This and That: A Blog

Sunday Stamps: Mountains Switzerland 1983  Zermatt mountains (the most famous is the Matterhorn) and Schwarzsee lake. The nude is a depiction of the Virgo zodiac sign.  Why?  There was a multi-year series, " Zodiac Signs and Landscapes ," pairing the 12 zodiac signs with views of Swiss geography.  Odd pairing if you ask me. Norway 1968 100th anniversary of the Norwegian Mountain Touring Association USA 1972  Mount McKinley, Alaska, celebrating the National Parks Centennial The mountain was known as Denali by the  Koyukon Athabaskan people  for centuries before a 1800s gold prospector named it Mount McKinley after the then-presidential candidate.  Alaska continued to call it Denali, and in 2015 President Obama restored the name Denali on all federal documents. In 2025 President Trump signed an executive order reversing that, restoring the name Mount McKinley.  Alaska continues to call it Denali.  I expect it to be federally Denali again b...

  Skywatch Friday   Click above to see skies from around the world and link your own sky!  My son took this sky shot while on a solo country drive. I'm particularly pleased with it as he actually pulled over to take it for me!  Have a nice weekend.  Mine will be hot, but not as hot as yesterday or Wednesday, which were both 104°.  

 Thursday Postcard Hunt has the theme of Travelling this month.  First up is Trains.  1960s Pikes Peak Cog Railway train.  A cog railway, or rack railway , is a type that is used for steep grades, where conventional tracks wouldn't work.  They have toothed rails with cog wheels or pinions that allow this.  The most common train tracks operate at 10% or so, while cog rails can be 45% or more. I don't think I'd be comfortable on a train like that!  Prior to 1890 materials used Pike's Peak, however in 1890 the newly established U.S. Board on Geographic Names dropped the apostrophe.  This same board, in 2025, unanimously decided to deny the request to rename the Gulf of Mexico to the Gulf of America.   1930-1945 view of the Cog Railway. Speaking of "peaks," illustrated travel postcards, like this is one from France, were at their peak in the Edwardian era.  c.1900-1915 California State Railroad Museum , Sacramento, CA My youngest chil...

 Cee's Fun Foto Challenge: Paired With White Find/take a photo with one of those original eight colors where it’s paired with white. These don’t have to be the only colors in the picture, just the ones you want to highlight.

Some more ephemera from St. Vincent de Paul.  Four still sealed packets of themed stamps.  The $1.49 stickers are the old original ones, I paid $1.25 each. San Antonio Hobby was not a store in Texas, it was in Mountain View, CA.  The stamp sets were put together by Treat Co. in Fullerton, CA.   1965-1970s packet dates, when Treat Co. emphasized educational stamps. Some money was had during the 1/2 collectibles sale in June. 1894 20   Centesimi from   Italy, 50¢ One Centavo note issued by Japan for use in the Philippines when under Japanese occupation (1942-1945).  The local nickname was Mickey Mouse money, as inflation made it nearly worthless.  50¢ Brazilian 100 Cruzeiras from 1981-1984, with mirrored images of the Duke of Caxias and a battle scene overlaid with swords. 25¢ German Reichsbanknote of one million marks, issued July 25, 1923 in Berlin.  Later in the year it was barely enough for a loaf of bread.  It was redeemable unti...

 Yesterday was the big indoor-outdoor flea market at the county fairgrounds. It was definitely not as good as last year .  It looked like a lot fewer sellers for one.  Worse, far fewer sellers of vintage mechandise.    Did see some fun things.  The restroom stall doors all had different quotes! A coffee truck had a beckoning ape. On second thought, it's probably Big Foot.  I only found two items (one was a set, so three if you want to be perfectly accurate).   Each dog has only one hole, and the hole in the bottom is smaller than most shakers.  I find this is totally normal.  Japanese shakers of the 40s and 50s sometimes had a single hole on top if they were to use with a specific spice, and were called "range shakers." Sure, having two with the same number of holes wouldn't help you know what spice they contained.  These are two individual range shakers, not a pair. The bottom holes were engineered for a specific closure, tiny...