Letters #206-251 from Slovenia

Letters #206-251 come from a great group of students (grades 4 and 5) in Slovenia at a primary school called Stara Cerkev.Letter #129 came from one of the teachers there and she was kind enough to have some of their students write to us.The children have written some outstanding letters with such beautiful penmanship!We were truly amazed by their letters.Most of them even decorated their letters with beautiful artwork and photos so we could see what they looked like,which was so fun!They told us their favorite foods....many listed pizza and pasta as their favorite. :) They also told us about their favorite toys and about their best friends.We were so thrilled to get these great letters.They should all be proud of themselves for writing so neatly,with great grammar and with such great creativity!We always love all the letters we get from children and hope to get many more.I believe I am allowed to list their names to say thanks,so a great big thanks to all the students below:

Ivana
Ammar
Gaga
Ana
Emir
Miha
Kristjan
Katarina
Patrik
Manja
Zana
Lea
Tara
Nik
Eva
David
Maja
Teja
Hana
Lamia
Samo
Jaka
Damjana
Sara
Lana
Daisy
Mitja
Anesa
Amanda
Jan
Sara
Miha
Lara
Jan
Nejc
Miha
Jernej
Nina
Jasa
Nastja
Anja
Anel
Tilen
Tajda
Mike
Janja


Thanks to all of you that wrote us such great letters,you should be very proud of yourselves!We really enjoyed reading all of your letters and really enjoyed the pictures and artwork,too. All of the letters made us smile. :) Please enjoy the lovely letters,which can be seen below (including a picture of their school):

Letter #205 from Texas

Letter #205 comes from Kayleen in Texas.Kayleen is a wife and mother to seven grown children.She currently works as a locksmith for a casino owned by the Chickasaw Nation in Oklahoma.Both her and her husband enjoy making quilts,cooking and even share in the hobby of penpalling...that is a first,usually only one spouse enjoys penpalling and mail,so that must be nice to be able to share the joy of letters with a loved one who gets it. :) They both also enjoy reading books and she said that her favorite book is called, Silas Marner,she said it's definitely a must read for a mature audience.

Kayleen is also a published poet and enclosed one of her poems for us to enjoy.She ende her letter saying that mail in the mailbox from an individual to another is a marvelous gift when compared to other less personal pieces like bills and dental appointments.I think I will have to agree with her on that thought.

Thanks Kayleen for your wonderful letter,poem and also a "how to" paper for making envelopes.She did note one thing that maybe someone can help answer for us,she said that envelopes that cannot be machined are charged extra and they do charge us extra at the post office,but when we get handmade envelopes in the mail,they put $.44 on and it gets to us without postage due,so my question is this,is there any ruling on this,what exactly do they mean when they say it cannot be machined?Is is the thickness or type of paper?Thanks in advance for your help!Enjoy Kayleen's letter below:

Letter #204 from Pennsylvania

Letter #204 comes from Marguerite in Pennsylvania.She is a stay-at-home mom to three lovely daughters.Both her husband and herself were born and raised in the same city and both of their parents still live there.She is so glad that her children have the opportunity to see their grandparents so often.They live in a small city,but their arts scence continues to grow.

Marguerite studied Art History at Rosemont College near Philadelphia.She previously worked at the Pennsylvania Museum Commission during the summers of her college years.She also worked at local museum sites,including Landi Valley and Ephrate Cloister.Although she isn't interested in facts and dates,she does love artifacts from everyday life,espcially epherma like letters,books,journals,and advertisements.In her spare time,she also enjoys creating her own works on paper.Who knows,maybe her works of art could one day be in a museum for future generations to examine. :)

She also told us that during the American Revolution,Lancaster was briefly the capital of the colonies on Sept. 27,1777, when the Continental Congress fled Philadelphia.In 1812,the capital then moved to Harrisburg.

She has written her letter to us in parts on the back of the postcards,so I will go over each letter from each postcard.

James Buchanan,who was the only president from Pennsylvania was the only bachelor president,so his niece,Harriet Lane served as his First Lady.

Franklin and Marshall College is one of the oldest institutions of higher learning in the U.S.Franklin College was founded in 1787 with a generous financial gift from Benjamin Franklin.Marshall College,named after Supreme Court Justice John Marshall, was founded in 1836 in Mercersburg,PA.It moved to Lancaster in 1853 and merged with Franklin College.James Buchanan,the 15th president,was the first President of the Board of Trustees of the newly formed Franklin and Marshall College.It hosts many academic and cultural events that are open to the public.

She also couldn't resist sending us a postcard with three Amish girls since we both have three daughters. :) The Amish are a religious sect from Germany who retain many traditional customs.They make their living almost solely by farming,without the use of any modern conveniences like electricity and gas engines.They also don't drive cars or have computers.They are widely settled in Eastern Pennsylvania and still speak a German dialect,often referred to as Pennsylvania Dutch.The Amish are also known for their detailed quilts and heirloom furniture.There are many Amish and Mennonite farms in Lancaster County.Marguerite enjoys their fresh produce and admires their discipline and hard work,as well as the strong sense of community that they have.

Thanks Marguerite for your lovely letter,postcards and map of Lancaster County,which can be seen below:

Letter #203 from Ohio

Letter #203 comes from Bethany in Ohio.Bethany is also homeschooled,so she was glad to help us with our project.She enjoys art,most crafts,basketball,snail mail,and more.She says her town is pretty boring and that their courthouse looks more like a post office.

She has 5 brothers and sisters.She also loves penpalling and making her own postcards (she included one for us),stationery and envelopes.She says she has been penpalling for five or six years now.

She asked us a few questions that we will answer.She wanted to know what we do with the letters.Currently their home is in some decorative boxes,but their final destination is for them to be incorporated into a scrapbook.She also wanted to know if we have received letters in any other language.Yes,we have,we have received some letters from children in Germany who wrote their letters in German.It was so fun to see letters in another language.We also get letters that have some phrases written in another language.It's always exciting to compare their language with ours to see if there are any similarities or if we can figure out what the words could be.Sometimes we really have no idea until we look at the translation.

Bethany said she will be sharing our project with her penpals,thanks so much for helping spread the word.Her lovely letter and homemade postcard can be seen below:

Letter #202 from Texas

Letter #202 comes from Sharon in Texas.She has lived in Texas all of her life,except for the time when her husband was in the Air Force.Sharon has been married for an amazing 33 years!She also has a son who is in the Air Force and plans to make a career of it.She says in order to do that,he has to stay a minimum of 20 years,so he has already completed half of that term.Unfortunately,his wife died last year,leaving behind three small children.Since her passing,he was able to transfer to be closer to home so Sharon could see the grandkids more.I can't even begin to imagine how hard it must be for the children since they are so small.She gets to drive up to Oklahoma once a month to visit them and she loves it.She says the kids are so funny and a joy to be around.She also told us that her only sibling had passed away days after her daughter-in-law had passed.I can't even imagine having to go through so much so quickly,but I always hear it gets a little better day by day.She says that since then she has been finding heart shaped rocks and heart shaped clouds and it helps her feel a little better.I know I have said this before,but I will say it again,I think the best thing we can do is try to live the best we can because I don't think our loved ones would like seeing us on earth so sad.Yes,it's good for us to get our emotions out,but we also need to be able to pick ourselves up and make the most with the loved ones that are still with us.Life is too short,so we should cherish every moment we have with our loved ones.

Sharon lives on just over 27 acres in a cedar log home that her father built.There is even an abandoned cemetary on her property that dates back to the 1800's.The only remaing headstones are of a father and his two young boys.She found out the history of the cemetary  by searching recors at the library.While searching,she found out that her property used to be a stagecoach stop in the 1850's.

She also shares her property with an array of wildlife.They have deer,skunks,armadillo,opossums,raccoons,rabbits,foxes, and recently has been having wild hogs,which she is not happy about.They also have a variety of birds,such as cardinals,blue jays,mockingbirds (the state bird),wrnes,black capped chickadees,mourning doves and various finches,woodpeckers and owls,just to name a few.She has also seen roadrunners,a pileated woodpecker and her husband spotted  a golden eagle that was in the dog pen one morning.

Sharon says she is really a city girl so it was hard for her to live in the country,but after almost 20 years,she's almost adjusted to it. :) There are many things she enjoys about the country,such as the open space,wildlife,no neighbors close by to hear and she also loves the sounds of the cicadas.Living out in the country does have its drawbacks,such as no big libraries,limited variety of stores,and no sidewalks,just to name a few.Oh yeah,she also doesn't like the many scorpions that have been really bad this year,also the occasional poisonous snake which trapped her in her own laundry room...yikes!She also doesn't like that her husband has to drive 60 miles one way to work,but like everything in life,you have to make some sacrifices to enjoy some other things in life.

Sharon has many hobbies,one of them is quilting.She now focuses on making mini quilts or art quilts.I love quilts,but don't have relatives that do any type of crafting,so I really need to learn it one day.My daughter has been wanting one for her doll.She also enjoys beading and selling her items on etsy.She also enjoys taking photographs and turning them into postcards.She is also a beginner painter and knitter....I told you she has many hobbies. :)

Thanks Sharon for your lovely letter,postcards and mini moo cards of photos she took,which can be seen below:

Letter #201 from Alaska

Letter #201 comes from Millie in Alaska.She is actually an Alaskan native,Alutiiq,to be exact,which is a mix of Aluet and Athabascan.She is a stay at home mom to a wonderful daughter.On the weekends she makes balloon animals at local restaurants.She says it's a lot of fun and an easy way to make money.I bet it's even more rewarding to see the smiles on the kids faces....who doesn't love a balloon animal?

Millie's family is originally from a tiny village called Perryville,which is on the Alaskan peninsula.As a child she spent her days fishing,playing on the beach,or playing outside with her many cousins or brothers.Millie learned to bake and crochet when she was merely three years old...yes three years old!How amazing is that! ....I can't even crochet so I'd feel really bad seeing a three year old do it. :)

She told us of how most people think Alaska is a cold,dark,dreary place,but that is only true in the winter season.She told us about how when she drives to work in the morning,it is dark and when lunch time comes,the sun has already set,so she might not see light when she has to work.Right now though the temperature is really great at around 60°.She was at the lake when she wrote this letter and says it gets pretty packed with people when the weather is nice.

She also said that they do have a lot of the same things that we have down here in the lower 48.They have fast food restaurants everywhere and they recently got another IMAX theater.She is patiently waiting and hoping that they get an Olive Garden restaurant so she can see if it's as good as people say it is.She also says she prefers to eat at a place called Moose instead of Arby's or McDonalds.I doubt we'll ever get a fast food place called Moose over here. :)

Thanks Millie for your lovely letter and postcards,which can be seen below:

Letter #200 from Pennsylvania

Letter #200 comes from Laurel in Pennsylvania.Laurel lives in the state capital,Harrisburg.She says that they have the most beautiful capital building.... Theodore Roosevelt said so. ;) Laurel works as a librarian.... wow,we really can't wait to tally up just how many librarians have written us,it's just amazing! Their summer theme this year is,"One World,Many Stories".She asked if we were participating in our summer reading program and I will proudly say yes,we never miss a summer reading program.My daughters have won some great prizes over the years,my oldest even won an ipod when they first came out.She,(I mean "Mr. El Geckito") mentioned she likes Jack Prelutsky's poems,especially the one about him saying, "he wants to eat a pizza the size of the sun".

She lives close to Hershey,where the Hershey Kisses were invented.She lives to visit the Hershey Gardens as opposed to the rollercoasters.Mrs. Hershey loved roses,so Mr. Hershey built a huge rose garden for her.Her letter ended with a question asking us what is interesting about our area.I would have to say the Blue Ridge Parkway,although we've never seen it,it looks amazing in books!

Thanks Laurel (and El Geckito) for the lovely letter,which can be seen below,along with a sticker from their summer reading program:

Letter #199 from Florida

Letter #199 comes from Carmen in Florida.Carmen is 19 years old and lives in Miami,but is from Honduras.She says that even though Miami isn't very big,there is so much to see.There are numerous different cultures living  in that one city.She said there are many Colombian carts and a lot of Cuban food.Even though everyone there loves the beach,she doesn't.

In Miami,it seems that everyone speaks Spanish.Carmen attends a church with many Brazilians.Of course,there are many Cubans there,too since Cuba is only 90 miles away from the lowest point in Florida,the Florida Keys.She says that you can actually see the island from there... I guess that is why so many people make the trek by boat since it is so close.I can't even begin to imagine being on the other side and seeing freedom so close and wanting your family to have a better life.She also noted that Disney is only 4 hours from where she lives.

Thanks Carmen for your lovely letter,which was written on an origami paper that gave directions on how to turn it into a heart. ♡ Her letter can be seen below:

Letter #198 from Finland

Letter #198 comes from Iina (pronounced ena) from Finland,home to the fabulous cartoon,The Moomins,which is one of our fave foreign cartoons!Iina loves history so she starts her letter off by telling us about the history of her country.The location of her country has had a real impact on the history of her country.Until 1809,they were part of Sweden,but after Sweden lost a war against Russia,Finland became an autonomous Grand Duchy within Imperial Russia.In 1906, Finland was the first European country to give women the right to vote.Finlamd became independent on December 6,1917 after things changed in Russia,such as WWI and the Febuary and October Revolutions.The first half of the 20th century was filled with wars in Finland.There was a Civil War in 1918,which left the nation badly scarred and clearly divided.During WWII decades later,Finland fought in three wars.Their first war was the Winter War (1939-1940) against the Soviet Union,which she says had a major role in uniting the country.That war was then follwed by the Continuation War from 1941-1944,which was also against the Soviet Union.Finland was the underdog and the main goal was to remain independent.In the Continuation War,Finland got help from the Nazis,but after an armistice was reached with the Soviets,Finland was forced to begin its third war,known as Lapland War,which lasted from 1944-1945,which was a war to get the Nazis out.Wow,that is some history for a country I always think of as quiet since you never hear about Finland in the news,so it's amazing to hear that this country had such a rough start.

Finland is also home to some very talented composers and painters who were in the middle of some key points of the country's history.Akseli-Kallela painted many scenes from their national epic Kalevala (which she says is a very interesting book,which at times can be very difficult,but it's a big part of Finnish culture).He is also impossible to ignore when speaking of Finnish Romantic Nationalism.He is their most internationally known painter.

In music,the most internationally known Finn would be the composer Jean Sibelius.His music had an important role in the formation of the Finnish national identity.His most important composition was called Finlandia,which was written as a protest against the quickly increasing censorship from the Russian Empire.Sibelius was also inspired by Kalevala.Sibelius' home,Ainola (which mean Aino's land and was named after his wife Aino) is a popular tourist attraction,which is located on the shores of Lake Tuusula,which is where many artists lived in the early 1900's.

Now on to some facts about Iina.She has mentioned how her name is very hard for foreigners to pronounce since her name starts with two i's,but as I showed earlier,it's pronounced like e-na,which is actually so easy,buy the i's throw us off.She says it's a popular name for her age group.Anyways,she's a rather typical 18 year old girl.In August,she will be a high school Senior,so she will be very busy with school and having many exams.After reading about school life in other countries,we sure have it easy in the U.S.Seniors here have it made,it's actually the easiest year and filled with more fun things and not really many tests.Iina wants to study English at the university and she will be applying to both Finnish and Scottish universities.Anyways,Iina was born during a recession,which was one of the history's worst economic crises and even worse than the one in the 1930's.Two years later her family moved to Heinola and they have lived there ever since.A few months before that,she says that Finland had won the ice hockey world championships for the very first time....  this recent win made it their 2nd world championship.Finland is a true ice hockey country,but Iina doesn't really understand ice hockey,but she does know that it means a lot to her country.My oldest daughter and I enjoy hockey and think it's so fun to play,well,floor hockey since we don't skate. :) Our fave team would be the Redwings since we moved from Michigan,where hockey is big.

Iina's hometown of Heinola is a relatively small countryside with about 20,000 people,in the south of Finland.Heinola is a summer town and life there isn't very lively after the summer season ends.She says she is quite lucky that their capital,Helsinki is nearby,just 1km south.Heinola is known for the Sauna World Championships,which is just a contest about who can sit in a sauna the longest.Saunas are a big part of Finnish culture.She said that in the old days,women gave birth in saunas.She says that in the championships,they steadily increase the temperature to see who can take the heat the longest.Unfortunately,last year a man died in the finals and another one was badly burnt because they stayed too long in the sauna.She really doesn't understand why they do this.... neither do we,it's pretty crazy to risk death for a championship.Aside from that,she says that saunas are pleasant and relazing.I wish we had one when we lived up north,it would be so nice after a long day in the cold.

Heinola is also home to Apulanta,one of Finland's most popular rock bands.The city has also meant a lot to Finnish literature as well.Two members of a literary group in the 1920's,known as Tulenkantajat,were from Heinola and a third studied for her teacher's degree there,too.The word Tulenkantajat means "the fire bearers",which describes their philosophy rather well.They wanted to introduce the very old-fashioned Finland of the 1920's to the lively modern Europe and its literature.Their writings pictured  the "Roaring 20's" really well and introduced "a new feeling of life".A decade later,the group was disbanded due to political conflicts (some members were strictly on the left,others on the opposite),but the young people who started the group and its magazine in their twenties ended up being rather important characters in Finnish cultural history.

Along with Iina's lovely letter,she sent some beautiful postcards,one is a Finnish winter scene and the other is a summer theme,and the last card is a Moomin card of the charcater Little My,which she says was her favorite as a little girl.She also included some cute Moomin stickers and we also loved the Moomin envelope....yes,we are crazy over the Moomins...they are so cute,you must google their cartoons if you have never seen them! :) Thanks Iina for your lovely letter and goodies,we wish you all the best for a great senior year with less stress.We hope you achieve all your goals in life!You can see her letter and goodies below:

Letter #197 from Louisiana

Letter #197 comes from Judy in our home state of Louisiana.I believe she wrote this letter with a fountain pen... isn't her penmanship amazing!? This is our very first letter from Louisiana.Judy lives in southeastern Louisiana in Iberville Parish.For those of you not from Louisiana,a parish is what other states call counties,it's the only state that doesn't call them counties.It was pretty had for me to get used to counties when we moved out of state.

She says she has a sugar cane field next to her house.I can remember when it was sugar cane season because the roads would have those occasional canes that flew out the trucks and landed on the road.I never even tried sugar cane till we moved to Michigan,but it must have not been a good one because I didn't think it tasted so good.She says that the sugar cane is ready to cut around September or October,where they will be sent to the sugar mills to be turned into raw brown sugar.My youngest daughter and I had recently read a book about the history of sugar and the work slaves had to do to make the sugar was very hard work because you needed so many stalks or canes to get a decent amount of sugar.It was such hard work,especially before they made machines.We even read that in the old days,people believed sugar could cure a lot of things and royalty would give the world just to get sugar since it was hard to get.

She also told us about the many chemical plants there,which are mostly found along the Mississippi River.... the idea of chemical plants near water scares me since the water could easily become polluted.Big ships come up the river from the Gulf of Mexico and dock at the chemical plants,so it seems that they were built there as a matter of convenience.They transport the chemicals to wherever they are needed all over the world.The chemicals are used to make many of the things we use on a daily basis,such as vinyl,plastics,fabrics,and much more.

Judy and her husband are both retired and live on a small hobby farm.They have three horses and a house cat.She says that the horses have personalities just like people and they enjoy spending time with them.

During the summer the weather gets very hot,starting in April or May.The one thing that I will never forget about Louisiana is the heat and humidity.... who could forget it?Oh and love bugs that   get stuck all in the front grill of your car... not a pretty sight. :) I haven't seen lovebugs here in Virginia,so maybe they are native to LA only.Anyways,in summer they do all the barn chores early in the morning and late in the evening,while they spend the middle part of the day inside with the air conditioner on.Who can blame them. :)

She also mentions about how we always think about how computer technology has changed our lives,but we don't always think about how air conditioning has changed our lives.I think most people will tell you they only think of that when the electricity goes off.I can remember when we would get hurricanes as a kid and we'd lose electricty and it would be so humid,you couldn't even sleep at night.That was when we would talk about how thankful we should be to have air conditioning because it was brutal.Judy recalls the pre-air conditining days and talked about how most people had a lot of mold and mildew in their houses because of the humidity.You would also have a lot of dust in your house from all the open windows.Most people had to spend a lot of time dusting and the walls of your house would have to be painted often.But then she goes on to tell us about the positive side of not having air conditioning.She says that when fathers would come home from work,families would sit on the porch out in the yard because it was cooler outside than in the house.Neighbors would visit each other everyday and would talk to each other over the fences.There was a real community spirit that has been gone since the invention of the air conditioner.

I know that before we left Michigan,they had tried to build houses with a real community spirit by building the houses closer together (sacrificing a yard and privacy) with porches,hoping to bring that old community spirit of neighbors going on their front porch and talking to each other everyday,but it didn't work.With all the technology,people still prefer to stay to themselves,but at least they tried,but it just goes to show you,you just can't bring back old ways.I may not be that old (I am not meaning that Judy is old,so hopefully it is not take that way,just saying I was born after the a/c), but I miss the days where neighbors would borrow eggs and stuff from each other and just helped each other out.I have tried to be neighborly to my neighbor since our driveways are close together so we always have to see each other,but she just hides when she sees us...ok,she's too old to run,but she walks really fast and since she has a garage with windows facing our driveway,she'll peek out the window to see if we are out before she leaves her garage.It is quite amusing sometimes,but mostly I find it quite offensive since she was nice to me when I shoveled snow off her driveway,but after that,she seems to think I have some disease or something.Oh well. :) Judy does say that she wouldn't want to go back to those pre-air conditioning days because,like most people,she likes to be comfortable.I can agree with her there since the south can get so hot.But, like she said,most neighbors don't even know each other,you might wave while passing in a car,but you probably don't even know their names.It's amazing how much technology can change society.

Thanks Judy for your lovely letter,brochures and  postcards (the white one she made with her own photos from Baton Rouge,showing Columbus on the top,St. James Episcopal in the middle and the Botannical Gardens at the bottom),which can be seen below.Her brochures made me miss seeing the old plantation houses we used to pass by when visiting relatives.If you have never been to Louisiana,it's rich in history,but try to visit when it's cooler so you don't pass out from the heat. ;) If you do go,you have to eat boudin (it was my fave food) and my husband would recommend you try the seafood etoufee.It's pretty sad to admit this since I am a Cajun,I have never tried crawfish,so don't ask me how it tastes...I just don't like the creatures. :) Thanks again Judy and look below for pictures:

Letter #196 from New Jersey

Letter #196 comes from Barbie in New Jersey.She says she has become obssessed with mail since she left for college.She recalls spending many hours in high school texting friends,but now enjoys writing letters.Maybe if more people can start writing again,we won't have the problems with the postal service and they can stick around for a lot longer.

Currently,Barbie's job is finding a job. :) She has spent numerous hours dropping off resumes in and around Manhattan and even had to take some time off for her blisters to get a break.Hopefully her feet are feeling happier now. :) Barbie has recently moved to Jersey City.She is hoping to find two jobs so that she can afford a place in Manhattan or Brooklyn....I hope she is able to afford more than a closet since I hear it's quite expensive to live there.She says she would love a job in a book store or at a quilting shop since that is what she has experience in.Maybe someone reading this can help her out.

Barbie has worked in libraries all through her high school and college years.She has learned to mend books and also learned different ways to bind a book.I would love to learn to bind books,too, so that we can make our own books for us to enjoy as a family.

She used to live in Richmond and misses it,but she also loves the urban environment and the fact that she can go to Manhattan without a car.I think I would love to be able to live in a place where I didn't need a car,although I think I would sometimes miss the privacy of my car if I've been out all day and just want to throw all my bags in the trunk.She has survived all this time without a drivers license and doesn't plan to get one since she doesn't really see the need for one now.While she lived in Richmond,Virginia,she would ride her bicycle to her job.She prefers to walk instead of taking a bus,when possible.

Some of her interests include Star Trek,Harry Potter,Lord of the Rings,Star Wars and Doctor Who.She was even on a quidditch team while in college.Her position was chaser.I definitely didn't even know that there were real quidditch teams.She hopes to get in touch with the team in New York so she can play with them since she really enjoys it.

Her other love is vintage clothing and she tries to wear vintage dresses whenever going out.She also enjoys making her own clothes,too.She is also contemplating making crafts to sell on etsy since she usually makes handmade gifts for others.

Barbie also loves to cook,maybe that is because her father is a chef.Her sister is currently enrolled in a culinary program (that's one of the things on my bucket list is to learn to cook).She says that her father tried hard to keep them out of the food service industry,but it seems like it backfired since her and her sister both love cooking.Barbie's favorite food is fried rice.She also shared a cooking tip with us,she says that she likes to add sauted carrots to her tacos...it tastes fabulous, she says.Some of her other favorite foods include sweet potato fries,waffles,sushi, Mexican and Indian food.Her favorite cookbooks are Moosewood and Betty Feezov's cookbook.

She has also been reading various books,including the Little House books and a book called American Gods by Neil Gaiman,which she says is truly amazing.

Thanks Barbie for your lovely letter and New York postcard,which can be seen below:

Letter #195 from France

Letter #195 comes from Meinhild in France.Her lovely letter was written on postcards (she wrote on paper that she attached to the postcards to make them like a little booklet).She lives in Lyon,which is where she also works.She works in a small publishing house,which seems like it could be an interesting job.She says that if we were to visit Lyon,she would take us to see the old part of Lyon to see places like the catholic Basilica.Then we would go a famous place called Bellecours.Our next stop would be a walk up the Rue de la Republique,where there are many stores to discover,along with many old buildings.From there,we would go to Place des Terreaux to take a break and sit at a cafe or enjoy ice cream.Place des Terreaux is famous for a monument which was done by the French designer Frédéric Bartholdi,who is also known for creating the Statue of Liberty,which we just recently read about.

She also says that Lyon is home to many museums.She would like to take us to meet Gnafron and Guignol,which are puppets.I think that would be really cute to see.Our next stop would be the Miniature Museum or the Museum of the History of the Movie Theaters.

She also told us that the author of the book,"The Little Prince", Antoine de Saint Exupéry,was born in Lyon.In 2000,the Lyon Aeroport was named after him,which is the airport we would arrive at if we were to visit her.

That was such a fun trip through Lyon and I want to thank her for her lovely letter and lovely postcards,which can be seen below:

Letter #194 from Minnesota

Letter #194 comes from Krissy in Minnesota.She wrote a short but sweet note on a beautiful Papyrus card she says she got from Target....I need to go check it out...haven't been to Target in a long time.

Currently,Krissy is taking a couple of summer classes at UMD (I believe that would be the University of Minnesota at Duluth).She has been very busy studying,but has made it a point to find time for fun stuff.She watched her sister compete at sections for track and she has gone to the beach a couple of times.I know when I think of Minnesota,I don't think of beach,I think of snowmen. :) She also went to see a play with her younger sister called "39 Steps".It's an Alfred Hitchcock remake and thought it was quite amusing.I can remember watching Alfred Hitchcock shows with my mom as a kid and I loved them.

Along with her beautiful notecard,she included the ticket stub from the play.Thanks Krissy for the lovely letter on a lovely notecard and your ticket stub,which can be seen below (sans ticket stub since I forgot to take it out for the photo):