This and That: A Blog

 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...

 This week for Sunday Stamps we have Aviation.  I think this one pretty much covers the theme with the hot air balloon, spacecraft module, airplane, and zeppelin!  Paraguay 1974  Centennial of the Universal Postal Union  While not mechanical flight, the definition of aviation, the figures in the upper left corner are flying. The image depicts the Universal Postal Monument in Bern, Switzerland.  Five female figures, representing Europe, America, Asia, Oceania, and Africa, are circling the globe, passing letters to one another.  I do have two others. Great Britain 1969  Commemorating the Concorde's first flight Japan 1994  Dream Bridge Rainbow Bridge, Tokyo, with hot air balloons and an airship.  Hot air balloons are considered part of aviation because they are regulated in many countries by national aviation authorities. Next week's stamps will be Mountains.

 

 Shelters is the Architecture theme we're hunting for this week for Thursday Postcard Hunt .  Military Tent Camp, c.1910 RPPC Bowles Spring House on the grounds of the French Lick Springs Hotel in Indiana around 1910 . Cliff Palace, the largest cliff dwelling in North America, in Mesa Verde National Park, CO August's postcards will be Travelling.  Or, as I, being American, would put it, Traveling!  For the Hunt I'll be using the host's spelling of course.  First up will be Trains.