Kauai flowers from friends

This image of bright flowers were sent by my good friends Kim (a Postcrosser) and Dennis while on vacation on Kauai, one of the Hawaiian Islands. The postcard is made of wood on the island of Kauai by Hawaiianwoodys.com. The cards are laser cut and come in all custom shapes, such as surf boards. They also make custom cards to your specifications. The cards can be mailed anywhere in the U.S. for 60 cents.

Kim and Dennis wrote on the back of the card they were dinning at the the Postcard Cafe, home of fine seafood and gourmet vegetarian cuisine. Who would have thought there was a Postcard Cafe.

An Old Flower House

This early 20th-century post card is without a message or address yet at one time had a stamp removed. I suspect my grandmother removed it for her stamp collection. She kept several stamp books for a number of years before giving her collection to one of her great grand children. It is possible she was given this post card as a gift from a friend after their return from a trip to Milwaukee. Perhaps they placed a stamp on it intending to mail but never wrote the message. I doubt my grandmother bought the card on a trip. She was not a buyer of post cards unless she was going to send a message to someone. I doubt she would have bought the card, licked and placed the stamp on it if she wanted the stamp for her collection, either. Besides, she was a confirmed miser. Her frugal ways became an ingrained habit after living through the depression of the 1930's as a teenager.

The reverse side of this post card indicates it was published for Jno. T. Faber 9 (sic), Milwaukee, Wisconsin by A.C. Bosselman & Co. New York. It was printed in Germany. (To see another Bosselman post card image go here.) Many post cards during the first few decades of the twentieth-century were made in Germany for American companies because they were the leaders in quality image reproduction. The red print on the image says, "Interior of Conservatory, Mitchell Park, Milwaukee, Wis."

The image shown is of the original Mitchell Park Conservatory in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The conservatory was designed by the local firm of H.C. Koch. Built in 1898, the original conservatory building, modeled after London’s world-renowned Crystal Palace, complete with a sunken garden, gave solace to the citizens of the Milwaukee, as the city began to flex its industrial muscle as a brewing and manufacturing center. The original conservatory was demolished in 1955 and eventually replaced by a grander and less conventional structure, consisting of three 85-foot high, beehive-shaped, glass domes. Designed by Donald Grieb, and built in stages from 1959 to 1967, each dome has plants from three distinct climates: arid, tropical and floral show.

Flower of Earth

This is one of the most beautiful portrait post cards I own. Unfortunately, the history of it is murky. I suspect, my grandmother's neighbor friends, who immigrated from Poland, brought this card to her, along with eight others of similar vintage, as a gift after a trip to the homeland. It was not written on or mailed.

The card is printed in Germany and is divided on the back. It has no other markings other than the 310/4 on the bottom right corner. The edges have a faded copper color which gives the dark background added depth.

The young model's expression is mysterious: calm and focused yet somewhat amused. Maybe mature beyond here years.

The flowered earth child against the dark background is akin metaphorically to those photos of the earth, taken from the moon, against the blackness of space. Both are flowers made more beautiful and precious contrasted against the dark void that surrounds both.

The colour photograph of Earthrise -

taken by Apollo 8 astronaut, William A. Anders,

December 24, 1968.

A Blooming Desert

This post card, showing desert cacti and flora in bloom, is an example of snail blogging. Before the Internet, post cards were passed between people as a way of sharing news and images from afar, not only to the addressee but to the addressee's friends, neighbors and acquaintances.

This post card was sent between two of my grandmother's church friends on February 24, 1972. The card was later given to her and she mailed it to me at university in one of her "care packages," -- a box containing cakes, candies and usually a few post cards.

This desert flower postcard was published by Bob Petley, a noted 1950's comic and Western publisher. The illustration was done by Larry Toschik, born in 1922. He illustrated books on Native Americans and is known for his illustrations published in Arizona Highways and Sunset magazines. Toschik also worked as Art Director for the Arizona State University’s Bureau of Publications.

Flowers: roses

This month my theme is flower postcards.

I recently picked this simple yet delicate beauty at a local antique store. It is embossed and hand painted. The stamp on the reverse side is dated by hand "11/30/07." The written message on the reverse side says: "Mary, if you go to preaching tomorrow come over this way and I will go along. I guess you will get a lot of postals today. From a friend, A.M.S." It is addressed to "Miss Mary Wilson, Route H.1."

I assume the card is sent to someone within a city because there is no city in the address. The addresser is assured that the card will be delivered by the time the addressee receives it. Today we pay extra for overnight delivery. So much for progress.

I wonder why the addresser guesses that Mary will receive "a lot of postals." What had she done to become so popular? It is likely we'll never know.

"What's in a name? that which we call a rose

By any other name would smell as sweet..."

From Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet