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.