A Meeting of Blogs

When I first started this blog it was because a friend of mine created a short-term vacation blog to share with friends and family.  I had a collection of postcards I thought people might find interesting, so I decided to give it a try too. Other than that, I had few expectations. I hadn't thought about where it would all lead, much less what I might discover on other blogs.

In fact, I had no idea of the great variety of blogs and the incredible effort that goes into maintaining them.  My favorite blogs have inspired new interests and effectively transported me to places I have never visited. When you follow blogs for a long time, you start to feel a virtual connection not only to the blogs, but also to the authors you've never met. As closely as you follow other blogs, you don't really expect to meet your fellow bloggers though, especially those that live halfway around the world. That all changed when the architect who steals my covers and I started planning a trip to England.  The next thing I knew, we  were meeting up with Alan, famed blogger of News from Nowhere, and his wife in Huddersfield.

If only Alan's blog had mentioned how good his homemade chips are, we might have made the trip sooner. But Alan also had a special surprise for us; he had also planned a meeting with Jennyfreckles of the Saltaire Daily Photo. Off we went to Saltaire, and here's the evidence.

Alan, Christine, and Jennyfreckles 

The lovely and animated Jennyfreckles treated us to a comprehensive walking tour of Saltaire. I was initially sorry that I didn't take more photographs, but there is really no need. Anytime I want to see the best of Saltaire, I can just visit the Saltaire Daily Photo, which Jennyfreckles has now incorporated into her blog Salt and Light.

Alan also took us on a driving tour that included the moors and Haworth, home of the Bronte sisters. It was amazing to see the parsonage where they were raised, but we also had the good fortune of arriving just in time for Haworth's annual 1940s weekend.  It was like stepping back in time.

Although this visit to Huddersfield and Saltaire represented just a few days in three-week trip, it was truly a highlight and a memory we will cherish for a very long time.

Time For More Giant Fruit

Of all the giant fruit I would love to have, I think berries and lemons would be at the top of the list.

Alas, there are no messages on the backs of these cards to tell us just how delicious the fruit was.

Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha

I don't think I've ever seen a message quite like this one. Is it vindictive or is it an insider joke? I couldn't find any information on Adam Faque, M.D., who charges $10.00 for chloroform, but only 30 cents for a politician or $1.50 for a Wall Street Banker. I'm definitely missing some sort of historical or political reference here. Any ideas?

Here's the message on the card:

take this how do you like it. ha ha ha  how do you like it. ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha etc.

The card was sent to Jesse Rinkenburg of Martinsburg, New York in 1907. It turns out that Jesse Rinkenburg was born in 1883. He then married Seraphena Rose Beron in 1916--long after this card was sent, so it can't be a joke about any immediate wedding plans. The caption on the card says: Do it now. Take a wife before forty. Take chloroform at sixty. _____ I'm just not sure what it means, and the card is not signed.

In any case, census records show that Jesse worked as a laborer at a box factory. Seraphena worked at the same factory as an accountant, although by 1930 she was employed as a school teacher at the local elementary school. Records don't indicate that they had any children.