Coco Cay, Bahamas

Coco Cay

Bahamas

unused - bought in 2012

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On the right are the beaches, and in the bottom left is where the jet-skis take off from.  All the little white spots you see are jet-ski's.  That was one of my favorite parts of the whole cruise!  - If you go, I recommend you bring a pair of water sunglasses with straps that keep them on.  Water kept spraying up in my face when I would jump the waves. 

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Coco Cay
Bahamas

unused, bought in 2012

Here you can see in the floating playground in the  top and center of the water.  (It is much bigger than it looks on this postcard.)  Just past this is the jet skis and then the beaches.

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Little Stirrup Cay, (now called Coco Cay) Bahamas, is one of the Berry Islands, a collection of cays and small islands and is located approximately 55 miles north of Nassau. The island is less than a mile (around one kilometer) wide from east to west and less than a 200 yards (meters) from north to south. The east end is the center of recreational activities with beaches fronting a coral basin where manatee, rays, and numerous fish can be seen.  Nature trails run the entire length and width of the island.

Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd.  assumed the lease of the island upon acquisition of Admiral Cruises and renamed it Coco Cay, one of the first cruise lines to lease islands for their exclusive use.   Activities available to guests include swimming, snorkeling, kayaking, parasailing, scuba diving, and Waverunner piloting.

Eiffel Tower in Paris, France

Tour Eiffel, Paris

Postmarked in 2010 with a France 20g 'Le Mont-Saint-Michel' stamp

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Postcard Number Two: Side A...

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Side B...

 Nouvelles Images
Fold'N Please

Collecif  / Constuction de la tour Eiffel / Construction of the Eiffel Tower / Bau des Eiffelturms

Mai 1888, Juillet 1888, Septembre 1888, Mai 1889
(May 1888, July 1888, September 1888, May 1889)

unused, bought in 2012

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The Eiffel Tower is a puddled iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris. Built in 1889 as the entrance arch to the 1889 World's Fair, it has become both a global cultural icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world. The tower is the tallest building in Paris and the most-visited paid monument in the world; millions of people ascend it every year. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower.

The tower stands 320 metres (1,050 ft) tall, about the same height as an 81-story building. During its construction, the Eiffel Tower surpassed the Washington Monument to assume the title of the tallest man-made structure in the world, a title it held for 41 years, until the Chrysler Building in New York City was built in 1930.

Princess Diana in Her Wedding Dress

After stepping from the famous Glass Coach, Britain's royal Cinderella, Lady Diana, accompanied by her father, the eighth Earl of Spencer, gives the crowd their first full-length view of her secret taffeta wedding gown and veil.  July 29, 1981

Colorphoto: David Burnett

This unused postcard was printed in 1981.

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The wedding dress of Lady Diana Spencer was worn by Lady Diana Spencer at her wedding to Charles, Prince of Wales on 29 July 1981 at St Paul's Cathedral. Diana wore an ivory silk taffeta and antique lace gown, with a 25-foot (7.62 m) train. It was considered one of the most closely guarded secrets in fashion history. The dress was designed by David and Elizabeth Emanuel with hand embroidery, sequins, and 10,000 pearls.

The traditional Carrickmacross lace-making technique used on the wedding dress was later used on the wedding dress of Kate Middleton in her marriage to Prince William, Diana's eldest son.

Due to the length of the train, Diana's father found it difficult to fit inside the glass coach to accompany his daughter to the cathedral.

The Movie: Titanic

Titanic
starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet
Nothing on earth could come between them.

This postcard is unused.

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Titanic is a 1997 American epic romantic disaster film directed, written, co-produced, and co-edited by James Cameron. A fictionalized account of the sinking of the RMS Titanic, it stars Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslet as members of different social classes who fall in love aboard the ship during its ill-fated maiden voyage.

Production on the film began in 1995, when Cameron shot footage of the actual Titanic wreck. The modern scenes were shot on board the Akademik Mstislav Keldysh, which Cameron had used as a base when filming the wreck.

The film was partially funded by Paramount Pictures and 20th Century Fox, and, at the time, was the most expensive film ever made, with an estimated budget of $200 million.

Upon its release on December 19, 1997, the film achieved critical and commercial success. Nominated for fourteen Academy Awards, it won eleven, including the awards for Best Picture and Best Director, tying Ben Hur (1959) for most Oscars won by a single film. With a worldwide gross of over $2 billion, it was the first film to reach the billion dollar mark, remaining the highest-grossing film of all time for twelve years, until Cameron's 2009 film Avatar surpassed its gross in 2010. A 3D version of the film was re-released in theaters (often billed as Titanic 3D) on April 4, 2012, to commemorate the centenary of the sinking of the ship.

The Alma Mater Statue - University of Illinois

The Alma Mater Statue
University of Illinois
Champaign-Urbana, Illinois

postmarked in 1976 with a USA 9 cent 'Right of the People Peaceably to Assemble' stamp

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The Alma Mater is a bronze statue located on the campus of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. The long flowerbed stretching from the front of the Alma Mater to the corner of Green Street and Wright Street is known as the Alma Mater Plaza. There are two inscriptions in granite, that read "To thy happy children of the future, those of the past send greetings" and "Her children arise up and call her Blessed" Proverbs 31-28. The main figure is a mother-figure wearing academic robes and is flanked by two other figures representing "Learning" (to her left) and "Labor" (to her right), after the University's motto "Learning and Labor."

Duncan, Arizona: Stuff Yore Gas Tank and Yore Tummy

Good "Stuff" at Duncan, Arizona
"Where you stuff yore gas tank and yore tummy with one stop!"

Glen Z. Payne
sooper-dooper service

unused

The Barcelona Olympics of 1992

This official Olympic postcard with your personal message of support will be forwarded  to the U.S. Team in Barcelona.  It is a replica of the giant postcard that will be assembled in Washington, DC, for the July 12 1992 salute to Team USA

the postcard is pre-printed with an address on it to send it to the olympic team

unused
printed by the United States Postal Service

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The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same year since 1924, and place them in alternating even-numbered years, beginning in 1994. The 1992 Summer Games were the last to be staged in the same year as the Winter Games.

Australian Wombat

Story Card

Australian Wombat (Vombatus hirsutus)

These slow and ponderous marsupials are still plentiful in the forests of Eastern Australia.  They live on grasses and roots and have only a single pair of upper and lower incisors.  As all teeth are rootless, continuous growth prevents them from being ground away.

Wombats are speedy diggers and live in burrows some 5 metres long.. They breed in winter, the single off-spring being carried in the pouch until December.  These solitary, in-offensive animals are of gentle disposition and have been known to become affectionate pets.

Wombats are partially protected under the Wildlife Act of 1975.

unused - I bought this at an antique store in Sydney, Australia

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The wombat is one of the largest burrowing animals in the world.  It has a well developed brain and is playful and quick to learn.  Its diet consists of the native grasses and vegetation of its woodland habitat.

postmarked with a great Koala $1.20 Australia stamp! Jan. 2007

Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona

 Petrified Forest national Park
Arizona
The brilliant colors in the petrified wood come mainly from quartz, manganese and iron.  Most of the fossilized logs are from a tree called Araucarioxylon arizonicum, while two others, Woodworthia and Schilderia, occur in small quantities in the Northern part of the park.  All 3 species are now extinct.

Photo by Mike Jones

unused, from 2011
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Union Oil Company's
Natural Color Scenes of the West

Petrified Forest in northeastern Arizona has the largest and most colorful known concentration of petrified wood in the world.  Through a process of complete substitution, logs of wood have become brightly colored mineral logs.  The forest is reached off U.S. Highway 66 or 260.

Tour the West this year with 76 Gasoline

unused

Alaska - Inside Passage, Glacier Bay National Park

Alaska's Inside Passage
Aerial view of Margerie Glacier, Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska

Photo: John Hyde

postmarked in 2012 with a 32 cent 'Aloha' stamp

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The Inside Passage is a coastal route for oceangoing vessels along a network of passages which weave through the islands on the Pacific coast of North America. The route extends from southeastern Alaska, in the United States, through western British Columbia, in Canada, to northwestern Washington state, in the United States. Ships using the route can avoid some of the bad weather in the open ocean and may visit some of the many isolated communities along the route. The Inside Passage is heavily travelled by cruise ships, freighters, tugs with tows, fishing craft and ships of the Alaska Marine Highway, BC Ferries, and Washington State Ferries systems.

Margerie Glacier is a 21-mile-long (34 km) tide water glacier in Glacier Bay.

Barcelos Rooster - The Symbol of Portugal

A Genuine Symbol of Portugal

This is postmarked in 2012 with a Queijos Portuguese stamp (Portugese Cheeses).

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Here is a great story about how the rooster became the national symbol of Portugal!...


The Rooster has long been the symbol of Portugal, as the eagle is for the United States of America. A delightful moral tale is traditionally credited with the selection of the rooster.

The story is set in the era of the early regional kings of Portugal. It tells of a humble villager who is accused of theft and sentenced to death.

The man loudly proclaimed his innocence and demanded to be set free. His jailors paid him no mind and laughed at his cries for freedom. As his execution day neared, however, hi constant insistence on his innocence impressed one of the jailors who promised to speak to the king on his behalf.

The jailor had no opportunity to approach the king until the day of the execution. The jailor carried the condemned man’s plea to the king during a large banquet. In good humor due to the festive occasion, the king granted his request for the audience and the villager was brought before him.

“So you are innocent, are you?” laughed the king.
“Yes Sir, I am. Before God, I swear it,” answered the villager.
“Ah, but you have been accused and sentenced to death, and I can’t change the sentence on just your word without proof. How do you think you can prove your innocence, my good man?”
“But Sir, I swear that I am innocent,” the man insisted. He looked around the banquet room in desperation, seeking some way, some help. His eyes fell on a servant carrying in a large platter of fowl, steaming with seasonings. He fell to his knees.

“Lord God,” he prayed, “as Peter, your servant, denied you at the cock’s crow, would that you show my innocence as your humble servant by this rooster’s crow…”

All eyes turned to the platter of steaming cooked fowl and widened in wonder and amazement as the rooster got up, ruffled his feathers and crowed loudly.

“The Lord has indeed spoken,” the king said softly, and raising his voice, he proclaimed, “Let this be a lesson to each of us never to sit in quick judgment of our fellow man. The rooster, henceforth, shall be a reminder to us and to our children after us, of this, the Lord’s message. So shall it be in our land forever!”

The rooster, gaily decorated with bright designs, remains Portugal’s symbol and can be seen in almost every home and on every festive occasion, shaped in loaves of holiday bread and stamped on children’s candies. It has come to be considered by the Portuguese as a symbol of faith in the greatness of God.
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Here is another postcard of the Rooster, only this one is made of cork!!

 The Old Legend of Barcelos Cock

This one is postmarked in 2012 with a Portugal, Bordados Tradicionais (Traditional Embroidery) 0,80 (lace) stamp.

 

Shakespeare Has Not Written Lately

So I haven't written much lately!

So what?
Neither has Shakespeare

unused, from 2009

Sea Horse, Marineland of the Pacific

The Amazing Sea Horse
Marineland of the Pacific

"Cute" is the word by which visitors to the Oceanarium Jewel tanks most often describe these sea animals, which usually propel themselves through the water standing upright.  Before birth, sea horse babies are carried by their papa in a pouch below his abdomen.

Geo. E. Watson, Color Photographer

unused

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Marineland of the Pacific was a public oceanarium and tourist attraction located in Los Angeles County, California. It was also known as Hanna-Barbera's Marineland during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Marineland operated from 1954 until 1987, when it was purchased by the owners of SeaWorld, San Diego. The new owners moved the popular killer whales and other animals to their San Diego facility and abruptly closed down Marineland.

Sudoku fur Manner (Sudoku for Men)

Sudoku fur Manner

(Sudoku for Men)

Postmarked in 2011 with two Germany stamps, one with Mother Teresa (70) and one with a Crocus Flower (5)

 

Grand Duchesses Olaga, Tatyana, Marie and Anastasia (OTMA)

Grand Duchesses Olga, Tatyana, Marie and Anastasia (OTMA). Livadia. 1914

postmarked in 2011 with 5 Russia stamps - one for 4.00 and four Moose stamps for 5.00

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OTMA was an acronym sometimes used by the four daughters of Russian emperor Nicholas II and Alexandra Feodorovna as a group nickname for themselves, built from the first letter of each girl's name in the order of their births:

Ольга - Olga Nikolaevna Romanova (15 November 1895 - 17 July 1918)

Татьяна - Tatiana Nikolaevna Romanova (10 June 1897 - 17 July 1918)

Мария - Maria Nikolaevna Romanova (26 June 1899 - 17 July 1918)

Анастасия - Anastasia Nikolaevna Romanova (18 June 1901 - 17 July 1918).

In childhood the grand duchesses came up with ОТМА as a sign of sibling closeness and affection for one another, writing it in their diaries. The girls were great granddaughters of Queen Victoria and, although "thoroughly Russian," grew up speaking both Russian and English fluently among themselves. While the family was in captivity after the Russian Revolution of 1917 they were allowed to send few letters so the sisters often signed this nickname on cards they had written together for loved ones and friends.

All four girls were murdered with their family on July 17, 1918 by forces of the Bolshevik secret police after the Russian Revolution.

 

Hard to Soar Like an Eagle ...

You Can't Soar Like an Eagle ....
When you Run with the Turkeys!

postmarked in 2011 with a 44 cent dragonfly stamp

Chicago, Illinois - Willis Towers (Sears Building) - Skydeck Ledge

 Skydeck Ledge - I Was Here

The Ledge transforms how visitors experience Chicago.  At 1,353 feet up, The Ledge's glass balconies extend out 4.3 feet from the skyscraper's Skydeck on the 103rd floor.  The Ledge provides never-before-seen views of the city, from the tallest building in the western hemisphere.

This is postmarked in 2012 with a 32 cent Aloha stamp.

The sender writes:
I was here alright, but I was the person too scared to step onto the glass.  These ledges can be retracted into the building when wether turns nasty.  This is The Willis Towers, used to be the Sears Building.
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 Sears Tower (now named the Willis Tower) - Chicago
This aerial view of Sears Tower beautifully reveals the dominance of the world's tallest building in Chicago's skyline.  Flanked by the John Hancock and Standard Oil Building in the background, this view features three of the world's seven tallest buildings. (at the time of printing, this is no longer true)
Photo by Phil Valdez

This one is postmarked in 1989 with 15 cent Buffalo Bill Cody stamp.

 

Klingons and Worf from Star Trek

 Star Trek Generation


unused, from 1994

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The Klingons were created by screenwriter Gene L. Coon (January 7, 1924 – July 8, 1973), and first appeared in the 1967 episode "Errand of Mercy". They were named after Lieutenant Wilbur Clingan, who served with Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry in the Los Angeles Police Department. In the original television series (TOS), Klingons were typically portrayed with bronze skin and facial hair suggestive of Asian peoples, and possessed physical abilities similar to humans (in fact, Coon's only physical description of them in his "Errand of Mercy" script is "oriental" and "hard-faced"). The swarthy look of Klingon males was created with the application of shoe polish and long, thin moustaches; budget constraints would not allow any further creativity.

For Star Trek: The Motion Picture, the Klingons appearance and behavior radically changed. To give the aliens a more sophisticated and threatening demeanor, the Klingons were depicted with ridged foreheads, snaggled and prominent teeth, and a defined language and alphabet. Costume designer Robert Fletcher created new uniforms for the Klingons, reminiscent of feudal Japanese armor.

The release of a new television series, Star Trek: The Next Generation, prompted a further revision in the depiction of Klingon culture. Set a century later than the original series, the USS Enterprise-D featured a Klingon crewmember, Worf. Makeup artist Michael Westmore needed a consistent reference to base the Klingon look on, as each individual Klingon had distinct head ridges. He found what he was looking for in a book of dinosaurs; observing dinosaur vertebrae laid out flat, Westmore cut the designs in half and modified them to suit each Klingon.

According to the official Star Trek web site, the Klingons' varying appearance was "probably the single most popular topic of conversation among Star Trek fans". While the real reason for the discrepancy between The Original Series Klingons and their feature film and later television series counterparts was a lack of budget, fans took it upon themselves to contrive an acceptable canon reason for the sudden change. These theories postulated that TOS Klingons were in fact humans raised as Klingons, similar to Janissaries; that for cosmetic or diplomatic reasons, Klingons removed the ridges via surgery; or that TOS Klingons were in fact hybrids with a more human species. Simple theories that the different Klingons were different racial breeds were complicated by the fact that the characters of Kang, Koloth, and Kor appeared with smooth features in the original series, yet reverted to a ridged appearance in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, and that Worf acknowledged the difference in appearances when the crew of Deep Space 9 returned to the 23rd century in the episode "Trials and Tribble-ations," but offered no explanation, saying merely, "We do not discuss it with outsiders."

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Star Trek
Insurrection
Lieutenant Commander Worf

unused, from 1998

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Star Trek: Insurrection is a 1998 American science fiction film.  It is the ninth film in the Star Trek franchise, and the third to feature the cast from the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation. It revolves around the insurrection of the USS Enterprise-E as they discover that Starfleet has been conspiring with a species known as the Son'a to steal the planet of the peaceful Ba'ku for themselves.

Worf, played by Michael Dorn, is a main character in Star Trek: The Next Generation and in seasons four to seven of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. He also appears in the films based on The Next Generation. Worf is the first Klingon main character to appear in Star Trek, and has appeared in more Star Trek franchise episodes than any other character.

Vik i Myrdal, Iceland

Vik i Myrdal

The village Vik in south Iceland is renowned for its beautiful black sandy beach and the lava formations Reynisdrangar rising from the sea.  An old folktale explains the pillars as being trolls that were caught out at sea at dawn.  The area around Reynisfjall is abundant in bird species during the summer.

postmarked in 2012 with an Island 'Eyjafjallajökull Eruption' stamp for 50 g

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The village of Vík is the southernmost village in Iceland, located on the main ring road around the island, around 180 km (110 mi) by road SSE of Reykjavík.

Despite its small size (291 inhabitants as of January 2011) it is the largest settlement for some 70 km (43 mi) around and is an important staging post, thus it is indicated on road signs from a long distance away.

Castle and Map of Liechtenstein

 Furstentum Liechtenstein (Principality of Liechtenstein)


Schloss Vaduz, Residenz des regierenden Fursten
Vaduz Castle, residence of the ruling Prince

postmarked in 2011 with a Liechtenstein Church Building stamp for 1.90

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Liechtenstein, officially the Principality of Liechtenstein is a doubly landlocked alpine country in Central Europe, bordered by Switzerland to the west and south and by Austria to the east. Its area is just over 160 square kilometres (62 sq mi), and it has an estimated population of 35,000. Its capital is Vaduz.

Liechtenstein has the second lowest unemployment rate in the world at 1.5% (Monaco is first).

Dauphine Restaurant in Amsterdam (Based in an Old Car Factory)

Dauphine Cafe Restaurant

postmarked in 2012 with a Netherlands stamp

The sender writes that this restaurant is based in an old Dauphine car factory.  It is a massive building and they serve lovely food.  I read online that on Friday nights, they move the tables and have dancing.

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Renault Dauphine is a rear-engined economy car manufactured by Renault in one body style — a three-box, four-door sedan — as the successor to the Renault 4CV, with over two million examples marketed worldwide during its production from 1956-1967.

Along with such cars as the Volkswagen Beetle, Morris Minor and Fiat 500, the Dauphine pioneered the modern European economy car.

Renault marketed variants of the Dauphine, including a sport model, the Gordini, a luxury version, the Ondine, the 1093 factory racing model, and the Caravelle/Floride, a Dauphine-based two-door convertible.

Arinsal, Andorra

Principat D'Andorra (Principality of Andorra)

Arinsal

postmarked in 2011 with an Andorra 0,89 Rugbi (Rugby) stamp

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Arinsal is a village in Andorra, set at an altitude of between 1550 and 2560 metres, (Pic de Coma Pedrosa is the highest point at 9,665 ft).  

In the summer Arinsal is home to walkers and bikers, as well as those who just want to relax in the mountain scenery. 

This looks like a wonderful place to visit! 

                                     

Three 'Real Photo' Vintage Postcards, Faith, Hope and Charity

Faith

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Hope

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Charity

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Published by E. A. Schwerdtfeger

Printed in Berlin, Germany - In the stamp box it reads:  Inland 1/2 D, Foreign 1 D

These are 'real photo' postcards of a young girl holding a cross, anchor and heart made of flowers.

all three are unused

Onegin - Australian Ballet

 The Australian Ballet
Onegin
Desire VS Duty

A Byronic cad shatters a young girl's heart - and the stage is set for a fateful tale of broken dreams and wasted love.

This is a free advertising postcard

postmarked in 2012 with an Australian 'Phillip Law'  1.80 stamp

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This is from their website:
John Cranko was a master of the story ballet, and his adaptation of Alexander Pushkin’s revered verse novel is considered his crowning achievement. Onegin, a bored aristocrat from St Petersburg, visits the provinces and enchants the naive Tatiana. She sends him an impassioned letter, but he rejects her, dallies with his own best friend’s girlfriend, and kills him in the ensuing duel. Years later the troubled Onegin again encounters Tatiana, now married to a prince, and is bewitched by her. Will she be able to resist?
With soaring music by Tchaikovsky, sumptuous costumes by Jürgen Rose (including Tatiana’s much-coveted red ball dress), and two famous pas de deux, this ballet classic will linger with you long after the curtain falls.
Both Pushkin and Cranko had rich artistic careers cut short by untimely death – Pushkin’s after a duel, Cranko’s in a plane. Onegin is their legacy.