Thanks to my dog mom Helen who has passed me the keyboard to be here today. It is hard to believe America is 250 years young and I’m ten years young! 

Earlier today I’m told our neighborhood had about 50 golf carts participate in a Fourth of July parade, and there were some dogs among the riders! I have been off at camp all day taking advantage of it being pool day (outside above ground pool) with some of my other fur friends. 

I have heard my dog mom Helen talk about remembering America’s 200th Bicentennial right after graduating from high school in 1976. The year had a lot of colonial costumes. There were fireworks over the Statue of Liberty televised and tall ships sailing up the Hudson River. 

You may also enjoy: July 4, 2020, Bicentennial First Day of Issue 1976 cachet covers 

And you may also enjoy this post from ten years ago, I was about 3 months old then, from July 4, 2016, Helen writes about the 4th of July 2000.

Wishing you and your family a joyous 4th of July 2026! Here’s to a great month of July.

Pawfully yours,

Cooper
Age 10

Anchors Aweigh!

P.S. In Case You Missed It (ICYMI) This is to sign up for Happy You Are Here Snail Mail Subscriber, it’s free, for occasional snail mails Helen sends out.

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First, in the current USPS Postal Bulletin 22705 (6-25-2026) there are five pictorial postmarks with the July 4th date.

Secondly, each of them would be individually requested.  

And thirdly, if you’re new to my blog—or it’s simply been a while—the link above explains how to request one of these USPS pictorial postmarks. The cancellation is applied to your stamped envelope, and the process is easier than you might think.

If you’ve never requested one before, America’s 250th anniversary is a fantastic opportunity to make this your very first pictorial postmark—surely one to remember!

Patriotic July 4, 2026 Pictorial Postmarks Available

Additionally, there are four with July 3rd date.

That’s all for now. In the meantime, I hope this finds you well!  I’ll be back here posting on July 4, 2026 to celebrate America’s 250th!

Anchors Aweigh,

Thanks & Attribution to: USPS Postal Bulletin, images and link above.

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With the upcoming semiquincentennial on July 4, 2026, I find myself remembering my senior year of high school, when we celebrated America’s Bicentennial in 1976. It is hard to believe that 50 years have passed.

I was delighted to see that the collection includes a pane of 13 stamps curated by Ralph Lauren, currently available for pre-order (SKU 582404) through the USPS Postal Store.

Among their offerings, I especially love the American Icons Oversized Postcards, Set of 13, SKU 582466.

As I was browsing the American Icons products, I also noticed the U.S. Flag stamp 1776-2026 included in the collection.

At first glance, I thought it was the same design as the new U.S. Flag 2026 Stamp (SKU 130104), which is also available for pre-order and scheduled for release on June 9. After a closer look, I realized they are separate stamp issues, though similar enough that I initially did a double take.

And on a personal note —

One of the things I have always valued about AnchoredScraps is continuity. Since 2015, this little corner of the internet has quietly chronicled letters written, postcards mailed, travels taken, and memories preserved.

April 2026 marked the first month without a post. COVID arrived in our household and, for a short time, daily life required my attention elsewhere. The pause was unplanned, but perhaps it is also part of the story.

The important thing is that the anchor remains, and I am happy to be writing again.

I hope this finds you well. Thank you for continuing to be on this journey with me. See you back here soon!

Anchors Aweigh,

Thanks & Attribution to: USPS Postal Store and USPS.com, links above.

The post American Icons Commemorative Forever Stamps Celebrating America’s 250th anniversary will be released on June 9, 2026! appeared first on AnchoredScraps.com.

     

It is fun writing in my Costa Rica Banana Paper Notebook! I was not aware that paper could be made from the banana fibers!

What was especially meaningful to me was finding this beautiful stationery on the very day this blog celebrated its 11th anniversary. 

While in port at Limón, Costa Rica, I was able to explore the market. The person at the booth, which I truly enjoyed visiting, shared that his Mom had made the banana paper and bound it into a spiral notebook — the perfect travel size. Given this was at an independent booth, I was not looking for any official “certification” saying it’s made from banana byproducts. Additionally, I loved its uniqueness and the story he told with it! The concept of banana paper is eco-friendly and sustainable. 

Lastly, here are some postcards I picked up there, too.

Writing about this discovery of the banana paper stationery feels especially serendipitous, and blogging about it brings back a fond travel memory for me.

It is a joy to be back from our trip and to be posting this blog from my home office. I hope 2026 has been good to you as we now head into the 2nd Quarter 2026.  In the meantime, here’s to a great month ahead for us in April!  See you back here soon!  

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One of my dreams has been to visit the Panama Canal and yesterday was fantastic getting to visit while our cruise ship was in port!

One of the highlights was riding the train, since 1855, and the route included taking us from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific ocean, with us then resuming taking the tour bus on the trip and returning to Colon.

I will have more in my next post, but for now, I wanted to share how wonderful it was to get to include this in the trip, and that the weather cooperated.

Here’s to hoping this finds you well and enjoying the new year. It is hard to believe that tomorrow marks the beginning of March!

Thank you for continuing to be on this blog journey with me as we head into another year celebrating letter writing. See you back here next month! In the meantime, cheering for you!

Anchors Aweigh,

Helen

Blogpost #2258

P.S. March 31, 2026: I have updated the formatting of this post with font size and photos enlarged now that I am back home – the above post was written and posted from our cruise ship on February 28, 2026.

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