Tram Tuesday - Aachen, Germany

Although this postcard doesn't provide us with a nice close-up of the streetcar, it does provide some interesting stamps, stickers, and handwriting.

Aachen is located in German near the borders of Belgium and the Netherlands. Back in the days when Aachen had a streetcar (1880-1974), the cars also crossed the border into Belgium and the Netherlands. For the first 15 years, the streetcars were pulled by horses, but by 1895 the entire network had been electrified. Expansion of the network continued until, in 1913, Aachen's streetcar network was the fourth largest in all of Germany.

By 1974, all the streetcars had been replaced by buses. While this progression is typical for American cities, many European cities have kept that streetcars, if at reduced levels. But Aachen, like many American cities, started looking at re-introducing streetcars. They looked at it in the 1990s, but plans stalled. Now it's being considered again. Stay tuned.

Here's the back of the card, sent from Maximillian Joesten in Aachen to Eugene Bloesch in San Francisco on August 30th, 1908.  Eugene Bloesch corresponded with a number of postcard collectors. Whenever possible, they put the postage on the picture side. I think it adds something special to the card.
Here's the back of the card.

The message says:

Heartfelt greetings from afar!! M Joesten

I'm not sure what's written under the signature.
Here's another Eugene Bloesch postcard with the stamp on the front.

Happy Halloween

The old Halloween cards stand in stark contrast to the Halloween decorations currently available in stores. I went to look for some decorations, because I want trick-or-treaters to see our house as a welcoming one. Unfortunately, about the only decorations I could find were severed limbs, ghouls with various nasty wounds, huge snarling rats, and plastic gravestones. The gravestones are O.K., but what happened to friendly ghosts, smiling jack-o-lanterns, black cats, and witches on broomsticks?

Here are the backs of the cards in the same order.

The message, sent to Miss Marian Bacon in Marietta, New York in 1922, reads:

Dear Marian,  How are you and Mama + Papa? Are you a good girl? Did you have a Jack O' lantern? It is cold her and has snowed quote a little this week. be a good little girl because Santa will soon be here. Your friend Ella

The second card was sent to Miss Louise Ely in Clyde, New York in 1909.

Lovelights Bussing

This bussing has nothing to do with four wheels. We're talking about kisses here.

 Bussing Meaning and Definition from Webster's Revised Unabridged Dictionary (1913)
Buss \Buss\ (b[u^]s), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Bussed (b[u^]st); p. pr. & vb. n. Bussing.] To kiss; esp. to kiss with a smack, or rudely. ``Nor bussed the milking maid.'' --Tennyson. Kissing and bussing differ both in this, We buss our wantons, but our wives we kiss. --Herrick.

Other definitions do not offer a distinction between bussing and kissing, but refer to a relationship to the French word for kissing (baiser) or Welsh and Gaelic words for lips (bus).

These postcards were released in 1909 just about the time the tungsten filament light bulb was being introduced. That's not to say that the events are related in any way, although it's a possibility.

Here are the backs of the cards, which are almost as fun!

The message to Miss Myrl Grose of Muncie, Indiana, reads:

Dear Friend Myrl. I have not heard from you and I want you to write because i am getting kind lonesom down here because you dont write so be sure and write if nothing is the matter

I love my hugging But oh your Kisses,,

Be sure and write me onley get a bout a week and half to work and I will be up their.

By By

From Yours truley

Emerson Hiday (?)

Brightwood 2138 Denot St.(?) 

 Interesting that the back of the last one is different.

Be sure to stop by Sepia Saturday, where you may see a different kind of bus. You can see more cards from the Lovelights series here at Postcard Roundup, and here at Postcardy.