Visual Entertainment from Near and Far
March 1995
We came to Hemet last Wed. and will be here until the 15th. Weather is cool and it has rained each day but today. Gene is taking sail plane instructions whenever weather permits. Had a good visit with Browns and have seen Helgesons. Most likely will be home last of March.
Love, Gene and Betty
This large mural by local artist George Sportelli is located on Florida Avenue, Hemet’s main boulevard.
June 1973 Madrid
Dear Mother
We had a lovely dinner last night and then watched Flamenco dancers until the wee hrs. Today we spent several hours in the D’El Prado (like the Louvre) and Kathy ran into 3 kids from her school – one her roommate for next year!! We’re going by train tomorrow to Lisbon, Portugal to be on the beach for a week.
Love, Dede
The postcard is of the Christ of the Lanterns located at the Plaza de los Capuchinos in Cordoba, Spain. It was created in 1794 by Juan Navarro Leon.
June 1982 (Den Haag)
Hi
K. Leaves this aft. We went to Enkhuizen to see the boats and across the dam yesterday, toured Rotterdam Harbor Sat., took the Elsmeer-Vollendam- Marken tour on Wed. It was HOT. Now I must get the apt & myself organized to leave Sun. Bill will stay the week in Minn. Thanks for Tom’s nice announcement. Will give congrats later. Hope all went well. The wedding sounded nice. Hope to be talking to you soon.
Love, Va
This postcard is of an art museum in Paris – the Georges Pompidou. When we first saw it we thought it was a very ugly thing. It had a big open area in front of it where all kinds of street performers were doing their thing, breathing fire and dancing around. It turned out to be an amazing space with wonderful art – contemporary and modern. It has all it ‘guts’ on the outside so it makes it possible to have large open spaces. It opened in 1977 and I think I must have been there a few years after that.
May 1982
Hi
Happy May Day. It is cold and rainy. This statue is just unbelievably beautiful, done when Michelangelo was 26 yrs old!! This little city is lovely with such pretty bldgs with nice little windows. We did 4 churches, the city hall and lace factory yesterday. Will do a canal trip in the cold today.
Love, Va
Michelangelo did the Pieta, below, two years earlier (at 24 years old). Here, Mary is with the 33 year old Jesus. It is very similar, she is very similar.
The one in Bruges was the first work of his to leave Italy during his lifetime. Wealthy merchants bought it for 4,000 florins (not sure what that means but I’m guessing it’s a lot). The sculpture left Belgium twice after that. The first time it was sent to France in 1794, during the French Revolutionary Wars but was returned after Napoleon was defeated at Waterloo in 1815. The second was in 1944, when German soldiers smuggled it out in a Red Cross truck. It was discovered in Austria a year later and returned.
Below is a postcard of the Church of Our Lady in Bruges where the Virgin of the Infant Jesus can be found.
August 2000
Hi
We are having a great time in Lugano. We ended up coming early and spending 4 days here. We have been out on the lake and up several mountains. It’s off to TASIS today to celebrate Mama Flemming’s 90th birthday!
Love, K
January 2004
Dear K,N,N
Happy New Year!! I hope you had a good trip back to DC. It was great to see all of you in Madison. It had been quite a long time! How was the rest of your stay? Thank you very much for the Christmas presents. Kelly and I are planning a shopping spree for Thursday so the money will come in very nicely. It’s new shoe time. Maybe something else too will have to see. A new cd could be quite nice also. Some exciting news for me today… I got a new internship today!! This one is at WCCO/CBS Channel 4, in the Special Projects department. It starts next Tuesday. I am very excited. It will really balance out the PBS internship of last semester. There is so much to learn. I might even get to help with some undercover reporting!! Once again news junkie I must be. I’ll keep you posted!
Love, B
January 2007
Dear N
I went to the Chicago Museum of contemporary art but didn’t see this fellow — still thought you might like him. I will need your new address for future mailings! K is off being tested to see what she should do now that she is grown up.
Love, Tim
June 1981
Hi
We tried to call you Sun. to see how your party went. We had Mikey and Alicia, Alex and Rosie here for wild rice and strawberries last night. It was a wine-y, late eve. Mikey returns to Mexico today. We four drove up north to Friesland – learned much about dikes, dunes and poulders. Fantastic what these people have done! It is very chilly, tho sunny and very windy as usual. Alex and Rosie leave for a camping holiday in Spain during July. I’m finally washing the curtains. Have a nice trip to Cal.
Love and kisses, Va.
July 2006
Hi
It is a hot one here today! I hope you are not melting! I’m off to another exciting day at work. How is the riflery going? Are the horses Friendly?
Love, Mom
July 1973
Dear
We had a nice time in Accra (bought more pretty material for shirts, caftans, chair covers, etc.) and are now enjoying this modern very French city. It is really lovely weather altho our hotel is freezing with air conditioning. Bill is having meetings and we are eating lots of croissants!
Love, Dede
Postcard Buzz 