XXX Olympic Games London 2012 stamps cover from Poland.

First cover with Olympic stamp.

Thanks Andrzej. This cover is from PolPostman (no introduction needed).

This cover has 2012 miniature sheet from Poland to celebrate XXX Olympic Games in London.  Nice sheet with background of City of London with most notable London bridge.

This sheet has 4 stamps of Rowing, Volleyball, Weightlifting and Discus Throw.

Also thanks for sending me postcard of "I Love Nowy Sącz"

Nowy Sącz is a town in the Lesser Poland Voivodeship in southern Poland. It is the district capital of Nowy Sącz County.

The town Nowy Sacz has many historic features, including: (From Wikipedia)

One of the largest marketplaces in Europe, after Kraków, the largest rynek in Poland. The late 19th century Ratusz (city hall) is centered in the square.

Saint Margaret's basilica, Bazylika kolegiacka Św. Małgorzaty (15th century). 

A 15th-century house Dom Gotycki containing a regional museum.

A gothic Franciscan church.

The Great Synagogue, dating from 1746, now the Galeria Dawna Synagoga, a gallery with some historical displays.

Saint Roch, a church of wooden construction from the 15th century, in the Dąbrówka district. The old cemetery chapel St. Helen's Church is another example.

The partially restored ruins of a mediæval Royal Castle from the 14th century during the reign of Kazimierz the Great.

The mountainous country around Nowy Sącz is also popular with tourists, hikers and skiers, especially the Beskid Sądecki mountains (part of the Carpathians), of which the highest peak is Radziejowa (1,262 m (4,140.42 ft) above sea level).

Looks like very nice town in Poland. I would like to visit one day.

Things to see in Arches National Park

Arches National Park is a U.S. National Park in eastern Utah. It is known for preserving over 2000 natural sandstone arches, including the world-famous Delicate Arch, in addition to a variety of unique geological resources and formations. The park is located just outside of Moab, Utah, and is 76,679 acres  in area.

Among the notable arches are :

Delicate Arch – a lone-standing arch which has become a symbol of Utah

Double Arch – two arches that share a common end

Landscape Arch – a very thin and long arch with a span of 290 feet (88 m)

Wall Arch – located along the popular Devil's Garden Trail.

Skyline Arch - located along 

Things to See : 

Balanced Rock – a large balancing rock, the size of three school buses

Courthouse Towers – a collection of tall stone columns

Dark Angel – a free-standing 150-foot tall sandstone pillar at the end of the Devil's Garden Trail

Fiery Furnace – an area of maze-like narrow passages and tall rock columns

Petrified dunes – petrified remnants of sand dunes blown from the ancient lakes

Devil's Garden – with many arches and columns scattered along a ridge

I also send this cover to my friends.

1) http://polpostman.blogspot.com/2012/08/2-covers-from-usa.html

2) ?

This cover has 34 cents stamps issued in 2002 "Greeting from America" (UTAH, where park is located). This stamp has Arches, flower and mountain lion.!!

THINGS TO DO : ( I did it all of the following)

Balanced Rock Hiking : A loop trail around the base of a fragile, picturesque rock formation.
Length: 0.3 mi/0.5 km round trip
Time: 15 to 30 minutes


The Windows :A gentle climb up a gravel loop trail leads to three massive arches (North and South Windows and Turret Arch). An alternate return, slightly longer, is by way of the primitive loop around the back of the two Windows. The primitive loop trail starts at the South Window viewpoint.
Length: 1 mile (1.6 km) round trip
Time: 30 to 60 minutes



Double Arch : A relatively flat, sandy trail leads to the base of two giant arch spans which are joined at one end.
Length: 0.5 mile (0.8 km) round trip
Time: 15 to 30 minutes


Skyline Arch : We did partial hike as it was so hot. A short hike on a flat, well-defined trail.
Length: 0.4 mile (0.6 km) round trip
Time: 10 to 20 minutes



Sand Dune Arch : Trail leads through deep sand to a secluded arch among sandstone fins. (Hike for little kids.)
Length: 0.4 mile (0.6 km) round trip
Time: 15 to 30 minutes



Broken Arch : We saw this while hiking Sand Dune Arch.

Landscape Arch : A relatively flat, gravel-surfaced trail (usually heavily populated with hikers) leads to a spectacular ribbon of rock, whose span is more than a football field in length. Short side trips to Tunnel and Pine Tree Arches. Trail guide available at trailhead.
Length: 1.6 miles (2.4 km) round trip
Time: 30 to 60 minutes

Delicate Arch Hike : Most Popular trail and must hike for photographers. (Starts from Wolfe Ranch parking area).
Length: 3 miles round trip (don't get lost and if you get lost don't try to hike the arch. it's very risky.!!)
Time: 2 hours
Note : In addition to this there are other two viewpoint 100 yards round trip and another (moderately strenuous) hiking trail climbs one-half mile (0.8 km) toward Delicate Arch and ends at the rim of a steep canyon that separates the viewpoint from the arch.

Crazy Horse Memorial : World's Largest Sculpture in Progress.!!

The Crazy Horse Memorial is a mountain monument complex that is under construction on privately held land in the Black Hills, in Custer County, South Dakota. 

 

It depicts Crazy Horse, an Oglala Lakota warrior, riding a horse and pointing into the distance. The memorial was commissioned by Henry Standing Bear, a Lakota elder, to be sculpted by Korczak Ziolkowski. It is operated by the Crazy Horse Memorial Foundation, a private non-profit organization.

The memorial consists of the mountain carving (monument), the Indian Museum of North America, and the Native American Cultural Center. The monument is being carved out of Thunderhead Mountain on land considered sacred by some Oglala Lakota, between Custer and Hill City, roughly 17 miles from Mount Rushmore. 

The sculpture's final dimensions are planned to be 641 feet  wide and 563 feet high. The head of Crazy Horse will be 87 feet  high; by comparison, the heads of the four U.S. Presidents at Mount Rushmore are each 60 feet high.

The monument has been in progress since 1948 and is far from completion. If completed, it may become the world's largest sculpture, as well as the first non-religious statue to hold this record since 1967. The most recent is Russia's Mamayev Monument

This postcard has circular hand cancellation of Crazy Horse, SD.!!

Who was Crazy Horse : Crazy Horse was a Native American war leader of the Oglala Lakota. He took up arms against the U.S. Federal government to fight against encroachments on the territories and way of life of the Lakota people, including leading a war party to victory at the Battle of the Little Bighorn in June 1876. 

After surrendering to U.S. troops under General Crook in 1877, Crazy Horse was fatally wounded by a military guard while allegedly resisting imprisonment at Camp Robinson in present-day Nebraska. 

The Future of Crazy Horse :

Mount Rushmore : Things to do and look

The Mount Rushmore National Memorial is a sculpture carved into the granite face of Mount Rushmore near Keystone, South Dakota, in the United States. Sculpted by Danish-American Gutzon Borglum and his son, Lincoln Borglum, Mount Rushmore features 60-foot sculptures of the heads of former United States presidents  George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt and Abraham Lincoln.

Grant Entrance of Mount Rushmore National Memorial. 

I also send this cover tomy philatelic friends.

1) Japan : - http://jg2oaj.blogspot.jp/2012/08/cover-from-usa.html
2) ?
3) ?

Grant Teton Best Scenic Drives and Roadside Views : Things To Do in Grand Teton National Park: Trip, Day 1 Continued

After spending almost 2 hours in Jackson hole we started driving towards Grand Teton National Park. We stop near the entrance to take some pictures at park entrance and also we saw Moose grazing near the river.  After that we stopped at Craig Thomas Discovery & Visitor Center (Moose Visitor Center). I think this center is a must -stop information hot-spot about the park. Everyone needs a  free map of park and some souvenirs such as a postcard!!

Mountains of the Imagination

Rising above a scene rich with extraordinary wildlife, pristine lakes, and alpine terrain, the Teton Range stands monument to the people who fought to protect it. These are mountains of the imagination. Mountains that led to the creation of Grand Teton National Park where you can explore over two hundred miles of trails, float the Snake River or enjoy the serenity of this remarkable place.

The Grand Teton is the highest peak at 13,770 feet.

Best Scenic Drives :

• Teton Park Road : The winding Teton Park Road highlights splendid mountain and valley scenery , allowing close-ups of the mountains.
• Jenny Lake Loop :  This narrow one-way roads winds at the base of mountains and along the shore of Jenny Lake. This scenic spur of the Teton Park Road offers access to hiking, bicyclying and provides  outsanding views.

Best Roadside Views :

• Cathedral Group Turnout : Just north of Jenny Lake, this turnout offers one of the most impressive panoramas of the Cathedral Group  : Grand Teton, Teewinot Mountain and Mt. Owen.
• Snake River Overlook : Enjoy an unforgettable view of the Snake River and Jackson Hole valley floor.
• Oxbow Bend Turnout : Early  morning and late afternoons are best for viewing osprey, American white pelicans, river otters, grizzly bears and beavers.
• Teton Glacier Turnout : This turnout offers a view of one of the last glaciers remaining in the Teton Range.

Signal Mountain Road :

No driving tour through Grand Teton National Park is complete without a drive to the summit of Signal Mountain for sweeping vistas of the Teton Range and surrounding valley. (it's like seeing like safari in Africa without animals.!!)

The scenic Signal Mountain Road is a five mile, 1,000 foot climb of switchbacks to an observation area at the top of Signal Mountain. Set far apart from the next highest mountain peak, Signal Mountain provides breathtaking views of the Tetons’ towering peaks, the flat glacial plains below, Jackson Lake and the Snake River beyond.

I send cover to myself  and my collection mentor ( polpostman and rainbowstampclub) with rubber stamp of Grand Teton NP.

This cover has 55 cents semi-postal stamp (charity stamp) - 11 cents more than First-Class Mail stamp for helping to save vanishing species  — specifically tigers, African and Asian elephants, rhinos, great apes and marine turtles.

Also there is a stamp of Grand Teton.!!

Point Reyes National Seashore

     As the cancellation shows, this postcard was mailed from the Point Reyes Lighthouse.   

  

     Point Reyes is a popular Northern California tourist destination on the Pacific coast. It is approximately 30 miles  Northwest of San Francisco. As characteristic of the area, it can get very foggy and windy during certain parts of the year . To be effective, the lighthouse had to be situated below the characteristic high fog. When foggy, visibility is so slim that one cannot even view the lighthouse from the top of the approximately 300 steps necessary to walk down to reach it. The lighthouse serves a great purpose in such a foggy area, as there is no beach to wash up on; it is on a rocky cliff. Day or night, the light may be the only thing visible to ships.

     Point Reyes is also historically important as the landing site of Sir Francis Drake. On June 17, 1579, he became the first European explorer to land in Northern California,  and proclaimed it Nova Albion (New England).

Chesapeake Bay Bridge : Postcard USA

The Chesapeake Bay Bridge (commonly known as the Bay Bridge) is a major dual-span bridge in the U.S. state of Maryland. Spanning the Chesapeake Bay, it connects the state's rural Eastern Shore region with the more urban Western Shore. The original span opened in 1952 and, at the time, with a length of 4.3 miles (6.9 km), it was the world's longest continuous over-water steel structure.  

Jesus Statue : Christ the Redeemer : Brazil

Christ the Redeemer  is a statue of Jesus Christ in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil; considered the largest Art Deco statue in the world and the 5th largest statue of Jesus in the world. It is 130 ft tall, including its  31 ft pedestal, and 98 ft wide. It weighs 635 tonnes, and is located at the peak of the 700-metre (2,300 ft) Corcovado mountain in the Tijuca Forest National Park overlooking the city. 

A symbol of Brazilian Christianity, the statue has become an icon for Rio de Janeiro and Brazil. It is made of reinforced concrete and soapstone, and was constructed between 1922 and 1931. (From Wikipedia)

Thanks Ririfoi.

New York : Statue of LIberty & New York City.

The Statue of Liberty Enlightening the World was a gift of friendship from the people of France to the people of the United States and is a universal symbol of freedom and democracy. The Statue of Liberty was dedicated on October 28, 1886, designated as a National Monument in 1924 and restored for her centennial on July 4, 1986.

Height

151 feet 1 inch (46 meters)

Ground to torch: 305 feet 1 inch (93 meters)

The statue is situated in Upper New York Bay on Liberty Island, south of Ellis Island. Both islands were ceded by New York to the federal government in 1800.As agreed in an 1834 compact between New York and New Jersey that set the state border at the bay's midpoint, the original islands remain New York territory despite their location on the New Jersey side of the state line. Land created by reclamation at Ellis is New Jersey territory.


Entrance to the Statue of Liberty National Monument is free, but there is a charge for the ferry service that all visitors must use, as private boats may not dock at the island. A concession was granted in 2007 to Statue Cruises to operate the transportation and ticketing facilities, replacing Circle Line, which had operated the service since 1953.

The ferries, which depart from Liberty State Park in Jersey City and Battery Park in Lower Manhattan, also stop at Ellis Island, making a combined trip possible. All ferry riders are subject to security screening, similar to airport procedures, prior to boarding.

The statue, pedestal, and base are presently closed for renovation work. When the structure is open, visitors intending to enter the statue's base and pedestal must obtain a complimentary museum/pedestal ticket along with their ferry ticket.

 Those wishing to climb the staircase within the statue to the crown purchase a special ticket, which may be reserved up to a year in advance. A total of 240 people per day are permitted to ascend: ten per group, three groups per hour. Climbers may bring only medication and cameras—lockers are provided for other items—and must undergo a second security screening


Want to know Fees & Reservation information. Check following link.

http://www.nps.gov/stli/planyourvisit/feesandreservations.htm

Four Corners of Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah.

Thanks Ririfoi.

The Four Corners is a region of the United States consisting of the southwestern corner of Colorado, northwestern corner of New Mexico, northeastern corner of Arizona and southeastern corner of Utah. The Four Corners area is named after the quadripoint where the boundaries of the four states meet, where the Four Corners Monument is located. 

The majority of the Four Corners region is part of semi-autonomous indigenous American Indian nations, the largest of which is the Navajo Nation, followed by Hopi, Ute and Zuni Indian nations. The Four Corners region is mostly rural, rugged and arid. In addition to the monument, commonly visited areas within Four Corners include Monument Valley, Mesa Verde National Park and Canyon de Chelly National Monument. The most populous city in the Four Corners region is Farmington, New Mexico, followed by Durango, Colorado.

Click following if you want to see on actual point on google maps.

4 Corners 


View Larger Map


More reading at Wikipedia.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Four_Corners

Thanks
Neil

Library of Congress, Washngton DC.

 The Library of Congress is the research library of the United States Congress, de facto national library of the United States, and the oldest federal cultural institution in the United States. Located in three buildings in Washington, D.C., it is the largest library in the world by shelf space and number of books. 


The Library of Congress was built by Congress in 1800, and was housed in the United States Capitol for most of the 19th century. After much of the original collection had been destroyed during the War of 1812, Thomas Jefferson sold 6,487 books, his entire personal collection, to the library in 1815.


The collections of the Library of Congress include more than 32 million cataloged books and other print materials in 470 languages; more than 61 million manuscripts; the largest rare book collection in North America, including the rough draft of the Declaration of Independence, a Gutenberg Bible (one of only four perfect vellum copies known to exist); over 1 million US government publications; 1 million issues of world newspapers spanning the past three centuries; 33,000 bound newspaper volumes; 500,000 microfilm reels; over 6,000 comic book titles; films; 5.3 million maps; 6 million works of sheet music; 3 million sound recordings; more than 14.7 million prints and photographic images including fine and popular art pieces and architectural drawings; the Betts Stradivarius; and the Cassavetti Stradivarius.

The Library developed a system of book classification called Library of Congress Classification (LCC), which is used by most US research and university libraries.

The Library serves as a legal repository for copyright protection and copyright registration, and as the base for the United States Copyright Office. Regardless of whether they register their copyright, all publishers are required to submit two complete copies of their published works to the Library if requested—this requirement is known as mandatory deposit. Parties wishing not to publish, need only submit one copy of their work. Nearly 22,000 new items published in the U.S. arrive every business day at the Library. Contrary to popular belief, however, the Library does not retain all of these works in its permanent collection, although it does add an average of 10,000 items per day. Rejected items are used in trades with other libraries around the world, distributed to federal agencies, or donated to schools, communities, and other organizations within the United States. As is true of many similar libraries, the Library of Congress retains copies of every publication in the English language that is deemed significant.

The Library of Congress states that its collection fills about 838 miles (1,349 km) of bookshelves, while the British Library reports about 625 kilometers (388 mi) of shelves.[ The Library of Congress holds about 147 million items with 33 million books against approximately 150 million items with 25 million books for the British Library

Want to read more about LOC. Then click  following wikipedia link..

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library_of_Congress

Is it not interesting.!!

Krka National Park : Croatia - Postcard

Thanks Josip again for sending me postcard.

Krka National Park  is one of the Croatian national parks, named after the river Krka that it encloses. It is located along the middle-lower course of the Krka River in central Dalmatia, in Šibenik-Knin county, downstream Miljevci area, and just a few kilometers northeast of the city of Šibenik. It was formed to protect the Krka River and is intended primarily for scientific, cultural, educational, recreational, and tourism activities. It is the seventh national park in Croatia and was proclaimed a national park in 1985.

This postcard has 2 beautiful stamps.

1) Eleonora Sokol 2011 : Eleonora's Falcon  is a medium-sized falcon. It belongs to the hobby group, a rather close-knit number of similar falcons often considered a subgenus Hypotriorchis.

2) Sredozemna Medvjedica  2011 : The Mediterranean monk seal is a pinniped belonging to the Phocidae family. At some 450–510  remaining individuals, it is believed to be the world's second-rarest pinniped and one of the most endangered mammals in the world.

World War II Memorial

Postcard Mailed from Mail Boat

My one postcard reached CROATIA.

http://stamps-croatia.blogspot.com/2011/10/postcard-from-usa-new-york.html#comments

Cover # 4: England!

Thank you, Stamp Raider, for this delightful postcard!


Great Britain's oldest letter box still in regular use is at Barnes Cross, Holwell, near Sherbourne, Dorset.  The box was made between 1853 and 1856 and is octagonal with a vertical letter slot.  In the picture, the local postman Stephen Whittle wears a uniform of the 1850s.

http://stampraider.blogspot.com/

Thanks again for the cool postcard!

You sent me mail from two different countries, so I am looking for something interesting about archaeology to send you back.

Thanks,
USA Postman