I can tell you exactly how my love of puzzles came about. It was as a child, when papa would unfold the card table and set it up in the living room. Out from a brown paper bag, he'd pull a box, with a picturesque scene on its cover and all kinds of fragmented pieces rattling around inside the sealed present. He would carefully break the seal of the box with a pocket knife, then gently set the box down in the middle of that square card table surface. As he opened the box, he would caution us as before, "be careful now, don't loose any pieces." Oddly enough we never did. Our reverence for each unique piece to take its place, and eventually solve the puzzle came from him and he taught us well. We would pull up our chairs from the dinning room table and from the picture on the cover we were surveying beforehand, we each would claim the spot where we would sit and help work on our new piece of art. I say "piece of art," because that's exactly what they were to us. My father picked scenes from places we might not have the opportunity to visit in person. And while creating the finished piece, he would interject any historical information as well as tell us the story to be found in the picture.
When we had completed each picture, we would let it lay on the table for a couple of days for all to view. Then, when it was time to pass it on to someone else to enjoy, we would take each piece apart carefully and put it back into it's original box and reseal it once more with scotch tape.
As I reached the age when I could purchase my own pictures, I had the tendency to buy priceless pieces of art, such as a Van Gogh, Monet, and even a Jackson Pollack. One puzzle was even a reproduction of a great mosaic found somewhere in Europe. When they were done, I would then carefully turn them over and spread a lavish amount of glue on them. After completing that step, I'd place a piece of cardboard that I had cut to size on top the puzzle and weigh it down with the heaviest books in our library. My favorites were the Bible and the Dictionary. They were also the two most important books in our small library. I kept the puzzle pictures on my bedroom walls and when I moved into my first apartment, they showed to be great conversation pieces as well as displaying great works of art throughout.
After about twenty-five years though, I was ready for some new artistic experiences. I found new homes for the old masters among friends who had enjoyed them and showed an interest in them. Some are still around today! Art, like everything else in life, is best when shared! I think I'll set some time aside to share this childhood experiences with others as we did with our children when they were growing up. Maybe find a way to furnish puzzles for homes and shut-ins who could enjoy the fun we found in solving the puzzles.
