Eva Ryynänen

Eva Ryynänen, June 15, 1915  - 18 October 2001) was a Finnish sculptor. She used wood as her medium. Ryynänen studied with the Finnish Academy of Fine Arts School from 1934 to 1939. The artist's debut show was in 1940. She has made more than 500 sculptures, 50 of which are overseas. Ryynänen Vuonislahti studio is located 28 kilometers from Lieksa Joensuu. The studio, Ryynänen's house and the Paateri Church are in the same compound, and now, are popular tourist attractions. Ryynänen’s husband was a farmer, Paavo Ryynänen (d. 2002). Ryynänen’s parents were Juho Åsenbrygg (Honka Lake) and Aino Å., Os Hujanen. Merja gave me this nice card which show’s the chapel and Lake Pielinen.

The studio, home, gallery-café and chapel of the wood sculptress Eva Ryynänen are situated at Paateri, in the village of Vuonisjärvi, 30 km from the town centre of Lieksa towards Joensuu.  Her biggest single project, the unique Paateri chapel, was completed in the summer of 1991. Paateri has become one of the most popular tourist attractions in Lieksa.

Sauna Accessories

The wooden accessories are beautifully handcrafted of Finnish pine and Finnish craftsmanship. A bucket and dipper are essential Sauna accessories. A dipper or two of water splashed over hot Sauna stones creates vapor, that promotes perspiration to flush the pores. It also transforms the hot dry air into a comfortable moist atmosphere. Without the use of water, the bather cannot enjoy a truly authentic Sauna experience. Since the buckets are made of natural wood, which has a tendency to expand and contract in the heat of the Sauna, heavy duty bucket liner’s are recommended in order to prevent leakage. Occasionally one uses leafy, fragrant boughs of silver birch called vihta in West Finland and vasta in East Finland to gently beat oneself. This has a relaxing effect on the muscles and also helps in calming the effects of mosquito bites. This pretty card was sent to me by Raija.

The Steamer "Island Queen"

In the 1880's, a farmer named James Parker lived a few miles east of Cincinnati, Ohio. He came to realize that his apple orchard, in a scenic spot on the riverbank, earned more money when he rented it out for church picnics and other excursions than it ever could by growing apples. So in 1886 he sold the land to a riverboat company, who opened it as "Ohio Grove, the Coney Island of the West."  An advertsing poster from that year boasted that the grounds were lighted by electricity, and proclaimed it "The Most Beautiful All-Day Summer Resort in America."  The steamboat company ran four round trips a day between Cincinnati and "Coney Island," as the park came to be known. The total price (in 1886) was 50 cents, including admission to the grounds AND round-trip steamboat transportation. Coney Island finally closed its gates in 1971, to be replaced by the more modern Kings Island amusement park the following season.

By 1905, the steamboat company had become The Coney Island Company. That year, they purchased the 12-year-old steamboat "Saint Joseph" from owners in Mississippi, had her re-fitted, and re-named her the "Island Queen." For seventeen years she ran the several daily round trips between the Cincinnati levee and Coney Island. There was entertainment on board the steamboat as well, for this is the "Island Queen" on which "Chimes - A Novelty Rag" by Homer Denney and "The Queen Rag - March and Two Step" by Floyd Willis were played on a daily basis.
As was the case with so many of the old wooden steamboats, she met her end by fire. The "Island Queen," along with the "Morning Star," the "Chris Greene," and the "Tacoma" all burned in a spectacular blaze at the Cincinnati levee in November, 1922.
This grand old boat was succeeded by a second "Island Queen," built in 1925 on a steel hull originally intended for the steamer "Louisville," which was never built. The second "Island Queen" continued in daily Coney Island service until 1947, when her fuel tanks exploded during refitting work in Pittsburgh, with the loss of nineteen lives. A near-twin to the second "Island Queen" is still afloat. Originally named the "Cincinnati," this boat was re-fitted and re-named, and made her debut as the "President" in 1934. Re-fitted once again in 1991 as a floating casino, the "President" is now moored at Davenport, Iowa. Thank you Jessica for this lovely card.

Lake Santeetlah, North Carolina

Lake Santeetlah is a town in Graham County, North Carolina, United States, six miles (10 km) north of Robbinsville and within fifteen miles (24 km) of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park on a peninsula surrounded by Lake Santeetlah—which in turn is largely surrounded by Nantahala National Forest. The town has more than two hundred residences, many of them second homes owned by permanent residents of Florida and Georgia. The town was organized in 1989 as Santeetlah; in 1999, it changed its name to Lake Santeetlah. The full-time population was 67 at the 2000 census. Thank you Fred for this nice card.

Sochi

Thank you Eleonora for this lovely card of Sochi, a city in Krasnodar Krai, Russia, situated just north of Russia's border with the de facto independent republic of Abkhazia, on the Black Sea coast. Greater Sochi sprawls for 145 kilometers (90 mi) along the shores of the Black Sea near the Caucasus Mountains. According to the preliminary results of the 2010 Census, the city had a permanent population of 343,285; up from 328,809 recorded in the 2002 Census, making it Russia's largest resort city.
Sochi will host the XXII Olympic Winter Games and XI Paralympic Winter Games in 2014, as well as the Russian Formula 1 Grand Prix from 2014 until at least 2020. It is also one of the host cities for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Sochi has a humid subtropical climate with mild winters (average +11 °C (52 °F) during the day and +4 °C (39 °F) at night in the period from December to March) and comfortable summers (average +24 °C (75 °F) during the day and +16 °C (61 °F) at night period from May to October).

Toronto

Toronto is the largest city in Canada and the provincial capital of Ontario. It is located in Southern Ontario on the northwestern shore of Lake Ontario. A relatively modern city, Toronto's history dates back to the late-18th century, when its land was first purchased by the British monarchy from the Mississaugas of the New Credit. The settlement was later established as the Town of York and proclaimed as the new capital of Upper Canada by its lieutenant governor, John Graves Simcoe. In 1834, York was incorporated as a city and renamed to its present name. The city was ransacked in the Battle of York during the War of 1812 and damaged in two great fires in 1849 and in 1904. Since its incorporation, Toronto has repeatedly expanded its borders through amalgamation with surrounding municipalities, most recently in 1998.
With over 2.6 million residents, it is the fifth most populous city in North America. Its cosmopolitan and international population reflects its role as an important destination for immigrants to Canada. Toronto is one of the world's most diverse cities by percentage of non-native-born residents, with about 49% of the population born outside Canada. 
As Canada's commercial capital and one of the world's top financial centres, Toronto is considered an alpha world city by the Globalisation and World Cities (GaWC) study group. It is home to the Toronto Stock Exchange, the world's seventh largest in terms of market value. Toronto contains more corporate headquarters than any other Canadian city, including those of Canada's five largest banks. Toronto's leading economic sectors include finance, business services, telecommunications, aerospace, transportation, media, arts, film, music, television production, publishing, software production, medical research, education, tourism, engineering, and sports industries. According to Forbes, Toronto is the tenth-most economically powerful city in the world and one of the fastest growing among the G7 nations, whilst PwC ranks the city as the world's second-best "metro powerhouse". Toronto was ranked twelfth in the world and fourth in the Americas in 2010 for economic innovation by 2thinknow. The cost of living in Toronto was ranked highest in Canada in 2011^[update]. Thank you Isabelle for this card with the wonderful aerial view of part of Toronto.

Wisely Said

Thank you Merja. I am in complete agreement with the Oracle who said this ;-))