Sara wraps up her trip with these two postcards from Prague
Prague seems to have been a highlight of the trip. Sara tells me that it was the only larger European capitol not destroyed in either of the world wars, and it managed to escape an architectural renovation during Communism. She reports that this postcard was made by a local artist.
On this last postcard from her trip, she tells of their Mucha Museum trip and that Prague is definitely worth another visit.
Sara couldn’t resist sending me this “Disneyfied charmer.” Apparently the long arm of the mouse doesn’t reach all the way to Hungary.
Sara reports a dearth of postcards, which I found to be the case in 2008. I’m sure it’s gotten much worse since then. Sara’s hotel is right on the river; she and Shawn went for a walk and saw the sights.
Look at these fun stamps that came along with the postcard!
This is a very pretty ad card for this event in Northern Idaho.
Sara says hello from finals week in Arcata. She is excited for the semester to be done.
Sara sent this painting of a girl taking a nap (the text on the back with information about the painting is too small for me to read, and I don’t want to go and find the magnifying glass). As a fan of naps, I’m all for this picture.
Then we have the well known Renoir (which I know both because it’s famous and because the explanatory information is in a readable font.)
Both postcards arrived on the same day (!). Sara reports that she found these postcards while updating her office, which made room for all the books she is going to read for Notables.
Sara sent this postcard after her return from her North Carolina visit. The barcode sticker is blocking the crucial information that this is a postcard about the UNC Libraries, always a fun thing to visit. She was correct that the postcard would make a fun send.
Sara really liked the campus (she called it stunning) and the flora (the cherries and tulip magnolias were in bloom) and the food (biscuits at three different meals and okra at two). Overall, a great trip for her.
I returned from my vacation to find that Sara had sent me a postcard from her sister trip to North Carolina. Jessie and Sara were visiting their cousin.
I quite like this colored pencil drawing by Egon Schiele, which the internet tells me was done the same year as his death at 28: 1918. Also nice, the washi tape Sara got at the museum store and included on the other side of the postcard.
“Let’s keep an eye out for a mailbox,” I said to Matt as we set out for the airport. I had a few things to post. Imagine my surprise when I saw this quite large mail receptacle outside of the card store at PDX. Mail posted!
From there it was on through security and to our gate for our short flight to Las Vegas.
After the disappointment of not finding any postcards for sale when I was at Disneyland, I vowed to bring postcards with me for future trips. Thankfully, I remembered this vow with enough time to order some vintage Las Vegas postcards before heading to the airport. Here’s the spread.
Three of them were written on, and here are those three.
First up, the Riviera Hotel in 1957. (That postmark is hard to read, but I think it’s 1957 rather than 1967. The internet tells me the “Pray for Peace” cancellation was put into circulation in 1956. Also, postcards cost 5 cents in 1967. They cost 3 cents in 1957, so that stamp isn’t right, but we’re going with 1957.)
Hi, We are a long way from you. Having a swell time, seeing a lot. You would never dream of what is here. The Armo Trongs. (sp?)
The Riviera Hotel was the first skyscraper hotel on the strip (nine stories tall) and closed in 2015 to make way for the expansion of the Last Vegas Convention Center.
Next up: The Frontier in 1977 (or so I’m guessing from the stamp)
Tuesday. Hi Barb. Here we are in Vegas. Everybody else is still in bed. We left California yesterday 5 am, got here at 10 am. Have a very nice room. Love Mabel [and ?]
The Frontier closed in 2007 and today is an empty lot between Fashion Show Mall and Resorts World Las Vegas. That pool looks like it was a fun one.
Finally, the Silver Slipper from 29 June 1970.
Hi Wallie and Fam. This is the place for you. The place is jumping with people all night. Weather hot but nights beautiful. Getting some Jack-[?]. Josephine and Sue
The Silver Slipper was part of the Frontier. It closed in 1988, and it’s iconic sign is in the neon museum.
I look forward to writing my own postcards from Las Vegas.
This postcard has a very nice texture to it.
Sara reports that the weather has retreated to coastal winter after some spring-like behavior. She also laments the current state of US democracy.
I received all three postcards on the same day (amazing!), and I skipped looking at the picture on the front so I could instead read what Sara had written on the back. I read that Sara’s cousin had gotten her this lovely package of chairs (12 in total), and I wondered why the cousin would give her such a large gift. Also, did Sara want 12 chairs?
The confusion was cleared up when I looked at the front and discovered, that what I was reading as chairs was actually chai, as in tea. 12 is a much more reasonable number in that case.
Sara reports that there is an atmospheric river happening, and that she’s enjoying 50 so far.
