Friday, March 23, 2007

More flowering trees


More flowering trees, originally uploaded by CarolinaRen.

Just wanted to share this personal photo taken off my back deck yesterday, March 23rd. Spring is springing!

Young Tibetan Girl


Young Tibetan Girl, originally uploaded by CarolinaRen.

Look at that smile!

Wife of the Governor, Eastern Tibet

Wife of the Governor of Mar Kham in Lhasa-style headdress and dress. Gartok, Eastern Tibet, circa 1920-1930. This and the other Tibetian cards were purchased by me for my private collection.

Tibetian man and child with mask

Potala from the back side, Lhasa, Tibet

Tibetian Monks


Tibetian Monks, originally uploaded by CarolinaRen.

Monks of Nechung Monastery, near Lhasa, Tibet; their lives are so much different than mine.

St. Francis of Assisi


St. Francis of Assisi, originally uploaded by CarolinaRen.

My scanner did not recognize the top and bottom black portions of this card so it looks out of proportion here. I purchased this card, by monk/artist Robert Lentz, because I'm fascinated by the tale of Assisi. The story goes that the Icon of Christ Crucified came alive and said to him three times, "Francis, Francis, go and repair My house which, as you can see, is falling into ruins." (Thanks to Wikipedia for that quote!)

The Church of All Nations, Jerusalem

From my penpal Leeba. The church is on the Mount of Olives and is said to have a piece of stone on which Jesus prayed before he got arrested.

Fort Allen Park, Portland, Maine

Art card, Kuala Lumpur


Art card, Kuala Lumpur, originally uploaded by CarolinaRen.

From a round robin; I am sorry my scanner could not recognize the top or left side border, which is why this looks like a poor scan--which it is :)

Skyline of downtown Toronto


Skyline of downtown Toronto, originally uploaded by CarolinaRen.

The Vassily, Moscow


The Vassily, Moscow, originally uploaded by CarolinaRen.

The Blessed Cathedral, Moscow--so beautiful! From a round robin :)

Turku, Finland


Turku, Finland, originally uploaded by CarolinaRen.

Nice multi-view showing Turku, on the west coast of Finland; from a round robin.

Electric twin railcar, Garmish

This lovely card is from an organized swap--would love to ride this rail! :)

Victory Monument, Verdun, France

I like this for the cafe scene and the people on the street. Looks like a beautiful place for lunch :) From an organized swap.

Bad Schwartau, Germany


Bad Schwartau, Germany, originally uploaded by CarolinaRen.

Love this view! A visit to the city's Web site, translated by Google translation, says this about the town's library: "For read rats and book worms the Paradies - our public library. Beside books you find also to play and hearing media. There more is for the whole family somewhat thereby…" Just think....this is probably what I sound like to a German when I am speaking (or trying to speak!) German :)

Thursday, March 22, 2007

Art card - Ukiyoe, by Hokusai Katsushika

This lovely official postcrossing card is a welcome addition to my collection--thanks to Hiromi with the beautiful handwriting! :) She tells me that ukiyoe is "old Japanese art."

Fountain in Rome


Fountain in Rome, originally uploaded by CarolinaRen.

"La fontana di Piazza della Rotonda"...from a round robin. I am told that this is a famous meetingplace for pigeons :)

New Zealand


New Zealand, originally uploaded by CarolinaRen.

This card, from a round robin, is just too beautiful. I can't believe New Zealand has water like this! :)

Flinders Range, South Australia

Lovely views of mountainous deserts, from an organized swap.

The Australian High Country


The Australian High Country, originally uploaded by CarolinaRen.

"Greetings from Mansfield, Vic." This shows the Australian Alps and a high country horseman....awesome! Despite Crocodile Dundee, I never once would have thought "Australia" in the same sentence as "cowboy!" :)

Bastogne, Belgium


Bastogne, Belgium, originally uploaded by CarolinaRen.

This view makes the town look like it is a movie set! Thanks to Wendy, who also shared that Bastogne is the location of a WWII battle--as evidenced by the tank in the left corner.

Oklahoma City National Memorial

Surprisingly, this card came to me from Wendy in the Netherlands :) The memorial pays tribute to the 168 people who died in the 1995 bombing of the Oklahoma City federal building. Wow...this was ONE instance. Imagine if it were like Iraq or Sudan or Israel here...with trouble like this all the time. We would quickly grow tired of building memorials for each place and time something happened. There'd be no way to keep up.

Otso -- Finland


Otso -- Finland, originally uploaded by CarolinaRen.

This card is really beautiful; what an elegant design! It was an official postcrossing card received by my husband. Lovely :)

Chili Peppers of New Mexico


Chili Peppers of New Mexico, originally uploaded by CarolinaRen.

Twisters


Twisters, originally uploaded by CarolinaRen.

I wonder if this is real. I received it from someone in Europe (maybe Germany?) for an organized swap. Awesome!

National Museum of Australia


National Museum of Australia, originally uploaded by CarolinaRen.

Exterior of the National Museum of Australia at night, showing the loop curving up to 30 meters--that's 98 feet!--high! I love this card! :)

Helsinki, Finland


Helsinki, Finland, originally uploaded by CarolinaRen.

This card is so beautiful and elegant; I love it! It was another of my husband's official postcrossing cards. He gets many nice ones :)

Tallinn, Estonia


Tallinn, Estonia, originally uploaded by CarolinaRen.

Lovely card from a round robin showing the old town of Tallinn. The sender shares that Tallinn is the oldest capital city in Northern Europe--it was put on the world map in 1154 by an Arabian geographer!

Melaka, Malaysia


Melaka, Malaysia, originally uploaded by CarolinaRen.

This shows a settlement, or "kampung," along the Malacca River. Imagine what happens if it rains much! From a round robin -- thanks Nurul!

Melaka, Malaysia


Melaka, Malaysia, originally uploaded by CarolinaRen.

This shows a settlement, or "kampung," along the Malacca River. Imagine what happens if it rains much! From a round robin -- thanks Nurul!

Melaka, Malaysia


Melaka, Malaysia, originally uploaded by CarolinaRen.

This shows a settlement, or "kampung," along the Malacca River. Imagine what happens if it rains much! From a round robin -- thanks Nurul!

Main Street in the old part of Dusseldorf

Love this card! So many people...so many details! From Julia in a round robin :)

Rock & Roll Hall of Fame and Museum

Marienplatz, Munich, Germany


Marienplatz, Munich, Germany, originally uploaded by CarolinaRen.

Lovely card! From Wiki: "Marienplatz is the heart of the city of Munich. In the Middle Ages, the square used to be a market place as well as the place where tournaments and festivities took place." Another of my husband's nice official postcrossing cards

Porvoo, Finland


Porvoo, Finland, originally uploaded by CarolinaRen.

What a beautiful, charming town! Another official postcrossing card received by my husband.

Melbourne, Australia


Melbourne, Australia, originally uploaded by CarolinaRen.

This is a beautiful view of what looks like a beautiful city! Thanks to Alison, who sent this for an organized swap!

Moominworld, Naantali, Finland

Wow! I feel honored to have this card because I know that Moomins are a HUGE collectible to many people :) I kind of like them myself...and am very happy with this card :)

Temperature extremes, Alaska


Temperature extremes, Alaska, originally uploaded by CarolinaRen.

I am not sure where this view is...but I love it :) In one image, we see the street corner when it's 33 degrees below zero! In the next, it's a steamy 89 :) Also...this was printed in Australia. I just don't get the economics of printing postcards!

Ikea Ad Card


Ikea Ad Card, originally uploaded by CarolinaRen.

From Ikea, asking, in Finnish, if you'd come and have dinner :) This is another official postcrossing card received by...you guessed it...my husband! :)

Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, Kansas City, Missouri

Isn't this too cool? From an organized swap :)

Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey

Had I gone to college way back when I lived in New Jersey, perhaps I would have gone to Princeton.

Milwaukee Art Museum


Milwaukee Art Museum, originally uploaded by CarolinaRen.

am not collecting art museum cards officially, but maybe I should. I seem to have a bunch of them--and I really like them! :)

"Family" by Gudvardarson


"Family" by Gudvardarson, originally uploaded by CarolinaRen.

I received this awesome, official postcrossing card from a sender in Finland. I really like it :)

Yubbega, Friesland


Yubbega, Friesland, originally uploaded by CarolinaRen.

I just love this official postcrossing card...it is so cute :) From the Netherlands :)

Map of the Philippines


Map of the Philippines, originally uploaded by CarolinaRen.

This is an official postcrossing card from Angelo. I love it--it is a very nice artistic map!

Saltair Resort on the Great Salt Lake, Utah

This Moorish-designed pavillion houses a day-time resort, concert hall and several small shops and concessions. Beautiful!

Sundance Film Festival, Park City, Utah

The Sundance Instutitute, headed by Robert Redford, views over 2,500 submissions to select between 100 and 105 feature films and 60 shorts. The Sundance Film Festival is internationally recognized as a showcase for the best in new American independent films.

Park city Mountain Resort


Park city Mountain Resort, originally uploaded by CarolinaRen.

Well...since I love mountains, maps and snow...this card is perfect for me :) The resort has 100 trails and 3,300 acres of skiable terrain, accessed by 14 chairlifts including 4 six-passenger high speed lifts...the most in the world! :)

Finnish art card by Inge Look


Finnish art card by Inge Look, originally uploaded by CarolinaRen.

This lovely card comes from my penpal Marji :) She says she hopes to one day have at least one good friend that she can fool around with like this :) I agree! Art by Inge Look.