Algarve, Portugal

Postcard PT-257988 from Portugal shows a beach scene in the Algarve, the southernmost region of continental Portugal. Known for its sunny Mediterranean climate and its beach and golf resorts, it is the most popular tourist destination in Portugal in the summer. It has half a million regular residents, with visitors and seasonal residents adding to another million during the peak holiday season. The Algarve receives near 10 million visitors annually, including 7 millions from overseas.

Today is Portugal Day. To recognize the contributions of Portuguese-American community in California, the State Senate adopted a resolution, declaring June 10th as “Portugal Day” in the state.

National Day of the American Cowboy

Yesterday was the National Day of the American Cowboy, declared by a resolution passed by the U.S. Senate. Senator Craig Lyle Thomas (February 17, 1933 – June 4, 2007) first started the tradition by naming the fourth Saturday in July “National Day of the American Cowboy” in 2005, coinciding with Cheyenne Frontier Days, an outdoor rodeo and western celebration held annually since 1897 in Cheyenne, Wyoming.

The 2014 resolution, the tenth in a row, was introduced by U.S. Senators Mike Enzi (R-Wyoming) and John Barrasso (R-Wyoming), and co-sponsored by Senators Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Heidi Heitkamp (D-North Dakota), John Hoeven, (R-North Dakota), James Inhofe (R-Oklahoma), Mike Johanns (R-Nebraska), Tim Johnson (D-South Dakota), Jeff Merkley (D-Oregon), Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Jon Tester (D-Montana), and John Walsh (D-Montana). The day this year falls on July 26, 2014, acknowledging the contributions from cowboys throughout history and their continued impact to the U.S. today.

The Senate passed the S.Res.488 unanimously on July 17, 2014. It's a rare feat for the 113th Congress.

Postcard US-2680033 to Massachusetts shows a Wyoming tourism poster with a tag line "Rodeo! stamped on every plate and into every heart, in Wyoming."