THE PUZZLING OLYMPICS : PREMIMINARY ROUND

The preliminary round of the Olympic Puzzle Games had us assembling small puzzles up to 200 pc.  I didn't have many in stock, so I just did the puzzles I had on hand.  I had my John Deere pack from Ravensburger... aka my  "Lenten Puzzles"  and one one PuzzleBug 100 pc puzzle of a Koala.  

So far, except for the order of the Galison "Flora Heart" for the "Battle of the Youtube Puzzlers", I have stuck to my puzzle purchase freeze.  It's a bummer. This would have been a fun round to load up the puzzles.  It will get more challenging as the piece size increases to contribute more to the process.  

I figure this Koala is the last of the 100 pc PuzzleBugs I will be investing in.   The puzzles have been fun to collect, but sometimes the ones that come warped can be more frustrating than fun.  So I figure I will put my next $1.50  I spend at the Dollar Tree towards a 350 or 500 pc puzzle.  

I did a tribute video of all my 100 pc Puzzle Bug puzzles. 

For this round of puzzling, there were only two process photos needed for posting.  So after doing a border picture of each puzzle, I tried some creativity for my second picture.  These are those pictures.  

 

ARE THESE CATS WORTH COMPLETION?

May 22, 2023

Here's the story.   

I entered a bunch of photographs into the Round Hill Bench Show about four to five years ago.  I won something... maybe most points for my pictures. Anyway... one of my prizes was this 2000 pc Sure-Lok puzzle entitled "Leopards at Rest"  Photographer Michael Jackson.  (and no, I don't think it was Latoya and Jermaine's brother).  

This puzzle got set up at my Mom's place and for the last few years has been a work in progress.  Mom did most of the work.  After a while most of what was left was dark pieces.  The puzzle grew dust with one or two pieces finding a home every other month or so.    I told Mom that I would take it home and either finish it or do something creative with it.  

Today, I sorted out the remaining pieces as close to I could by shape.  They are all two pronged pieces, but the piece shapes vary, so I did what I could to to separate them.  I don't know if finishing it will give me a lot of joy in the process.  Maybe more boredom than joy.  But if I do see it to completion... I will find a moment of happiness and satisfaction. 

Aside from the cats, it is a boring puzzle that I would never have spent money on.  Maybe that is why it ended up at the Bench show as a prize.  Someone else didn't want to do it.  I don't blame them.  I admire my mother for what she was able to get done on it.  Will I get it done?  Time will only tell.  I want to preserve my Mom's efforts.  That is what is the most valuable for me in this puzzle.  So I either finish assembling the pieces or I will pick up some black poster board for a backing and finish it that way.   

Wish me luck! 

September 7, 2023... 

I went with the poster board option.  I did some creative gluing and it doesn't look that bad.  My Mom did so much work on those cats, I didn't want to just toss the puzzle.  So I did with this one what I did with the Atlas puzzle.  

I don't know what I will do with this puzzle.  I wonder if I frame it if my mother wants to look at it again.  All I know is that it has taught me what never to look for in a 2000 pc puzzle again!   

THE PUZZLING OLYMPICS: OPENING CEREMONIES: STATUE OF LIBERTY, NYC

 

Statue of Liberty at Sunset and New York City Skyline

Okay... I tried one more photo for the Opening Ceremonies, hoping to redeem myself with the Puzzle Police, but I still got an message that it wasn't quite perfect.  I posted one too many process photos and I put the whole title of the puzzle in the description and it was too long.  I still didn't do it right and I was still asked to read the rules, which I did.  They seem to be adding more rules. Or maybe more emphasis on existing rules.  Sounds like the story of the Pharisees of Jesus' day.  They had rules, and they had to add more details around the rules.  Was I using up to much data storage to have one extra process photo?  The name of the puzzle was long... I already shortened New York City to NYC and it wasn't short enough.  I am getting frustrated with this and wondering if it is worth it.  

Here are my process pictures.  And if I'm not done venting, I might add some more verbal exhaust between the photos.  

This puzzle is a dollar fifty purchase from Dollar Tree.  Puzzlebug is the Brand manufactured by Cra-Z-Art.  I already stressed out trying to figure out what brand I use in the description.  I went with Puzzlebug, even through the manufacturer is Cra-Z-Art.  It was a bigger name on the box.  500 pieces.  I got that right! 

Since this was an American themed puzzle (made in China)... I wanted to use American coins for the process photos.  I could only find one, so I used a coin from India as it's companion.  I almost followed suit with the other pictures, but one of them has a Canadian nickel, but at least the rules don't indicate that I need specific coins.  So there was some flexibility allowed there.

Russell of "Puzzling in 2 Worlds" is doing a 32,000 piece puzzle of the New York Skyline.  Ouch!  I told him he was brave.  This 500 piecer is my favourite of my NYC puzzles.  I only did one other one, and it lacked colour.  Russell's puzzle lacks colour too.  I don't dream of big puzzles that have lots of colour, never mind those that aren't that colourful. He is extremely brave for taking this project on.  

This was the shot that I had to delete off of Facebook as I had too many process photos for the piece count of the puzzle.  I am not quitting.  Now my goal is to make it through a post without the Puzzle Police reminding me that I need to read the rules.  The next one will be a challenge. I am doing a puzzle pack.  I wonder how I can screw that up.  I will do my best!  

One more observance... I remembered to include the box picture this time.  I hope the Puzzle Police are proud of me for that much.  

THE PUZZLING OLYMPICS: OPENING CEREMONIES: CANADA FLAG

 

I signed up for an online puzzling event called the 2023 Summer Olympic Puzzling Games. It is supposed to be about community connection more than competition, but there are rules to abide by.  

There are varied events over the next two and a half months all with different puzzle categories mostly regarding piece count.  

The first event is called Opening Ceremonies.  There are ten days to complete any piece count of a puzzle with an Olympic theme.  So a sporting event, a country specific puzzle or a flag.  The only puzzle I had in stock was this Buffalo Games 1000 pc mosaic puzzle of the Canada flag.  

I got this puzzle from my mother. She had assembled it once (although she can't remember when). When she gave the puzzle to me it still had some chunks together. I didn't want to disassemble her handiwork, because that is more important to me than an online puzzle event. Since this was the only puzzle I had in stock that fit the criteria for the Opening Games... I decided to assemble it. Since the piece count isn't limited... I figured I could say that this originally was a 1000 pc puzzle, but I can submit it as a 484 pc puzzle, because after counting the pieces... that is how many I had to work with.

 I value authenticity... so that is why I am sharing this story. If the powers at be allow me to continue... all the puzzles going forward will be all unassembled. If this doesn't work, I will still follow along with the games and post my puzzles here on my puzzle blog. For me puzzling is not about rules and awards, it is about community and fun. I'm not sacrificing the latter for the former. 

Here are the process pictures.  The competition requires a few process pictures with a code word and secret item so they can see that the contestants are doing the puzzle during the competition.  

This was an insane puzzle and I am glad I had help from Mom or whoever put the puzzle together the first time.  Mom doesn't remember putting it together.  Even if I am in error by crediting her with the first assembly, I will chose to believe that it was her.  That is more valuable to me than any other story.  (Oh yeah... this sounds familiar).