The Montreal Botanical Garden

It's been a really slow month for mail. I got this back from the Rosemont post office in Montreal. I've been mailing more circuits out through post offices in Montreal lately because they have a better selection of postmarks. Like this one. It's in the shape of a rose and it depicts the Montreal Botanical Garden which is located in the Montreal borough of Rosemont–La Petite-Patrie. You can read about the postmark design here.

Sights of Germany in 2026

The 2026 stamp pair, postmarked in Weiden in der Oberpfalz, are from an annual "Sights of Germany" series. The stamp on the left shows the Lüneburg Heath in Lower Saxony, showing purple heather in bloom. And the stamp on the right shows the 701 year old Merchants' Bridge in Erfurt. 

Route 66 FDC, USA

The two stamps in the top corner of this cover are from a set of eight issued by USPS in 2026 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of Route 66. The stamp on the right is the Beverly Hills City Hall and on the left, a motel sign in the desert in Yuca, Arizona. Route 66 was a stretch of highway that ran just under 4,000 km from Chicago, Illinois, southwest to Texas and then west to Santa Monica, California. It crossed 8 states and was nicknamed "The Mother Road". It symbolized the American road trip. In 1985 it was decommissioned and replaced by the Interstate system that criss-crosses the US today. Parts of it were turned into other highways and roads, and some sections were completely abandoned.

Native Alpine Flora from Christchurch, New Zealand

From a 2019 set of six stamps showcasing the native alpine flora of New Zealand, the pair of stamps on this cover depict the Moss-dwelling forget-me-not (Myosotis bryonoma) on the left and the Mt Cook lily (Ranunculus lyallii) on the right. I think these are beautiful stamps. And the Christchurch postmark was perfectly applied. 

Sydney 2000 Paralympic Games

On this cover from Amidale, Australia, are stamp issued in 2000 to commemorate the 2000 Paralympic Games held in Sydney, Australia. Across the top are a set of five Paralympic Games stamps next to an international rate stamp commemorating the hand-off of the games to Athens, Greece. And below those are another pair of Sydney Paralympic Games 2000 stamps depicting the game's logo and torch relay.