Douglas C-47 Gooney Birds Airplanes

World War II - 117

Douglas C-47 Gooney Birds

Skytrain, Skytrooper, Dakota, and "Gooney Bird" were just some of the military names given the military version of the civilian Douglas DC-3.

postmarked in 2010 with a 28 cent stamp

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Several C-47 variations were used in the Vietnam War by the United States Air Force, including three advanced electronic warfare variations which were sometimes called "Electric Gooneys".  There was also a gunship variation, designated AC-47 "Spooky" often nicknamed "Puff the Magic Dragon".

Arkansas Puzzle Postcard

This postcard is an actual puzzle.

Arkansas USA 20 cents
The Mocking bird and Apple Blossom are the State bird and flower depicted in this 1982 commemorative stamp. This series includes the State bird and flower from all fifty states

the back reads:
To Open Puzzle: Score on perforation lines, Pull off on perforated lines, Puzzle removes easily for your entertainment

This postcard is unused.

Assen, Drenthe, The Netherlands, with Pakistan stamp attached!

Groeten uit Assen (Greetings from Assen)

postmarked in 2010 with a 95 Netherlands stamp, and a surprise stamp attached to the bottom left corner so there is no postmarks on it!!!  - 

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Assen is a municipality and a city in the north eastern Netherlands, capital of the province of Drenthe. It received city rights in 1809.

The TT Circuit Assen is one of the most famous motorcycle racing circuits in the world and is the only circuit that has been in the MotoGP calendar since its beginnings in 1949. It is also regarded as the Cathedral of Motorcycle Racing.

In November of each year Assen becomes the centre of international attention for the world of Ballroom and Latin American dancers when the city hosts the Assen Dance Festival which includes the "Dutch Open Championships". 

Assen is also the capital of the "Cycling Province" of the Netherlands, Drenthe. There are many high quality cycle paths in the city and surroundings and it is host to regular cycling events such as the Drentse fietsvierdaagse and the Jeugdtour.

Ruins of Antigua, Guatemala

Ruinas de Antigua

Ruins of Antigua

Guatemala, C.A.

postmarked in 1973 with a Guatemala Eleanor Roosevelt stamp 

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La Antigua Guatemala (commonly referred to as just Antigua) is a city in the central highlands of Guatemala famous for a number of spectacular ruins of colonial churches. It has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

National Hotel, Havana, Cuba

Habana: Hotel Nacional
Havana: National Hotel

This postcard is unused.

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This hotel was refurbished in the late 1950's and is still open today.  Some of the famous who have stayed here are: Buster Keaton, Tyrone Power,  Errol Flyn, Marlon Brando, Winston Churchill and the famous Ernest Hemingway, who donated a blue fish specimen to the “Sirena” bar.

Kennedy Space Center, Postcards with Bookmarks attached

The brilliant exhaust from the solid rocket boosters and blue mach diamonds from the main engine nozzles mark the perfect launch of space Shuttle Atlantis.

Apollo 11 Launch

The Apollo 11 space vehicle rises to clear the launch tower at Kennedy Space Center's pad 39A. Liftoff occurred at 9:32 a.m. EDT, July 16, 1969. Crewmen Neil A. Armstrong, Michael Collins, and Edwin E. Aldrin, Jr. are speeding toward lunar orbit, from where Armstrong and Aldrin will attempt the first manned lunar landing.

For both cards:

Kennedy Space Center

Visitor Complex

Photo courtesy of NASA

This unused postcard was bought in 2010.

The bookmark is where you add the stamp, and when the receiver gets the postcard in the mail, they separate the bookmark from the card using the perforated lines. Brilliant!

Victorian Style Halloween Postcard

With Best Wishes for Halloween

postmarked in 1906 with a one cent stamp
the sender writes:

Dear Lillian - You are a dandy to visit Jackson and not come and see me.  You better hadn't do it again or I will come over and spank you.

With Love,
Maud

(for the record, I wouldn't want to go visit anyone either who threatens to spank me!)

Hell in Grand Cayman Islands

Greetings from Hell, Grand Cayman, B.W.I.

"Go to Hell". See the wild formation of rocks that look like hell with its bottomless pits. Send a cards from Hell or just pose with the devil. "Hope to see you in Hell" - Grand Cayman Islands.

postmarked with a 20c 'Best Wishes' Cayman Islands stamp in 2008

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Hell, Grand Cayman is a group of short, black, limestone formations in the northwest Grand Cayman town of West Bay. It is roughly the size of half a soccer field, and people are not allowed in amongst the limestone formations; two viewing platforms exist for tourists. There are numerous versions of how Hell received its name, but they are generally variations on "a local official exclaimed, 'This is what Hell must look like.'"

Regardless of how it first came to be called Hell, the name stuck and the area has become something of a tourist attraction, featuring a fire-engine red hell-themed post office from which you can send "postcards from hell", and a gift shop with 'Satan' passing out souvenirs while greeting people with phrases like 'How the hell are you?' and 'Where the hell are you from?'

It is also claimed that the name "Hell" is derived from the fact that if a pebble is thrown out into the formation, it echoes amongst the limestone peaks and valleys and sounds as if the pebble is falling all the way down to "Hell."

Bran Castle (Dracula's Castle)

Bran Castle
Castelul Bran

Postmarked in 2010 with three Romania 1,00 L vase stamps

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Bran Castle, situated near Bran and in the immediate vicinity of Braşov, is a national monument and landmark in Romania. The fortress is situated on the border between Transylvania and Wallachia. Commonly known as "Dracula's Castle", it is marketed as the home of the title character in Bram Stoker's Dracula.

There is evidence that Vlad Tepes actually did use the castle during his raids into Transylvania.

The castle is now a museum open to tourists, displaying art and furniture collected by Queen Marie. Tourists can see the interior individually or by a guided tour. At the bottom of the hill is a small open air museum park exhibiting traditional Romanian peasant structures (cottages, barns, etc.) from across the country.

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Vlad Tepes - (Face you see at the bottom of the postcard) (November 1431 – December 1476), more commonly known as the Impaler or Dracula, was a three-time ruler of Wallachia, ruling mainly from 1456 to 1462.

Historically, Vlad is best known for the cruel punishments he imposed on his enemies. (Impalement was his favorite choice of execution)
In the English-speaking world, Vlad III is perhaps most commonly known for inspiring the name of the vampire in Bram Stoker's 1897 novel Dracula.

M&M Candies

Catching Rays in Las Vegas (how would she be catching rays if it's night time?)

M&M Characters with
Metallic background

all bought in Las Vegas, Nevada in 2010

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In 1995 M&M's introduced computer animated "spokescandies" in their television commercials. These include the team of the cynical and sardonic "Red" (originally voiced by Jon Lovitz, thereafter Billy West), who is the mascot for milk chocolate M&M's, and the happy and gullible "Yellow" (originally John Goodman, thereafter J.K. Simmons), who is the mascot for peanut M&M's. Other mascots include the "cool one", Blue (originally Phil Hartman, thereafter Robb Pruitt) for almond; the seductive Green (Cree Summer) for peanut butter, mint, and dark chocolate (Green is the only female M&M's mascot); and the slightly neurotic Orange (Eric Kirchberger) for other types of M&M's in general, who was initially not named after his color (for a time when he was introduced, he was known as Crispy due to his being a mascot for the Crispy M&M's, which debuted around the same time.)

Picking Coconuts in Jamaica

Picking Coconuts

"Time out" to pick refreshing coconuts in Jamaica, W.I.

Photo by T. A. Dexter

the sender writes:

This is the first and only post card I've sent - I'll be curious to see how long it takes to get to you. 

We're now in Savanna La-Mar on the South Coast - it's 90 degrees, lush, colorful and gorgeous.  I don't want to return to Cambridge.

Take Care,

--

PS The scene on this post card is real.

Kinderdijk, Holland

Holland - Kinderdijk

postmarked in 2010 with a Netherlands stamp featuring ladies hats

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Kinderdijk is a village in the Netherlands in the province South Holland, about 15 km east of Rotterdam.

It is situated in a polder (low-lying tract of land enclosed by embankments known as dikes) where the Lek and Noord rivers meet. To drain the polder, a system of 19 windmills was built around 1740. This group of mills is the largest concentration of old windmills in the Netherlands.

The windmills of Kinderdijk are one of the best known Dutch tourist sites. They were placed on the list of UNESCO list of World Heritage Sites in 1997.

Working Woman's Kitchen Prayer

Working Woman's Kitchen Prayer

Thank you, Lord, for mealtime help ...
Spaghetti sauce in jars,
Premixed casseroles in boxes, breakfast squares and bars,
For instant puddings and potatoes,
Gravies, soups and teas,
For frozen meals... especially those with fewer calories,
And, Lord, when there's no time to cook
To still those hunger pains,
Thank you for the miracle of all those fast-food chains.

 Hallmark Postcard

Unused but has 1987 on the back