Friday, October 1, 2021

Puzzles and More


Do you have a favorite way to relax, an activity that you can lose yourself in for hours?
For me that relaxing activity is putting together jigsaw puzzles.

The Springbok Cats ~ 1000 pieces
(And when I was finished, 2 of the 1,000 pieces were missing! ~ Argh!)
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved













I've been assembling jigsaw puzzles since I was a small child.
My mother Sara MacBeath, her mother Ella MacDonald, 
and her grandmother Sara Cossaboom all did jigsaw puzzles.
That love for puzzles was passed on to my brother, three sisters, and me.

Jigsaw puzzles made countless rainy summer days or snowy winter nights
fly by when we were growing up.
To this day, we all love to tackle jigsaw puzzles,
although the pastime is easier for those of us who don't have cats.

We, in turn, have passed the love of jigsaw puzzles on to the next generation,
and my four-year-old-great-niece Ella is now putting puzzles together.

Ella with Homegrown Strawberries
Photo by Her Mother Jeannie









My brother Roy and I are probably the most addicted to the jigsaw habit.
We send each other pictures of our current puzzles and our progress.
We exchange used puzzles, the harder, the better.
And we love sitting down with a puzzle and working it together.

The Ravensburger Krypt Silver 654 ~ 500 pieces 
It's considered one of the most difficult of jigsaw puzzles,
and is a puzzle Roy did during the pandemic.
I sure hope he doesn't pass this on to me!
Photo by Roy MacBeath








Roy and I have similar tastes in puzzles:  nature scenes and animals.
Roy especially likes cats, and I especially like rocks.
Give me horses and rocks, and I am thrilled!

The Master Pieces Running the Sacred Cliffs ~ 1000 pieces
(I'm not going to be missing a piece again!)
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved


We both have permanent puzzle tables, mimicking our Great Grandmother Sara.
She had a custom puzzle board that she could lay across the arms of her favorite chair
when she settled in to work on a jigsaw puzzle in front of her wood stove.


Our Great Grandmother Sara Cossaboom
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved



From the beginning of my teaching career, I had jigsaw puzzles in my classroom.
I thought assembling jigsaw puzzles was a valuable activity as students worked
on pattern recognition, sorting and categorizing, spatial thinking, and fine motor control,
and they learned a whole lot about cooperation and sharing.
I was always hunting for great jigsaw puzzles
that connected to different areas of our curriculum.
Because puzzles are engrossing, they increased my students' focus and concentration,
and because they were relaxing, they calmed my students down. 
Best of all they were fun!


Perfect for a Lesson Plan!



Roy recently completed his first 3,000-piece puzzle.
He's an engineer, so he approaches the process methodically,
completing the border first and laying out his puzzle pieces precisely.

The Engineer's Puzzle Table and Puzzle
The Ravensburger Flowery Mountains ~ 3,000 pieces 
Photo by Roy MacBeath



Not to be outdone, I began my first 3,000-piece puzzle.
I didn't have much choice.
It was the only undone puzzle in my collection, 
a doozie that my nephew Kevin gave me some Christmases ago.
Unlike Roy, I jump in wherever I can, sorting pieces into mugs and tubs.
I had to add another leaf to my puzzle table and pile my mugs and tubs on a nearby counter.
But I'm off and running!

The Ravensburger World Map 1665 ~ 3,000 pieces
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved







 
Small Beginnings
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved






A Little Progress
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved








If I'm lucky, I can work on my jigsaw puzzle twenty minutes or so late in the evening.
Some nights, I'm not lucky.  I get sucked into puzzle quicksand.
Just one more piece.  Just one more piece.








Still Friends and Competitors
Roy and Me, Circa 1954
Smith's Cove, Nova Scotia, Canada
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved









I missed posting last Friday.
I was painting and juggling appointments last week.
I've been dealing with worsening double vision,
and I really don't like seeing four-eyed people ~ LOL!
So more appointments and tests next week.  Oh joy!
I'm not worried ~ I likely have eye muscles that are not working together.

My friend Rain's Thursday Art Date theme last week was sculpture,
the branch of the visual arts that operates in three dimensions.  Google
Well, I was definitely working in three dimensions last week!
I scoured, primed, and painted our seventeen-year-old cement porch floor and steps.
I've never done anything like this,
and to me the final results were a 3-D work of art!

Scoured


Partially Primed



Painted
September 22, 2021
Aurora, Colorado, USA
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved



I had selected a lot of sculptures for last week, 
but I couldn't put the post together,
so I'll share my favorite, Makua and Kila.

Makua and Kila
March 4, 2016
Waikiki Boardwalk by Kuhio Beach, Honolulu, USA
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved



This life-sized bronze statue of a boy and a seal surfing on the North Shore 
was sculpted by Kauai artist Holly Young.
Fred Van Dyke's book Two Surf Stories for Children inspired Young.
His story about the young surfer Makua who befriends the Hawaiian monk seal Kila 
captures the Hawaiian value of ohana, love and respect for family.
I never fail to visit Makua and Kila whenever I'm on the boardwalk.

Makua and Kila
March 4, 2016
Waikiki Boardwalk by Kuhio Beach, Honolulu, USA
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved





I love placing a lei around Kila's neck.
March 19, 2016
Waikiki Boardwalk by Kuhio Beach, Honolulu, USA
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved





Looks Perfect!
March 19, 2016
Waikiki Boardwalk by Kuhio Beach, Honolulu, USA
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved



 Rain's Thursday Art Date theme this week is surrealism,
"a 20th-century avant-garde movement in art and literature which sought to release the creative potential of the unconscious mind, for example by the irrational juxtaposition of images."  Google 

Wednesday I was experiencing the surreal.
I'm not going to divulge how we did it,
but Terry, our friends Julie and Dave, and I
crashed the final Rockies home game in Coors Field.
We couldn't believe it! 
We watched over an inning before we caught the train for the airport.
Our friends were here on a nine-hour layover between Fargo and San Diego.


Heading to Denver International Airport 
September 29, 2021
Gateway Station, Aurora, Colorado, USA
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved






After the Rain Delay at Coors Field #1
September 29, 2021
Denver,  Colorado, USA
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved






After the Rain Delay at Coors Field #2
September 29, 2021
Denver,  Colorado, USA
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved






Charlie Blackmon at Bat
September 29, 2021
Coors Field, Denver,  Colorado, USA
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved






Out of the Downpour and into Coors Field
Terry, Dave, and Julie
September 29, 2021
Coors Field, Denver,  Colorado, USA
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved






Charlie Blackmon at Third
September 29, 2021
Coors Field, Denver,  Colorado, USA
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved






The Crashers!
September 29, 2021
Denver,  Colorado, USA
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved






Riley Adams at Bat
September 29, 2021
Coors Field, Denver,  Colorado, USA
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved






Why am I the only one who looks like a drowned rat?
Terry, Me, Dave, and Julie
September 29, 2021
Coors Field, Denver,  Colorado, USA
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved




The Rockies can thank us for their win!  We brought them luck!

I didn't have time to play with surrealism.
But I chose this example, for obvious reasons ~ LOL!


DRAWING SURREALISM exhibition 2012 
at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), U.S.A



Stay happy and safe!




Till next time ~
Fundy Blue



On the Bay of Fundy
© M. Louise (MacBeath) Barbour/Fundy Blue
All Rights Reserved










36 comments:

  1. You have been busy. And productive.
    I hope your eyes can be sorted.
    Loved that statue.
    The youngest of my brothers gave me a jigsaw that I failed to complete. It had the same picture on the front and the back (but the one on the back had been rotated ninety degrees...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, EC! I have not and will never tackle a puzzle like the one your brother gave you! That would put me over the edge ~ LOL! I have new glasses with prisms in them coming in next week, plus blood tests, and a brain scan. My brother said to me last night, "What if the MRI scans your head and doesn't find a brain?" Brothers are a special joy in this life! Have a happy weekend!

      Delete
    2. I think our brothers are related. That sounds like something my brother would say to me.

      Delete
  2. Wow. He is meticulous with the puzzles haha I've never done a 3000 one, and yeah, they are much harder to do with cats lol and dogs who will eat the pieces that the cats knock off the table. Being a rebel and crashing a baseball game too. Oh the shame lol

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hey, Mr. Hatt! Most people don't think of me as a rebel, but I have my moments! And crashing the baseball game was one of them. Have a happy weekend, my friend!

      Delete
  3. Hi Louise, my hair is standing on end just thinking about those jigsaw puzzles, not something I like doing, I am not patient enough. The puzzles you and your brother have done are fantastic. That silver one is incredible, how could anyone put it together? My mind boggles! Glad you were able to meet up with friends and crash a game - daring! The sculpture of the man with the seal is totally beautiful, and I like your surreal pieces, too. I'm heading to my kitchen now to rustle up some food for lunch! Have a great weekend, hugs, Valerie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Valerie! My brother Roy tackled the silver puzzle like the engineer he is. First he did the border and then he divided the pieces according to their circumference bend, and then he organized them by shape (size, number of holes and tabs). I think he drank a lot of coffee and beer while doing it. My nephew Kevin gave me the 1665 world map puzzle, because he knows how much I love maps. Hopefully my global knowledge will help me! I'm sitting at my kitchen counter where I usually sit. Lunch is a good three hours away, but I have to tackle my daily chores. At least I'm not having to deal with a flat tire like I did first thing yesterday morning. There's always a surprise around the corner! May you have a weekend of pleasant surprises. Hugs to you, Valerie!

      Delete
  4. You and your brother are clearly the Queen and King of Jigsaw Puzzles! I don't have the patience to sit and do them, but My Rare One likes to do a couple per year (usually around Christmas -- it's one of her traditions).

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, Debra! Terry is with you! He can't sit and do jigsaw puzzles, either. My family often has puzzles on the go at Christmas. Terry knows that the easiest Christmas gift for me, after a book, is a puzzle. For Roy's 70th birthday, we sisters gave him a puzzle with several family pictures that captured the extended family. I think that puzzle will be assembled and taken apart many time. I hope that you and your Rare One have a happy and fun weekend! Hugs to you!

      Delete
  5. My favourite is cryptic crossword puzzles, and like you, my Mum did them, she was so brave and allowed me to fill in, with pencil, the clues I could solve, when The Listener came each week to our farm letterbox. Then, I am guessing, she erased my answers and did hers. To this day, I so enjoy crosswords, and the other day when I was a day patient at Wellington Hospital Cardiac ward, took, YES, you guessed it, a small puzzle book to while the time away as I waited to go to the PCI theatre.I also like jigsaws, and do them methodically like Roy, borders first, then colour co-ordinate the rest.A good book, a cryptic puzzle, for you a jigsaw, perfect home entertainment for those darker winter days. My Roget's Thesaurus has been a trusty helper, the 2 paperback versions soon fell to pieces, and I managed to find a hard cover one, on Amazon I think.Stay safe, and keep warm as you are well into Autumn days now.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jean, it is so good to see you! And it's wonderful that you are back on track with the cardiac issues behind you! Terry is the big crossword lover in our house. I like word jumbles, cryptograms, and crossword puzzles, but I rarely get to them. Terry's mother would do her crossword puzzles in ink. She and Terry would go through all the clues and discuss them until she could fill them in without error. They spent countless hours at this over the decades I knew her. You can find the ,most wonderful things on Amazon. I'm so glad that you found a hardcopy copy of your Thesaurus. Enjoy springtime in your beautiful country, and say hi to Hugh for me. Sending you both love and hugs!

      Delete
  6. Nice contributions to Rain's themes. I enjoyed the puzzle memes, I tend to avoid puzzles myself, good for you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Christine! I do love puzzles. I hope that you are enjoying a relaxing weekend!

      Delete
  7. Nice post. We have a puzzle going all the time too. Ella is a little cutie. Have a nice day today.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Nicole. Ella's going to have her world rocked in December. She is the only grandchild and great niece on my side of the family. You can imagine how she has been doted on by aunts, uncles, grandparents, and the great aunts and great uncles. Well, a cousin is coming in December, and now there will be two to dote on. The good thing about love is is that it keeps growing to accommodate more beautiful little ones. Have a lovely weekend!

      Delete
  8. ...regardless of what Noam Chomsky say I find puzzles too puzzling!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. LOL! You have lots of company, Tom! My husband thinks I'm nuts. Like so many other things, the world can be divided into two groups of people ~ People who like jigsaw puzzles and people who don't. Have a happy weekend! I'm looking forward to catching up on your posts!

      Delete
  9. Arrrrrrrgh to missing puzzles pieces.

    Love,
    Janie

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Absolutely, Janie! Missing puzzle pieces make me crazy! That cat puzzle was the only time I've lost pieces. I hope all is well with you, my friend! Take care!

      Delete
  10. Louise this was so fun. I loved all the puzzle funnies! I am like the guy with the moon puzzle lol..."almost done" is what goes through my head lol...I can't do puzzles here too many critters. I love that sculpture you showed, isn't it wonderful!!! And you CRASHED the game ha ha ha ha ha....I did that once when I saw the Expos, we got lucky, never got caught! That's great! ☺☺

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm glad that you enjoyed the post, Rain! It was much longer than I wanted, but I just went with it. I dearly love Makua and Kila! That sculpture is love personified, and I can connect with it on a heart level. I always lead with my heart ~ LOL! 🙌 on the Expos! I plan to do a drawing for Alien Worlds. Have a great week! Hugs to you, my friend!

      Delete
  11. I love jigsaw puzzles as well, but I am not that good at them ... takes me forever, so I have recently joined forces with my Granddaughter (age 12) who is now better than I am at the 1000 piece puzzles. And, I know ... I hate it when I finish and have a missing piece. I always wonder if I lost it or if the puzzle came that way :( My husband, who is also and engineer, does his own puzzles (doesn't want me to help because he has a process and I am chaotic). I have to tell you that I recognized the engineers puzzle table before I read your comment ... it's a dead giveaway :)
    I love your choice of the Makua and Kila statue. It is beautiful and I love the story (which could be a true story for all we know, right?) And Painting your sidewalk? That is not common around here. How do you keep it from chipping when people walk on it? I also love the pictures of you and your friends (you are quite a svelte prettly lady) and without the masks, I trust you are vaccinated and being safe, yes? It is always a pleasure to visit you. You have vast area's on interest and knowledge that I feed on ... trying to keep my old brain in tact :) And on top of that, you are funny and interesting. So enough said, Hope all is well with you ...

    Andrea @ From the Sol

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for your lovely comment, Andrea! It sent my spirits soaring! You've got to love engineers! I have a lot of them in Terry's and my families, and I have a soft spot in my heart for each one of them. You nailed an insecurity of mine regarding my porch and steps ~ What if it chips? The cement was deteriorating, and we had it repaired this summer. But the cement was different colors and looked patched. So I primed and painted it. We'll see what happens. I'm going to get some mats and decorations from my favorite garden center, hopefully tomorrow. Terry and I are completely vaccinated including our boosters, and our friends are vaccinated as well. We wore our masks much of the time. I'm careful, even though I know I'm on top of my vaccinations. All is well here. I hope all is well with you ~ Sending you a big hug!

      Delete
  12. I am sorry I'm so late visiting. I should have checked back with Rain sooner. I used to love puzzles, but I got one of those 3-D ones. It was the Chrysler building. I couldn't seem to work in 3-D like that, so I gave it to a friend who LOVES puzzles. So glad you are passing on your love of puzzles to Ella. She's a real cutie.

    I love the surreal pages you shared. They are perfect indeed.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. No worries, Elizabeth! I appreciate that you came here and commented. I've never tried a 3-D puzzle, although I have assembled fossils in the fossil lab at the Denver Museum of Nature and Science. Ella is a cutie! I haven't been able to see her since before the pandemic. I'm planning my first trip home to Canada in December, and I can't wait to give her a big hug! Wishing you a very happy week!

      Delete
  13. i forgot to mention how much I enjoyed the two sculptures you shared, too. I can see why they were favorites.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Elizabeth! They capture the values of aloha and ohana, and remind me of the reasons I love Hawaii. It is a unique and beautiful place. Take care!

      Delete
  14. i am really impressed by puzzles solving hobby by you and Roy wow that seems quite something to me ,i hardly solved few in my entire life and merely of hundred or so pieces .

    thank you for sharing this so beautifully and i am going to add this in my wish list in future if i have one :)

    your ravens burger puzzle seems quite difficult one but you are doing great as i see your progress ,very impressive !

    i liked "life puzzle " meme so correct indeed .
    i loved most the photo of both of you from childhood soooooooo lovely !

    your porch step renovation looks great too :) you are all rounder indeed ,reminded me when i insisted hubby to leave piece of wall for me and cemented it ,it was of ten square feet area but i realized that it was more harder than when i broke the brick wall around our stairs ,my arms ached for days lol

    glad you enjoyed the game ,from move watch i can say it is baseball ,how nice your friends joined you to have fun from quite far .

    i like surrealism and the way it presents realty or mixture of realities ,i go with probability and metaphysical expressions ,you put it beautifully !

    i loved how you adore the statues of boy and seal ,this is an emotional and uplifting phenomena indeed and this deserve to be honored by those who value love and goodness in life :)

    more peace ,health and joy to you both and all you love my friend!
    hugs!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi, dearest friend! It's always wonderful to see you, Bali! The picture of Roy and me is one of my favorites. There are more pictures of Roy and me, because my parents had a little money for film and developing it when we were small. Later they were too busy with five kids (and too poor too). You're right, we crashed the Rockies baseball game. Yes my Ravensburger World Map 1665 is difficult; but I love maps, and I'm hoping my knowledge of world geography helps me. We were going to go to Hawaii this month, but we postponed our trip until next year because of all the Covid restrictions. But when I get to Honolulu in the new year, one of the first things I will do is go hug Makua and Kila. I love them! I'm laughing at your memory of the brick wall, although I'm sure it was unpleasant at the time. I'm emboldened by the porch and stairs, and I'm going to tackle staining and painting in the garage next. As I get better and more skilled, I'll move inside our house. Have a wonderful week, my friend! I'm sending lots of love and best wishes to you and your family!

      Delete
  15. Oh, I've just done a blog post about jigsaws too! Perhaps you can answer my question.
    Love the jigsaw cartoons too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks, Liz, and thanks for visiting! Have a good one!

      Delete
  16. I used to do puzzles but now I ahve no good table to sit at so I do them online. Not that fun really. Love yoru Honolulu shots. I have been at that beach. My granddaughter studied in Honolulu and I visited her. :)

    ReplyDelete
  17. My great grandpa put puzzles together. He would glue them down and display them, too. That intrigued me as a child. My late FIL loved putting puzzles together. It kept his mind busy after his body couldn't do what he was used to doing for years and his mind stayed sharp right up to the end. I don't think I have the patience to work puzzles but would like to give it ago. It definitely works the brain and that's something I can benefit me. :) Loved the life-size sculptures. Have a doodletastic week, my dear!

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for your comments! I appreciate them very much.