message in a bottle

 

of the sea

hooked

 

CATURDAY

faces

 A Taoist man with his face painted for a temple parade in Taiwan

I can't quite tell what is behind this look...

truly the oddest Easter card I've received.  but just look at those cheeks!

and, these adorable wee ducklings

activities

There are plenty of stamps featuring men but I wanted to find some who were doing things, rather than sitting in a portrait, or posing.  In this case, we have some anonymous men racing, plowing, and planting.

sepia

 

CATURDAY

sandstone

Colorado River doing its best incised meander.  The rock is Navajo Sandstone and the drop to the river is 1,000 feet.  The best time to visit - and see the colours - is at sunrise or sunset. 

60 million years ago, this land was relatively flat, then about 5.5 million years ago geological forces pushed the land upwards.  A couple hundred miles away is the Rainbow Bridge, also of Navajo Sandstone.  What makes this a bridge rather than an arch is that it was formed from water cutting through sandstone.

pillar boxes

Although I don't have the actual stamps, I do have this set of 2002 PHQ cards - which I think I prefer

and, I was pleased to discover, after getting them, that the engraver was Czeslaw Slania (1921-2005)

Note: the colour changed from green to red in 1874 and the blue box was for airmail.

 

maybe Joy can enlighten us if she has seen any new pillar boxes with the CRIII cypher? 

 

cheshire grin

 

CATURDAY

thatch

rooftops

Storks are the national bird of Belarus. Their nests are high off the ground, in trees or rooftops, or pylons.  They evolve over time as the pair return year after year  and expand, alter and redecorate. Some nests have grown to 2 metres wide and could be decades old (and are, eventually, passed on to other pairs)

Some people's nests have thatched roofs that require repairs every 10-25 years or so.  It can be eyewateringly expensive, but is environmentally friendly and the materials are sustainable.  And is so pretty.  With the wildfires we are experiencing, it is a good thing that it is not a common practice here.

Some architectural details for Thursday Postcard Hunt.

epic

 'creepy crawlies' of a different sort

once a year, millions (!) of red crabs take over this island in the Indian Ocean  crab migration