The Girl from Cincinnatus

Very cute postcard, albeit a little murky.  Ruth's uncle should have been pleased to receive this card, although it looks like he had moved out of state without informing his family. Tsk tsk.

The message  to L.D. Wire reads:

Dear Uncle,

I received your post card and I hope that I will get an answer 

When are you coming out to see us all soon.

Your Neice Ruth

And, just as a bit of trivia - Cincinnatus, the town the card was sent from, was part of the Central New York Military Tract, the land used to compensate soldiers for service in the American Revolution.

Draw That Bridge #2 - Multnomah Falls

Back in December of last year I had a couple of posts on the Golden Gate Bridge. The first post showed the Golden Gate before the bridge was built. I invited you to draw the missing bridge,  and there were a couple of very good ideas. Click here to see them. If you missed that opportunity, here's another chance.

Here we are in the Columbia River Gorge near Portland, Oregon sometime prior to 1914.  Multnomah Falls really could use a bridge. Look at the poor man wading out into the water! He could be swept to his death at any time unless you step in with your life-saving bridge design. I will post a card showing the actual bridge two weeks from today, along with your submissions if there are any.

You can download this scan and draw on it or edit it electronically, or you can draw your own. Then,  email your submission to me at this address. And remember, your design does not have to resemble what was actually built.  Just make sure to send it to me (preferably as a jpg file) by August 28th, 2010.

Streetcar Sunday - The Hague, Netherlands

A horse-drawn trams system started transporting passengers in The Hague in 1864.  After that, there were also electric trams and a steam-powered tramway between The Hague and Scheveningen, a beach resort.  This card from about 1910 shows a tram passing by the famous Ridderzaal.

The Hague is the seat of government in the Netherlands, but it is not the capital (that would be Amsterdam.) This always strikes me as very odd, and I can't think of another country where the two roles are split between different cities, can you? The Hague is also the judicial capital of the United Nations.

Today, The Hague has as extensive network of electric trams, although there is no longer one operating on this side of the Ridderzaal. There is also a  Public Transport Museum in The Hague, housed in a beautiful old tram depot.

Here's a postcard I received recently from Fred, who lives in The Hague. The Ridderzaal is shown in the upper left-hand corner.