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

cat and cock

 

CATURDAY

red

 an iconic VW Beetle (something I've always wanted)

an iconic Routemaster

Portland got its streetcars in 2001 with a vintage trolley (replica) operating until 2005

fading

Although this is from China, it seems to be an image of Singapore (I recognize The Merlion).  Turns out it's a joint issue.  I do like the watercolour effect.

And, what looks like a foggy view of Amsterdam beyond the Magere (Skinny) Bridge

jammin'

CATURDAY
 

splashes of colour

Some unusually colourful houses (for Canada) in St John's

 
under less sunny skies, is this street in Helsinki

and some unusual colours on this lighthouse on the North Sea

more yellow in Vienna

coat of arms

 

The Latvian coat of arms  was designed in 1921 after its independence from German rule. The sun, as a symbol of self determination, has 17 rays representing the 17 counties.  There are also symbols of historical regions with the red lion and the silver griffin as well as three stars for Livonia (Swedish and Polish) and Courland.  The branches on the bottom are oaks.  

vibrant

a red-eyed tree (or, leaf) frog

lobsters are not red when they are alive, but this bright red looks more appetizing than their normal, greenish-brown or dark blue-green colour.

I would be happy, too, if I were such a  colourful turtle living in the waters around Hawaii.

 

 

 and, surely a Blue Cat qualifies, even if he may not be "wild"

Canadian women

issued for the centenary of the Young Women's Christian Association and the National Council of Women.  the photograph on the left is of Adelaide Hoodless (bottom left) ca 1887

Pitseolak (Inuit artist) she produced thousands of drawings depicting monsters and spirits, early Inuit life and other sentiments close to her heart;  Helen Kinnear (legal pioneer) the first federally appointed woman judge in Canada, she showed special interest in juvenile crime and family legal affairs

Adelaide Hoodless (educator) "Educate a boy and you educate a man. But educate a girl and you educate a family." she helped form the YWCA, the NCWC, and the VON;  Marie Gerin-Lajoie, (social reformer) combined a commitment to social work and reform within the framework of a religious vocation

looking skyward

 

sunsets

white on white

grey skies and a rainbow

seats

Mr Woodhouse sinks into an floral patterned chair

Inside the Hermitage though, admittedly, the furniture is shown on the souvenir sheet rather than the stamp itself.

blossoms

sometimes, it seems like among our small group, I live in the area where spring arrives last... but, the cherry blossoms have opened this week! 

and a bit of wisteria

symmetry

 

This stamp has been shown before, but I like it, so here it is again.  It was designed by Yauheniya Biadonik who has designed various stamps, especially on culture and arts

 A deceptively simple Japanese forest

 

More conical trees in front of the horizontal schloss with an even number of vertical windows

some patterns for Sunday Stamps