Earthscapes, USA

well, after a month, here I am again in the Sunday stamps...i really dont want to take any responsibility of converting coffee-addicts into tea-drinkers so it was about time to choose something nice for Viridian's theme today.....I wonder if someone else will pick this US "Earthscapes" issue as well...but well to me, this was like the most suitable thing for today, and these are really a number of lovely stamps in one place (yeah, this is actually the whole set of the issue :)) Lovely, no?

The U.S. Postal Service decided to celebrate the beauty and diversity of America's landscapes as seen from above thus issued these 15 stamps in 3 rows of 5, showing 3 categories of earthscapes: natural, agricultural, and urban. The photographs were all created high above the planet's surface, either snapped by satellites orbiting the earth or by photographers in aircraft. The beautiful “earth art” images were chosen to showcase designs or patterns and geographic diversity so viewers can see the world in a new way and contemplate a much bigger picture.

the first row is the so-called 'natural' row, where we can see America's stunning wilderness.
-the first stamp shows the Bear glacier in Alaska where ice breaks from its foot and becomes icebergs in a lake.
-Next is the volcanic eruption on Mount St. Helens and the scars it left on the Washington State more than 30 years ago.
-Next to it is the stamp featuring the Grand Prismatic spring in Yellowstone National Park,where water temperatures reach near 190 degrees F-too hot to support most life-but along the edges of the pool, bacteria and algae can thrive (which accounts for the vibrant color!)
- on the fourth stamp we can see fog drifting over the timeless sandstone towers of Utah's Monument Valley
- the last stamp in this row shows the rich tidal marsh forming a haven for fox squirrels and bald eagles and a stopping-off point for ducks and geese migrating along the Atlantic Flyway. If im not mistaken, this should be in the state of Maryland, where more than 250,000 acres of marshland be found.

the second row is the 'agricultural' row - these stamps may look like abstract art, but they show 5 products being gathered, grown, or harvested.
- On the first stamp we can see a salt evaporation pond where salt is evaporated from sea water. As natural evaporation occurs, salinity levels increase and the concentrations of algae and other microorganisms in the water change, causing the ponds to take on vivid colors. This pond is supposed to be near San Francisco.
- the second stamp shows the log islands in Idaho, where we can see an older method of transporting timber. These "islands" of wood are traveling by water toward a mill.
- the third stamp shows a center-pivot sprinkler systems at work. Red circles indicate healthy, irrigated crops; lighter circles represent harvested crops. You can find this irrigation in the state of Kansas.
- next we have a cherry orchard in the Door County in Kansas, where cherries are known to be red and tart.
- and the last stamp in this row shows a vibrant red image of a cranberry bog during the fall harvest in the state of Massachusetts.

and we come to the last row, dedicated to urban images.
- the first stamp shows a residential neighborhood in Clark County, Nevada.
- next to it we have two towboats "wrangle" barges in the Old River barge fleeting area near the Houston Ship Channel in Texas.
- the third stamp shows the railroad roundhouse at the Steamtown National Historic Site in Scranton, PA.
- on the fourth stamp you can see a close-up shot of a high-rise apartment complex (a common site in many densely populated areas) which offers a view of vertical living. This should be located in Manhattan, NYC.
- and the last stamp of this issue shows a highway interchange where Interstate Highways 95 and 395 converge.

well, sorry for the exhaustive longish post but i thought it would be nice to give attention to each stamp in particular since they all show something specific and interesting :)

for more Earth images, click on the button below...and have a great day!