Japan- Post WWII

After World War II, a little boy named Jerry lived in the house next to the one I live in now. He became pen pals with a little boy in Japan. Here are some of the postcards Jerry received from his pen pal.

National Diet Building

Desolate Moon by Tadaichi Hayashi 

Early Autumn on a Hill by Masao Kato

Here are the backs of the cards. I don't understand any Japanese, so any input is appreciated.

Happy Birthday to Lizzie Graham

Tracy Graham's family has lived in the the Delhi, New York area for many generations. Tracy married Lizzie Mable in 1909 and they had three children. One died in a motorcycle accident as a teenager, but the other two are still alive.  I had a number of cards from the Graham and Mable families. Since I have been in contact with Tracy and Lizzie's daughter, Bernice, she has sent me copies of family photographs. It's been fun to connect the pictures with the cards.

Here's the back of the card.

Mostly, I wanted to post this card because Tracy and Lizzie's daughter sent me a few pictures of Jessie Aitken, the sender of this card. Jessie was related to Lizzie in some way. Here is a picture of Jessie with her mother! I was sure it was a sister, but this really is mother and daughter.

And here's a picture of Jessie when she was a little older, posing with a colt. I don't know what became of Jessie, but Bernice tells me she never married.

Unter den Linden - Berlin

At the turn of the century, Unter den Linden was Berlin's most elegant street, with lots of sidewalk cafes, restaurants, and nightlife. I visited Unter Den Linden in East Berlin when the wall was still up and went to see an opera at the Staatsoper. The street seemed sad and desolate. Most of the Linden trees were cut down for firewood during World War II. New ones were planted in 1950, but the street has never really regained its stature.

Here we are at the corner of Unter den Linden and Friedrichstrasse. On the left-hand side of the card, you can see the famous Cafe Bauer, where the proprietors had 800 European daily newspapers available for patrons to peruse while they sipped coffee and ate delicious tortes with whipped cream. The Cafe Kranzler is shown front and center on the card. Here's a close-up of the detail at the entrance of the Cafe Kranzler.

Click on the link to see a picture of the same place in 1933. There is still a Cafe Kranzler in Berlin, but it's a newer incarnation in a totally different location.
Here's the back of the card.