Schwarzwald

Postcard DE-4247507 from Germany shows the Black Forest (Schwarzwald in German) that is a great forested mountain range in the state of Baden-Württemberg in southwestern Germany. Bordering France, it is bounded by the Rhine valley to the west and south. Its highest peak is the Feldberg with an elevation of 1,493 meters or 4,898 feet.

It is known for its dense evergreen forests and picturesque villages, which inspired some of the Brothers Grimm fairy tales. The cuckoo clock, a pendulum-regulated clock that strikes on the hours with a sound like a common cuckoo's call and has an automaton cuckoo bird moving with each note, was said to be developed and evolved in the region since the 1700s. It’s a destination for hiking and biking at vast nature parks, and skiing in winter.

157th Anniversary of Minnesota Statehood

157 years ago, Minnesota became the 32nd state of the United States on May 11, 1858. It first became a territory of the United States in 1849. Then it submitted an application for statehood to President James Buchanan in January, 1858. However, distracted from a controversy about statehood of Kansas, Congress did not act on the application for several months before finally approved it. The state was created from the eastern half of the Minnesota Territory and part of the Wisconsin Territory. The name "Minnesota" was originated from a Dakota word meaning "clear blue water." The state is known as the "Land of Ten Thousand Lakes" due to its large number of lakes.

Postcard US-2269166 from Minneapolis, MN shows Minnehaha Falls, one of the most photographed sites in Minnesota with 850,000 visitors every year, at Minnehaha Park in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The park was designed by landscape architect Horace W.S. Cleveland in 1883, and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1969 as the Minnehaha Historic District.

World Book Day

World Book Day is an annual event organized by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to promote reading, publishing and copyright on April 23 every year. It was celebrated for the first time on April 23, 1995.

Postcard US-1828687 to Germany shows people reading books at a park in Portland, Oregon.

#GimmeFive

On this fifth anniversary of Let’s Move!, an initiative Michelle Obama launched in 2010 to combat childhood obesity, the First Lady is again challenging Americans across the country to make healthy choices by eating better, being more active, and leading a healthier life, and to give out high-fives when they see someone doing just that. Vice President Joe Biden joined #GimmeFive campaign early today via a Vine video.

The cards of me doing a kickboxing move were sent to friends and family members for update during a challenging time of my life. The photo was taken on October 3, 2011 at the Exploration Peak Park with Las Vegas Skyline in the background. The park’s focal point is the 2,846-foot or 868-meter high Exploration Peak with trails leading to the top where it offers great views of the Las Vegas Valley.

Just move! #GimmeFive, @LetsMove, @FLOTUS, @MichelleObama, facebook.com/letsmove

Orlík nad Vltavou

Postcard CZ-600263 from Czech shows Orlík nad Vltavou, a village in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. According to Wikipedia, the village was formerly called Staré Sedlo, named after the castle. In Czech, "nad Vltavou" means "upon the river Vltava" and both the castle and the village are located on the left river bank, on the shores of the Orlik reservoir as a result of the construction of Orlík Dam. The Orlík Castle, standing right next to the water, is surrounded by a huge park and a game preserve. It belongs to the House of Schwarzenberg, a Bohemian and Franconian aristocratic family, but it is open to the public on most summer days.

Supertrees at Gardens by the Bay

Postcard SG-154122 from Singapore shows the Supertrees, 25-50 meter (82-160 feet) tall tree-like structures that serve as vertical gardens at Gardens by the Bay (滨海湾花园) in Singapore. Built on 101 hectares or 1,010,000 square miles of reclaimed land adjacent to the Marina Reservoir, Garden by the Bay is an urban park consisting of three waterfront gardens as a part of the strategy by the Singapore government to transform Singapore from a "Garden City" to a "City in a Garden".

According to Wikepedia, "the Supertrees are home to enclaves of unique and exotic ferns, vines, orchids and also a vast collection of bromeliads such as Tillandsia, amongst other plants. They are fitted with environmental technologies that mimic the ecological function of trees – photovoltaic cells that harness solar energy which can be used for some of the functions of the Supertrees, such as lighting, just like how trees photosynthesize; and collection of rainwater for use in irrigation and fountain displays, exactly like how trees absorb rainwater for growth. The Supertrees also serve air intake and exhaust functions as part of the conservatories' cooling systems."

Ladram Bay

Postcard GB-515408 from the United Kingdom shows Ladram Bay on the south coast of Devon, England. It is a secluded bay with pebble beach, between the coastal towns of Budleigh Salterton on the southwest and Sidmouth on the northeast. The RV park at Ladram Bay, Ladram Bay Holiday Park,  is the second largest holiday center in Devon, offering fantastic views over the ocean. It is located within the 155-km or 96-mile Jurassic Coast where a continuous sequence of Triassic, Jurassic and Cretaceous rock formations reveal 185 million years of the Earths history.

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International Day of Democracy

Zuccotti Park, Occupy Wall Street Protest Camp Site

In 2007, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution to observe September 15 as the International Day of Democracy for the purpose of promoting and upholding the principles of democracy. Part of the resolution reads: “ while democracies share common features, there is no single model of democracy and that democracy does not belong to any country or region... democracy is a universal value based on the freely-expressed will of people to determine their own political, economic, social and cultural systems, and their full participation in all aspects of life."

I made this postcard to commemorate the International Day of Democracy from one of my photos at Zuccotti Park, the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) protest camp site, in New York City in 2011.

Occupy Wall Street is a protest movement that focuses on issues such as social and economic inequality, greed, corruption and the perceived undue influence of corporations on government, especially from the financial industry. It uses the slogan "We are the 99%" to highlight the income inequality and wealth distribution in the U.S. between the wealthiest 1% and the rest of the population. To achieve their goals, protesters acted on consensus-based decisions made in general assemblies which emphasized direct action over petitioning authorities for redress. The moment symbolizes a democracy process with the freely-expressed will and the full participation of the protesters.

The postcard shows the protesters gathering in the park by "Joie de Vivre" by artist Mark di Suvero, a 21.3 m or 70 ft tall sculpture of bright-red beams.

Cape Elizabeth, Maine

Postcard US-2333998 to Ukraine shows an aerial photo of Cape Elizabeth, Maine, taken from a Jetblue plane on approach to Portland, Maine on September 7, 2010. It was the first leg of my All-You-Can-Jet (AYCJ) trip from New Orleans, LA to Portland, ME with a transfer at JFK airport, NY.

Cape Elizabeth is a wealthy town in Southern Maine, with a population of 9015 as of the 2010 census, where the historical Portland Head Light is located. Visible on the lower-left center on the card, the lighthouse is predominant at the entrance of the primary shipping channel into Portland Harbor.Built from 1787 to 1791, it is the oldest lighthouse in the state of Maine. In 1872, an artillery base was built around the lighthouse to guard the entrance to the harbor. It was named Fort Williams in 1899 and remained active until 1962. It then became Fort Williams Park maintained by the town. The Park includes Portland Head Light and the former lighthouse keepers' house that currently serves as a maritime museum museum, remains of the military fort, the ruins of Goddard Mansion, and recreation facilities such as tennis and baseball courts. The lighthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places on April 24, 1973.

The United States Postal Service issued a Portland Head Light Forever Stamp as part of the New England Coastal Lighthouses series on July 13, 2013.

Father's Day in Taiwan

Postcard TW-974119 from Taiwan arrived coincidentally on August 8, 2013, the Father's Day in Taiwan. While not an official holiday, it is widely celebrated because the pronunciation of the number 8 in Mandarin Chinese, representing both the eighth day and the eighth month, is similar to the pronunciation of the Chinese character "爸", which means "father".

The postcard shows the Taichung Park Pavilion located in the middle of the Sun Moon Lake in the Taichung Park, a city historical site. The park was initially built during the Japanese occupation. It has a lot of historical buildings and monuments, including the "Victory against the Japanese Occupation Monument" built in 1947. It is also the location of the Taiwan Origin Reference Point (台灣地籍測量三角原點中心碑). In recent years, people have celebrated Lantern Festival in the park.