May 8, 2008
Thursday 9:35 pm - I've been swamped with many "maintenance" things to do as well as my dance load; the "Wait..." comparison pictures and my write-up regarding the Turtle Teaser puzzle will have to, well, "Wait...". I'll be focusing on being a puzzle maker in a big way during the last two weeks of May. Next post will be after I return (May 15h).
May 7, 2008
Wednesday 10:01 am - Stopped by Mixed Media yesterday to drop off a rent check. Work on #793 will begin after I return from Philadelphia. House finches have now occupied the first nest, mourning dove gone; second nest still being ignored.
Here are a few pictures I took in / around Cabo San Lucas. I've promised some pictures comparing the three recent "Wait..." puzzles, I still plan to do this.
A couple days ago I assembled a wooden jigsaw puzzle made by Turtle Teaser puzzles, with super tiny pieces, I plan to comment on this soon as well.
Near the southern tip of Baja California
A bit further away
These two pictures taken from the highest deck of the massive Carnival Elation ship
Construction boom in some sections of Cabo
Some of us had lunch at The Laughing Marlin
In one section at the cantina you could pay to be hung upside down for a minute like a big caught fish and have three shots of tequila poured in (no thanks!).
Too much sun!
I had a hat but got an hour of sun in a dolphin pool where sunscreen was not allowed
Wearing a K. Chin T-Shirt
May 4, 2008
Sunday 8:25 am - I back! I returned yesterday and am now working to get caught up on things. I will post some cruise pictures soon. I have a lot of personal matters to tend to. I have decided that I am not going to resume customer work until after I return from Philadelphia on May 15th. I may cut the eBay puzzle before I leave for Philadelphia on May 10th, with the auction after I return in any case.
April 28, 2008
Monday 12:26 pm - Puzzle #792 shipped. Will be leaving for Cabo San Lucas shortly.... will be back Saturday.
Picture taken just moments ago. The Elation is the boat. Meanwhile buildings continue to sprout, blocking the view of the distant ocean.
April 27, 2008
Sunday 9:57 pm - In a long day of work in record heat, the last of the three Wait... I'll be right back... puzzles is done. Like the other two, this puzzle looks good. Eventually I'll have some pictures comparing all three. Final piece count 846, still higher than the 800 I wanted. Work was divided between the cutting of the final 150 or so pieces and then the long inspection, packing process. The puzzle is ready to be dropped off for shipment tomorrow morning.
As for the heat, San Diego itself had its previous record of 87 set in 1914 broken by 7 degrees 94. At the shop it was 102 outside and 104 inside. 2 fans, sparse clothing, and a wet towel frequently applied to face and arms got me through. Fortunately the ultra low relative humidity of just 5% helped the situation. The dry season started early this year, it has already been a month with no rain.
So... April is done. I leave on the dance cruise early tomorrow afternoon, so I'll have all morning to get ready.
May will be impacted by a second trip, this one to the East Coast. I'm going to set the May eBay puzzle as a fairly easy puzzle - cut in Long Round with just 250 or so pieces, the first of two K. Chin butterfly puzzles. This is give me more time to focus on the two customer puzzles, again both major puzzles, both in Creative style.
I've now posted the June work. The June eBay puzzle will be the second of two K. Chin butterfly puzzles, also with 250 Long Round pieces. Again, the two customer puzzles will be in Creative style, but with lower pieces counts.
April 26, 2008
Saturday 7:30 pm - I was not well today and did not do any puzzle work. Feeling better now and plan to finish the last "Wait" puzzle tomorrow.
April 25, 2008
Friday 5:55 pm - Cutting continued today, started early but I had to leave early for a performance practice. Got in at least 150 pieces, still have 150+ to go... so cutting will continue tomorrow and might not get done until Sunday due to scheduling conflicts. I do plan to have the puzzle completed, and the long tedious inspection process required due to issues about the quality of the paper, completed by late Sunday afternoon, and ready to ship, first thing Monday.
Each of the three "Wait..." puzzles have cool areas of Creative. As the Creative pieces are a lot smaller than my "major" creative puzzles, the pieces are closer to a blend of Swirl Curl and Creative, but there are still many nice areas - and cutting the Creative sections is still a slow process.
Nice area in Puzzle #792
In the figure, above, I like the interplay of the "gear curl" (upper right in the white area), the three parallel white prongs extending to the left (center), and the "egg" piece (lower center). These three pieces look cool together a blend of "busy and simple", curve and line. Note the color line cut edge of the rooster and that the non-white areas are cut in Long Round style. There is some other very nice cutting in this section, too.
Next time I update the Puzzle Queue, I'll be swapping the positions of #794 and #795.
April 24, 2008
Thursday 10:09 pm - Cutting went much slower today as I focused more in the Creative areas..... cut around 200 pieces. Looks like this puzzle will go somewhat over 800 pieces, too. So.... two more days of cutting ahead of me.
April 23, 2008
Wednesday 11:18 pm - Substantial day of cutting today working on #792, the final Wait... I'll be right back... I cut around 300 pieces. The piece count is high as I cut more Long Round than Creative. The current marathon will run through at least Friday.
I have not yet selected a Matisse print for #794 and I'll probably not get to ordering one until after I return from my Cabo San Lucas trip in early May. Because of this, I may end up swapping the queued positions of #794 and #795 as no print is required for #795.
No bird in nest today. Today I built a second nesting site. Rescued a lizard from the "solar fountain pond" and placed some stones so that if another lizard falls in, it can get out.