Wild Postcards

It’s a good thing Anita was on vacation here at lovely Swartswood Lake, New Jersey; she clearly needed one. I have two copies of this postcard, both sent by Anita; both were sent to her cousin, Miss Rose La Rocca of Brooklyn, New York; both were sent at the same time on the same day. Rose must have been scratching her head when these two card fell through the slot in her door.

Postcard the first: “To Rose, Having a wonderful time. It’s real lovely out here. I miss you all. Give regards to all home. I’ll be seeing you soon. Your cousin, Anita.”

Postcard the second: “Hello Rose, Having a wonderful time. How are your brothers, aunt, uncle, Grandma and you. I’ll be seeing you soon. Love, your cousin, Anita.”

Sure, she sounds nice, but Anita is obviously off her nut. I have a few theories:

Theory 1: Anita is being overworked back in Brooklyn, and ran out to the Garden State for some desperately-needed R&R. She wrote a dozen postcards home and just didn’t realize that she wrote to Rose twice.

Theory 2: This “Lake House” is a sanitarium, and the phrase “I’ll be seeing you soon” carries with it an implied threat of the Michael Myers variety. Note that she enumerates the entire houseful of relatives against whom she has a grudge.

Theory 3: In reality, Anita sent only one postcard. The second card is from one of those alternate universes, like in the last Star Trek movie.

I will be happy to entertain any other theories; please leave a comment. And once you’ve helped me figure out what went on here, be sure to check out the other blogs celebrating Postcard Friendship Friday today. Speaking of vacations — TGIF!

It’s a good thing Anita was on vacation here at lovely Swartswood Lake, New Jersey; she clearly needed one. I have two copies of this postcard, both sent by Anita; both were sent to her cousin, Miss Rose La Rocca of Brooklyn, New York; both were sent at the same time on the same day. [...]

“Bright sunshine, blue sky, rolling surf, and beautiful sand make Sea Isle City Beaches popular for families.”  That was the case for the family of my childhood friend, Mike Smith, who had moved from New Jersey to Wallingford, Connecticut, oh, must have been around 1979.  We kept in touch for a few years (and I can still recite what was then his address, including the ZIP code) but, being young, eventually concentrated our attentions solely on the friends in our immediate spheres.

Unfortunately, Mike’s family has apparently moved from the address they had back in 1982 and, of course, googling “Mike Smith” is an exercise in futility.  Mike, if you’re out there, stop by and say hi.

“Bright sunshine, blue sky, rolling surf, and beautiful sand make Sea Isle City Beaches popular for families.”  That was the case for the family of my childhood friend, Mike Smith, who had moved from New Jersey to Wallingford, Connecticut, oh, must have been around 1979.  We kept in touch for a few years (and I [...]

I guess we’ll have to take the postcard writer’s word that this is in fact the view off Cape May.  For all we know, one could drive up the road an hour or so and buy an identical card that says “Sea Gulls Dip over Breaking Waves, at Barnegat Bay, N.J.”  Oh, wait — they couldn’t be dipping over Barnegat Bay.  Because then they’d be bay gulls.

Bad puns aside, this beautifully-colored card was produced by Tichnor Bros. Inc., Boston, Mass, probably in the late 1930s.  It’s a gift from Donna, who was happy to let me appreciate it and prevent the postcards from completely taking over her living space.

I guess we’ll have to take the postcard writer’s word that this is in fact the view off Cape May.  For all we know, one could drive up the road an hour or so and buy an identical card that says “Sea Gulls Dip over Breaking Waves, at Barnegat Bay, N.J.”  Oh, wait — they [...]

“Ventnor City, a quiet, peaceful residential section adjacent to Atlantic City, is justly famous for its wonderful beaches, boardwalk, piers and tennis courts. ‘If you want to Live, Live in Ventnor!’” Sounds like a line from an Arnold Schwarzenegger picture.

This Curt Teich card, number 9A-H1888, was manufactured in 1939 and distributed by the Jersey Supply Company of Atlantic City.

“Ventnor City, a quiet, peaceful residential section adjacent to Atlantic City, is justly famous for its wonderful beaches, boardwalk, piers and tennis courts. ‘If you want to Live, Live in Ventnor!’” Sounds like a line from an Arnold Schwarzenegger picture. This Curt Teich card, number 9A-H1888, was manufactured in 1939 and distributed by the Jersey [...]