passengers in two cabins besides a four-lane automobile bay which held up to 30 cars. Cars were driven from a bow ramp just forward of the cockpit / wheelhouse. The first design was 40 metres (131 ft) long, weighed 190 long tons (193 t), and was capable of 83 knots (154 km/h).

The SR.N4s operated services across the English Channel between 1968 and 2000, until the completion of the Channel Tunnel made their service unprofitable.

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Atlantis Submarine Adventures in Cozumel Mexico




Atlantis Adventures
Cozumel, Mexico

unused, bought in  2010

English Translations, clockwise from top left:

Motor o Propulsor de Proa: Bow Thruster

Barandal: Deck Railing - Designed to comply with U.S. Coast Guard regulations, the deck railings assures passenger safety.

Motor o Propulsor Vertical: Vertical Thruster

Tanques para agua: Water Tanks, Sealed water tanks are adjusted to provide slightly positive buoyancy.

Comunicacions: Underwater Communications, An Underwater wireless telephone is used to maintain communication with a surface vessel at all times while submerged.

Luces de Navegacion: Navigation Lights, Standard internationally recognized marine configured navigation lights are used while on the surface at night.

Motor o Propulsor: Stern Thruster, DC battery powered electric thrusters.  2 stern thrusters, 2 vertical thrusters and 1 situated at the bow.

Oxigeno: Oxygen, Two completely separate oxygen storage systems provide life support for normal and emergency situations.

Claraboyas: Viewing

Tanques de Aire: High Pressure Air, High pressure cylinders store compressed air used for ballast, control systems and emergency breathing.

Lamparas: Lights, Atlantis Submarines are equipped with twenty 1,000 watt exterior floodlights.

Cabina de Pasajeros: Passenger Cabin, Guests aboard Atlantis and seated back-to-back on molded seats in two rows down the center of the passenger cabin.  The Pilots are located at the bow, and co pilot at the stern of the cabin.  There is more than six feet of headroom.

Claraboyoa: Front Viewport

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While we were in the sub, we saw many small and medium sized fish, one huge shark, lots of coral and about 4 scuba divers who all waved.  We went to a depth of 104 feet, and went by the edge of a huge drop off that went straight down.  My favorite part was the shark, and going through a school of silver fish.  They were everywhere!

                                         

Monday, January 17, 2011

The Golden Nugget Hotel and Casino, Las Vegas, Nevada

The Million Dollar
Golden Nugget Gambling Hall, Saloon and Restaurant
Las Vegas, Nevada
"Where Fortune Smiles"

See the Old-Style West in our modern world.  A place of mahogany bars, crystal chandeliers, with the genuine hospitality and old-time gaiety of the Barbary Coast and the Virginia City of fifty years ago.

unused 

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The Golden Nugget Las Vegas (built in 1946), is a luxury casino-hotel located in Las Vegas, Nevada on the Fremont Street Experience. It is the largest casino in the downtown area, with a total of 2,345 deluxe guest rooms and suites. It has also maintained AAA's Four Diamond rating consecutively for 32 years from 1977 through 2009.

After being sold to Landry's Restaurants, Inc. in 2005  the Golden Nugget embarked on a 14-month, $100 million renovation project, which was completed in November 2006. 

The world's largest gold nugget is on display, called the Hand of Faith, in the Golden Nugget lobby. Weighing 875 troy ounces or 27.21 kilograms and 46 centimeters in length, the Hand of Faith was found near the Golden Triangle in Australia, and put on display at the casino in 1981 amid a number of other gold nuggets.

Film and television history
-In the James bond film Diamonds Are Forever, the casino can be continually seen in the police chase scene.
-The Casino, a Fox television series is based on the story of the Golden Nugget's acquisition by Poster Financial Group.
-The Golden Nugget features prominently in the poker mockumentary The Grand.
-In 2010, the casino's pool and shark aquarium were featured throughout an episode of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation.
------------

Here is the Hotel/Casino today ....
The Golden Nugget's reflection at night. Las Vegas, Nevada
postmarked in 1991 with 19 cent deer stamp

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Jim Carrey in Ace Ventura, When Nature Calls, in Spanish

Jim Carrey

Ace Ventura
Operacion Africa (My guess is 'When Nature Calls' looses it's true meaning in the translation)

Nuevos Animals (New Animals)
Nuevas Aventuras (New Adventures)
Mismo Pelo (Same Hair)

unused, from 1995

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Africa's the place and Ace is on the case, setting out to rescue an animal he loathes: a bat! Jim Carrey returns as Ace, the alligator-wrasslin', elephant-calling, monkeyshining, loogie-launching, burning coals-crossing, disguise-mastering pet detective.

Some Ace quotes:

Your request is not unlike your lower intestine: stinky and loaded with danger.

Friends, rodents, quadrupeds, lend me your rears!

If you were me, then I'd be you, and I'd use *your* body to get to the top.

It is the mucus that binds us.

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Maui No Ka Oi, in Hawaii - Randy Jay Braun

Maui
No Ka Oi (see below)

Maluaka Beach, Maui
One of four beaches that surround Makena Bay, Maluaka Beach is a great place for swimming, snorkeling, and relaxing.

Photo by Randy Jay Braun (what an amazing picture!) 

postmarked in 2010 with a 28 cent stamp

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The literal translation of 'no ka ‘oi'  is 'the best'; a common sequence that can only follow nouns, as in Maui no ka ‘oi, Maui is the best.

Friday, January 14, 2011

Labadee, Haiti


Labadee, Haiti

I tried to buy stamps and send postcards from Labadee, but they do not have a postal service in the area, even on the ship they can't get stamps or mail from here.  They only postcards for sale were on the ship, none actually in Labadee. We were on the Allure of the Seas - Dec. 5th, 2010

unused

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Labadee is a port located on the northern coast of Haiti. It is a private resort leased to Royal Caribbean International. Royal Caribbean International has contributed the largest proportion of tourist revenue to Haiti since 1986, employing 300 locals, allowing another 200 to sell their wares on the premises, and paying the Haitian government US$6 per tourist.

The resort is completely tourist-oriented, and is guarded by a private security force. The site is fenced off from the surrounding area, and passengers are not allowed to leave the property. It is also blocked off from the remainder of Haiti by mountains. A controlled group of Haitian merchants are given sole rights to sell their merchandise and establish their businesses in the resort. Although sometimes described as an island in advertisements, it is actually a peninsula contiguous with the island of Hispaniola.

Attractions include a Haitian flea market, beaches, watersports, a water-oriented playground, and a zip-line.

Thursday, January 13, 2011

The Princess Hotel in Bermuda

One of the loveliest sights in all Bermuda - the beautiful Princess Hotel in the island's best location  ... almost surrounded by water, yet just a few minutes' walk away from Hamilton town and its famous shops.  101 things to see and do, all within walking distance.  The Princess Golf clubhouse 18 hole "executive" course and picturesque Beach club are on Bermuda's famous south shore.

This postcard is postmarked in 1970 with a Bermuda 10 cents Bougainvillea stamp.

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This is still open, but now it is called The Fairmont Hamilton Princess Hotel

Wednesday, January 12, 2011

Bee Beard

Bee Beard
Celeste Antoniucci from Mar del Plata, Argentina - 1960
Photo: Hulton Picture Co.

reproduction postcard - bought 2nd hand in 2010 - unused

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The Guinness Book of Records includes a category for "most pounds of bees worn on the body," which is currently held by American animal trainer Mark Biancaniello. Biancaniello successfully wore 350,000 bees, weighing just over 87 pounds, during a 1998 broadcast of the Guinness World Records: Primetime television show. 

A 2005 attempt to break the record by Irish beekeeper Philip McCabe, who was to wear a full one hundred pounds of bees, failed when only 60 pounds of bees landed on his body. McCabe was using Irish black bees, which are larger than Italian honey bees, so fewer bees (around 300,000) would have been required to reach 100 pounds than it took Biancaniello to reach 87 pounds. 

Due to ever-increasing competition to break the record, most advanced attempts at bee bearding now involve bees covering the entire face, torso, back, and arms of the participant in order to provide sufficient surface area for over eighty pounds of bees to land. Nevertheless, the name "bee bearding" is still used.

In 2009, couple Li Wenhua and Yan Hongxia of Ning'an, China, both beekeepers, married while both were covered in bees.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011

Fifth Regiment Armory, Baltimore, Maryland


Fifth Regiment Armory, Baltimore, Maryland

postmarked in 1932 with a one cent stamp

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Fifth Regiment Armory is a historic National Guard armory located at Baltimore, Maryland, United States. It is a fortress-type structure located in midtown Baltimore. It consists of a full basement, a first floor containing a 200 foot by 300 foot drill hall, a mezzanine or "balcony" level, and a newer second level (reconstructed in 1933 after a fire) housing the steel roof.  It was the site of the 1912 Democratic National Convention.

Fifth Regiment Armory was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1985.

Monday, January 10, 2011

Beinville Cross, Alabama and the Colonial Dames of America


Beinville Cross, Beinville Square
Mobile, Alabama

This public park in the center of the business section was set aside for park purposes when the city of Mobile was chartered by the first Alabama State Legislature more than a hundred years ago.  A granite cross erected by the Colonial Dames of Alabama near Dauphin Street bears the inscription: "To Jean Baptiste La Moyne, Sieur de Beinville.  Native of Montreal, Canada, Naval Officer of France, Governor of Louisiana, and founder of its first capital, Mobile, 1711."

unused

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The National Society of the Colonial Dames of America is an American organization composed of women who are descended from an ancestor "who came to reside in an American Colony before 1750, and whose services were rendered during the Colonial Period." The national headquarters of the society is at Washington, D.C., at Dumbarton House. The organization was founded in 1890 with the Alabama branch being incorporated February 22, 1898.

Sunday, January 9, 2011

The Egg and I - The Egg and You


The Egg and I - Fred MacMurray and Claudette Colbert in a scene from the new Universal picture.

the back reads:
The Egg and YOU

Dear ____

Are you getting eggs as fresh as those in the picture?  All eggs are fresh when they are laid.  Some of us poultrymen who take pride in our product have organized our own marketing system so that people in the cities will get eggs of the finest quality.  They are gathered fresh at the farm, kept fresh by proper handling.  You can get our good eggs at many of the leading retail stores in Rochester.  Our trade-mark is G.L.F.  Look for it next time you buy eggs.

Sincerely,


postmarked in 1941 with a 1 cent Washington stamp

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The movie:
On their wedding night Bob informs his new bride Betty that he has bought a chicken farm. An abandoned chicken farm, to be exact, which is obvious when the two move in. Betty endures Bob's enthusiasm for the rural life, rustic inconveniences, and battling nature, but her patience is severely tested when glamorous neighbor Harriet Putnam seems to set her sights on Bob.

Saturday, January 8, 2011

Brad Pitt in 12 Monkeys and at the Golden Globes

Brad Pitt in 12 Monkeys 1995

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12 Monkeys is a 1995 science fiction film directed by Terry Gilliam, inspired by Chris Marker's 1962 short film La jetée, and stars Bruce Willis, Madeleine Stowe, Brad Pitt, and Christopher Plummer.

Universal Studios acquired the rights to make a full-length film with a $29.5 million budget.  Filming lasted from February to May 1995. 

The film was released to critical praise and grossed approximately $168.4 million worldwide. Brad Pitt was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor, and won a Golden Globe for his performance.

Plot:
In a future world devastated by disease, a convict is sent back in time to gather information about the man-made virus that wiped out most of the human population on the planet.

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Here is a postcard of him getting his Golden Globe ......

Friday, January 7, 2011

Grodzka Gate in Lublin, Poland

Lublin
Brama Grodzka
Grodzka Gate

postmarked in 1967 with three Poland stamps

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Lublin is the ninth largest city in Poland. It is the capital of Lublin Voivodeship with a population of 350,392 (June 2009).


The Grodzka Gate is one of two main city gates. It is located at the end of Grodzka Street.

The Gate was a part of Lublin's medieval fortifications. Rebuilt in 1785, it changed its function to become a dwelling and place of commerce. In 1873 the Gate became private property. After 1944, the Gate was used by the Fine Arts High School, and then by the Theatrical Studio of Lublin. Since 1992 the building has been used by the „Grodzka Gate – NN Theatre” Centre.

Important Dates
1342 – king Kazimierz the Great grants his allowance to build the Grodzka Gate as an element of city fortifications.
the 1550s – Lublin stonemasons: Sebastian Włoch and Suffraganek make small repairs of the Gate building.
the 1560s – gatepost was added.
1572 – stonemason Brudny builds a fixed, stone bridge.
1576 – king Stefan Batory allows to take a fee for crossing the Gate, which brought about the need to hire a gatekeeper.
Beginning of the 17th cent. – after the collapse of a piece of wall, the Gate is rebuilt into a two-storey building, covered with gabled roof. 
End of the 18th cent. – Good Order Committee states that the building is in bad technical condition.
1785 – rebuilding the Gate according to the project by Dominik Merlini.
1873 – the tenement, as a result of the third auction, is bought by Jakub Kleiman. Then, it is used by his numerous descendants.
1923 – the tenement is bought by Perla Goldberg.
1945 – the Gate building is given to the City Government.
1945 – the collapse of the annex.
1946 – eng. Zamorowski prepares a project of the building's renovation.
1954 – the renovation is completed, the building is given to the Fine Arts High School.
1960 – The Grodzka Gate building becomes a state property
1992 – the activity of „Grodzka Gate – NN Theatre” in the building of Grodzka Gate starts.
1994 – the reconstruction of the Grodzka Gate starts.