east and west

 Lobster season is now open on the east coast

which is good news if you are into eating, or fishing, lobster

and for a different good news story from the other side of the country,  kʷiisaḥiʔis (Kwee-sa-hay-is) or Brave Little Hunter

 

after a month of being trapped in a remote lagoon off Vancouver Island since her mother died on a sandbar, a young orca calf finally swam out to sea herself 

lift me up

here is a happy (or nervous?) duck flying without benefit of a cable car...

received from Finland (2010)

10 minutes

This is a 'cable car', though not quite what I was thinking of, but it still fits the theme.

I was thinking more along the lines of this, the Singapore Cable Car Sky Network ride from Singapore to the island of Sentosa.  It was the first ropeway system to span a harbour.  It is $3 (sgd) for locals and $15 (sgd) for tourists for the almost 15 minute ride, though I gather the cars look a little more modern than these 1960s ones.

One cable car that doesn't look any different from the original - in fact it is the original - is this 110 year old aero car that takes you on a 10 minute ride over the Niagara Gorge and the Whirlpool Rapids. There's no disembarking.  You get the thrill of the views, riding on an antique cable car, and because of the flow of the Niagara River you cross the international boundary four times.  All for $19.00 (cad)

Or, how about this aerial tramway.  It is in fact, the world's largest rotating tram car according to their website.  During your 10 minutes of travel, the cars rotate slowly, "offering picturesque and spectacular vistas of the valley floor below".  All for $30.95 (usd)

Sometime though, these things are called a 'gondola', as is this one in Banff with views of the Rockies that takes you up to the summit of Sulphur Mountain.  This ride is slightly less than the others, at 8 minutes.  It is also the most expensive, at $60 (cad)

Cable Cars, Gondolas, Aero Cars, Aerial Tramways

plus this one, posted earlier

to slay or not to slay

April 23rd is St George's Day.  I couldn't find a stamp featuring that particular saint, but I do have a rather miserable looking St Augustine holding a model church

maybe he was wishing he had a dragon to slay

like this colourful creature, a Year of the Dragon stamp from Hong Kong

travel on three wheels

A tuk tuk is a three wheeled bicycle with a seat in either the front or back for passengers, and an awning or umbrella for cover.

 

at some point, motorized tuk tuks arrived, making the trip much easier on the driver.

I've now exhausted my tuk tuk cards, so you all will be relieved to know this is a one off theme!

the tree of life

 

a magnificient baobab that can grow up to 100 feet with a massive trunk that stores water from the rainy season.

for Sunday Stamps, an endangered tree that has been around for thousands of years

puss 'n boots

 

CATURDAY

touring in colour

 

Glasgow Corporation Transport

yellow cabs of NYC

  a cream coloured tram in Germany

truly a reason to visit Wuppertal!  it began operation in 1901

and, not to ignore the buses...

this "fall fantasy" is one of four seasonally decorated trolley buses from Dayton, Ohio.  

below, with a ubiquitous Mountie and a few tulips, is one from Ottawa.

some ways to get around the city for Thursday Postcard Hunt

maamoul

melt in your mouth cookies stuffed with a delicious walnut, pistachio, or date filling.  2024 edition of Eid stamp

happy

 corona

return of the sun

We are in the exciting grips (and endless media coverage) of Eclipse fever in my part of the world and are praying for a clear day - or at the very least, a clear hour between 3 pm and 4 pm tomorrow!

this is called 'return of the sun' by Inuit artist Kenojuak (1980)

and below, we have the Europa 'flaming sun' from 1972

showing the sun over Niagara Falls, Hopewell Rocks, and Spillars Cove in Newfoundland and Labrador

I have my glasses ready!  Happy viewing to anyone who is in the path of totality, or even in the outskirts (sorry, Eva!)

sunflowers and daisies

 

CATURDAY

on the water

 

from China

and a ferry from Hong Kong

or, for something a little more away from it all, a boat in cottage country

or, even more bucolic, an early sunrise in a canoe

poisson d'avril

 a French tradition