This puzzle is a follow-on companion to #569, the massive Sanibel & Captiva Islands cut last year around this time for the same customer. This puzzle features some impressive cutting!

As it happened (from my Journal archives)

December 11, 2005

Sunday 5:37 pm - Today I designed the figural set for #646, Marco Island and did some harrowing initial cutting, went OK. Cutting will continue tomorrow after I design some interior wavy lines.

December 12, 2005

Monday 6:22 pm - Very long day of work, but I didn't cut a single piece. #643, #644, #645 shipped. Hours spend designing the interior wavy border for #646 Marco Island and then a lot more time taping down the wavy guidelines to the board along with figural, word piece and special cutting guidelines (penta, hexa, hepta and octa curls).

Cutting starts early tomorrow morning and will continue to late afternoon.

Turned down a rush marriage proposal puzzle.

December 13. 2005

Tuesday 11:38 pm - Longer day than yesterday. Was at the shop for nine hours, then some evening dance classes that I didn't want to miss made it a 14 hour day. The initial cutting of the bordering "properties" of the Marco Island just took "forever", and I only got about half way through the individual "property" mini-puzzles; I had planned to do all of them today, so I'm way behind where I want to be now. See Sanibel & Captiva for a similar grueling puzzle and explanation of terminology. The Marco Island puzzle is for the same customer. I'm using a 5-ply wood instead of my regular 4-ply per customer request and I'm finding that the newer blades I'm using break a lot more frequently, and the over all going is slower. I'm going to charge more for 5-ply in the future. I want to complete this puzzle this week, but it's going to take full time work and then some. Getting all of the remaining puzzles done for Christmas will be very difficult - I will move up the "Child's puzzle" if necessary as that one must ship Monday. I'm consoled by the fact that I have a nice long break coming up after the current backlog is done. I rejected another rush puzzle order today.

December 14, 2005

Wednesday 7:13 pm - Marathon continuing. At shop for almost 10 hours, with nine hours or so working on #646, Marco Island. Yada, yada. Perimeter done, about 20% of the interior done, yada, yada. Octacurl done. Need a whole body massage. Yada. Looks like I can complete #646 on Saturday, do the "Child's puzzle" on Saturday, ship both on Monday, yada, yada. Prepared boards for #647, #648. Mount tomorrow. Yada, yada. Cancel more dance stuff, yada. Maybe I can get #648 done by next Thursday for an overnight FedEx. Yada.

December 15, 2005

Thursday 8:40 pm - Marathon continuing with seven or eight more hours of cutting, and one "must attend" dance class mid-day; cancelled everything else. Cutting going well. Didn't mount the prints for the remaining two puzzles. Expect to put in a near record long day of cutting tomorrow. Still on track for getting #646 & 647 completed and shipped by Monday. No pictures until then.

December 16, 2005

Friday 11:12 pm - Marathon continuing, was at the shop for about 9 1/2 hours, working on the Marco Island puzzle. Cutting continues to go very slowly, but the end is now in sight for this puzzle: I have around six more hours of cutting to do. Before I go to the shop tomorrow I'll print and mount the image for #647, and after #646 is completed, I'll cut #647 later in the day.

I declined another rush order today.

December 17, 2005

Saturday 6:40 pm - Marathon winding down. Slept late today and I am now well rested. Late this morning I added some printed text to the Child's puzzle digital image, printed it and then mounted it, successfully. I also mounted the print for puzzle #648, Golf Club, but the mount failed. There was a bubble under the print and when I attempted to smooth it, a big crease formed, ruining the image, only the third time this has ever happened. I was quite careful in my mounting process - the paper the glicée print was printed on was soft, not like the typical paper used in lithographs and something about it led to the problem. I have contacted the customer about the postponed puzzle, and have deleted it from this year's backlog queue, adding it to "Customer 1" in the Unscheduled section.

Thus the attempt to make the #2 puzzle in the Pentathlon of five Creative puzzles for this customer has been delayed yet again! I made the first puzzle of the Pentathlon (Tree with Crows) in the fourth quarter of last year, and the plan was to make one each quarter this year and I ended up making none! Earlier this year, a print I ordered for #2 never arrived, forcing me to order a different print. I won't be charging the customer for the expensive ruined print. I will cut a few pieces from the ruined mount when I have time as I'm curious to see how the paper cuts as I will use what I learn to decide whether or not to order a glicée print again.

With the cancellation of #648, suddenly the pressure to get things done in time for Christmas is gone. Too bad really, as I felt I could do it. Today I did go to the shop and put in about three hours on Macro Island. I have about three more hours to do and will finish it tomorrow for sure. Also, as mentioned, I have printed and successfully mounted the "Child's puzzle" print; and designed the grid layout for the cutting (12 pieces). I will cut this puzzle tomorrow, too, for sure.

On Monday I'll focus on inspecting, cleaning, boxing, packing and shipping Marco Island and the Child's puzzle (currently unnamed). I also plan to cut a couple small non-puzzle gift items on Sunday and ship these on Monday too. On Tuesday, I'll make the two Compulsories - previously I was envisioning a worst case scenario of hand delivering these on Christmas Day (customer lives here in San Diego). So............. I now expect to be done with this year's work on Tuesday.

December 18, 2005

Sunday 5:45 pm - Cutting marathon done! Marco Island is done with several more hours of cutting today, then repairing the backs of two pieces impacted by a nasty void in the wood, then three sets of sanding and vacuuming the back of the puzzle, one half and then the other half (puzzle too big for my sanding work station to do in a single pass).

Whew!

Tomorrow I'll ship the two puzzles; Marco Island will take a substantial amount of time to inspect, clean etc.

On Tuesday, the pace slows down substantially - I plan to make a couple small gift items and ship these. The two Compulsories (only items left in the backlog) will be made on Wednesday and hand delivered on Wednesday or Thursday.

December 19, 2005

Monday 5:10 pm - Puzzles #646 and #647 shipped, just in time. Will have some pictures tomorrow, will provide tracking info to the customers via email later today, going to take a nap NOW.