The Postcard Project

I may be crazy for starting another project, but this one is right up my alley.

On my first day of volunteering at the Food For Thought (FFT) Antique Store last week, I found all these vintage postcards (that need organizing, of course!). In looking through them, I found a number sent from Cape Cod in the 60's.

This one in particular had a great little correspondence on the back, and it was such a fun jumping off point for a short story (or novel, what the heck!). It's July of 1966, and Karen was working as a "mother's helper" for a doctor, his wife and their four children, two boys and two girls, ranging in age from 2-14, at the family's summer cottage in Dennis, MA.

Anyway, since she mentioned the family name and cottage address,  (I've blurred it out) on the card, I thought I'd do a little internet sleuthing to see if I could find someone in the original family. It was such a uncommon name that I found numerous hits right away. And, long story short, I am in contact with the boy who was 11 that summer, now a man of about 59, I guess. We'll be chatting later this week. His dad, the doctor is still around at age 90. (Hmmm, does this sound like a family we all know?)

I'm looking forward to where this takes me. It could be as simple as picking out a new card each week and writing a short story, finishing before my next shift the following week. Or maybe a fun project of looking up a card each week to see if I can contact anyone who has written a card or who is mentioned? A "where are they now" for 50 years later? We'll see!

 Oh, and a postcard stamp was only 4 cents! I wonder how much Karen made that summer? What are some things you would like to know? I'll get to ask John this week. (He said his dad would be thrilled to hear about this.)