SC State Museum in Columbia, originally uploaded by CarolinaRen.

We visited this MASSIVE museum the day after we saw the zoo … and we spent just about ALL DAY there! Highly recommended if you’re in the Columbia area … lots for kids to see and do, too. From the card: “Known as Columbia Mills and later Mount Vernon Mills, the building opened in 1894. It was the first all-electric textile mill in the world and manufactured heavy cotton duck cloth. Since October, 1988, it has been the home of the SC State Museum. On four floors, the museum offers exhibits about the state’s art, history, natural history, science and technology.”

Koala at Riverbanks Zoo, originally uploaded by CarolinaRen.

Although I tried desperately to see these little fellows, I couldn’t glimpse more than the back of the mother’s head. Oh well … maybe next time! 🙂

Elephants at Riverbanks Zoo, originally uploaded by CarolinaRen.

We went to Riverbanks in Columbia, South Carolina, the day after Thanksgiving. A very nice zoo … and we saw the elephants up-close! 🙂

Liberty Bridge, Greenville SC, originally uploaded by CarolinaRen.

“This unique bridge spans Reedy River Falls in the west end of downtown Greenville, SC. It’s 355 feet long and 12 feet wide.” We visited this bridge a while back, so I was happy to pick up this postcard while in Columbia recently.

Best Friend Train, SC State Museum, originally uploaded by CarolinaRen.

“The Best Friend of Charleston, the first American-built locomotive to make regular freight and passenger runs, first chugged out of Charleston on Christmas Day, 1830. Its top speed was 30 miles an hour. In 1831, the engine was destroyed when an inexperienced crewman closed a safety valve and the boiler exploded. This reproduction was made from the original blueprints.” You can climb into the back train … the kids HAD to do it, of course! 🙂

Stormy Night in Vegas, originally uploaded by CarolinaRen.

My sister Jessica visited Las Vegas and the Grand Canyon in the fall — and she brought me back a swarm of postcards! This is my absolute favorite, an art card showing a bird’s eye view of Vegas!

Grand Canyon, originally uploaded by CarolinaRen.

A view from Bright Angel Point. The card says that on a quiet day, you can hear the sound of the Roaring Springs some 3,500 feet below!

Thunderbirds, originally uploaded by CarolinaRen.

Nellis AFB is in Las Vegas, too. Saw the Thunderbirds once at the annual MacDill AFB in Tampa!

Hoover Dam 2, originally uploaded by CarolinaRen.

Nice view showing the Colorado River and Lake Mead

Hoover Dam, originally uploaded by CarolinaRen.

My sister also visited Hoover Dam. I like this card because it shows that the Dam acts as a border between Nevada and Arizona … something I hadn’t known before 🙂

Arizona, originally uploaded by CarolinaRen.

Pretty, but sure looks HOT!!! I see this and think of Snoopy’s brother Spike who lives in the desert — in “Needles” my son tells me! My son also has a thing for succulents so I’d love to take him out West!

Las Vegas at Sunset, originally uploaded by CarolinaRen.

Another pretty art-type card, although the image looks to be a real photograph. The card says that the city was founded in 1905, when 110 acres of land were auctioned off. More than 3,000 bidders stood in the 100+ degree sun waiting for a chance to purchase lots in the new town! Cool (hot?) stuff!

Route 66, originally uploaded by CarolinaRen.

Runs from Chicago to Los Angeles!

Map of the Grand Canyon, originally uploaded by CarolinaRen.

Love this map card! “Measuring 277 miles long with widths ranging from one mile to 18 miles, the Canyon is famous for its ‘Grand’ size. It was designated a national park in 1919.” Hey … I just remembered … I saw the Grand Canyon when I flew out to Los Angeles on my way to New Zealand last year! 🙂

Nikko Toshogu Shrine, originally uploaded by CarolinaRen.

My sister Maria traveled to Tokyo recently and sent this lovely postcard folder from the Shrine through the mail! It was built in 1616 by 4.5 million men … and holds the enshrined remains of Ieyasu Tokugawa.

Sacred Bridge, originally uploaded by CarolinaRen.

Across the Daiya River … very pretty.

Cryptomeria Avenue, originally uploaded by CarolinaRen.

More than 350 years old with 13,000 trees still standing. Looks like what I imagine the Pacific Northwest looks like … which makes sense considering that Japan is more Pacific than our Pacific Northwest! 🙂

Kegon Waterfall, originally uploaded by CarolinaRen.

I would never have guessed Japan when first seeing this card … waterfalls and Japan have not, before now, gone together in my obviously narrow mind 🙂 This one is 98 meters (321 feet) high.

It has been a long time since my last post … but thanks to traveling family members and a few small journeys of my own, many new cards have since been added to my collection! My goal is to post the best of them for you before January 4th … so stay tuned!

I’ve never been much into poetry–at least not until now.

After being challenged to write a haiku poem about the best novel I read over the summer, I can’t seem to stop thinking in a 3-5-3 and 5-7-5 manner.

For the novel, which was Still Alice, a tale of a woman suffering early onset Alzheimer’s, I wrote:

Leafless tree
Alive but barren
Is still Alice

But that was pretty much my first attempt. Since then, I’ve considered that Alice, the character in the novel, was not a leafless tree. She was losing leaves–losing them fast. But by the end of the story, she still had a few leaves remaining. So I wish I’d have taken time to ponder before I submitted. Lesson learned.

(Photo through Creative Commons by DaDaAce on Flickr)

Then, I thought of how I feel about my own life right about now:

Though northern winds blow
Though old man winter creaks near
I seek metamorphosis

Do you have a favorite haiku poem to share? I’m really interested in exploring the subject further. And I have more poems seemingly blossoming within me! I better get them down while the muse is here!

This monster-sized postcard shows where we stayed during our three-night vacation at Myrtle Beach. We were luck to have found it after about an hour of driving up and down the strip searching for a place to stay–this, after we had a horrible experience at the Quality Inn on Myrtle Beach. I’ll write about that sad tale next.

Ocean Park Resort was pretty nice overall, not a hotel but a condo complex, and pet-friendly, at that. Our unit was pretty run-down and well-worn … and the beds were NOT comfortable. But, we had an OCEAN view, microwave, stove, full-sized refrig and COLD air. And, frankly, compared to our experience at the Quality Inn, we initially thought we had found paradise!

The pool you see in the image is really a large hot tub … it was VERY hot and VERY relaxing 🙂 We would stay again … and would recommend this resort for the price.

This larger (and costlier!) postcard caught my eye because it shows a street view of Myrtle Beach … unlike most of the other cards I saw for sale.

Myrtle Beach Amusement Park, originally uploaded by CarolinaRen.

From the back: “Myrtle Beach Amusement Park closed after 58 years….” I like this card because it reflects a time since passed.

A few other postcard views …