Postcard: Tillamook cheese

 This one returned to us today from our coastal trip four months ago. Tillamook, Oregon is known for its cheese. We toured the factory and tasted a cheddar that had taken first place in an international professional cheesemakers' event the previous year. It was delicious! 

This one comes back to us from the finder A. J., who says:

Hi! I found this in a book at the Tillamook County Library. Whoever made the art on this postcard should be proud, it's beautiful! It was in the book, "yolk" by Mary He. K. Choi.

Love what you guys are doing, 

A. J.

Thanks, A. J.! 

Postcard: Bachelor's Buttons

We were surprised by a postcard today! We don't see them as often now that we are not traveling as much. But this one was a delight to get back.

It came home from McCall, Idaho, where it was planted in July of 2023.

 

The finder took the time to write us a note:

"I found this in the DAISIES book. I love this painting so much.

from

Gemma Chamberlain"

Thank you, Gemma!

Postcard: Sea Hair

 We were surprised this week by a pre-pandemic postcard coming back home! It's a little disappointing that there was no note, because time before the pandemic seems like so long ago. This vacation was one that my husband booked while I was working the polls on election day. He found an unexpected full week opening on a vacation home fewer than 2 weeks away, and booked it as a surprise! It was awesome.

We don't know whom to thank for returning this one, but... Thank you!

Postcard: Crab and Shadow

 Hello.

We're back.

Maybe not consistently.  Life changes.  We don't have the chances for travel we used to, and the little girl who started it all grew up and became a Marine and moved far away and got married.

But there are the little boys.  Who aren't little any more, really--they're both taller than me now and about to go on the adventure of high school.  But they wanted to make postcards for our upcoming vacation, so we did...and I thought maybe it was time to put some that we've received up here.

This one returned to us in 2021, when we were still kind of pandemicky feeling, though mail doesn't worry us.  I wish I were more organized and got all of them up here when they arrived, so that the person who sent each one back would have a better chance of seeing it.  Paul, the rescuer of Crab and Shadow, has probably forgotten this page exists, which is a shame, because he wrote us a very cool note on the back.  Here's the card:

Here's what Paul had to say:

Well, I won't be crabby about this, but this nifty, artistic card only traveled a few miles prior to being sadly stuffed in a mailbox in cosmopolitan Seal Rock, OR.  I work as a volunteer reshelving books in the Waldport, OR library and discovered the card nestled in the pages of Eric Carle's "Book of Many Things."  Touching, because he died a few days after I "rescued" it two years after it started its journey.  USPS will complete its appointed round in a few days.  It was fun having it around before its return journey ^so far from the sea.  A well crafted card and a fun experience.  

Paul, another library fan

We love Paul's note and we really hope something brings him here again so he can see that the card did return to us!

Postcard: Shapes, Stripes, Path

We have a backlog of postcards that have been returned.  I believe I've mentioned once or twice that I was hesitant to start a blog.  This is why!  But I'm committing to getting them all up here.  So--here we go!

This postcard came back to us from Park City in 2018, the same year it was left behind in the Park City library. 

 It was discovered by the Stone Family, who wrote:

Hi! We traveled from Long Island, NY to the coast of CA, picked up this postcard in Park City, UT, drove through MO, stayed at Myrtle Beach & then moved into our new home in Central NY.  This was all from May 3 to Aug 10, 2018.  We drove the entire way & camped most of it.  Our family of 6 (5 humans and 1 dog) saw so much of this beautiful and enormous country.  
Stone Family

It sounds like this postcard had an amazing trip!  Thanks to the Stone Family for finding it, letting it join them on their travels, and returning it to us!

Postcard: Peacock

Postcards are still out there.  

We've had two returned recently, both from Park City, from a trip we took in the summer of 2018.  

The girl's grown up on me, and gotten married, and my husband experiences severe anxiety now in connection with travel.  So we may not be "losing" many postcards, even when the pandemic is under control.  But I have quite a few that never made it to this blog, because (if you remember) I wasn't ready to commit to a blog in the first place.  The girl set it up.  She always did tend to get ahead of things, from the day she was born (my first pregnancy that actually ended by the due date). 

I miss her beautiful face and her crazy bold confidence.

So--here's a peacock.  It's Jesse's artwork again, and came back from Park City this week.

The finder's name is Kaiya, and I LOVE that she drew us her own little bird, with a crown on its head.  It's right there above the address.  Thank you, Kaiya!

 

Postcard: Grapes

So many reasons I haven't kept up.  

First... you may have noticed the global pandemic. Suddenly my boys are home all the time,  and I'm the teachers aide. They get bored because they can't hang with their friends,  and I'm the Activities Director. Plus,  no travel,  so no new libraries.

But thanks to Nathan, who is six years old (which is the age the Marine was when we started this game), this came back today.  Our vacation to Park City seems like a lifetime ago! 

Thank you, Nathan, for returning this to us!

Postcard: Sea Lions

These sea lions were Jonno's creation, and when we let them go, he really hoped they would come back!

From the finder:
Postcard was found in novel named "DG the Doppleganger Chronicles:  The First Escape" by G. P. Tayor, my name is [first, initial, surname], I don't like my middle name, but it's a good initial in my full name."

Thanks for returning the postcard!

Now, of course, we are super curious about that middle name! But as a Mom, I feel like I should remind everyone to be really careful about the information you share with strangers.  I made sure the name didn't appear on this blog, and it's best not to give your full name out on the Internet.  It's safest to use a nickname online.

Postcard: Vellichor

From January 2016 to February 2019!  This came back today, a rainy day midweek, and it was a cheerful thing to see in the mail.  It was handed to me along with a bouquet of red roses for Valentine's Day, though the roses came from my well-loved companion husband and the postcard from a library worker in Coeur d'Alene.

The sender writes:

I had to look up the word "vellichor"--and I work in a library!  Is there a word for "the strange wistfulness of libraries?"

If you didn't know--and I certainly didn't before I tripped over this wondrous old word on the internet--vellichor refers to the strange wistfulness of used books or used bookstores.  It's tempting to think it might also apply to libraries, which also are full of used books.   I find that the feeling in a used bookshop is different than the feeling in a library, even though both are filled with used books. What do you suppose makes the difference?

Postcard: Lines and curves

 This one came back from Park City today--but it sounds like it went on quite an adventure!

The finder writes:

Hi! We traveled from Long Island, NY to the coast of CA, picked up this postcard in park City, UT, drove through MO, stayed at Myrtle Beach, and then moved into our new home in central NY.  This was all from May 3 to Aug 10, 2018.  We drove the entire way & camped most of it.  Our family of 6 (5 humans and 1 dog) saw so much of this beautiful & enormous country.
Stone Family

Dear Stone family--That sounds like a great experience!  Our family left the postcard in Park City while on vacation this past summer.  Anyone who stops into a library while on vacation is our kind of people!  We have been campers for decades (our eldest human is now 29) but we as parents are getting kind of old and it's getting harder.  I worked for a vacation rental company for several years, and so we have been able to stay in comfortable surroundings at a deep discount.  Sadly, I only have one more summer for that, as my work for that company has ended.  Happily, we found a little camp trailer early this year that has a bed I can actually sleep on.

We are 8, though four of us have grown up and gone off to seek their own fortunes, bringing three more into our family, but leaving just the twins and their aging parents at home.  And the dog. Also a gecko, two fish, two goats, two steers, and some chickens.

Thanks for returning our postcard!

A Note about the girl

If you've read the intro, you know that this project began as a mother-daughter pastime, many years ago.  Back then, Anna Falconer was a sweet little six-year-old pixie, always happy to settle in with markers and paper and create with me.

Some years later, she decided we should actually start a blog for the project rather than just thinking about it, so she set this up for us.  By that time she had taken on the sport of falconry, which she used to name herself.  Our home has been the host to a series of lovely little American kestrels and one injured redtail (very briefly).  Her artistic talents grew; she has produced some incredible scratchboard portraits of raptors and images of feathers.  She participated in Renn Faire with her birds, creating her own costumes by restructuring thrift-store finds.  She bought a hammock and planned to live in her Suburban; later, as the Suburban aged and the she faced the challenge of securing the hammock, she decided to upgrade to a pickup truck with a cabover camper. 

Well. Time passes, doesn't it?  All this before she turned 18.  Today, as I write this, she is at Parris Island, South Carolina, and in 2 1/2 weeks my little pixie, artist, falconer, hippie will become a United States Marine.

In the meantime, my own opportunities for even domestic travel have diminished (they were mostly work trips for my husband, whose work no longer requires him to travel).  So the future of this project is uncertain, at least as far as the placing of postcards goes.  I do have a backlog of returned cards that I will work through.  And we'll see what develops!

mejaka

Postcard: Girl throwing stardust by the sea

This was the second postcard to return this week.  It's been out quite a bit longer than Every leaf was--May of this year.  It came home from Seattle.

The finder writes:

Greetings from the Seattle Northeast Public Library!  I found this while checking in some books on hold.  What a lovely surprise.  Like any librarian I immediately looked you up.  What a fascinating project!

All the best,
Eli
(Student Librarian Assistant)

Eli, thanks for playing along!  I'm glad you enjoyed being one of our finders!

Postcard: Every leaf

Two postcards came back this week! The first came from a visit to Pennsylvania.  Originally I'd planned to put them in libraries in Philly and NYC, but my sister and I were so busy being crazy tourists that in the end we chose a quieter little library near her home in the countryside.  I'm sure I wrote the name down somewhere...but it was such a whirlwind trip, and I think the memory of where I wrote it down got caught up in that whirlwind.  There are pics, however, so when they resurface I'll introduce the library!

I love that this finder added little drawings! Extra words from the quoted lines were also added around the frame on the front.  They complete the quote, and read:  "every line a flowing brook, every period a lofty mountain.  Lehigh  County, Pennsylvania."  And a heart. :)  The quote is from James Hervey, and I blush to realize I didn't credit him!

Here's the note:

"What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the 99 in the open country, and go after the one that is lost, until he finds it?...Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over 99 righteous persons who need no repentance."  Luke 15:4-32 May you sense God's love and care today.  Thank you for the lovely surprise tucked in a book."

I have read this New Testament passage numerous times over my lifetime, and yet today an insight occurred to me that I've never really recognized before.  As a child, I remember puzzling a bit over the idea that 99 righteous people would be the cause of less joy than one who repented. My faith includes the belief that doing good matters--not because it saves you, but because true faith in He who saves by definition changes you.  So it seemed to my young mind that being righteous in the first place should account for as much joy as being unrighteous but ultimately repentant.

Here's what is suddenly obvious to me:  Those 99 persons do not really exist in Christian theology anywhere.  There is no one who needs no repentance.  Christ Himself was the only perfect being who ever lived a mortal life.  So the actual level of joy engendered by those who need no repentance is limited to joy in Jesus Christ Himself.  Everyone else fits into the other category, because regardless of all the good we might do because faith draws us to follow the example of Jesus Christ the best we can, we are still unprofitable servants; He has still put more into us than we are able to return to Him; and we all need repentance.

(Obviously, your faith may differ, and I don't intend to make this blog about religious ideas.  But I do intend to respond to each individual finder here; and this was a new insight for me, and I definitely sensed God's love and care today!)

Postcard: Long-finned fish

This one is a couple years old, and has been in the backlog bag since it was returned to us.  (This is part of the reason I resisted starting a blog when the girl first suggested it; it adds another layer to this project I wasn't sure I wanted to deal with.  But it's been nice having this record, so I'll just carry on.)

The boys aren't sure whose this is, but I'm saying it's Jonno's because of the handwriting. 

There is no note from the finder on this one.  It took six months for it to be returned.

Postcard: Robin

This one came in a while ago, but it was given to the Dad, who put it on his reading table and put things on it.

The artwork is Anna's.  The interval between its being left in Denver and its being returned to us was longer than usual, so we were happy to see it!  It's always fun when we get one back that we haven't seen for a while.

The lovely sender says:  Good luck with your project, and happy travels!  I foudn this card in a library book I checked out here in Denver, CO.!  

Have a great day!  You're amazing!

We think all our finders are amazing, too! 

Postcard: Pup hula

I'm not always sure where the little boys' ideas come from.  Of the two of them, Jesse is the more artistically inclined, though both like to draw and can do so with some detail.

But sometimes they just come up with something weird.  Like Pup Hula.

This one came back in early July from The Dalles, which we visited on the way home from our vacation last summer.  So it took nearly a year to return to us.  Jonno's probably embarrassed by the artwork now, big 9-year-old that he is.  But I think it's hilarious.  Though it's clear this pup could use some ears...

Thanks, Vivian, for returning it to us!

Postcard: Cat

Have we mentioned how much we love it when someone takes a minute to write a creative note?

I mean, we love it any time someone takes the trouble to send our cards back to us...but we have a soft spot for the extra lovely people who put a little bit of themselves on the back.

This one made us extra happy. It returned last week from Seattle. The artwork is mine. 

Here's what the finder said:

What a surprise!  Here I thought I was just reading How Lamar's Bad Prank Won A Bubba Sized Trophy--and voila!  A postcard appears--cool!  Today was sort of rainy but I saw a cool view of Mt. Rainier before the clouds came in.  I still would like to climb that mountain someday...

I'm writing with a pretty fountain pen that my Mom got for me.  Still getting used to it.  Maybe I'm more of a ball point pen person.  Umm...what else?  I just sent a funny drawing to my sister.  She likes carrots, so I drew a bunch of carrots saying silly things.  Like a comi-strip.  

Hey, it's almost summer solstice!  Cool!

ALLY O.

Ally, we have decided you are a delightful human being and we sort of wish you were our sister.   Also, I'm familiar with fountain pens and have this bit of advice:  Keep using it for a while, and don't lend it.  They are always awkward at first, but over time a good fountain pen will conform itself to your writing hand.  The nib will wear down a little where you stroke it across the page, smoothing and adapting to the way your hand holds and moves it.  Of course, there's a reason the ballpoint was invented, and fountain pens take a bit of getting used to an a willingness to deal with a slightly more temperamental (but so much more expressive!) instrument.  Also...good paper makes a difference with a good pen. Tomoe River, Midori, and Rhodia are worth looking at.

Thank you so much for the return, and for the letter!  

Postcard: Spaghetti man

This postcard came back from Portland, Oregon (Multnomah Co. Library).  The artist didn't date it and the finder's had it for a while.  When I saw it, I immediately thought it was Anna's work, but she doesn't recognize it and doesn't think it's likely that she drew it (something about her skills not being up to those nice, even noodles the last time she saw Portland).  She thought it might be her brother Braden's work...but honestly, the lettering is 100% her, and I don't think any cards made by Braden ended up in Portland.  (Has Braden even ever made cards with us? I don't remember...)

The finder writes:
i can't remember what book i found you in.  You were discovered in Multnomah County's Central Library.  i've been working there forever.  i found you years ago and forgot to mail you away until now.  please forgive me!
Safe travels,
Shantelle

Not sure I got that name right, as the PO ran its coding over it.  But thanks so much for sending the card back so we could puzzle over which of us created such a quirky mess of spaghetti!

Postcard; Green band

This one took less than a month to find its way back.  It's one we left in Sacramento in March.  The little boys and I spent a couple of mornings making cards while we were there.  I'd picked up a couple of Pilot parallel pens (something I've wanted to try forever) and it made calligraphy-on-the-go a much more feasible option.

The green band on this card started out as lettering with some Celtic illumination for St Patrick's Day.  But I had limited coloring tools and I didn't love the effect using just what I had, so I added a long curve and made a band out of it.

This was returned without a note.  Thanks to the finder, though!

Postcard: Poppy and serendipity

We (the Dad, the boyos, and I) spent last week in Sacramento.  The Dad had meetings and work, while the boys and I explored the wet city from underneath brand-new umbrellas.  We put tokens into the Art-o-Mat at the Crocker, ate really good ramen, explored Old Sac, saw Sutter's Fort and the Indian Museum, and of course visited the library! The Dad even got to join us for an evening hike at the Effie Yeaw nature preserve, which is breathtakingly beautiful in spring.  We saw wood ducks, mallards, and both great egrets and snowy egrets. The great egrets stood like stately statues, while the snowies would stand still for about ten seconds and then suddenly scramble and pounce through the shallows and stab their long beaks into the water.  When they popped back up, they looked confused and stunned.  Probably they were actually catching something small like snails, but to us they looked like awkward children trying and repeatedly failing to snatch some small, swift creature from the river.

While we were in Sacramento, this arrived at home--a postcard from another visit to the same city.

I think I've mentioned how terrible I am with watercolors.  I haven't a clue how to use them but I'm drawn to them anyway, especially on ephemeral projects like the postcards.  I figure I'd be excited to find a postcard in a library book no matter what the art looked like, and if it's poorly done then there's less temptation to keep it rather than dropping it in the mail. 

Keeping, of course, is always a possibility, but we're grateful for every finder who sends the cards back to us!  This one wrote simply:

GREETINGS FROM SACRAMENTO PUBLIC LIBRARY
828 I STREET
SACRAMENTO, CA 95814 

Thanks, finder, for returning it home!