Kelly, a regular reader, often posts photos of puzzles she completed, along with great book reviews. When I commented about a puzzle I was enjoying, she challenged me to post photos! Generally, at my house, the puzzle table comes out around Thanksgiving. We put away by Easter. These are the puzzles completed so far this season, all of them are 1000 pieces.
I have been on vacation, taking my last week of time off from 2024 this week. That’s why there were no sermons on Sunday.

This puzzle was done over Thanksgiving weekend. I love the Northwoods and this cabin on a lake with a full moon and what seems to be northern lights feels like a place I could hang around for a while.

I love trains and especially like the beauty of these Shay locomotives. But this puzzle was the most difficult one this season. A 1000 pieces with about 800 of them being black!

This puzzle was perhaps the easiest of the puzzles. Colorful and cheerful, it almost makes you want to camp out for the holidays in a travel trailer. However, in reality life, it’d probably be a good way to freeze yourself. This December, two friends and I helped close in the underpinnings of a travel trailer in which a handicap woman is living. She refused to go to another setting and I can’t image living there when we had temperatures well below freezing with high winds.

This was a Christmas gift from my daughter. I always love National Park puzzles. I counted and have visited 30 of these parks. Several I’ve hiked through including the Great Smoky Mountains, the Shenandoah Mountains, Isle Royale, Yosemite, Sequoia, and Kings Canyon. I should write more about those hikes. I did publish a blog post of an incredible trip with my father and sister to the Dry Tortuga’s in 2018.

A neighbor lent us this Monet puzzle and it was most enjoyable to put together his masterpieces. In 1990, I was able to see a large Monet exhibit of his serial waterlily paintings as the Chicago Museum of Art. In 2020, I had planned on seeing another large Monet exhibit in Boston (along with a game at Fenway Park), but COVID caused us to cancel that trip. I love his use of light in his paintings.
Puzzles are wonderful, especially when having friends or family over and we share pieces down and converse, sometimes we find new solutions to save the world as well! Such a need at the moment, and unfortunately all of the posters were taken down. Brutal as it feels, yet reaching for the good that remains.
I followed your link that you left on my Substack, and guess what? I can comment!
Great to see you back here, Lee!
The National Parks puzzle looks like a fun one. Thanks for sharing, Jeff.
It was fun, but it also reminded me that there are a lot of parks I need to visit!
I have sensed a growing interest in puzzles in recent years. Our child and their dorm mates are avid puzzlers. My wife has coworkers who puzzle competitively. Notice, it has become a verb.
It’s never been my thing, though I enjoy watching others and certainly appreciate the finished product.
I find puzzles relaxing as it causes me to put all other concerns aside! The Monet puzzle also gave me time to reflect on his use of light.
That’s a good selection of puzzles.
It seems many folk enjoy doing them during the winter months.
All the best Jan
Winter is the best time for a puzzle, but the first “large puzzles I remember were done during summer in a beach house, where you can’t spent all day in the hot sun.
Nice variety. I especially like the Christmas one.
Only puzzles I do these days are 48- or 100-piece ones with the kids.
I’ve done plenty of them, but thankfully, my daughter was done with those puzzles by the time she started school. Today, as an adult, she is amazing at finding the hard pieces of a puzzle.
Also have not worked a puzzle in a very long time other than the ones I do with my grandchildren, which are more my speed! But these are beautiful, and might have to challenge myself to do one.
As your grandchildren age, you can do a larger puzzle. It was my grandmother at beach houses who introduced me to large puzzles.
My daughter loves puzzles. Not my thing (I hope she doesn’t read this) but when I visit, we always work on one. If you’re so inspired, there are online sites you can upload your favorite picture (maybe your congregation) and turn it into a puzzle.
That’s an interesting idea (and I could lose a few pieces?)
I like all of these and I’m not sure which one I think would be the most fun to work. My SIL and youngest grandson are also train enthusiasts and would love that puzzle, but it sure looks difficult. So many dark pieces!
Thanks for the link AND for posting your puzzles! I like seeing what puzzles others do.
I meant to comment that I was glad to see Hot Springs National Park represented!
That’s one park I’ve not yet visited.
The train puzzle was the hardest of these! Although the Monet puzzle had its challenges.
Those puzzles are so nice! I haven’t done a puzzle in years.
Around here, it’s a favorite activity in winter.