Postcard Magic

Today's random mix of RR postcards starts off with this rifle bullet penetrating an apple. Look at the blowback on the right side- the reverse inertia from a ballistic object passing thru softer material at 2,000 feet per second. Pretty cool, huh? The card was sent to "Dr. L. Hensacker" of Ann Arbor, MI, on November 18, 1978 and reads, Dear Laval, Sorry to have been uninformative re: St. Louis. I plan to get in the evening of the 28th so why not book for the 28 and 29th? I hope to leave late on the 30th. You can book for both if us. Happy TG. Jim. Hmmm- cryptic stuff, yes indeed. We wonder what kind of doctor the recipient was; hopefully not an emergency room surgeon, given the number of gunshot wounds those guys look at. We're guessing Dr. Hensacker had a PhD in physics or mechanical engineering and his friend knew this image of velocity vs. mass would be well recieved.

Here's a blast from the past: FLORAL DESIGN, "IN DETROIT LIFE IS WORTH LIVING," GRAND CIRCUS PARK, DETROIT, MICH. The printing on back reads, Detroit, like other progressive cities, has a slogan, which is "In Detroit Life is Worth Living." There is no date or postmark so the exact date is uncertain, but the one penny stamp dates back to the 1940s. Now let's jump ahead to 2008: Grand Circus Park is still there, but the area is known as "skyscraper graveyard" as so many of the adjacent buildings have been abandoned. The slogan expired long ago.

This one has us scratching our heads. The print reads GREETING FROM PORTAGE LAKE, WIS but someone scratched off WIS and wrote PINCKNEY, MICH. The postmark reads Pinckney, MI, and Google says there is no such place as Portage Lake, Wisconsin. So maybe it is Portage Lake on the Huron chain? Perhaps a shot of what is now the DNR boat launch? Sent to Carol Cousino of Toledo, OH, on August 8, 1946, it reads, Hi kid. It's been rather cool!! up here so we haven't been swimming yet. These cards are sharp. They don't even resemble the lake but anyway. Love Pinkie. Ya know, Pinkie has a point: it doesn't resemble Portage Lake. We don't what we're looking at. A mystery of history, this card is.

This card was published by the Hiawatha Card Company in Ypsilanti, MI. THE HUNTER AND HIS DOG- A thrilling and expectant moment in Michigan following Indian Summer and the opening of the bird hunting season reads the small print on the back. Waiting for a bird to emerge from a clump of oak leaves so it can be shot and eaten is obviously an overwhelming thrill for this hunter and his springer spaniel.

Here's another thrilling moment: woman catches big fish. Man grabs tail. Both attempt to row boat with one hand. No doubt they're yelling at one another to let go of the oar and get the damn fish in the boat. Sent to Ford La Noble of Lansing, MI, in July of 1949, the message reads, Dear Ford: Are having a grand time. Have covered most of Minnesota, leave for St. Paul on Thursday. Your carrier certainly has made our trip a lot more enjoyable. Many thanks and hope you have a dandy vacation. Fred. Click here if you want to see Ford's 1922 high school yearbook picture. His motto: mildness rules the earth.

Closing things out for today is a postcard of a hillbilly family, shoeless and clad in tattered overalls, walking down a hard scrabble Arkansas road. The flipside reads, Back to their home in the "holler" goes this happy little family of Ozarkers after a shopping trip to the crossroads general store. Paw and the boys can't carry much because they have to open gates and chase hogs and cows out of the road. Postmarked in 1963, the card reflects a time when barefoot children smoking corn cob pipes was considered quaint, in a down home, ah shucks, kind of way. If this photo was taken in 2008, social services would place the kids in foster homes and slap endangerment charges on the parents. Times have changed, yes indeed.