“I miss you… I love you… I’m having a great time.”

In this episode of Postmarked & Tipsy, we read a 1939 postcard that feels… contradictory.

The sender writes home to his family: “I miss you… I love you… I can’t wait to get away… I am having a great time.”

Wait—what?

✈️ Aviation… Without the Family

The writer describes flying in a cabin monoplane—a rare and thrilling experience at the time.

But instead of sharing it with his family, he’s:

• Traveling alone

• Having the time of his life

• And sending mixed messages back home

🪨 The Image: A Giant Rock Not the airplane. Not the experience. Just… a rock.

Which makes everything even stranger. 🍊

Tavern Drink: Blood Orange Margarita (Mocktail)

This episode features a blood orange margarita-style mocktail:

• Bright citrus flavor

• Non-alcoholic tequila

• Light, refreshing, and summery

A surprisingly perfect match for a story that can’t quite decide what it is.

🧺 Cold Read: The Basket Mystery And then…

Things get chaotic.

A second postcard introduces:

• A basket

• Something someone really wants

• And a confusing trail across Colorado → Kansas → back to Colorado

Which leads to the obvious question:

👉 What’s in the basket?

🧠 Also in This Episode:

• Civil War ancestor stories (and a rum-related death 👀)

• Debates about early aviation

• Airport chaos and travel anxiety

• And a lot of “does he ever go home?” energy

❓ Final Thought Does he miss them?

Or is he just saying what he’s supposed to say?

Because as always— we have questions.

“Wouldn’t it be nicer… just family?”

In this episode of Postmarked & Tipsy, a seemingly polite postcard reveals something much sharper underneath.

Sent in 1940, the message responds to a bridge party invitation:
“I’d love to meet your friends… but wouldn’t it be nicer? Just family.”
Oof.

🎭 Polite… But Not Really

On the surface:
• Warm
• Considerate
• Flexible

But underneath?
👉 A clear preference
👉 A subtle push
👉 And possibly… a guilt trip

🃏 Social Strategy or Passive Aggression?

This isn’t just a reply.

It’s a move.
• Don’t change your plans…
• But maybe you should
• Because “just family” would be better

The question is:
👉 Is this honesty?
👉 Or social maneuvering?

💙 Tavern Drink: Pier One Blue Vodka Dream
Inspired by Cleveland and Lake Erie, this drink is:
• Bright blue
• Citrus-forward
• Surprisingly balanced

A beautiful drink… for a slightly uncomfortable situation.

🏫 Cold Read: Boarding School Life?
The cold read shifts tone again:
• Early mornings
• Structured schedules
• A hint of exhaustion

Possibly:
• Boarding school
• Or early college life

And just enough detail to leave us wondering.

🧠 Also in This Episode:
• What is a bridge party, really?
• Banter about editing vs leaving it all in
• A reminder to drink responsibly (and real talk about addiction resources)

❓ Final Thought
Was this kindness?
Or control?

Because sometimes the most polite messages…
Say the most.

“We’re on our way… but we don’t know where we’re going.”

In this episode of Postmarked & Tipsy, we explore a 1943 postcard from Carlsbad Caverns, New Mexico—and it might be one of the most unsettling yet.

The message is short, but loaded:
“The car is packed clear up to the ceiling… we don’t expect to be there long… we don’t know where we’ll go from there.”

That’s not a vacation.
That’s a departure.

🚗 Glen and Elsie: Leaving Everything Behind
From what we can tell:
• They packed everything they owned
• They were heading to Salt Lake City
• And they had no plan beyond that

Which raises immediate questions:
👉 Why leave so suddenly?
👉 Why take everything?
👉 Why not know where you’re going?

It feels less like travel…
And more like escape.

🏜️ The Setting: Carlsbad Caverns
The postcard image shows flowing limestone formations—described as “fabric carved from stone.”

A frozen, beautiful moment…
In contrast to what feels like a very uncertain journey.

🍹 Tavern Drink: Chimayó Cocktail
To match the New Mexico setting, this episode features a Chimayó cocktail:
• Tequila
• Apple cider
• Lemon juice
• Crème de cassis
Tart, refreshing, and just a little unexpected.

🚂 Cold Read: Travel Chaos Continues
The cold read adds another layer:
• A fragmented message about train travel
• Coffee, sandwiches, and not-so-great meals
• And possibly… multiple postcards sent in sequence

Which raises a different kind of question:
👉 Were people documenting their journeys in real time?
👉 And how many postcards did it take to tell one story?

❓ Final Thought
Two people.
A packed car.
No clear destination.
Did they make it?

Because as always—
we have questions.

In Episode 3 of Postmarked & Tipsy, we pulled a Yellowstone postcard during our cold read.

It seemed simple.

But once we started looking closer, the details didn’t add up.

In this “Story Behind the Story” deep dive, we follow a postcard that somehow connects:

• Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming)
• Soap Lake, Washington
• Blackwell, Oklahoma
• and a location we still can’t identify

Along the way, we found:
• a town known for mineral-rich healing water
• a roadside lava lamp
• a surprisingly honest tourist attraction
• and a house that looks like it belongs in a Scooby Doo episode

We’re still not sure:
Was this a normal travel route?
Did we misread the message?
Or did this postcard take a very strange path?

Listen to Episode 3 for the original postcard

Because sometimes the story isn’t the postcard…
it’s where it went. 

We originally recorded this as a Patreon-only deep dive…

but we decided to share it.

This is the real history behind the Warm Friend Tavern postcard from Episode 1 — and it goes way beyond what we could fit into the episode.

• a six-story hotel in the 1920s
• Hollywood visitors
• Prohibition-era changes
• and a 1932 bank robbery that turned into a downtown shootout

Yes — the bullet holes are still there.

Listen to Episode 1 for the original postcard story.

In Episode 2 of Postmarked & Tipsy, we featured a postcard sent from the summit of Mount Washington in 1947.

At first, it seemed simple.

But once we started researching the address, the sender, and a second label on the card, things got confusing very quickly.

In this “Story Behind the Story” episode, we go deeper into:

• a town in Iowa that may not exist
• a second address in New Hampshire
• a possible redirected postcard
• and the question of whether this message ever reached its intended recipient

We may have gone down a few research rabbit holes… and we’re still not sure we have the answer.

Listen to Episode 2 for the full postcard discussion

Because sometimes the mystery isn’t what the postcard says…it’s where the postcard went. 

“Crossed the lake last night… moonlight and everything.”

In this episode of Postmarked & Tipsy, we read a 1939 postcard from the Warm Friend Tavern in Holland, Michigan—and what looks like a simple travel note quickly opens the door to something much bigger.

The message itself is short:
A quiet update about crossing the lake, a beautiful night, and plans to head through Chicago.

But the building in the image?
That’s where things get interesting.

🏨 The Warm Friend Tavern
Originally built in the 1920s as a major hotel in Holland, Michigan, the Warm Friend wasn’t just a place to stay—it was a social hub:
• Banquet halls
• A Dutch-themed grill room
• Visitors from across the country… and even Hollywood

And just steps away?
👉 The site of a Depression-era bank robbery and gunfight

🔫 Hidden History
What the postcard doesn’t say:
• A Chicago gangster and his crew robbed a nearby bank
• A shootout broke out in broad daylight
• Bullet holes are still visible in the building today

None of that made it onto the postcard.
But it’s part of the story.

🍸 Tavern Drink: Sidecar
To match the era, this episode features a classic Sidecar:
• Cognac
• Orange liqueur
• Lemon juice
Sharp, citrusy, and very 1930s.

❓ Final Thought
A simple message.
A beautiful night.
And a building with a history no one mentioned.

Because as always—
we have questions.

“We’re so sorry we didn’t see you Sunday…”

In this episode of Postmarked & Tipsy, we read a postcard that might be one of the most passive-aggressive apologies ever sent.

The situation:
👉 Someone skipped Easter with their mother
👉 And chose to explain it… by postcard

🌲 The Excuse
Instead of visiting family, they went to:
• Cathedral of the Pines
• A scenic, peaceful location
• On Easter morning

And then wrote:
It was very lovely… but cold.

☎️ A Simple Question
Why not:
• Call?
• Visit later?
• Explain in person?

Instead…
👉 A postcard.

🍫 Tavern Drink: Cadbury Mini Egg Martini
Because it’s Easter—and priorities matter:
• Sweet
• Dessert-inspired
• Slightly chaotic

🧠 Also in This Episode:
• Family dynamics and expectations
• Inheritance jokes (did she lose it??)
• Real-life location deep dives

❓ Final Thought
A missed holiday.
A delayed apology.
And a message that raises more questions than it answers.

As always, we have questions.

“I collect postcards, hankies… and pen pals.”

In this episode of Postmarked & Tipsy, a postcard from the summit of Mount Washington turns into something that feels less like a travel update…
And more like a personal ad.

Sent in 1947, the message lists hobbies, interests, and a curious invitation:
What are your hobbies? Do you like scenes?

🌲 A Message That Feels… Off
The sender:
• Collects everything (postcards, coins, hankies, pen pals)
• Talks about cutting winter wood
• Asks personal questions… on a postcard anyone could read

Which raises the question:
👉 Who was this meant for?

🍁 Tavern Drink: Maple Mead
Inspired by New England, this episode features maple mead from Sap House Meadery:
• Maple syrup
• Wildflower honey
• Rich, sweet, and deeply regional

🏨 Cold Read: The “Fireproof” Hotel
A second postcard introduces:
• A luxury hotel in Minnesota
• A bold claim: fireproof construction

Which immediately raises another question:
👉 Is anything actually fireproof?

🧠 Also in This Episode:
• Bunkhouse horror stories (including an unexpected encounter 👀)
• Solo travel chaos
• The social awkwardness of being alone in public

❓ Final Thought
A postcard that reads like a profile…
A hotel that claims to be fireproof…
And a sender who might have been looking for more than a reply

We have questions...