A Detour or a Scheduled Stop?

Postcard US-3223129 to Czech Republic was one of those Chinese New Year cards that got a USPS the Year of the Ram stamp and a hand-canceled postmark at a post office counter in Las Vegas on the first-day-of-issue February 7, 2015. However, an extra automated postmark revealed that the postcard had passed through a processing distribution center in Dallas, Texas. According to the USPS handbook, "advanced facer canceller systems used by processing distribution centers cancel letters quickly. These machines are equipped with biohazard detection systems so letters postmarked by automation benefit from added safety measures."

Other cards mailed on the same date such as US-3208613 to China or US-2651107 to Taiwan did not get an extra postmark.

Ram Sculptures at Wynn Las Vegas

Las Vegas rings in the Year of the Sheep, Goat or Ram with lion and dragon dances today. Postcard US-3202717 to Oklahoma, USA shows one of the three 600-pound ram sculptures gilded in gold leaf to mark the occasion at Wynn Las Vegas and Encore at Wynn Las Vegas. Fruiting tangerine trees, begonias, calandivas and red, yellow and orange chrysanthemums greet guests throughout the Wynn Atrium.

Las Vegas Spring Festival will be held at at The LINQ Promenade on February 20 and 21, 2015, featuring cultural performances, a live dragon and lion dance, martial arts demonstrations, a car show and a culinary show. The 2015 Las Vegas Spring Festival Parade, part of CNY in the Desert/Las Vegas Spring Festival, will take place from 11:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on February 21 in downtown Las Vegas.

The Spring Comes in Full Form

It is still officially in winter. However, with a forecast high temperature at 72°F or 22°C in Las Vegas for tomorrow, it certainly feel like spring already. To commemorate the incoming Year of the Ram, The Venetian and The Palazzo have put out a Chinese New Year art installation at the Waterfall and Atrium Gardens, featuring three life-size rams. A ram is an intact male sheep. Eight additional sheep adorned with fleece of fresh carnations are spotted around the waterfall. In the photo below, a horse and a sheep are seen together, symbolizing the transition from the Year of the Horse (2014) to the Year of the Ram (2015).

Postcard TW-1478246 from Taiwan shows three goats in a water color painting. Sheep is of the genus Ovis while Goat is a member of genus Capra. Sheep have wool while goats have hairs. According to Yahoo Answers, "the easiest way to tell a sheep from a goat is by their tails. In goats their tails point up toward the sky. In sheep, they hang down, pointed at the ground."

Year of the Ram is Coming

My first the Year of the Ram postcard arrived from Taiwan today. It's a maxi card featuring a colorful sheep in paper cut art.  The NT$3.5 stamp, with the image of a sheep stepping gentle pace over plum blossoms against a pink background, is part of a two-stamp set issued by Chunghwa Post in Taiwan on December 1, 2014 to welcome the spring and bring good fortune. The Year of the Ram begins on February 19, 2015, and ends on February 7, 2016. USPS will also issue the Year of the Ram stamp as a Forever stamp in self-adhesive souvenir sheets of 12 in San Francisco, CA on February 7, 2015.