The USA

There's no doubt this is one of my American favourites in my collection! The aerial view over the Pueblo Bonito Ruins gives you a feeling how the native Americans lived. Pueblo Bonito  is the largest and best-known great house in Chaco Culture National Historical Park, northern New Mexico, was built by the Ancestral Puebloans, who occupied the structure between AD 828 and 1126. If you're wondering who the Ancestral Puebloans were - they were an ancient Native American culture centered on the present-day Four Corners area of the United States, comprising southern Utah, northeastern Arizona, northern New Mexico, and southwestern Colorado.

Examination of pack rat middens revealed that at the time that Pueblo Bonito was built, Chaco Canyon and the surrounding areas were wooded by trees such as ponderosa pines. Evidence of such trees can be seen within the structure of Pueblo Bonito, such as the first floor support beams. Scientists hypothesised that during the time that the pueblo was inhabited the valley was cleared of almost all of the trees, to provide timber for construction and fuel. This, combined with a period of drought, led to the water table in the valley to drop severely, making the land infertile. This explains why Pueblo Bonito was only inhabited for about 300 years and is a good example of the effect that deforestation can have on the local environment. The Anasazi, no longer able to grow crops to sustain their population, had to move on. This is just one of the numerous examples how much we can lear from the past, but somehow we tend to do the same mistakes as our ancestors.  Thank you, Connie :D

The USA

Kentucky is a state located in the east south-central region of the United States. Originally a part of Virginia, in 1792 Kentucky became the 15th state to join the Union. Kentucky is also home to the highest per capita number of deer and turkey in the US, the largest free-ranging elk herd east of the Mississippi River, and the nation's most productive coalfield. Kentucky is also known for horse racing, bourbon distilleries, automobile manufacturing, tobacco, bluegrass music, college basketball, and Kentucky Fried Chicken. State capital is Frankfort. 

The USA

A great Did you know? card for the end. The American alligator (Alligator mississippiensis), sometimes referred to colloquially as a gator or common alligator, is a large crocodilian reptile endemic to the southeastern United States. It is one of two living species in the genus Alligator within the family Alligatoridae. Adult male American alligators measure 3.4 to 4.6 m in length, and can weigh 453 kg. 

Card came with a matching Louisiana stamp. Thank you, Dawn and Mattie!

The USA

Here's a card showing us Louisiana swamp. Although Louisiana swaps are often deemed foreboding and mysterious, they are in fact just the opposite. These swamps are home to many native plants and animals, fish especially. 

And a lighthouse stamp. Thanks :)

The USA

I'm posting three surprise postcards from Louisiana today, first of which depicts a bit of Louisiana's natural beauty - great egret and cypress tree. 

The USA

San Francisco has always been my favorite city in the USA, but I can't say exactly why... But what I know for sure is that the most  internationally recognized symbols of San Francisco are Golden Gate Bridge and its cable car system. The Golden Gate Bridge opened in 1937 and had until 1964 the longest suspension bridge main span in the world, at 1,280 m.  The bridge looks so magical with the fog that's rolled in, almost surreal, don't you think? Thank you, Brenda!

The USA

Here are some stereotypes that people have about Texas and Texan people, i.e. the Texan lifestyle as most of the people imagine it. The card is hilarious! Thanks, Luis!

The USA

Mimi sent me this nice watrefall view of Hidden Falls in Minnestota. They are located in Nerstrand, by Woods State Park. I love the flower stamps! Thanks, Mimi :)                

the USA

American flag consists of thirteen equal horizontal stripes of red alternating with white, with a blue rectangle in the canton (referred to specifically as the "union") bearing fifty white stars. The 50 stars on the flag represent the 50 states of the United States of America and the 13 stripes represent the thirteen British colonies that declared independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain and became the first states in the Union. Nicknames for the flag include the "Stars and Stripes", "Old Glory", and "The Star-Spangled Banner." Thank you, Callie!

US-2099494

I received a multiview from the US capital city, and I realized that I have no Washington postcards on the blog, so why not to show you this official Karen sent me ;)

Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the Residence Act approved the creation of a capital district located along the Potomac River on the country's East Coast. As permitted by the U.S. Constitution, the District is under the exclusive jurisdiction of the United States Congress and is therefore not a part of any U.S. state. The states of Maryland and Virginia each donated land to form the federal district, which included the preexisting settlements of Georgetown and Alexandria; however, Congress returned the Virginia portion in 1846. Named in honor of George Washington, the City of Washington was founded in 1791 to serve as the new national capital. Congress created a single municipal government for the whole District of Columbia after the American Civil War.

We can see the White House (top right), the official residence and principal workplace of the President of the United States since John Adams in 1800.

The Washington Monument (in the middle) is an obelisk on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to commemorate the first American president, General George Washington. The monument, made of marble, granite, and bluestone gneiss, is both the world's tallest stone structure and the world's tallest obelisk. Taller monumental columns exist, but they are neither all stone nor true obelisks.

Alaska, the USA

Emily sent me this gorgeous Northern Lights postcard. This is what the back of the card says: "The Northern Lights (Aurora Borealis) and the Big Dipper (Ursa Major) over Eagle, Alaska, captured in a 10 minute window of the aurora and stars sharing the same sky. I haven't seen any aurora myself yet, but I'd really love to. The feeling must be great!

I guess Emily wasn't able to get the US Post air mail stickers (I think they are not printed anymore at all), she found a solution and used this Taiwanese (?) sticker. The stamps are nice as well. 

The USA

I received this unusual lighthouse, which is not a house as you can see, as a part of Lighthouses RR. This is what the back of the postcards says: The Huron Lightship built in 1920, served for sixty years at various shoals and reefs. The last 36 years it served at Corsica Shoal. The 97 foot ship has been restored and is open to the public as a museum. Nice story indeed! I think there is no lightships in Croatia, but I am not totally sure...  

Thanks to Jamie for the interesting card and stamps. The stamp in the top corner was issued in order to celebrate 2012, the Year of the Dragon. 

Mississippi, the USA

And the second waterfall today! This time it's a one situated in the State of Mississippi, United States. I'll just let you enjoy the view! One random fact: Optimistic people are 23% less likely to die of cancer and 30% less likely to die from heart diseases ;)

United States

The Wisconsin State Capitol, in Madison, Wisconsin, houses both chambers of the Wisconsin legislature along with the Wisconsin Supreme Court and the Office of the Governor. The building was completed in 1917, the building is the fifth to serve as the Wisconsin capitol since the first territorial legislature convened during 1836 and the third building since. Wisconsin was granted statehood during 1848. It's als the tallest building in Madison.

Thanks, Callie!

United States

One more waterfall card for my collection! This time it comes from Vermont, United States. I am very thankful to Sherri for this lovely card. The postcard shows Moss Glen Falls, located near small town called Granville in the middle Vermont. The population of Granville was only 303 at the 2000 census. I can never get enough of the waterfall postcards!

Help Me Figure Out The ID :D

I received this waterfall postcard couple of days ago, but it seems that the ID number is either wrong or I did not read it correctly. Can you help, me please? The ID is written just by the Aloha stamp, which is totally cool, especially on the cover with other Aloha stamps.

I wrote in my Postcrossing profile that I am asking Pete, the sender of the card, to send me the correct ID. Hopefully, he will see my note and e-mail me. However, this is a nice addition to my waterfall cards collection!

The USA

Can you believe that there are 23 different waterfalls called Bridal Veil Falls in the USA? I have just tried to find some information about this one but, unfortunately, I found nothing. So I'll simply let you enjoy the view. Looking to the water is always relaxing.

The USA

I've been looking for this map card of the USA for soooo long, but finally it's here. My favourite type of map cards are these "cartoon" ones with many small illustrations and many colours. I think this is a great way to learn a bit of geography, don't you think so?

Here come some facts about the USA that you may find interesting... The United States of America is the third largest country by both land area and population ( over 312 million). Did you know that the first US capital was New York City? This fact made me laugh: Montana has 3 times more cattle than people :) Alaska has a longer coastline than all the other 49 states put together. The smallest state has the longest name!

Many many thanks to Sherris for this awesome postcard, a perfect addition to my US postcards collection!

The USA

Noccalula Falls is the main feature of the Noccalula Falls Park located in Gadsden, Alabama. I like the postcard quiet a lot and the falls seem like an amazing place to relax, but what I found even more interesting is the legend about princess Noccalula, the person the falls were named after. The legend is so interesting that I decided to share it with you . . . According to a a legend, long time ago there lived a great Indian chief whose daughter, Noccalula, was sought by many braves. The wedding day came and a great feast was prepared, but Noccalula was ordered by her father to marry a man she didn't love. Overcome with grief, she quietly slipped away from the merrymaking festivities. She ended her grief in the cold waters of Black Creek.

The bronze statue of princess Noccalula jumping off the cliff was placed near the falls as well. It was, at the time of its creation, the first statue of a person jumping off a cliff and it is also interesting that the bronze used in the statue was made from pennies collected from local school children.

I learned many new stuff thanks to Carey who sent me this postcard and helped me to expand my waterfalls postcard collection. Thanks, Carey! :)

The USA

The postcard shows the golden glow of farolitos decorating the church of San Pelipe De Neri, New in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The back side of the card is all dirty and flushed so I cannot read the text and the message that the sender wrote.