Amish Country

Greetings from "The Amish Country"!

The various Amish or Amish Mennonite church fellowships are Christian religious denominations that form a very traditional subgrouping of Mennonite churches. The Amish are known for simple living,plain dress and reluctance to adopt modern convenience.

The history of the Amish church began with a schism in Switzerland within a group of Swiss and Alsatian Anabaptists in 1693 led by Jakob Ammann Those who followed Ammann became known as Amish. These followers were originally from three main places: the German-speaking parts of Switzerland, the Alsace of France, and the Palatinate of Germany. In the early 18th century, many Amish and Mennonites emigrated to Pennsylvania for a variety of reasons. Today, the most traditional descendants of the Amish continue to speak Pennsylvania German, also known as Pennsylvania Dutch. However, a dialect of Swiss German predominates in some Old Order Amish communities, especially in the American state of Indiana. Over the years, the Amish churches have divided many times over doctrinal disputes. The 'Old Order' Amish, a conservative faction that withdrew from fellowship with the wider body of Amish in the 1860s, are those that have most emphasized traditional practices and beliefs. There are as many as eight different subgroups of Amish with most belonging, in their order of conservatism, to the Scwartzentruber Amish, Andy Weaver, Old Order,New Order or Beachy Amish sects. As of 2000, over 165,000 Old Order Amish live in Canada and the United States. A new study, produced in 2008, suggests their numbers have increased to 227,000.

Greetings from Wisconsin

The state of Wisconsin is one of the fifty U.S. states .Located in the noth-central United States.

Wisconsin´s capital city is Madison,the largest city is Miluwaukee.Wisconsin entered the Union :May 29th ,1848(30th)
Wisconsin´s nickname is "The Badger State".

Greetings from Pennsylvania

Today I was really happy when I opened my mailbox.There was a envelope -full of amazing cards:)Thank you very much ,Laura(Bixie).You made my day.The first card is showing Pennsylvania state.

Pennsilyvania was the second state that joined with Union(United States of America).It was on 12.12.1787.

The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania is a state located in the Northeastern and Middle Antlantic regions of the United States.Pennsylvania area in square miles is 44 892 and population 11 864 751. The nicname of the state is "The Keystone State"

The capital city is Harrisburg,largest city is Philadelphia

The Summer Palace

Yiheyuan ,the Summer Palace built in 1750,is composed mainly of Wanshoushan(the Longevity Hill) and the Kunmig Lake.With Foxiangge( The Pavillion of Buddhist Incense) at its center,the palce consists of over 3000 courts and gardens that served the three purposes of political activities,living and entertainment.

Piccadilly Circus

Another card from Postcrossing meeting,this time from London.THis card is sent by Lotte:)my dear Lotte:)Thank you soo much fror this beautiful card.Sigend by Lotte,Reggie,Stew,JC65,Dollart,Astrid1978,Messfiwi,T-C,Tjitske,MissMaple,Audiopineapple,Duplevista,Lotty,Ichabodhies,Anjaaustel.

The Circus was created by John Nash as part of the future King George IV's plan to connect Carlton House - where the Prince Regent resided - with Regent´s park.

The creation of the Shaftesbury Avenue in 1885 turned the plaza into a busy traffic junction. This made Piccadilly Circus attractive for advertisers, who installed the first illuminated billboards in London in 1895. For some time the plaza was surrounded by billboards, creating London's version of Times Square, but

currently only one building still carries large (mostly electronic) displays.

At the center of the Circus stands the Shaftesbury Memorial Fountain. It was built in 1893 to commemorate Lord Shaftesbury, a philanthropist known for his support of the poor.

The seminude statue on top of the fountain depicts the Angel of Christian Charity but was later renamed Eros after the Greek god of love and beauty. The fountain was made in bronze, but the statue is made of aluminum, at the time a novel and rare material.

The name 'Piccadilly' originates from a 17th century frilled collar named piccadil. Roger Baker, a tailor who became rich making piccadils lived in the area. The word 'Circus' refers to the roundabout around which the traffic circulated.

Arctic fox

Cute foxy from Jväskylä meeting.Sent by Markus.Signed byMarkus,Erjamaarit,Alisa

,Annetio,Suzie,Dollart,Marjatta,Devanna

Thank you very much:) for this beautiful suprise in my lonely mailbox.

Arctic fox is also known as white fox,polar fox or snow fox.It is a small native in cold Arctic regions in the Northen Hemisphere and is common throughout the Arctic tundra biome.

The arctic fox is an incredibly hardy animal that can survive frigid Arctic temperatures as low as –58°F (-50°C) in the treeless lands where it makes its home. It has furry soles, short ears, and a short muzzle—all-important adaptations to the chilly clime. Arctic foxes live in burrows, and in a blizzard they may tunnel into the snow to create shelter.

Arctic foxes have beautiful white (sometimes blue-gray) coats that act as very effective winter camouflage. The natural hues allow the animal to blend into the tundra's ubiquitous snow and ice. When the seasons change, the fox's coat turns as well, adopting a brown or gray appearance that provides cover among the summer tundra's rocks and plants.

These colorings help foxes to effectively hunt rodents, birds, and even fish. But in winter prey can be scarce on the ground. At such times, arctic foxes will follow the region's premier predator—a polar bear—to eat the leftover scraps from its kills. Foxes will also eat vegetables when they are available.

Like a cat's, this fox's thick tail aids its balance. But for an arctic fox the tail (or "brush") is especially useful as warm cover in cold weather.

Female arctic foxes give birth each spring to a large litter of up to 14 pups.

National costumes

Beautiful national clothes from Hana.Hana says that:"Traditsions are still kept in some places,which is great."

I think it is great too.And those clothes are really colorful and beautiful.

Thank you very much ,Hana:)

Puerto Rico

Well,this is my first "official" card from Puerto Rico.

It´ s showing a city named Ponce.

With a population of 194,636, Ponce is Puerto Rico's second largest city (San juan is the first and Mayaguez is the third). Ponce is known as "La Perla del Sur" (pearl of the south) and "La Ciudad de los Leones" (city of lions). Ponce was founded in 1692 by Juan Ponce de León's great-grandson - Loíza Ponce de León.

The building on the card is Parque de Bombas Firehouse. A unique attraction on the central Plaza de las Delicias is the unusual Ponce fire station, a landmark wooden building painted in black and red stripes. The firehouse was built in 1882 and was tested to its limits just a year later when the city experienced a massive fire. Firemen from the Parque de Bombas station heroically battled the blaze. The station remained headquarters for the fire fighters until 1990, when it was turned into a museum open to the public.

Estonian Milk

This cool card comes from Monnakikku.Thanks ,Monna.I really like it .

Through all times the Estonian has drawn vital power from domestic milk.Estonian milk-for the health of people.

I remember when I was a young girl and was staying with my granny.She woke very early and milked her cow and then took the milk churn to the milk stand where the milk truck collected it.Fresh cold milk -yummy.

:)