Maps and cats and museums, oh my!

Today and Monday I received many lovely cards from far-away places; here I showcase the best of the best. I also received a set of bright yellow wooden shoes (on a keychain!) and a wonderfully painted clay magnet from Wendy in Holland, as well as a very cool magnet from Rachel in NZ! Thanks all!

Now, to the catch!

1. A colorful map of the Yorkshire Dales National Park from Richard in England. According to the card, the park is dotted with castles, abbeys and ancient villages showing how 12 centuries of living have altered the landscape. We've only been here across the pond for what...two to three centuries? Sure puts things in perspective :) Thanks Richard!



2. This adorable, colorful card hails from Janek and his mother Manuela in Germany. I send Janek an official postcrossing card and told him about my collecting daughter, and they wrote back a card to both of us! How very nice! Thank you! :)



3. Amy from Oregon sent this image of the Coquille River Lighthouse on the OR coast; I'm fascinated with images from the Pacific Northwest...it's somewhere I'd really like to see in person! Thanks Amy!



4. When people ask me what kinds of cards I like, I will surely point them to this one. This card, a picture of the new Canadian War Museum in Ottowa, comes from Melanie for an organized swap. Not only is the image fascinating...something that could not be an image of anywhere else in the world!...but what she shares on the card is fascinating as well! She tells me that the windows in the copper at the top right of the photo read "Lest We Forget" in morse code! How awesome is that! Thanks so much Melanie!



5. Another great catch in today's mail is this gorgeous map card from Sarah in Alaska! I'm not even sure why I like it so much...perhaps because it's rich with information yet elegant? Anyway...it is surely a great addition to my map collection! Thanks Sarah!



6. Here's another card that reflects what I like to receive: one with colorful images of a funpark in Tampere, Finland from Johanna! Not only are the colors enough to draw your eye to the card...but the cool Finnish text tells an instant story that this is not an American park! Thanks Johanna!



7. Today I received my first card from Italy! Many thanks to Paola for this stately and colorful card showing the "Basilica di Superga" in Torino!



8. Another colorful card...can't you tell I just love all the colors?!? :) This hails from Kim in The Netherlands! I notice the yellow shoes, which are just like the shoes on the keyring I also received today! Thanks very much, Kim!



9. Dijon, France...sounds like I place I'd like to visit! This quaint scene is on a card from Tanja from Finland...she visited there this summer! Thanks so much! Since Dijon is such a small town, it is unlikely I would ever have received a card from there otherwise! :)



10. And finally...my best-catch card of all from these last two days is this awesome handmade card from Jean in Texas! This was for a peculiar card tag, but the peculiar card she originally wanted to send me may have been a bit too risque for my kids to find in the mail. So she apologetically sent this instead! But Jean...no need for apologies! I LOVE this card! Nuff said! :)