RoadMusic

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!

Old travel posters

2011-10-16T17:33:00.001-07:00

Over land and sea we go, thanks to some reproductions of old travel posters.

I'm getting a little queasy. Did you bring along any Dramamine?

Words I have never spoken: "I'm taking the steamer to Canada next week." I have had steamer clams a few times though. Very tasty. Do you know why they're called "steamer" clams? Because they are cooked in steamer trunks such as this.

In fact, it was quite common to be accosted by thugs when leaving your ship upon arrival in Canada. Without warning, you could be knocked flat by a heavy bag of clams swung by a hungry thug. Alas, your steamer trunk is gone. The more thoughtful thugs would dump your belongings from your trunk before taking it away.

Some very popular Canadian clam dishes were named for those special flavors the clams acquired when steamed in trunks. "Old Lace Clams" and "Striped Cardigan Clams" are still considered delicacies.

This pretty girl seems to have a mutant turtle attached to her neck. Nevertheless, she is quite happy and her teeth are very white.

Imagine all the cocktails you could drink in the 42 hours it took you to get from Los Angeles to New Orleans. The woman on the right is rising for yet another wobbly visit to the ladies' room.

I shall now bid you adieu for the day. I have clams to steam.

Cue Twilight Zone music

2011-10-13T14:02:00.002-07:00

The Edge of the World

by Will Barnet, 1979

What is this woman thinking as she stares off at the horizon? (Pick One)

Should I cook my crock-pot roast for 8 hours on high or 12 hours on low?
Something bad always happens when the sky is this color.
I wonder why I am feeling so blue.
Why does Herb always send me out here when he makes a phone call?
Where are my arms?

Hel

by Susan Seddon Boulet, 1992

What is this woman thinking? (Pick One)

My sinuses are killing me.
I TOLD my hairdresser, "NO SPARKLES"!
Even with this mask, I get asked SO often for autographs.
Herb should have called by now.
My hands are freezing, and very ugly.

Plume, a medicine man of the Blood Tribe.

What is this man thinking? (I really don't care how many you pick.)

This is absolutely the coolest hat I've ever had! Thanks, Mom.
I can never get back up after sitting on the ground like this.
I love this show - "Real Squaws on the Plains".
Must kill more bear, finish necklace.
Is this blog entry going to end sometime soon?

Yes, thank you for your answers. They will be compiled and used to make very important decisions, or not.

Stop staring at me!!

2011-10-12T11:38:00.000-07:00

There have been eyes staring in the window at me lately, and little voices asking when another blog entry will be posted. They are creeping me out, so I will post an entry today. Wouldn't you, if you looked up and saw this?

Let's see, it's mid-October already. How did that happen? Reminds me of a post card I saw many years ago with this caption: "The hurrieder I go, the behinder I get."

On to some images!

If you are having trouble sleeping, it may be the fairies and goblins hovering round your bed. Or that giant-sized moon shining right in your window. Considering what all she has to put up with, this young lady seems to be sleeping quite contentedly. She must have taken a pill.

This is a 1945 photograph of lightning striking the tip of the Empire State Building. Pretty cool, huh?

Ah, one of my very favorite places: Monument Valley, Utah. This photo was taken by Ansel Adams in 1950. It's still unusual to see color photos by Adams, since he is associated so closely with black & white photography.

The Moorish Warrior by William Merritt Chase, painted about 1876. This particular warrior is the inventor of the Band-Aid, for obvious reasons.

Another Halloween card to finish off today. Don't look at this too long or you will dream of demented pumpkins tonight.

More soon - honest!

Minsk & beyond

2011-09-01T15:20:00.000-07:00

I've been having great fun lately scanning random images and manipulating them in Photoshop Elements 9 (PSE 9). Using a kaleidoscope filter, you can take any image, such as this old advertising poster

and turn it into the following, or any of a thousand other images.

This works best if the original image has interesting colors and lines in it. If you start off with a boring picture, you'll end up with a boring kaleidoscope image. I don't know that doing this accomplishes anything useful, but it sure is fun! Just call me the Digital Manipulator. (wicked laugh.......)

Now off to Belarus! Minsk, to be precise.

This is the main building of the Minsk railway station, built in 2000. The previous railway station was built in 1945-1946 to replace the previous railway station that was destroyed in World War II that had replaced the previous.... well, you get the picture, all the way back to 1873. Prior to that, if you wanted to go anywhere you either got over it and stayed home or you went out and hitched up the buggy.

I'll bet you can't guess where this next card is from!

Whoever said "Albuquerque", go back to sleep.

The card above contained the following message: "My name is Janek and I am a little boy from Poland. My mum is writing this card because I can't yet." Start them out young, I always say!

This card from South Australia definitely gets the prize for the most words written on the back. I counted them and there were even more than I suspected. 133! Now that's some compact writing! In high school I used to make notes for speeches by writing like this on index cards, but now my arms would have to be 10 feet long in order for me to read them.

According to graphologists (people who study and analyze handwriting), the size of your writing tells quite a bit about your ability to concentrate.

If your handwriting is small, you have a high concentration level and great attention to detail. You work best when given one task at a time and are left alone to finish it.

If the size of your handwriting is average, you can concentrate enough to get the job done but you don't get caught up in small details.

If your handwriting is large, you have a fast moving mind and have trouble focusing on one thing for too long. You prefer a variety of responsibilities and tasks.

I'd write more, but I have to dash off and do something different now.

Where did August go?

2011-08-31T13:47:00.000-07:00

This month just flew by for me. I see this is only my fourth blog entry of the month, which is not good. The postcards are gaining on me. I'll begin trying to catch up today. Hold on!

Here is an 1886 painting by Frederick Stuart Church called "Girl With Rabbits". Church served with the Union Army during the Civil War, then decided to devote his life to art afterwards. He became well-known for his ability to depict animals. It's nice that this softness and beauty still remained after the horrors of the war.

Smederevo is a Serbian town on the Danube about 25 miles (40 km) downstream from Belgrade. This card shows both an outside and an inside view of the Orthodox Christian Cathedral of St. George's in Smederevo. Click on this Wikipedia link to see a photo of this cathedral that's actually composed of 14 different images. Cool!

I always love to get cards from China, not just for the cards themselves but also for the beautiful stamps. This card shows the mausoleum of Qin Shi Huang [259 BC - 210 BC], the first Qin emperor. Along the bottom of the card are some of the artifacts excavated from the Qin Mausoleum Garden: a terra-cotta figure of a theatrical performer, stone armor, a bronze tripod, a stone helmet, and a terra-cotta official.

A little music from John Lennon to end this post.

Where's the bird?

2011-08-30T22:02:00.001-07:00

A very loose translation of the German on this postcard is "There is a bird somewhere in this picture. Find it."

No problem finding the birds in this family group shot from Ontario, Canada.

One of those "Awwww" cards. I received this from China.

Anyone for a little pool? I never get tired of these Kliban cat drawings.

This fellow was a Blackfoot Indian named Head Carry. I don't think I want to know how he came to be carrying a head.

A map card showing part of of Denmark's coastline. It's quite appropriate that one of the seaside towns is named "Damp". It probably is.

Time to grab a good book and a good cat and head for bed.

Sweet dreams!

Pleasantly sidetracked

2011-08-21T11:44:00.002-07:00

I have been temporarily sidetracked from this blog after discovering that I can create alien life forms on the computer based on postcard images. For example:

I believe this is an owl who somehow became sheriff of an Old West desert town. No one, and I mean NO ONE, in this town causes any trouble because they know the sheriff is one tough hombre.

In my more meditative moods, I also create mandalas. Here is one with no owls in it.

So anyway, that's where I've been - off in Digital Art land, that refuge for people with great artistic urges but practically no talent. I've been made to feel quite comfortable there, and the sheriff enjoys my work.

So what have I been receiving in my mailbox lately? Take a look.

Big red trucks from The Netherlands and.....

Little calico kittens from Taiwan and....

Strange and wonderful Canadian humor from Canada (best place to find it) and...

Lots of statues from Vienna and...

Cards that make me want to clean the kitchen and start work on some embroidery and...

Maps of places I have never been. Wait, that's not right! I've been to Chicago, for a VBits (Visual Basic) conference. Have not seen any of the rest of Illinois however.

Have a wonderful week everyone!

Here, There and Everywhere

2011-08-07T17:37:00.000-07:00

Even after years of swapping postcards around the world, it's still a pleasure to reach into the mailbox not knowing what I will find. The variety I receive is tremendous: typical tourist cards, art cards, map cards, silly cards, "awwww" cards (cute animals), historical cards, old black & white photographs, and probably something completely different tomorrow. Here are some of my little "pleasures", with thanks to all the swappers who sent them.

Poreč, a very old city in Croatia. Ancient Roman structures and streets can be seen here.

I love reproductions of old transportation and advertising posters.

Guess where! Yes, you're right! This is Holland. How could you tell?

Occasionally I get a card from closer to home, for example this reminder to schedule my next dentist appointment. Those dentists - such a sense of humor.

Beautiful Porto, Portugal. One of its famous exports, port wine, is named for this city.

Australian Aboriginal Art

Ontario, Canada

"Awwww" postcards aren't always cute animals. Sometimes they are cute kids. This card came from Belgium.

A street scene in Warsaw, Poland.

That's all for today, folks!

Faces from the past

2011-07-31T17:55:00.001-07:00

Today's old historical images aren't going to get a lot of commentary from me. Just look at these photos and imagine the thoughts and feelings of the people, now long gone, and what their lives must have been like. These aren't famous people; most have no names. But there are a lot of stories here, if we could only hear them.

Immigrants, getting their first look at the skyline of New York City.

Written in pencil on the back of this card is "Miss Sunshine Fontane, 1926".

Sitting on the porch. Maybe after church on Sunday.

A day at the beach.

Native American portraits.

I hope you've enjoyed this trip into the past. My next blog will contain the usual garish colors and silly writing.

Beware of ducks on scooters

2011-07-29T19:42:00.000-07:00

My friend Vincent is annoyed with me because I haven't had an "art card" day in a while. So to appease him, and to keep him from cutting anything else off, today shall be such a day. Not all necessarily "fine art", although I happen to think all of today's pictures are fine. Let's hope this cheers Vincent up a bit.

Vincent appears to have been playing with the lipstick again. He really does need some help. He should get out and go dancing.

I really like this painting. It's called "Interior with reading woman" by Dutch painter Pieter Janssens Elinga [1623-1682]. This woman took up reading when a neighbor borrowed her TV set and never returned it.

Here is a very nice street scene on a card I received from Latvia. Unfortunately I can't make out who the artist was. If any of you can supply this information, I'll send you a postcard. Whether you need one or not.

Now let's sail from the fine art world into art that just makes me smile. I hope it has the same effect on you.

I know you probably get tired of my frequent safety tips, but this is really important. While driving, should you encounter a duck on a scooter, DO NOT race him! He is a speed-loving, web-footed danger on the highway.

For a change, it is not raining here in Oregon, but if it was I'd want to huddle under an umbrella with some good friends like these. This was drawn by Czech artist Zdeněk Miler.

OK Vincent, how'd I do?

Picnic time!

2011-07-27T20:10:00.000-07:00

Above are some scenes from Hawes, Yorkshire, England, an old market town. Hawes is now home to the Wensleydale Creamery where you can get some wonderful cheese.

And here's a typical French Provençal cheese stall. I bet there's some good baguettes close by and probably a bottle of wine. Anyone for a picnic?

If you find yourself in Kuala Lumpur you can pick up a delicious roasted duck.

Isn't this the cutest little train? From Langeoog on the German coast.

They sure have some beautiful scenery in New Zealand.

Nagoya Castle in Japan. Notice the two golden dolphins on top of the donjon. I don't know what "donjon" means, but that's what it says on the card. And you thought I was just smart.

Here are some sights from Idaho, Oregon's neighbor and home of wonderful potatoes. Well, I'm back to food again so it must be time for that picnic. Be sure to pick a private place.