Wild Postcards

“The San Joaquin Valley is the ‘Raisin Basket’ of the world, producing over one half of the total world’s supply. After two or three weeks of drying in the sun, these grapes will become delicious raisins.” I never did care for raisins. I mean, you’ve already got grapes; why go out of your way to make them dry and chewy?

This is a modern “Colorscope Photo Prints” card, published by Scope Enterprises of California; the photo is by Arnold and Carole Compolongo.

Don’t you know that I heard it through the grapevine?

Hot off the mailman’s hands, this handmade card arrived today, crafted by Lauren from love and ladybugs. It’s a shame that the scan doesn’t do justice to the three-dimensionality of the card. The time that went into this card means a lot to me, and I am sending something appropriate — though much less artistic — to her in return.

Crafted by Lauren from love and ladybugs.

Just for fun, I will frequently post a tweet or status update listing the destinations of my outgoing mail for any particular day. Today, however, in addition to some of the normal swaps and correspondence, I’m sending out the latest issue of Permit Patter, the newsletter of the Mailer’s Postmark Permit Club. Thankfully, the Club sends the materials and pays the postage.

Turns out that too much of anything can be a good thing: while I enjoy cancelling my own mail, I would not want soon to repeat having to do it nearly 200 times in one sitting. But the membership will know the joy of receiving mail cancelled with Gainesville, Georgia, Mailer’s Postmark Permit #1.

Today’s mail goes to:

Alabama: Theodore

Arizona: Sun City West, Tucson (x3)

Arkansas: Bryant, Rogers, Sherwood

California: Albany, Alpine, Chatsworth, Denair, Fort Bragg, Half Moon Bay, Lodi, Modesto, Northridge, Sacramento, San Diego, Stockton, Sunnyvale, Thousand Oaks, Torrance, Yucca Valley

Colorado: Broomfield (x2), Crook, Olathe

Connecticut: Berlin, Bristol, Enfield, Tariffville

Florida: Cape Coral, Ft. Myers (x2), Milton, Ormond Beach, Seminole, St. Petersburg (x3), Tampa

Georgia: Gainesville (that’s me!), Harlem, Powder Springs, Stone Mountain

Hawaii: Wahiawa (x4)

Illinois: Addison, Champaign, Chicago, Galesburg, Peoria, Rockford, Schaumburg

Indiana: Buck Creek, Muncie

Iowa: Iowa City

Kansas: Caldwell, Caney

Louisiana: Talisheek

Maine: Bangor, Greenville

Maryland: Annapolis

Massachusetts: Easthampton, Oxford, Weston

Michigan: Bay City, Cheboygan, Delton, Hazel Park, Munising

Minnesota: Bemidji, Rochester, St. Louis Park, St. Paul

Missouri: Birch Tree, Joplin, St. Louis

Montana: East Helena

Nebraska: Omaha (x2), Sidney, Virginia

Nevada: Henderson

New Hampshire: Contoocook, Epping

New Jersey: Englewood, Marlboro, Union

New Mexico: Albuquerque, Santa Fe

New York: Bronx, Farmingdale, Lake Clear, Liberty, Newark, Potsdam, Rochester (x2), Syosset, Owego

North Carolina: Cary, Sanford

North Dakota: Pembina, Warwick

Ohio: Akron, Canton, Chardon, Lakewood, Marion, Oberlin, Sidney, Solon, Stow, Warren

Oregon: Ashland, Newport, Portland

Pennsylvania: Bellefonte, Hughesville, Lemont, Mount Joy, Murrysville, Pittsburgh, Royersford, Spring Mills, Temple, Upper Darby, Valley Forge

Rhode Island: Newport

South Carolina: Columbia

South Dakota: Deadwood

Tennessee: Lawrenceburg, Portland

Texas: Atascocita, Austin, College Station, Garrison, Kilgore, Luling, Nome, Port Neches, San Antonio (x2), Silsbee, Sugar Land, Texarkana, Longview

Utah: Highland

Virginia: Alexandria, Colonial Heights, Falls Church, Herndon, Norfolk

Washington: Duvall, Kent, Seattle, Snohomish, Spokane, Tacoma

West Virginia: Moundsville

Wisconsin: Madison, Oshkosh

Today’s International Destinations: Don Mills, Ontario, Canada; Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico; Skopje, Macedonia; Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles; San Salvador, El Salvador; Madrid, Spain; Abingdon, Oxfordshire, UK; North Walsham, Norfolk, UK; Tripoli, Libya; Vaivadai, Panevėžio, Lithuania; Minsk, Belarus; Moscow, Russia; Saint Petersburg, Russia; Brookfield, Queensland, Australia; West Hindmarsh, South Australia, Australia; Dordrecht, Netherlands; Guangdong, China; Brunnen, Switzerland; Kouvola, Finland.

Nearly 200 mailpieces! In addition to the normal swaps and correspondence, I’m sending out the latest issue of Permit Patter. Thankfully, the MPP Club sends the materials and pays the postage.

I stopped by the annual Mule Camp Market for lunch today, and picked up an old Perry Mason dime store novel (“The Case of the Sleepwalker’s Niece” by Erle Stanley Gardner, 1942, third printing) and — bonus! — found a penny postcard that apparently served as a bookmark.

The card comes from the British War Relief Society, Inc., and acknowledges the generous donation by Mrs. Camille Sadler of “4 more sweaters R.A.F”. Mrs. Sadler seems to have been staying in New York with her friend Mrs. Honore Palmer, at the very swank River House apartment building. Built in 1931, it has been an art deco landmark ever since and, today, one can get a three-bedroom apartment there for around $5 million.

But, back to Mrs. Sadler. I suppose she might have picked up the Perry Mason to read on the return trip back to — well, somewhere; who knows how many times the book has changed hands before it came to me but, apparently none of them bothered to open the book, let alone read it. I found the “bookmark” less than halfway through the book; I guess Mrs. Sadler never found out what happened to the sleepwalker.

Be sure to check out some of the other items in the Weekend Mailbox, and stop by Postcard Friendship Friday.

I stopped by the annual Mule Camp Market for lunch today, and picked up an old Perry Mason dime store novel (“The Case of the Sleepwalker’s Niece” by Erle Stanley Gardner, 1942, third printing) and — bonus! — found a penny postcard that apparently served as a bookmark. The card comes from the British War [...]