BORING POSTCARDS

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Comment by Valentine Mark Herman on May 13, 2020 at 10:51am

SOME MORE FROM MIM

Thanks Mim!

1. Junction of Neuse and Trent Rivers, New Bern, NC

This is card no 4 in a series of ...? On the back of it, is written, "...contented. As always the centennial change just suits me. had I known why it is. I analyse it as I drive along instead..."

What came before and comes after this, I know not.

2. Long Key Bridge (and Beach along the Florida Keys)

This was sent to Lt Col and Mrs Ballagh in New York in March, 1967

3. John H Kerr Dam, Buggs Island Lake

I am sure that y'all recognise the John H Kerr Dam, Boydton, VA, and know that "This Dam creates the famous (sic) 'Buggs Island Lake Recreation Area', with its more than 800 miles of shoreline ideal for camping, fishing and boating" -- none of which are shown on this Boring Postcard

4. Sky Top Motel, Kingston, NY

"On Route 28 One Mile From NY State Thruway Exit 19. Situated on the most beautiful mountain in Ulster County. 75 Units Each Complete with Indivisual Air-Cond & Heat Control, TV, Colored Bedside Telephones, 24 Hour Service, Filtered Swimming Pool. Free Continental Breakfast. Beatufil restauant and cocktail lounge".

3 questions for you:

i) can anyone explain the use of capitals here?

ii) are, or were, 'Colored Bedside Telephones' a USP for a motel?

iii) what's in a 'Continental Breakfast'? I have had breakfasts in about 20 different countries in the European Continent, and they have all been different. So what do they serve up in Kingston NY?

Comment by Katerina Nikoltsou (MomKat) on May 8, 2020 at 12:32pm

"Boring tunnels"? :-)

Is this postcard from the Island of Samos, Greece?

..."Boring tunnels from both ends is nothing new. More than 2500 years ago, a tunnel of over a kilometer in length was constructed on the island of Samos in Greece. Designed to serve as an aqueduct, it was the first tunnel to make use of geometric principles. The engineer was Eupalinos and the tunnel was bored under Mount Kastro to serve the ancient capital of Samos, today called Pythagoreio."

Comment by Valentine Mark Herman on May 8, 2020 at 10:52am

dear jimmyconnors,

You wrote:

What does it say on the back side? There is a long message in Spanish, but I can't make head or tail of the writing. Also, I like the two persons in the foreground, especially the one on the right. Yes, they do add something (but I'm not exactly sure what, to the Postcard.

Also, I have to say, all the cards shown here: not at all boring, au contraire. More like exactly the kind of postcards I'm looking for on flea markets. As has been noted on a couple of occasions, Boringness is in the eye of the beholder. Some are more boring than others, but rather than making judgements about their Boringness and/or censoring, I'm just sharing with you all the Boring Postcards that people are kind enough to send me. And, I hope, will keep on sending them and posting them here. Regards, Val

Comment by Valentine Mark Herman on May 8, 2020 at 10:44am

Dear res,

Thanks for the comment.

You asked," I only just found the nomination discussion pages in the discussion forum above. Derp! Sorry. Can we nominate anyone's postcard, just our own, or both? Tks!"

The 'nomination discussion' was to be part of 2 Boring Postcards exhibitions I was planning to hold (in the South of France and the North of the Netherlands) later this year, but, alas, neither of the exhibitions will go ahead because of the virus. I am optimistially planning to be able to hold the exhibitions and the awards for the Most Boring Postcards next year. In the meantime I hope that we can still continue sharing our Boring Postcards with each other. Regards, Val

Comment by Valentine Mark Herman on May 8, 2020 at 10:38am

SOME BORING ARTY POSTCARDS

Mim mailed me the first one, which sent me back to my collection to see if I had any others. I did. Are they Boring? I think they are.

1. Paul Smith (no title)

2. Vincent Hamel, Deepdarkblue

Rather like Malevich's 'Black Square' 88 years later and in a different colour? This postcard was to promote an exhibition at the LAC Contemporary Art Gallery, Sigean, France, in 2015 -- exactly 100 years after Malevich's work -- nice symmetry LAC!

And then 3 from the Dutch artist and photographer eric bakker (no relation, apart from the absence of capital letters in the spelling of his name), to ee cummings).

3. requiem

4. a little big-bang5. siren rising

Comment by Valentine Mark Herman on May 8, 2020 at 10:23am

Thanks to Toni Hanner for this one....Pele's Paint Pot, Hawaii

"Pele's Paint Pot, near the center of Haleakala Crater, is a region of multi-coloured cinder deposits. the beauty of the crater isheightened by the starkness of the scene."

It's elevation is10,023 feet/3055 meters, and comes with 2 figures walking on a trail, neither of which is the famous Brazilian footballer Pele, aka Edson Arantes do Nascimento .

Comment by Valentine Mark Herman on May 8, 2020 at 10:17am

Deary-me Ducky Donald,

Thanks for the 2 Postcards.

1.Big Mouth

You wrote that there could be something on 'Comic Postcards'. Why not? But not in Boring Postcards (unless they are both Comic and Boring). Do go ahead and start a Comic Postcard Group, and I'll contribute.

2. Broken Water Drain Line or Pipe ??

This is Richard's possible title for it. he doeszn't know why it exists as a promotion device for a postcard publishing house --"Arena Photographic Post Crads, Posters, Calenders etc. the best equipment establishment in the US. VERY REASONABLE PRICES". I don't know either, unless there is a market for broken water drain line or pipe postcards that we all know nothing about.

Comment by Valentine Mark Herman on May 8, 2020 at 10:08am

Dear Duck Donald, well it's nice to know that you're getting worked up about something. Thanks for the postcards (see another message), and for the NASA Pioneer Plaque:

Now I will probably bore you all with the story of this (cos I included it in one of my books). There were 2 gold anodized  aluminium Plaques placed on board the 1972 Pioneer 10 (to Taurus) and 1973 Pioneer  (to Saturn) spacecrafts. The Plaques show 2 nude figures with several symbols that were designed to provide information about the origin of the spacecraft.

The Plaques were controversial; In his brilliant book 'The Art of Looking Sideways', Alan Fletcher writes:

"The figures were not shown holding hands in case it implies that they represented a single organism. After all, the ancient Greeks, unfamiliar with domesticated horses, had assumed the marauding mounted Scythians were weird beasts and called them Centaurs. Social conventions and physical attributes were also fed into the design.  A raised hand was intended to show greetings, the bent arm to infer flexibility, and opposing thumbs to indicate grasping.  The woman lacks a sex -- (Carl) Sagan (one of the 2 designers of the Plaque) suspected NASA might censor the message at the last minute. Here is mankind trying to communicate with an unknown and probably superior intelligence and some bureaucrat doesn't want them to know that women have vaginas".

Comment by Richard Canard on May 7, 2020 at 6:29pm

07.05.20 Dare Mister Val Mark H. & Ms. Katerina K., ..."You need to let the little things that would ordinarily bore you suddenly thrill you."---Warhol ???....but you see, that's been my problem all along it seems. People keep telling me:  "Richard,  you're getting all worked up over nothing!"  SinCelery,  Richard Canard

Comment by Katerina Nikoltsou (MomKat) on May 7, 2020 at 8:02am

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