USA - Connecticut - Bishop's Orchards Farm Market

BISHOP'S ORCHARDS FARM MARKET
Since 1871, five generations of Bishops have been serving the shoreline area with fresh farm products. Located in historic Guilford, one-half mile off I-95, our farm market has grown from a roadside stand of the 1910's to a simple yet bustling market, handling a full line of quality fruits and vegetables, baked goods, dairy products, honey, maple syrup and preserves. Open year round, we feature one or more of our own crops available every one of the 12 months.

Sent by Patricia, a postcrosser from Connecticut, USA.

This is from Wikipedia : Bishop's Orchards is an agricultural operation in Guilford, Connecticut, that serves as a farm, retail market, tourist attraction and winery.

Bishop's Orchards began operating as a family farm in 1871. Over the years, Bishop's Orchards expanded to a 313-acre (1.27 km²) farm, with the Bishop family members maintaining control of all duties ranging from corporate decision-making to retail operations to crop maintenance. In 2007, the Bishop family members created a 10-year stock purchase and loan program to ensure a continuation of family ownership.

Bishop's Orchards has attracted tourism via its retail market and seasonal apple- and pumpkin-picking programs; visits by local school groups are also coordinated.

The Bishop's Orchards Winery sells fruit wines made from the apples, peaches, pears and raspberries grown at the farm. It is on the Eastern Connecticut Wine Trail.

The Shoreline Wine Festival has been held annually at Bishop's Orchards since August 2006. The festival features wineries from the Connecticut Wine Trail as well as any Connecticut producers.

USA - Washington - Mapcard (2)

WASHINGTON
A colorful state full of wildlife and recreational opportunities.

Sent by Jean, a postcrosser from Washington, USA.

USA - California - University of California

The University of California at Berkeley
This beautiful campus, nestled in the Berkeley Hills, is famous throughout the world.

Sent by BlueBat, a postcrosser from California, USA.

This is from Wikipedia : The University of California, Berkeley (also referred to as UC Berkeley, Berkeley, California, or simply Cal) is a public research university located in Berkeley, California, United States. The university occupies 1,232 acres (499 ha) on the eastern side of the San Francisco Bay with the central campus resting on 178 acres (72 ha). Berkeley offers approximately 350 undergraduate andgraduate degree programs in a wide range of disciplines. Established in 1868 as the result of merger of the private College of California and the public Agricultural, Mining, and Mechanical Arts College in Oakland, Berkeley is the oldest of the ten major campuses affiliated with the University of California (UC). Berkeley has been charged with providing both "classical" and "practical" education for the state's people and is generally considered to be the flagship institution in the University of California system. Berkeley co-manages three United States Department of Energy National Laboratories, including the Los Alamos National Laboratory, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory for the U.S. Department of Energy.

Berkeley faculty, alumni, and researchers have won 70 Nobel Prizes, 9 Wolf Prizes, 7 Fields Medals, 15 Turing Awards, 45MacArthur Fellowships, 20 Academy Awards, and 11 Pulitzer Prizes. To date, UC Berkeley and its researchers are associated with 6 chemical elements of the periodic table (Californium, Seaborgium, Berkelium, Einsteinium, Fermium, Lawrencium) andBerkeley Lab has discovered 16 chemical elements in total – more than any other university in the world. Berkeley is a founding member of the Association of American Universities and continues to have very high research activity with $652.4 million in research and development expenditures in 2009. Berkeley physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer was the scientific director of the Manhattan Project that developed the first atomic bomb in the world, which he personally headquartered at Los Alamos, New Mexico, duringWorld War II.

Berkeley student-athletes have won over 100 Olympic medals. Known as the California Golden Bears (often abbreviated as "Cal Bears" or just "Cal"), the athletic teams are members of both the Pacific-12 Conference and the Mountain Pacific Sports Federationin the NCAA. Cal athletes have won national titles in many sports, including football, men's and women's swimming, men's basketball, baseball, men's gymnastics, softball, water polo, rugby, and crew. The official colors of the university and its athletic teams are Yale Blue and California Gold.

USA - North Carolina - Waxhaw

WAXHAW, NORTH CAROLINA
Originally called the "Waxhaw Settlement", the area is named for its first inhabitants, the Waxhaw Indians. Near the birthplace of Andrew Jackson is the pictured Andrew Jackson memorial Museum of the Old Waxhaws.


Sent by Avery, a postcrosser from North Carolina, USA.


This is from Wikipedia : Waxhaw is a town located in Union County, North Carolina. The population was 2,627 at the 2000 Census.

Waxhaw is located at 34°55′42″N 80°44′41″W (3$4.928201, -80.744835).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 2.8 square miles (7.3 km²), all of it land. Waxhaw is located north of Lancaster, South Carolina and lies about 12 miles south of Charlotte.

Waxhaw is located in a historic region called the Waxhaws, named after the indigenous Native American tribe that lived in the territory in historic times. It is in the Piedmont region of North Carolina, which is wooded with rolling hills. This region is where goldwas first discovered in the United States. The Howie Gold Mine is not far from the city limits.

Waxhaw takes its name from the Waxhaws, named after the historic American Native American tribe that inhabited the region. The community was settled by European-Americans in the mid-18th century, of mostly German and Scots-Irish origin. They became subsistence farmers and were known for being independent. Andrew Jackson, seventh President of the United States, was born nearby in 1767. There is some disagreement as to which of the Carolinas was his birthplace, due to the proximity of the border.

The arrival of the railroad in 1901, with access to the markets of Atlanta, helped the town reach prosperity. The tracks were laid directly through the center of town, showing the importance of the railroad. They remain on the street, now bordered by a green, grassy strip dividing the rows of stores on each side.

Beginning in the late 19th century, the community was developed with cotton mills for manufacturing textiles. The railroad helped increase access for its products. Cotton manufacturing was important to the region through the 1940s. Postwar changes in the economy, with shifts of the textile industry to jobs to other areas and out of the country, required the community to adapt to new conditions.

Waxhaw has evolved as an antique and fine dining center. Its Small Town Main Street committee is working on an integrated approach to developing and marketing the historic center of town. The Town currently has dozens of specialty shops and dining ranging from mom & pop restaurants to fine dining bistros. The Waxhaw Historic District is on theNational Register of Historic Places. It includes retail businesses as well as architecturally significant houses near the center of town.

Residents and town government are working on additional improvement plans. The Town Park is located in the downtown area, as is a Skate Park for youths and skateboarding. New housing has been built along NC 75 to the east and west of town, as well as NC 16 (Providence Road) to the north.

Near Waxhaw is Cane Creek Park, a 1,050-acre (4.2 km²) park, featuring scenic areas and recreation activities. The facility, on Harkey Road south of Waxhaw, was a cooperative venture between Union County, the Union Conservation District and the Soil Conservation Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

South Korea - Hwarot of Flower Pattern

Hwarot of Flower Pattern.

Sent by Sarang, a postcrosser from South Korea.

This is from Wikiepdia : Hwarot is a type of traditional Korean clothing worn during the Goryeo and Joseon Dynasty by royal women for ceremonial occasions or by commoners for weddings. It originated from the Kingdom of Khotan, Central Asia.

Belgium - L'Ardenne

Greetings From L'Ardenne.


Sent by Richard, a postcrosser from L'Ardenne, Belgium.


This is from Wikipedia : The Ardennes (Dutch: Ardennen) is a region of extensive forests, rolling hills and ridges formed within the Givetian (Devonian) Ardennes mountain range, primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, but stretching into France (lending its name to the Ardennes department and the Champagne-Ardenne région), and geologically into the Eifel. In Wallonia, the word 'Ardenne' in the singular is commonly used for the Belgian part of the region and in the plural for the French one. Ardenne is the origin ofthe great industrial period of Wallonia, the second of the world (18th, 19th and 20th centuries). In France, the word 'Ardennes' in the plural, together with the definite article, is commonly used to refer to the French department of that name.

Much of the Ardennes is covered in dense forests, with the mountains averaging around 350–700 m (1,148–1,640 ft) in height but rising to over 694 m (2276.9028;ft) in the boggy moors of the Hautes Fagnes (Hohes Venn) region of south-eastern Belgium. The region is typified by steep-sided valleys carved by swift-flowing rivers, the most prominent of which is the Meuse. Its most populous cities are Verviers in Belgium and Charleville-Mézières in France, both exceeding 50,000 inhabitants. The Ardennes is otherwise relatively sparsely populated, with few of the cities exceeding 10,000 inhabitants with a few exceptions like Eupen or Bastogne.

The Eifel range in Germany adjoins the Ardennes and is part of the same geological formation, although they are conventionally regarded as being two distinct areas.

Russia - Emperor Nicholas II

Emperor Nicholas II on the yacht Polar Star
Photo, 1900s

Sent by Anna, a postcrosser from St. Petersburg, Russia.

This is from Wikipedia : Nicholas II (Russian: Николай II, Николай Александрович Романов, tr. Nikolay II, Nikolay Alexandrovich Romanov; IPA: [nʲɪkɐˈlaj ftɐˈroj, nʲɪkɐˈlaj ɐlʲɪˈksandrəvʲɪtɕ rɐˈmanəf]; 18 May [O.S. 6 May] 1868 – 17 July 1918) was the last Emperor of Russia, Grand Duke of Finland, and titular King of Poland. His official short title was Nicholas II, Emperor and Autocrat of All the Russias and he is known as Saint Nicholas the Passion-Bearer by the Russian Orthodox Church. He has often been referred to as Saint Nicholas the Martyr.

Nicholas II ruled from 1894 until his abdication on 15 March 1917. His reign saw Imperial Russia go from being one of the foremostgreat powers of the world to economic and military collapse. Critics nicknamed him Bloody Nicholas because of the Khodynka Tragedy, Bloody Sunday, the anti-Semitic pogroms, his execution of political opponents, and his pursuit of military campaigns on a hitherto unprecedented scale.

Under his rule, Russia was defeated in the Russo-Japanese War, including the almost total annihilation of the Russian fleet at theBattle of Tsushima. As head of state, he approved the Russian mobilization of August 1914, which marked the beginning of Russia's involvement in World War I, a war in which 3.3 million Russians were killed. The Imperial Army's severe losses and the monarchy's incompetent handling of the war, along with other policies directed by Nicholas during his reign, are often cited as the leading causes of the fall of the Romanov dynasty.

Nicholas II abdicated following the February Revolution of 1917 during which he and his family were imprisoned first in the Alexander Palace at Tsarskoye Selo, then later in the Governor's Mansion in Tobolsk, and finally at the Ipatiev House in Yekaterinburg. Nicholas II, his wife, his son, his four daughters, the family's medical doctor, the Emperor's footman, the Empress' maidservant, and the family's cook were killed in the same room by the Bolsheviks on the night of 16/17 July 1918. This led to the canonization of Nicholas II, his wife the Empress Alexandra and their children as martyrs by various groups tied to the Russian Orthodox Church within Russia and, prominently, outside Russia.

Russia - State Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts

The State Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts. 1898-1912.

Sent by Karina, a postcrosser from Russia.

This is from Wikipedia : The Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts (Russian: Музей изобразительных искусств им. А.С. Пушкина) is the largest museumof European art in Moscow, located in Volkhonka street, just opposite the Cathedral of Christ the Saviour. The International musical festival Svyatoslav Richter's December nights has been held in the Pushkin museum since 1981.
The museum building was designed by Roman Klein and Vladimir Shukhov and financed primarily by Yury Nechaev-Maltsov. Construction work began in 1898 and continued till 1912. Ivan Rerberg headed structural engineering effort on the museum site for 12 years, till 1909.

Bicycles (23)

Sent by Allen, a postcrosser from Taiwan.

Bicycles (22)

Sent by Hiro, a postcrosser from Tokyo, Japan.

Russia - Tula Samovars Museum

TULA - RUSSIA
The buildings of Tula Samovars Museum.
Designed by V. Sirotkin 1910.
Globe shaped samovar "Spider".
Late 19th century.
Brass, chasing, castwork, niekel plating,
Forging.

Sent by Galina, a postcrosser from Russia.

"The museum " the Tula samovars " , branch of Museum Association " Tula regional historical-architectural and literary museum " was open in 1990 on Mendeleevskaia street, 8 in the house that was built in 1910 – 1911 per design of architect V.N.Sirotkin.The basis of an exposition of a museum was made with the collection of samovars collected in various years in association "TOIALM". The exposition of a museum which consists of three halls, acquaints visitors with history of begining and development of one of the most known Tula crafts – Samovar making. The first hall tells about Samovar manufacturing in Tula in XVIII - XIX centuries. Among unique samples of the end of XVIII century - "sbitennik" which was the predecessor of a samovar, a pot for preparation of sbiten - a drink made from different types of grass, spices, honey."(Read more)

Japan - All Nippon Airways

B787 of All Nippon Airways.

Sent by Taroh, a postcrosser from Japan.

This is from Wikipedia : All Nippon Airways Co., Ltd. (全日本空輸株式会社 Zen Nippon Kūyu Kabushiki-gaisha^?, TYO: 9202, LSE: ANA), also known as Zennikkū (全日空^?) or ANA, is one of the largest airlines in Japan. It is headquartered at the Shiodome City Center in theShiodome area in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. It operates services to 49 destinations in Japan and 31 international routes and employed over 14,000 employees as of May 2009. In May 2010, ANA's total passenger traffic is up year-on-year by 7.8%, and its international services grow by 22% to 2.07 million passengers in the first five months of 2010. ANA's main international hubs are atNarita International Airport outside Tokyo and Kansai International Airport outside Osaka. Its main domestic hubs are at Tokyo International Airport (Haneda), Osaka International Airport Itami, Chūbu Centrair International Airport (near Nagoya), and New Chitose Airport (near Sapporo).

In addition to its mainline operations, ANA controls several subsidiary passenger carriers, including its regional airline, ANA Wingsand charter carrier, Air Japan. Additional smaller carriers include Air Do, a low-cost carrier operating scheduled service betweenTokyo and cities in Hokkaido, AirAsia Japan, a planned low-cost carrier joint venture between Malaysia's AirAsia and ANA, and Allex Cargo (ANA Cargo), the freighter division operated by Air Japan. ANA is also the largest shareholder in Peach, a low-cost carrier joint venture with First Eastern Investment Group. All Nippon Airways is currently an official sponsor of Japan Football Association.