Nott Memorial at Union College

Postcard US-1651769 from the state of New York shows the Nott Memorial, an elaborate 16-sided stone-masonry building which serves as both architectural and physical centerpiece of Union College in Schenectady, New York. Dedicated to Eliphalet Nott, president of Union for a remarkable sixty-two years (1804-1866), the 110-foot or 34-meter high by 89-foot or 27-meter wide structure was recognized as a National Historic Landmark on June 24, 1986. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places on May 5, 1972.

Unusual Warm Spring Season in Las Vegas

After an unusually warm winter, the warm weather sticks around for the spring in Las Vegas. The temperature surpassed 90°F or 32°C for the first time in 2015 and reached a record 91°F or 32.8°C on Saturday March 28, 2015; the previous record high for March 28 was 89°F or 31.7°C in 1986.

Today's high temperature 90°F or 32°C also broke the previous record of 88°F or 31.1°C set in 1971. , and it will hover above 90°F or 32°C through tomorrow, the end of March. The normal high temperature for this time of year would be around 74°F or 23°C. The forecast says the high temperature will drop to 82°F or 27.8°C on Wednesday April 1 and to 75°F or 24°C on Thursday April 2, 2015.

Postcard NL-2907738 from the Netherlands arrived on March 28, 2015 showing a spring scene with a beautiful butterfly.

USPS Philatelic Truck

Postcard US-3154507 to Portugal was a maxi card showing a special USPS truck that traveled the U.S. between 1939 and 1941 to offer a mobile philatelic exhibit to the public promoting stamp collecting, operated by a three-man crew. The 22 cent stamp was one of the four Stamp Collecting commemorative designs showing a boy examining a stamp collection, issued in State College, Pennsylvania on January 23, 1986, as part of the first USPS commemorative stamp booklet.

Today, USPS is more gearing up to compete with Fedex and USPS in package delivery business. It has a booth at the 2015 CES to promote the packaging and shipping services. Visitors to the booth can get their pictures taken and printed as pre-paid postcards.

Take Pride in America

Postcard US-2849038 to Texas was a 14-cent postal postcard issued by USPS in 1987. It features a mountain-lake scene with brilliant blues and rich greens at the National Elk Refuge in Jackson, Wyoming. It was part of the "Take Pride in America" national public awareness campaign to encourage people to take pride in the nation's natural and cultural resources.

According to an AP Newsfeatures article in Lawrence Journal World on September 20, 1987, "launched by President Reagan in his 1986 State of the Union message, 'Take Pride in America' has been a major campaign to ensure the wise use and stewardship of our public lands - natural resources that belong to all Americans."

The National Elk Refuge was created in 1912 to protect habitat and provide sanctuary for one of the largest elk herd in the world. The refuge is home to an average of 7,500 elk each winter. and receives nearly one million visits annually.

The domestic postcard rate, according to Akdart.COM, was 14 cents between February 17, 1985 and April 3, 1988. Yet, another stamped postal postcard issued in 1980 also had a 14-cent postage when the domestic postcard rate was 10 cents.

On an unrelated note, USA team was edged out by Belgium 1:2 at the 2014 FIFA World Cup in a Round of 16 match at Arena Fonte Nova in Salvador, Brazil on July 1, 2014, but not without a fight. The USA Team exceeded the expectation as many did not believe it would make into the Round of 16. "Man of the Match" Tim Howard, who set a World Cup record by making 16 saves, said before the match: "we’re proving critics wrong." We are still proud of the United States Men's National Soccer Team, and are optimistic about their future despite of a loss.

#451566972 / gettyimages.com

Mother & Young Baby

Earth Day celebration continues as postcard TH-165704 from Thailand arrived yesterday, showing a pair of mother and baby Asian elephants, the largest living land animals in Asia.

Since 1986, E. maximus,  one of the three subspecies of the Asian elephant, has been listed as endangered by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). In 2003, the wild population, mainly living in Sri Lanka, was estimated at between 41,410 and 52,345 individuals. According to a 2008 study, The population had declined by at least 50% over the last three generations, estimated to be around 60 to 75 years. Like many other threatened species, habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation was a major factor.

Systems at Work

During my trip to Washington D.C., I managed a brief late afternoon visit to the Smithsonian National Postal Museum near the Union Station. The museum was established through a joint agreement between the United States Postal Service and the Smithsonian Institution. It opened in 1993. The building housing the museum was constructed in 1914 and had served as the Main Post Office of Washington D.C. until 1986.

Although the museum is small when compared to its Smithsonian cousins, it houses many interactive displays about the history of the United States Postal Service, and the history of mail service and stamp collections around the world. Among them, "Systems at Work" leads visitors through 10 different periods and reveals the evolution of the postal system in the U.S. over time. You can participate simulated postal activities by tossing packages into mail pouches as mail clerks did in 1917, keying letters on a computerized version of a multiple position letter-sorting machine operated in 1968, or scanning barcodes using handheld intelligent mail devices.

My favorite part was to gather cancellation marks from various eras on a postcard.

The admission is free. For those who can't attend in person, you can visit the online version on the web.