Gayle Brennan Spencer – sending random thoughts to and from South Austin
At right: Arbor Day first-day cover illustrating the immensity of the landmark Montezuma cypress tree in Santa Maria de Tule, six miles outside of Oaxaca, in the collection of Museo del Filatelia de Oaxaca
Having cast my ballot, I need a break from the news to reflect on anything but the election. So I’m offering both you and me a pictorial distraction from a trip earlier this year to Oaxaca.
Continue reading “Postcard from Oaxaca, Mexico: Reflections of vivid colors and fluttering flags”
“Vocho Mufi,” 1993 Volkswagen Beetle covered with postage stamps, 1999
I know, I know. Visiting a stamp museum seems about the nerdiest, most boring thing to do, but exhibits at the Museo de Filatelia de Oaxaca are truly interesting. The museum doesn’t simply display stamps, it exhibits postage art. And there are a surprising number of imaginative artists who work in this medium, naturally including postcards sometimes.
Take the Volkswagen Beetle above. Not withstanding that all vintage Beetles are cool to begin with, weaving a complex design based on the distinctive needlework of regions of the state of Oaxaca found in the collection of Museo Textil de Oaxaca into this collage of 50,000 stamps stuck on a Bug? That’s pretty impressive and should certainly be enough postage to mail a Beetle almost anywhere.
Continue reading “Postcard from Oaxaca, Mexico: How many stamps does it take to mail a Beetle?”
Postcards from Barton Springs 