If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 669

 

 

 

 

 

Yellowstone Bear World, Rexburg, Idaho

 

A product of Mountain West Prints, 2010, this postcard has a Yellowstone Staff photo of the entrance to Bear World.  There is no identity code number or letter; however, there is a blurb at the upper left corner on the reverse.  The blurb:  “Yellowstone Bear World is a unique drive through park with North American wildlife.  The park features bears, the majority being black bears of all ages and all colors.  Grizzly bears, wolves, bison, elk, deer, and moose are also found free ranging in a natural setting.  Yellowstone Bear World is located in Rexburg, Idaho.”  And, yes, the photo on the card is purposefully crooked. 

 

 

 

Two young black bears playing

 

This card and a few others were purchased on a recent trip from the gift shop of Bear World.  Cars are allowed to drive slowly, 2 to 3 miles per hour, through the grounds.  Car doors and windows and to be closed and no one may get out of their car.  We quickly saw why these rules were in place.  The animals are not caged, they can freely roam around and seem not to notice the cars that come through.  Any pictures we took had to be through a car window, so perhaps not as ideal as desired. 

 

 

 

An example of how close the bears come to the cars during the drive-thru

 

The first section of the park had several different animals, such as, bison, swans, elk, and deer.  About half way through there was a gate that an attendant opened which led to the bear enclosure where there were many bears meandering around or lounging in the shade.  The bears could freely walk across the road, thus the restriction on speed and keeping doors and windows closed as well as staying inside the vehicle. We did not count the bears but there seemed to be a lot of them.   There are both black bears and grizzly bears in the park.

 

Visitors can drive through those two areas as many times as they desire and the admission ticket is good for two days.  Also on the grounds is a small amusement ride area and a petting zoo.  Three times a day the park offers children and adults the chance to feed bear cubs and pet them in the petting zoo. This is the only place where visitors are allowed to feed the bears in Yellowstone and it is supervised by trained staff members.  An optional Wildlife Excursion is offered where an animal keeper takes adults and children on a large truck and explains interesting facts about the animals found in Yellowstone Park.  There is an additional charge for the excursion.

 

 

 

Bears resting in the shade

The bear enclosure includes feeding areas, and man-made shelters, like the one at the left in the picture, for the bears to rest in or climb.

For additional information, see:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yellowstone_Bear_World

https://yellowstonebearworld.com/

 

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 668

 

 

 

 Charlotte, North Carolina, ca 2018

 

 

This is a used AGPostcards.com card with a photograph of Charlotte, North Carolina by Alex Grichenko.  A friend sent this card in 2018 and the estimated date of the photo is based on that.  The picture is of Uptown Charlotte and shows the skyline at night.  It does not have a blurb or any other information on the reverse except the publisher/printer/photographer.

 

Charlotte is the county seat of Mecklenburg County and has a population of almost 900,000.  It was named for Queen Charlotte of Mecklenburg-Strelitz who had become the queen consort of Great Britain and Ireland around 1761.   The city of Charlotte was sometimes referred to as “Queen City.”  Another nickname was “The Hornet’s Nest” by the British commander General Charles Cornwallis.  During the American Revolution he wrote that Charlotte was a “hornet’s nest of rebellion.”  

 

During the years between 2004 and 2014 Charlotte was among the country’s fastest-growing metropolitan areas.  The climate is subtropical and humid.  Spanish records from 1567 show that the Catawba Indians were the first known settlers in this area.  The early European colonists were primarily Scots-Irish Presbyterians or Ulster-Scot settlers from Northern Ireland.  There were also a smaller number of German immigrants who came before the Revolutionary War.  The arrival of Europeans also brought smallpox to the colony and resulted in the deaths of the majority of the Catawba who had no natural immunity to the disease. 

 

Today Charlotte has a modern-day banking industry and is second to New York City in the United States.  

 

Many thanks to friends M & D who sent the card.  

For additional information, see:

https://en.wikipedia.org.wiki/Charlotte,_North_Carolina

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 667

 

 

 

 

Lynden, Washington, ca 2007

 

Published and distributed by Smith-Western, Co., Tacoma, Washington, this used postcard features a Kyle Smith photograph of the city of Lynden, Washington.  The code:  CT-2009A and a blurb are found at the upper left on the reverse.  The blurb:  “Located not far from the U.S.-Canadian border, Lynden is noted for its Dutch hospitality and is a major farming community.  Mt. Baker is in the background.”  As often people do when sending postcards of places where they live, the sender has inked in an arrow showing the located of their house. 

 

Lynden is found in Whatcom County north of Bellingham and about 5 miles south of the Canada-U.S. Border.  The town was founded by Phoebe and Holden Judson in the 1870s near the site of Squahalish, a Nooksack Indian village.  There is a statue of Phoebe in Lynden near the intersection of Front and 6^th Street.  Farms in the valley formed by the Nooksack River are mostly dairy farms or berry farms.  Rapsberries, strawberries, and blueberries are grown here.  There is a raspberry festival the 3^rd week in July.  Also the Northwest Washington Fair is held in Lynden in August.  The buildings in Lynden reflect Dutch heritage in their architecture.  The population is approximately 16,000. 

 

For additional information, see:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lynden,_Washington

 

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 666

 

 

 

 

 

Jacqueline sentada [Jacqueline seated], Paris, 1954 by Picasso

[photo by Rafael Lobato]

 

This week’s postcard features the painting by Pablo Picasso titled “Jacqueline sentada” or in English, “Jacqueline seated.”  The card is unused and was purchased at the Seattle Art Museum when there was a Picasso exhibit a few years ago.  The card is a product of the Picasso Museum.  The original painting is part of the collection of the Museo Picasso in Málaga, Spain.  The photograph of the painting is attributed to Rafael Lobato. 

 

Jacqueline Roque Picasso (1927-1986) is best known as the second wife and muse of Pablo Picasso.  She was 26 and he was 72 when they met in 1953.  They married in 1961 and had been married for 11 years at the time of his death in 1973.  Picasso painted more than 400 portraits of Jacqueline.  This painting with exaggerated features is recognizable as a symbol of his late paintings.  She is shown in a serene pose which is suggests tranquility and love.  One report said this work represented Picasso’s love and devotion of her. 

 

The photographer, Rafael Sanz Lobato (1932-2015), got his first camera at age 22.  He learned how to develop and print his own pictures.  In 1964 he joined the Royal Photographic Society of Madrid.  He is known as a post-war photographer who produced exceptional documentary photos that earned him Spain’s National Photography Award in 2011. 

 

The museum is located in the city of Málaga, Andalusia, Spain where Picasso was born.  It opened in 2003 with a collection of 285 pieces of his works donated by his family.  In 2009 this collection merged with another and became the Fundación Museo Picasso Málaga.  The building that houses the museum is the Buenavista Palace and was originally build in the 1500s for Diego de Cazalla.  It was declared a National Monument in 1939 and had been an arts museum from 1961 to 1997.  It was purchased with the intention of converting it to a museum featuring Picasso’s works. 

 

For additional information, see:

https://celebracionpicasso.es/en/noticia/piece-week-jacqueline-seated

https://en.wikipedia/wiki/Jacqueline_Rogue

https://on.spainculture.us/50-fotografias-con-historia/rafael-sanz-lobato/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Museo_Picasso_M%C3%A1laga

 

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 665

 

 

 

 

 

Historic London

 

“The friendship post card” is printed at the right on the reverse of this used souvenir postcard from London, England.  Like the Danish postcard that was shared a couple of weeks ago, this one has 5 different views of popular tourist destinations, this time featuring historic London.  This is a Golden Shield card with the number 142 at the top of the center line on the reverse.  It is one of the cards Marge Engler kept and was sent to her by her son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren who were traveling abroad.

 

Beginning with the large picture of the Tower of London complex at the upper left and going clockwise around.  The second photo is of the guard wearing the tall bearskin hats and standing in front of the entrance.  The famous clock tower, Big Ben, is next, then a Yeoman Warder or Beefeater, is seen talking with children, the last picture is of Saint Paul’s cathedral.

 

The Tower of London is located on the north bank of the River Thames in central London.  It is officially His Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London.  Founded toward the end of 1066 as a result of the Norman Conquest.  William the Conqueror built the White Tower in 1078 and is the symbol that gives the entire complex its name.  The complex has several buildings and two rings of defensive walls plus a moat.  Historically significant the complex it was besieged several times.  It has served different purposes at different times, from being an armory, a treasury, a menagerie, a prison, home to the Royal Mint, a public record office, and the home of the Crown Jewels of England.  It is a popular tourist attraction and is also protected as a World Heritage Site. 

 

The King’s Guard is one of the Household Division’s five regiments of foot guards.  The Household Guard duties include the sentry postings at Buckingham Palace and St. James’s Palace in London.  They are recognizable symbols by their red coats and tall bearskin hats.  They participate in the ceremony called the changing of the guard which is held Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday at Buckingham Palace Forecourt and Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at Windsor Castle.  The ceremony starts at 10:45 am and lasts for about 45 minutes. 

 

 

“Big Ben is the nickname for the Great Bell of the Great Clock of Westminster.”  It stands at the west end of the Palace of Westminster and was once known as the Clock Tower.  When Queen Elizabeth II celebrated her Diamond Jubilee in 2012 the it was renamed Elizabeth Tower.  The clock has five striking bells.  Designed by Augustus Pugin it was completed in 1859.  It is one of the most prominent symbols of the United Kingdom.

 

The ceremonial guards of the Tower of London are popularly known as Beefeaters but are officially named Yeoman Warders.  They serve as the palace guard and are responsible for safeguarding the British crown jewels as well as looking after any prisoners in the Tower.  They also conduct some guided tours of the Tower.

 

St. Paul’s Cathedral is another of the most recognizable symbols of London and a popular tourist destination.  TheEnglish Baroque style building was designed by Sir Christopher Wren.  The dome has been part of the skyline of London for over 300 years.   

 

 

For additional information, see:

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tower_of_London

https://www.householddivision.org.uk/changing-the-guard-overview

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King%27s_Guard

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Ben

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yeoman_Warders

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St_Paul%27s_Cathedral

 

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 664

 

 

 

 

 

“Enten” [Ducks], painting by Alexander Max Koester (1864-1932)

 

At first, I thought these were swans but a closer look, plus the title, identified them as ducks.  This is an unused color postcard featuring an oil painting by Alexander Max Koester.  The identifying code:  SC 13026 is found at the lower left corner on the reverse.  There is also a blurb at the upper right corner on the reverse:  Charles and Emma Frye Art Museum, Terry at Cherry, Seattle, Washington.  “Enten” (Ducks) (oil) is by Alexander Max Koester (pronounced Case-t’r) (German:   1864-1932).  In the Frye Collection of 230 European and American paintings, emphasis is on Vienna and Munich masters of the nineteenth century.” 

 

Koester was a German landscape and animal painter who specialized in scenes with ducks.  His parents wanted him to take an apprenticeship in pharmacy which he did; however, after completing his training there he chose to enroll in the Academy of Fine Arts, Karlsruhe, where he studied with Karl Hoff and Claus Meyer.  While an art student he supported himself by painting portraits. 

 

In 1893 Koester married Isabella Kantioler.  Isabella’s father had a colony of ducks and Koester became interested in them.  He began learning about them including studying their anatomy and behavior.  He became an expert on duck breeds and breeding while at the same time painting portraits of them.  His paintings became very popular.  Even though he was offered a position at the art school in Darmstadt he declined preferring to do free-lance work instead.  Most of his works are in private collections.

 

For additional information, see: 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Max_Koester

 

 

If this is Thursday it must be postcards, 663

 

 

 

 

 

“Clean Cat,” photo by David McEnery, 1992

 

Postcards come in all shapes and sizes, and a variety of subjects.  This unused postcard issued by Graphique de France features a black & white photograph by David McEnery.  It is dated 1992 and has the identifying code:  ME106 on the reverse center line.  The title appears at the upper right on the reverse “Clean Cat.”   

 

This type of card might be termed a humor card or a novelty card.  As someone who has been around cats and owned [by] cats most of my life, I found myself chuckling at this image.  Cats are independent and do what they want, not necessarily what you want.  The idea that any cat would stand for soap bubbles on its head long enough to take a picture borders on ridiculous. 

 

David McEnery was an English photographer who specialized in humor, mostly involving animals and quite often cats.  He was born in 1936 and passed away in 2002.  His photographs are often comedic, contain jokes, and/or irony.  He was dubbed “The funniest photographer in the world,” by John Saunders the editor of Photography magazine.  A retrospective collection of his black & white and color photographs called “Creatures” was held at Officine Fotografiche I Rome between December 2019 and January 2020.  A computer search produced many recognizable images that I had seen before but not known were his.  If you like animals and quirky things, look him and his images up online.

 

For additional information, see:

http://magazine.photoluxfestival.it/en/david-mcenery-%C7%80-humour-please/