RoadMusic

Join the fun!

2012-05-20T10:43:00.000-07:00

I have a variety of postcards to share with you today. And for those of you who enjoy this blog but who do not swap postcards yourself, go to www.postcrossing.com to get in on the fun. Another good site for swapping postcards and many other items is www.swapbot.com. You too can find delightful surprises in your mailbox!

Here's another map card to add to my collection. This one is from sunny Portugal.

From Taiwan I received this scene from the 2011 movie "Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale".

This reproduction of an old cover of J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Hobbit" came from The Netherlands.

I love old travel posters. This one reminds us to always wear white gloves when traveling.

The Cathedral of the Resurrection in St. Petersburg, Russia, otherwise known as "church in a jar".

I'm not sure what is happening in this Japanese painting. It looks like one of the Scrabble players took entirely too long to make a move and sent the other two players completely over the edge.

I want to end today on a calmer note. The translation of the writing on this card is "Everything will be all right", and if the picture doesn't give you the warm fuzzies then I give up.

Outdoors with imaginary friends

2012-05-16T13:13:00.001-07:00

Spring has come to Oregon and Salem is filled with large, colorful azaleas, such as these from our back yard.

It's far too nice to spend the day inside, so I think I'll call a friend and go for a nice long walk.

I'll pick some flowers while I'm out.

I might have to stop for a rest in the shade once in a while.

If I get really tired, I'll just ride instead of walking.

I always stop in the park to feed all my bird friends.

OK, I'm off for my nature walk. I tried to talk my cats into accompanying me, but as usual they would rather stay home and do yoga.

Garden party

2012-05-06T11:59:00.000-07:00

Here's an adorable Inge Löök card I recently got from Finland. Don't these two ladies look like they're having a great time? I like the little railway track that runs around the table delivering hors oeuvres. I want one of those for my dining table.

Remember My Fair Lady with Audrey Hepburn and Rex Harrison? One of the all-time great musicals. This card was sent to me from Belarus. I MUST get a hat like Audrey's.

Don't you just hate it when you go to a movie and the theater is really crowded?

Of course if you don't feel like going to the movies, you can just stay home and make your own music, as in this painting by John White Alexander (American, 1856-1915). The lady on the right prefers hip-hop and is very bored.

Or maybe she's just hungry, and wondering why the Chinese food delivery is taking so long.

I'm going to finish up today with a really beautiful card that I received from Western Siberia. What with the angels and all, it has a sort of Christmas-y feel to it.

The Merry Month of May

2012-05-01T18:01:00.000-07:00

Hello, postcard lovers! Ready for another whirlwind trip around the globe? Let's start in China with a card about Peking (or Beijing) opera, one of China's cultural treasures.

I recently got another card to add to my map card collection. This one is from the Lüneburger Heide area of Germany, south of Hamburg. It looks like there is lots of great architecture to see there.

And here's one more from Germany, this time from Sonsbecker Ansichten. I wish I knew how to pronounce these German names.

Here's something from my "Don't Try This At Home" collection. This is a student from a clown school in Lisbon, Portugal, giving a little performance on a city street. I believe the Latin inscription in the background says, "Whatever you do, don't look down".

Today I got still another Kaj Stenvall duck card but unfortunately it was damaged in transit from Finland. However, a damaged Stenvall duck is better than no duck at all, so I will definitely keep the card. Just pretend there is no big ugly white line right down the middle of the card.

When you wish upon a star tonight, make a wish that my future ducks will arrived undamaged.

This card is courtesy of Maria in Germany.

And don't stand barefoot in the snow.

Here kitty kitty

2012-04-27T12:36:00.000-07:00

Be careful when you call your cats for dinner. There's no telling who might show up.

Purrrrrrrr..........

Some guests are just too sleepy to get up at all.

And there's always the identity theft problem.

I am TOO a pussy cat!!

I was thinking as I glided through the house this morning, singing and generally being beautiful,

should I show my new armadillo tattoo to Stephanie or not? She will be so jealous. What fun!

Here is a painting by Abbott Henderson Thayer (American, 1849-1921) called "My Children (Mary, Gerald and Gladys Thayer), c. 1897. Just offhand I'd say that Mary, Gerald and Gladys were not a bit happy about posing for this picture. Daddy could apparently see the black fumes rising off of Mary and decided to include them in the painting.

I think there's a dysfunctional family reality show in here somewhere, unless spontaneous combustion occurs first.

Excuse me, but I have to go put a sign in my yard. There have been too many possums walking across it recently. Presumptuous little creatures.

More mailbox goodies

2012-04-25T12:12:00.000-07:00

I'm going to do a bit more catching up today with some of the interesting postcards I've found in my mailbox recently.

First, a vintage 1969 card from the island of Kizhi, Russia, sent by Sergey, who says not a single nail was used in the construction of any of the buildings, just interlocking logs.

It's time for one of those colorful WAKE UP cards! This is a picture from an older Slovenian cartoon. Such happy, happy bugs! Thanks, Anja!

Here is a painting by Julio Romero de Torres called "La Chiquita Piconera". I googled to get a translation of "Piconera" and found this definition: "Maker of small charcoal for braziers". I'm not sure if that is actually what's going on here. The girl looks like she'd rather be doing something other than piconera-ing.

From Great Britain I received this reproduction of an old reading education poster. On the back of the card is printed "I'm part of the Ladybird generation!". Apparently many English children grew up reading Ladybird books. As for me, I'm part of the "See Spot Run" generation.

Some scenes from Sevastopol, Ukraine (previously known as Sebastopol). The devastation of the Ukrainian "b" orchards during the 1922 happy, happy bug infestation resulted in many spelling modifications. Prebiously, plenty of 'b's were abailable but are no longer avundant.

Here are a couple of beautiful pineapples for you.

See ya soon!

I'll see your two ducks and raise you a frog

2012-04-24T20:28:00.000-07:00

I've received so many great cards in the mail lately and it's about time I showed you some of them!

I'm going to start with a beautiful art card I received just today from Danielle in Omaha. This is an 1864 painting entitled "Caprice in Purple and Gold No. 2: The Golden Screen", by James McNeill Whistler. His most famous painting is "Arrangement in Grey and Black No. 1", better known as "Whistler's Mother". His mother offered to pose for "Caprice" as well, but James decided on a younger model. Once his mom got down on the floor, she had a heck of a time getting back up.

I've never actually seen any large dinosaur skeletons like these at the Smithsonian, but it must be amazing to stand underneath one and look up - and realize those creatures really did exist. I'll bet they really went through the kibble.

Speaking of old dinosaurs, take a look at this "Colossus Computer" that was operational at Bletchley Park, England during WWII. This is the computer that was used to break the famous German "Enigma" code. I sure am glad computers have gotten a lot smaller. This would definitely not have fit in my office.

So what's this duck and frog stuff anyway? Well, it was a great week because I got TWO cards with illustrations by Kaj Stenvall. I just love his ducks!

And finally, such a frog I have for you! This guy's had too much caffeine, I think.

I still have lots more to show you, so come back soon!

The Bobby

2012-04-04T21:23:00.000-07:00

Hi, folks! Let's wander about a bit.

This card from Oulu, Finland cracks me up. See the statue on the left? It is the city mascot known as "The Bobby", located in the Market Place. I'll bet the man standing to the side of the statue never thought he'd end up on a postcard. Too bad the man didn't have a hat on - it would have been perfect.

We have a small group of gray wolves that migrated here from Idaho and have taken up residence in Eastern Oregon. They are such beautiful animals, but not popular with local sheep and cattle ranchers who would like to see them killed. Even with all the wide open spaces we have in Oregon, there doesn't seem to be room for everyone to live together. Sad, I think.

On a happier note, have you ever seen a straw teddy bear in a field? Have you ever fixed your hair like this?

If spring ever arrives this year, we will have huge fields of colorful tulips here in the Willamette Valley. Right now we have huge fields of mud. Well, that makes it sound like it's really been raining a lot here. Let's just say our soil is a bit damp. We are all pretty sure that the sun will come out one of these days.

I received this card from an 11 year old girl in Belgium. Remember being that young and innocent? I see that the author of this "Learning To Read" book is "M. E. Gagg". What makes this even worse is that her first name was Margaret, so she was "Maggie Gagg". Poor thing.

Oh, those tulips I mentioned earlier? They aren't grown by people; we have cows to take care of them. Teaching them to drive the tractors was the hardest part.

I will finish for today with this card from Minsk, Belarus showing one of their cathedrals. Let's all pray for sunshine.

Fooled you!!

2012-03-30T22:04:00.000-07:00

You probably thought I was gone for good, didn't you? This is my April Fool's joke a couple of days early. What's funny is that I have bunches of great post card images that have been piling up, but I haven't been BLOGGING them! Ha ha. All of us procrastinators prefer to think of ourselves as amusing rather than just lazy.

So.......lots of catching up to do, and what better way to start than with a very happy cat? This card came from Ulyanorsk, Russia, on the Volga River.

Did you know that Taiwan used to be known as Formosa? "Illa Formosa" means "beautiful island" in Portuguese.

And from China, here is proof that even if you ignore good dental hygiene all your life, you will still find things to laugh about. Of course, what's in this guy's pipe may have something to do with his great joy. If I were to lose my tweezers for a few weeks, my chin would look just like this.

A beautiful art deco card from Russia.

From Germany, this card shows a 1974 photo of a girl on a walking tour of Paris. Oh, my feet hurt just looking at those shoes. Besides, even 3" taller, I'd still be a short person.

Well, I'm not nearly as stressed out now that I've caught up a little bit on my blog. This picture will serve to remind me of how I'll feel if I do not keep current. Fear is a good thing.

If anyone is still reading this blog, thank you.

More fish blanket news!

2012-02-15T16:39:00.000-08:00

Howdy, friends and neighbors! Lots of exciting stuff to share with you today.

It's extra special to get a card created by the artist herself. Lia Schapendonk from The Netherlands sent me this one.

Don't you love it? Lisa has a website where you can see more of her work.

Here's another card from The Netherlands. This one shows Pim and Pom, two famous cats who are much loved by Dutch children. There is a short YouTube episode of their adventures, so you can see them in action.

From Yoshiko in Osaka, Japan, here is "Inner Scene of Kabuki Theatre" by Kunisada Ichiyosai (1785-1864). It looks like quite a lively night at the theatre.

OK, I know you're all anxious to hear the latest fish blanket news. Thanks to Dany in Germany, I now have some work-in-progress photos so you see how one itty-bitty fish can turn into a beautiful blanket.

First of all, knit hundreds of these little fish.

When you have enough of them, start joining them together in strips.

Keep doing this for years and years and years, and eventually you will end up with a beautiful blanket like this.

This last photo comes from the "Eat, Knit, Love...." blog where someone has actually finished one of these blankets. You can read more about it and see other photos. (That's a lot easier than trying to make one of these yourself.) Dany is still working on her blanket, so I hope to post a picture of her finished project some day.......

Today's Words of Wisdom

Don't worry about avoiding temptation. As you grow older it will avoid you.

--- Winston Churchill

Fish blankets

2012-02-10T20:02:00.000-08:00

What's been delivered to my mailbox lately? Let's have a peek!

From Germany I received this nice Vincent Van Gogh card. I'm a little confused by the woman's left hand. It looks like a giant bird claw. The sender mentioned that she has been working on a fish blanket for five years. I stopped right there and tried, unsuccessfully, to figure out why fish would need a blanket. Then I continued to read, as I should have done in the first place, and found that she is creating a blanket made up of hundreds of little knitted fish. Poor woman. I mean the woman with the giant bird claw, not the knitter, although she has my sympathy too.

Here's another head-scratcher. What is this cat holding, an upside down plucked chicken? Whatever it is, it looks like it could truly use a fish blanket. This is a scene from an animated Latvian film. I can't think of one more word to say about this.

Ahh, January in Finland. I hear that most of Europe is pretty much frozen at present. Here in Oregon, we are continuing with our usual wet-and-mild winter. Our squirrels aren't quite this large, but they are quite a bit warmer.

Don't despair! Soon it will be spring and all the insects will be smiling.

This artwork on the sides of an apartment building in Holland is all composed of recycled material such as glass, car parts, tiles and bottles. It was made by students and took 9 years to complete. I hear that knitting will be involved in the next long-term class project. Just a rumor....

This is how moose say "Goodbye. See ya later".

Dreaming of the sun

2012-02-01T11:41:00.001-08:00

I got two postcards in the mail yesterday that go together very well. Plus they had some great stamps on them.

From The Ukraine, this card depicts a young girl deep in her daydreams and I think I know what she is dreaming about. SUNSHINE!!

How about a visit to the Azores? That ought to do it. And I love the cat stamp!

If you can't make it to a sunny spot like the Azores, stay warm by bundling up in your favorite sweater and cap.

You could always have a family meeting to decide whether or not to go to the Azores.

Last night I dreamed that I was planning a vacation for a group of people. It was going to be a complete surprise. Part of the surprise was that we were going to take three pregnant cats along with us. I wasn't quite sure how that was going to go over. But I figured that with everything else that was going to be crammed in the car, the cats probably wouldn't even be noticeable. The camping gear was going to take up most of the space. I woke up before finding out if my trip was a success.

My many faces

2012-01-30T20:57:00.000-08:00

This is my "Ummm, I think I'll write a blog post - I wonder what I'll write about." look. This is also my "Why is my arm bleeding?" look.

This is my "Whatever I write, you WILL like it." look.

This is one of the many outfits that I did not put on when I got up this morning.

If I were to blog in Japanese, this is what I'd look like.

I've always been short-waisted.

Tsar Nicholas wanted to marry me, but had to settle for Alexandra because I was busy writing my blog. You can tell that Alexandra wasn't too happy about the whole thing.

I have to go find a face to put on now.

January mailbox fun

2012-01-26T16:33:00.000-08:00

Have you ever seen such a grin as this? I don't think I'd want one of my cats looking at me that way.

I love this card from Belarus! The caption, translated, says "No matter that they seem quite old to some - There is no hurdle that they cannot overcome!". I'm guessing they just had a big cat grin at them and they're running away.

This is a handmade card from Germany. The bear (Leo) accompanied the photographer when she visited Central Park in New York. It's always more fun to have a friend along when you travel.

A Jip & Janneke card from The Netherlands. I don't know what the cow's name is.

Finnish artist Reijo Kela's "The Silent People". If you have a very large back yard and lots of time on your hands, you could always fill it with scarecrows.

During this cold and rainy Oregon January, a map of the Caribbean looks very inviting. I wouldn't mind an island in the sun right about now.

Or, I could just go skiing.

The papier-mache owls bid you good evening, whoooooever you are.

A most handsome cat

2012-01-08T21:25:00.000-08:00

My name is Dirk and I live in Germany. Aren't I handsome?

Dental hygiene is very important, even for chipmunks. Be sure to put a container of floss next to your critter feeder.

Here is a vintage ad for the French drink "Banania", which is made of cocoa, banana flour, cereals, honey, and sugar. This product was first produced in 1912. I don't know of anything comparable here in the States. Sounds kinda tasty.

Any golfers out there? If you play this course in Japan, beware of the VERY large water hazard.

I like this 1934 oil painting by Malvin Gray Johnson. It's called "Brothers".

I received this "Cathedral of Christ the Saviour" card from Moscow. Churches can be so beautiful.

Setting out from Rabbitville

2012-01-04T11:51:00.000-08:00

Don't you just love this old illustration? It's from a 1935 children's book called "What They Say in Rabbitville", by Ruth Mary Hallock (1876-1945). I think Rabbitville is a great place for us to start our adventures this year.

As always, you can bring along any strange friends you may have.

Here are a few cards I have recently received.

This is an ad for a Finnish production of Stephen Sondheim's musical play "A Little Night Music".

A very cold Russian bird

From 1930, a Japanese blue and white vase showing a grape tree and a squirrel.

Although the correct name of these Malaysian ferries is "Penang-Butterworth Ferries", to me they will always be the Peanut Butter Ferries.

I will leave you today with an interesting mandala image from India.

Coco Chanel's fashion tips

2011-12-31T11:11:00.000-08:00

I have dusted off my computer keyboard and am ready for a new year of exciting and edifying blog posts. Oh, and funny.... can't forget funny. These are my hopes, mind you, not promises.

First of all, a big thank you to my dear friend Mae West for her guest blog yesterday. So kind of her to take the time. Dear, dear Mae. So well-meaning but just a little, well, shall we say "blunt"? However, here I am writing again, so her post was a success.

I know that many of you are waiting for fashion advice from me so that you will know how to dress for New Year's Eve. For those of you on the other side of the International Date Line, I'm so sorry I didn't get to you in time. I can only hope that you didn't look TOO tacky last night. I have called in an expert today to help me: Miss Gabrielle "Coco" Chanel.

Coco recommends wearing every single necklace you own at the same time, especially if you are trying to cover up the top of an ugly dress. Try to find a really big wristwatch to wear around your waist. Coco reminds everyone to be careful when placing a pin on your hat. She accidently stuck this one right through the top of her head and has been unable to remove the hat for years. And last but not least, wear a beautiful fragrance, like Chanel No. 2, or, if you can afford it, No. 2-1/2.

Thank you, Coco, and a very Happy New Year to you too!

Guest blogger: Mae West

2011-12-30T12:29:00.000-08:00

Hey guys and gals. The one and only Mae West here, filling in today for the incredibly unreliable author of this blog. I once said "Anything worth doing is worth doing slowly", and apparently Ms. Blogger thought I was referring to her. Ha! She was the farthest thing from my mind! So I'm here to light a firecracker under her. If you're going to write, get on with it!! I've been things and seen places and so has Ms. Blogger, and the world needs to hear from us, probably. We are entirely too interesting to hide our lights under a bucket.

If Ms. Blogger does not take up my challenge to become a responsible emblogulator again, then all I've got to say is that her mother should have thrown her out and kept the stork.

Check back soon. And Happy New Year!!!!!!!

Recent goodies

2011-11-29T12:53:00.000-08:00

Hi, everyone! For those of you who live in countries where Thanksgiving is celebrated, I hope you and your families had a great holiday. Don't let the consumer madness get to you this Christmas season. Give a gift to someone who really needs it.

It was a good postcard week. I got another Kaj Stenvall duck illustration, this one called "Signs of Winter In The Air". I'm so glad these ducks have sweaters to keep them warm around the campfire. Thanks to Katri in Finland for this card.

From Ron in The Netherlands, who is both a truck driver and a fireman, came this very handsome truck.

Going back in time a bit, here we see a couple of young French women touching up their makeup in a public garden in Paris, around 1930. Makeup: perfect! Hair: smashed utterly flat by their hats. It looks like they have just been shopping for more hats, too.

Jodie sent this card of happy Dutch children dancing. They can't hear the music over the stomping of their wooden shoes, but they imagine it is wonderful.

This German mathematics professor is chuckling because no one can understand what he wrote on the blackboard. Even he isn't too sure.

"Little Street in Gdansk" by Polish painter Albert Lipczinski (1876-1974). Sent to me by Anna in Poland.

This is a Russian Pinocchio. He appears to be off on some serious business.

I'm off too, but not on serious business. See you soon!

How to get from here to there

2011-11-19T13:08:00.000-08:00

Have you ever traveled by train? If not, you've missed out on a fun experience. I no longer take train trips, but I do love the old black & white movies where part of the story takes place on a train. Clickedy-clack, rattle, rattle.

This 1925 poster by artist Walter L. Greene is called "Westward Bound, in the Mohawk Valley...The Twentieth Century Limited...New York Central Lines". Probably someone on the train is getting murdered.

I think I may actually have ridden on the Shasta Daylight a time or two.

It's always a good idea to take a banjo along on a road trip.

This family is lost in the desert but doesn't realize it yet. They just love their new car and their new hats.

Cars with teeth.

The Owl and the Pussycat. An illustration based on the Edward Lear poem, from a 1928 children's book. Once again you can see the benefit of taking musical instruments along on your travels.

There are other modes of travel, of course. This witch had trouble getting her broom started this year and is really angry because Halloween was three weeks ago. You can tell she is not in a good mood.

Ah, a train with wings! And eyeballs.

Happy travels, y'all!

Catch-up time

2011-11-18T12:29:00.000-08:00

Oh dear, I'm very far behind again! How does this happen? Perhaps I have a slight time-management problem? Naw! Well, the only solution is......vast numbers of postcards posted for your enjoyment, I hope. Beware of whiplash - many quick and unexplained changes of direction will probably follow.

Riga, Latvia.

Folk pottery from the Ukraine

For you dragon lovers out there, here's a painting by English painter Roger Dean (b. 1944). Not recommended as a house pet.

Great photo by Dutch photographer Cas Oorthuys. I wonder if these ladies ever got where they were going. If so, they are probably still trying to find their way back. (Oh, the sadness: "Whatever happened to Grandma? We miss her!")

Naughty, naughty. A 1940 illustration by Gil Elvgren, who appears to have been a dirty old man but was actually a famous painter of pin-up girls.

How would you like to live here? This house was designed by Alexander Jackson Davis (1803-1892) for his residence Wildmont Lodge in Eagle Rock, NJ. Somehow I wouldn't have guessed New Jersey for this house, would you?

And finally, Toulouse-Latrec's 1899 painting At The Circus. I guess lions and elephants were in short supply then, so they had women dancing on lily pads instead. The crowd seems enthralled.

Bye, bye, October!

2011-10-31T15:58:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite months is circling the drain, which means......it won't be long until Christmas! Let's celebrate with some totally unrelated postcards!

This photograph appeared at the 1900 Paris Exposition exhibit, but the woman's name has been lost to time.

For all you cat lovers out there.

This is an ancient dolmen (prehistoric tomb) near Sochi, Russia. I was interested in learning more about this monolith, but googling it gave me only links in Russian, which I could not read. Fortunately, the sender of this card, Irina, was kind enough to answer my questions. Here's part of what she told me:

"Scientists think that it's an ancient sanctuary, where our ancestors used to meditate. The dolmen is basically a huge single piece of sandstone with a flat platform carved in it at the height of 4 metres. Above it there's the front wall with a hole in it. The builders used this hole to carve the inside room through it. Besides, the monolith was placed in such a manner that its front wall faces the summer solstice.

The dolmen is roughly 9,5 thousand years old. It's called "Volkonskii dolmen" in the honour of duchess Volkonskaya, who spent a lot of time communicating with it spiritually. When you come close to the dolmen, you can look inside through this hole (there's also a door and some steps carved out in the stone, but you're not allowed to get inside, so you can only peek into the room). However, some people reported feeling strange after that, so the guides usually advise to consider your potential before looking. I don't think there's something particularly weird inside, but those places have ancient energy about them sometimes, and some people feel it.

There's also this legend about the two stones and a river not far from the dolmen. There lived two brothers of noble blood, but the younger one fell in love with a simple girl. So the elder brother told him to just forget about it, but the younger said that he'd rather turn into stone than live without his beloved. When his words came true, his elder brother couldn't bear it, and also turned into stone. And when the girl learnt about what'd happened, she turned into a river that flows nearby, so that she stays eternally close to her beloved. Pretty romantic :)"

Thanks, Irina, for all the fascinating information! I'm not sure if I want to peek through that hole or not!

One last vintage Halloween card.

I recently got my first map card from Luxembourg! Thanks, Alice!

A 1925 illustration by Tom Purvis is shown on this Museum of Modern Art postcard. This woman is either drowning or having a great time, I'm not sure which. Thanks to Aimee for this card and the other great ones she sent that I'll be showing you in future posts.

See you in November!

'Round-the-World, Pt. 2

2011-10-26T16:43:00.000-07:00

Hope you've had your porridge, because we're off again!

Isn't this a great bear? He doesn't seem too happy with his porridge though. He was hoping for French Toast and maple syrup.

A beautiful Mediterranean scene. And a great cow stamp on the back.

A country lane in New Hampshire. Betcha there's some maple syrup in them trees.

This postcard from The Netherlands asks the eternal question, "Wat izzit?". This really had me scratching my head, but I finally figured out what it is.

Amazing Thailand. With stamps that sparkle!

What a gorgeous photo this is - Dawn at Sungai Palas tea plantation in Malaysia.

You are probably hot and tired after all this traveling, so how about a nice bath with your ducky?

More tomorrow!

'Round-the-World, Pt. 1

2011-10-25T17:02:00.000-07:00

Today will be one of those "no theme" days, just cards I like that I have recently sent or received. There's a bunch, so this may stretch over several days!

This card from Taiwan shows a group of Chinese glove puppets. I think they are all waiting for Wal-Mart to open up. These puppets have carved wooden heads and embroidered costumes. How many of you can say that?

I thought it was interesting that this Las Vegas card was printed in Italy.

A reproduction of an old travel poster, one of my favorite types of postcards. The man is a rock collector and has been filling his pocket up with them. The woman is wishing she had stayed back at the hotel.

From South Africa, a land of contrasts. My camera wants me to take it there.

Here's a good one. This is Muriel Page as The Flame Dancer with Pima tribe members Red Feather and Running Buffalo, at the 1933 Chicago World's Fair. Admirers christened Muriel Page "Princess Burning Wings". Don't try this at home.

My friend Sipsu in Finland, with whom I share a birthday, just sent me this wonderful Inge Löök card. Inge Löök draws the best old ladies! These two look like they've set their purses down and broken into a bit of spontaneous dancing. (Probably waiting for the cafe to open.)

I have only made a slight dent in my un-blogged cards, so I will probably be back sooner than usual. I know this is very exciting for all of you.

Halloween eye candy

2011-10-20T22:37:00.000-07:00

Lately I've been sending and receiving a lot of postcards with vintage Halloween images. Now don't be frightened!

This young lady appears to be filling her pumpkin with small pieces of paper in preparation for setting the pumpkin on fire. I don't know....your explanation is as good as mine. Vintage pumpkin soup perhaps, or a very old type of mailbox.

I wish I could get my cats to use a broom.

The owl is looking at the girl, the girl is looking at the cat, and the cat is staring off into the distance. Typical cat - not wanting to get involved.

This isn't even a FRIENDLY Halloween card - it's just plain strange. A snake? A bat sitting on a pumpkin? The stuff nightmares are made of. And here I am about to go to bed - OH NO!!

Well! I'm going to be up all night for sure now. I'm glad no one told me about the Pumpkin Headed Halloween Man when I was a kid. Or maybe they did. That would explain any number of mental problems.

Sweet dreams!