Just my Dish - Guest Heart Thursday

This is a Valentine card from my collection.  It was printed in the United States sometime in the late 1930's.  He has movable arms, one of which is missing, poor fellow!  I love his striped pants, shiny patent leather shoes and bright red bow tie.  Not to mention that snazzy hat!  This is a delightful card--just perfect for Guest Heart Thursday!

For more wonderful heart art, photography and altogether fabulous heart stuff from around the world, visit Clytie at Random Hearts for Guest Heart Thursday.

Fond Greetings - Pink Saturday

This wonderful postcard comes from my darling sister's extensive vintage postcard collection.  I love the poem, which is a sweet rendition of the Golden Rule.

Happy Pink Saturday!  For more wonderful things in pink, visit Bev at Pink Saturday!

Barcelona La Merce - Postcard Friendship Friday #30

I thought this wonderful old postcard from my collection was perfect to celebrate the  Barcelona La Merce Festival where one of the longest and biggest street parties in the world takes place each year.

This year the party goes from September 23-26.  The festival is held in honor of Mare de Deu de la Merce, the Patron Saint of Barcelona.   The festival, which started in 1902, bids goodbye to the summer with a bang and welcomes in the cooler months of autumn.

At dusk, the area where the celebration takes place is closed to traffic and opened to "The Devils."  (Eeeek!)  People in devil costumes run up and down the streets with drums, noisemakers and hand-held fireworks.   Spectacular fire-breathing dragons also roam the streets with the devils.  These dragons actually blow sparkling fire into the crowds!  Perhaps that is why protective clothing is advised.

Happy Postcard Friendship  Friday!

To see more mailboxes and all things postal, visit Gemma at Greyscale Territory for Weekend Mailbox.

A Perfect Saint - Guest Heart Thursday

Isn't this the cutest card?  I think I posted it a long time back, but I couldn't resist putting it up again.  This is another vintage card from my Valentine Card collection.  This little fellow is just a darling--angelic or not!

Happy Guest Heart Thursday!

For more wonderful heart art, photography and altogether fabulous heart stuff from around the world, visit Clytie at Random Hearts for Guest Heart Thursday.

Happily Ever After - Pink Saturday

Here is Cinderella in her golden gown and pink roses.  I've always loved that story--though I wish she would have gotten to know the Prince a little better before she headed off to marry him.  Yet, it must have been a good match since they lived Happily Ever After!

Happy Pink Saturday!  For more wonderful things in pink, visit Bev at Pink Saturday!

It's Oktoberfest in September - Postcard Friendship Friday #29

Yesterday started the festivities of Oktoberfest in Mt. Angel, Oregon where one can find all kinds of fun things to do--along with fabulous foods and drinks.  The Glockenschpeil Restaurant and Pub has the second largest Glockenschpeil in the entire world!

Each hour a huge door opens high in a picturesque tower on the side of the building, where seven life-sized, hand-carved figures from the town's history tell a story with music by local children and musicians.  It is a wonderful thing to see!

Happy Postcard Friendship  Friday!

To see more mailboxes and all things postal, visit Gemma at Greyscale Territory for Weekend Mailbox.

We Will Never Forget

Just days before the recovery effort was declared finished, my family and I had the opportunity to visit Ground Zero.  The experience is still raw in my mind.  That great scar in the earth had left another one in my heart. 

I will never forget standing on the viewing platform that cold cloudy day.  The hundreds of people gathered there, were silent as they walked up the ramps and stood together--it was eerily quiet.  As though the bare wood was covered with a thick layer of dust.  As you know New York City never rests--it is like the ceaseless roar of a great ocean.  But there, sound was somehow dampened.

My son and husband stood close, as my daughters and I closed our eyes and began to sing Amazing Grace in three-part harmony.  Some of the people in the crowd joined in.

Then as we sang the words, "bright shining as the sun..."  Something incredible happened.  There was a sudden instantaneous break in those cold, dark clouds--a brilliant beam of sunlight burst through, beaming down, sweeping over the huge American Flag, covering Ground Zero where so many lost their lives.  Then a gasp from the crowd as brightness was touching our faces, embracing the hundreds on the viewing platform with dazzling warmth. 

As we finished, our little family wrapped our arms around each other, heads bowed and we wept. I don't know how long we stood  there, tears slipping down our cheeks--but when we lifted our faces, we were alone.  The hundreds of people standing with us had moved away so softly we hadn't realized they had gone.

Though each group was only allowed 15 minutes, the guards told us to stay as long as we wished.  And we did--praying for all the families who's loved ones had died there, for our nation and for the world.

That day touched me and my family in a way I cannot even put into words.  What a blessing it was to feel--literally--the warmth of God's grace.  Suffice it to say none of us will ever forget 9/11, or the people who died that day in the World Trade Center.

For other heart-felt thoughts please visit Bev at Pink Saturday.

Where Do Cranberries Come From? - Postcard Friendship Friday #28

Have you ever wondered where Cranberries come from?  We were traveling across country to a performance when I noticed hundreds of little ponds along the highway.  When we inquired as to what  the ponds were used for, we were told about cranberries.

Each Fall, lowland bogs where the cranberries grow, are flooded.  The berries are knocked from the plants, with "eggbeaters," causing them to float on the surface of the water.  Then the berries are loaded onto trucks by conveyor belts for transportation to a processing plant near Long Beach, Washington.  The first planting of cultivated cranberries in the state was near that location, in 1883.

Another interesting note, we were walking on Long Beach in Washington State, when I told my husband-to-be, nearly 30 years ago, I loved him for the first time!

Happy Postcard Friendship  Friday!

To see more mailboxes and all things postal, visit Gemma at Greyscale Territory for Weekend Mailbox.

Love's Message - Guest Heart Thursday

I adore this lovely Victorian card with its exquisite borders and lovely lady.  She seems quite pleased hear what the small messenger has to say.  I wonder who sent the message?


This is another card from my "Cyber" collection.  I'm so grateful to those bloggers out there who share their wonderful finds with the rest of us. I don't always remember where I find them, so if this came from your blog, let me know so I can link back to you.

For more wonderful heart art, photography and altogether fabulous heart stuff from around the world, visit Clytie at Random Hearts for Guest Heart Thursday.

Flying on a Swallow - Pink Saturday

I love this idea of flying on the back of a swallow!  As you can see this vintage postcard has touches of real cloth.  This is an exquisite piece!

This is another card from my "Cyber" collection.  I'm so grateful to those bloggers out there who share their wonderful finds with the rest of us. I don't always remember where I find them, so if this came from your blog, let me know so I can link back to you.

For more wonderful things in pink, visit Bev at Pink Saturday!

School Days - Postcard Friendship Friday #27

Most schools in the United States begin next week, right after Labor Day!  I couldn't find any fun postcards about Labor Day--so I thought I would concentrate on the beginning of school.  This is a Tuck's postcard from 1910!  Tuck's postcards are wonderful.  This one made me smile. 

My Grandfather attended school in a tiny one-room school house.  My Mother and her brothers studied in that same small classroom.  By the time I came along, the town had built an elementary school for all eight grades.  In seventh and eighth grade our choir class was held in the small spot where Grandpa and Mom  attended school.  Later, my own children attended there--my eldest daughter's fourth grade class was in my first grade classroom.
 
Today the school, where I once learned my sums, was torn down and the one room school house is long gone.  An Albertson's grocery store sits where the shouts of children once rang out during recess.  However, the "woods" where we played stands nearly unchanged--the tall fir trees still shade the parking lot.

Happy Postcard Friendship  Friday!

To see more mailboxes and all things postal, visit Gemma at Greyscale Territory for Weekend Mailbox.

Clown of Hearts - Guest Heart Thursday

I thought it was time for another Valentine.  I love the colors and the way the ribbons drape along the edges.  The look on this little fellow's face is priceless--and I wonder what song he will play for us.  In my imagination, it is something funny.

This is another card from my "Cyber" collection.  I'm so grateful to those bloggers out there who share their wonderful finds with the rest of us. I don't always remember where I find them, so if this came from your blog, let me know so I can link back to you.

For more wonderful heart art, photography and altogether fabulous heart stuff from around the world, visit Clytie at Random Hearts for Guest Heart Thursday.