Uncaged dragonbird

Arrived safely. Followed feather trail & located elusive/toxic dragonbird. Do you see the red marks? For God's sake, do not lick them! Will explain later.

©Carol Leigh

Man of Mystery

We first saw him sailing a felucca on the Nile and then, curiously, aboard a steamship on Lake Tahoe. He never looked at us straight-on, always presenting his profile (of which he seemed inordinately proud), his ever-present dark glasses firmly in place. Linda surreptitiously photographed him, but somehow I think he knew. And was pleased.

©Carol Leigh 

Do not write . . .

Did you think I'd forgotten this project? Nope, it's still viable. There's a Danish saying, "never talk away the magic." I think that's what I did. I began discussing the project before it had solidified in my brain and the magic went away for a long time. No one understood (with a few exceptions) what I was doing, so I knew it wasn't clear in my OWN mind. But it will be there, patiently waiting for me to come back around, smarter this time. ©Carol Leigh

Paint Spill

It began as a typical day for letter carrier Kate McCallister (known locally as the "Mail Ma'am") and for sign painter Brian O'Leary. They were fated to meet as Mr. O'Leary knocked a quart of "Buttercup Yellow" off a ladder just as Ms. McCallister and the U.S. Mail passed below.

Ms. McCallister's wide-brimmed hat (a source of sartorial amusement to those along her route) deflected most of the paint. Mr. O'Leary, assuming defacing the U.S. Mail was a federal offense, was last seen serving conch fritters in the Florida Keys. ©Carol Leigh

Love in Paris

I knew they were trouble the moment I laid eyes on them. Their sidelong glances, their velvet, pearls, and lace. They whispered softly in French that I couldn't understand, but wanted to hear more. Mother warned me about Paris. Luckily, so did Father. . .

©Carol Leigh

Republique du Effarig

The "story" behind the card:

Stephan, when we opened the safety deposit box, we found this card inside. I 'm sending it to you because I know you'll like the colors. He always talked abut living among the Effarigians, how tall and gentle they were. His stories were fun, weren't they? Love, Aunt Claudia

The backstory: I photographed just a section of a colorful sign depicting a giraffe. I added more colorful dots, created a sticker using a photo of a manhole cover and a number, a photo of a Hungarian butterfly stamp, cancellation marks, and a variety of other things. The Republique du Effarig? It helps to be dyslexic sometimes. . . ©Carol Leigh

Avoidably Delayed

Sis, I'm trying to figure out where she was when she sent this. The postmarks are smudged and illegible, but the scribbling on the right looks sort of Arabic, doesn't it?

Someone tried to pull the postage stamp off, so I can't even read where it came from. There are Japanese or Chinese characters on the left-hand stamps, but the monkey on the water buffalo has me puzzled.

Let me know if you have any brilliant ideas. xoxo Jill

The backstory: I combined a lot of things here, including a photo of a heart, photos of old cancellation and immigration stamps, Swedish matchbox labels, part of an address on another postcard, and then drew my own squiggles and blotches here and there. ©Carol Leigh

REFUSED: TOO MANY BIRDS

Ruth, little Alfred tried to mail this card but it was returned. He was what, maybe 10? And even then, look at his fascination with birds! I am so glad I hung onto it, even though it's really kind of creepy, don't you think? Looking forward to seeing you at Thanksgiving — we've got a huge turkey! Love, Emma Hitchcock

The backstory:
The elements I used are a Swedish matchbox label, my own rubber stamps, a swallow from a door in Tucson, a gull stamp I made, two birds I made into a stamp (the birds are from an 1800s magazine), a chickadee advertising card from Kathleen A. that I made into a stamp, an "Express" stamp with my birthdate on it made by me, and a bunch of other stuff.

©Carol Leigh

Timmy Boy

"Timmy Boy" is the name of a fishing boat here on the Oregon coast. The duck stamp was made from a picture I took of a mural in Salem. The poppy stamp is one of my own poppy photos. "JC" is, well, you know who you are. The white triangular things are from a wall in San Diego. "McGinnis" is the name of an old friend of mine. ©Carol Leigh