Mariquitas de Holanda / NL-1979895

Hoy recibí correspondencia, entre los sobres y las postales venía una de Holanda con su identificación NL-1979895, impresiona que los postcrossers de los Países Bajos estén a tirito de los dos millones!

En mi perfil menciono que me gustan las mariquitas (ladybugs) todo esto después de algo que escribí que para mi es muy especial!

Son coleópteros y su familia se denomina  coccinélidos (Coccinellidae)Su nombre común varía según la especie y el país. Los más habituales son: 
En Argentina: mariquita, vaquita de San Antonio y vaquita de San Antón, 
En Chile: chinita , mariquita 
En Republica Dominicana, Ecuador, El Salvador, Colombia, Venezuela, Peru, Paraguay, Honduras y Costa Rica: mariquita o mariquitilla 
ocatarina en Mexico y 
San Antonio en Uruguay

St. Wenceslas - Praha

Es el patrón de la Republica Checa y su festividad se celebra el 28 de septiembre.Venceslao transformó la sociedad checa no sólo en lo concerniente a la religión, sino también modificando el sistema judicial.Fue el promotor de la construcción de la Catedral de San Vito.

Esta es la Capilla del Santo en la Catedral de San Vito, St Wenceslas murió asesinado por su hermano Boleslav que deseaba el poder y el trono, tres años más tarde del fraticidio / regicidio su hermano arrepentido hizo trasladar los restos del martir a la Catedral.

Me escriben en la postal que: "Wenceslas Square is one of the main city squares and the centre of business and cultural communities in the city of Praha"

La estatua ecuestre fue esculpida por Josef Václav Myslbek entre 1887–1924, La imagen de Wenceslas esta acompañada de otros Santos Patronos Checos bellamente talladas a la base, ellos son: Saint Ludmila, Saint Agnes of Bohemia, Saint Prokop y Saint Adalbert of Prague.

La base de la estatua fue diseñada por el arquitecto Alois Dryák, e incluye la inscripción: "Svatý Václave, vévodo české země, kníže náš, nedej zahynouti nám ni budoucím" ("San Wenceslas, Duque de la tierra Checa, Nuestro Principe, no nos dejes fallecer ni a nosotros ni a nuestros descendientes").

Almost Heaven!

Today I got not one but two map cards of beautiful and unforgettable West Virginia, I went there to learn english when I was a fresh out of High School, rebelious, and missbehaving youngster.
I went to Elkins, located in Randolph County, with a population of 11.000 breaking the 10k barrier thanx to the 1.500 students enrolled  at Davis & Elkins College or D&E for short!

I truly believe that West Virginia is one of the most beautiful places I know, Elkins is snowed on, knee deep, from late october til early april or from november til march on light years!

I saw deers trapped on Main, tasted veal for the first time in my life, opened my eyes to a whole bunch of different world cultures, and saw 1000 different colors shades between Green and black on the trees during fall!

I frequently visited the coolest place on earth to drink beer while listening rock, D&E´s Ice House is that place, located inside the camus and actually the former IceHouse of General Elkins´ land in the late 1800´s. Once, there was a band from New York that went to perform there, the lead guitar said, "If this place were in NYC it would be the place to go in the Big Aple"!!!

I fell so deeply in love with West Virginia that one day, a few months later, after I moved down south to Georgia, I was watching one episode of The Love Boat, yes, I am that old, and when Donny Osmond, yes, I repeat, I am old, sang Country Roads I surprised myself singing it out loud with some tears coming out of my eyes!!!

Click here to listen  Country Roads - John Denver

Way before the Red!

Saint Nicholas (Santa Claus) not always wore red!
Popular belief says that Coca Cola Co "dressed" him in white and red to link him to their product in the 30´s.
Now, something that few people know is that Coca-Cola was not the first soft drink bottling company to use Santa for their gain in their commercials, it was White Rock Beverages in 1915 for their mineral water and in 1923 for their ginger ale!

My "Tío-Abuelo" in english Great Uncle or Granduncle (I looked the word in "Word Reference") great page by the way, sent this postcard to my aunts, who were just todlers, in 1929, quite a few years before Coca-Cola had their great idea!

I never met my Great Uncle because he passed away before I was born but I have always been told that "Tio Ponchito" was the nicest and best uncle that anyone could have, in this postcard he was sending with Santa, love and kisses along with his blessing to his two nieces!

I am sure that Saint Nic happily obligued because he knows who is naughty or nice!

Ho, Ho, Ho!

Buzzard from Belarus

Wow!!!
Three bird related posts in a row!

Well, I like birds, there´s a fascination about them!

The flying of course!

Birds of prey like this hawk are magnificent!

Golden Eagle from Belarus

This magnificent Golden Eagle came all the way from Belarus, along with two banknotes and some stamps for my collection, thanx Natalia!
I also learned how my name is written in her language, today´s saint is St Henry so.......!

I enjoy watching animals, a whole of a lot more if they are free at their habitats!
agle came all the way from Belarus, along with two banknotes and some stamps for my collection, thanx Natalia!

Golden Eagles in America stay up north in Mexico, US, and Canada
Their powerful talons are, maybe, their most impressive feature, right after their deadly beauty!!!

Taiwan National Bird and company

This is the Taiwan Blue Magpie (Urocissa caerulea), Taiwan´s National Bird.

From Wikipedia:
"In the 2007 National Bird Voting Campaign held by the Taiwan International Birding Association, there were over 1 million votes cast from 53 countries. The Taiwan Blue Magpie defeated the Mikado Pheasant and was chosen as Taiwan's national bird, though it has yet to be formally accepted."

The Magpie postcard came (flying) :) with a Steere's Liocichla.The Steere's Liocichla (Liocichla steerii) is a species of bird in the Leiothrichidae family. It is endemic to Taiwan.

Now, my personal bad joke:

This proves that birds of different flock do fly together!
At least in letters!!!

De Nota, desde Barcelona, España!

Hoy abrí mi casillero y habían dos sobres que venían desde España, a uno lo esperaba, al otro no!
El inesperado venía como La Macarena, cargado de alegría y cosas buenas!

Resulta y acontece que hace unos días (al parecer) estaba yo navegando en Postcrossing y le di click a "Me Gusta" a una postal de España. Esta persona acostumbra chequear el perfil de aquellos que apreciamos sus postales, de mi perfil saltó al blog y este le gustó, tenemos gustos y preferencias similares y quiso hacerme llegar dos postales y varios sellos acompañados de una agradable carta que me explica el por que de su deferencia!

Muy Agradecido Josep y familia!

The Hill of Crosses - Lithuania

Yahoo ran a post today about The Hill of Crosses in Lithuania, it says:
"The phenomenon of the Hill of Crosses in northern Lithuania began when people started leaving crosses there hundreds of years ago—and continues to this day. These photos of a hill covered in crosses show the amazing sight it has become".

Wikipedia says it has more than 100.000 crosses and who knows how many small ones and rosaries!!!

I recieve a Hill of Crosses postcard from Lithuania a while back, the kind person that sent it to me wrote: This Hill is a symbol of faith, love, and sacrifice. Each visitor tries to leave a cross. If he hasn´t brought any, he makes one right of the Hill from branches, grass, pebbles etc."

Beautiful!
It has become a place of pilgrimage. They think it started about 1831!

"Over the centuries, not only crosses, but giant crucifixes, carvings of Lithuanian patriots, statues of the Virgin Mary and thousands of tiny effigies and rosaries have been brought here by Catholic pilgrims" My Postcard and some of Yahoo´s piece! .

Una joya con muchísimo valor sentimental!

Entre mis postales tengo esta que sin ser la más bonita ni tener llamativos colores, está cargada de un valor sentimental inmenso, que la dirección y destinatario sean tan particulares es la guinda de esta belleza! Mi abuelo Diego se la envió a mi abuela Carmen desde Curaçao en 1924, 7 años antes que naciera mi Mamá! No tengo idea de cuantas personas vivían en Porlamar en 1924 pero adivino que la oficina de correos sería muy pero que muy eficiente!