It finally happened! My husband got to visit the Springbok Puzzle Factory in Kansas City. A member of our congregation owns it and was kind enough to let my husband come for a tour. (See previous blog below.)
It surpassed all of his expectations.
For days there was the build-up of excitement as my husband counted down to the actual visit. When the day arrived, he was almost impatient to go to work, because he knew that afternoon was puzzle factory time.
Puzzles resting before being cut.
But the build-up was nothing compared to his joy in actually going and seeing how jigsaw puzzles are made! He took photos of the process; he took videos; he took photos of himself and his kind host. The visit was beyond what he imagined. His host went around with him for a private tour! So kind! To be honest, I think he enjoyed my husband’s enthusiastic excitement.
I actually told the owner that when my husband retired, I hoped that they could hire him to work in the factory, since that was all I heard about for days. I suggested that he be hired as a tester! Just to put puzzles together each and every day.
From that point on, my husband wanted one thing only, a 2000-piece puzzle. Up to then he thought that 1,000-piece puzzles were the best. But while at the factory he saw much larger puzzles. And the size that tempted him the most was 2000.
When he got home that day and for the next few days, he spoke continually about the puzzles. He watched puzzle videos of people putting together large puzzles, including some guy who used his entire basement floor to do an 18,000-piece puzzle. That was out of the question for our house. Although he did ask if he could order it. I think he was joking, but I said ‘NO’ emphatically.
When my daughter and her husband were in town in June, she and I went to a store where she purchased a 2000-piece Springbok puzzle for my husband’s Fathers’ Day gift. It was a grand success. He could not wait to get going on it! But had to wait for a few days as we had an out of town wedding to attend.
Our usual puzzle table was not big enough for this monster puzzle, so I allowed him to use our dining room table with the caveat that he had to be done by early September. Every evening after work and on weekends, he worked on it. I sat with him and worked part of it as well. I like the blue pieces.
Labor Day weekend was a puzzle feast. We had company who helped as well. But my deadline was not fulfilled even with all the help. Those white pieces were impossible. They even stumped an engineer!
I needed my table. But we could not take the puzzle apart. It was a stressful situation! I even posted our dilemma on Facebook. Thank goodness I did. A friend had the answer in the genius idea of us putting our table pads over the puzzle! It was an excellent idea, saving the puzzle, my holiday meal, and probably our marriage!
The puzzle kept him busy for three entire months, till mid-September. It is now packed away in two one-gallon ziplock bags to go to the home of another puzzle addict. I plan to let him work on his 1000-piece puzzles for a few months before I surprise him with another giant Springbok jigsaw puzzle to feed his mania.
One piece left. He always leaves the last piece for me.
https://zicharonot.com/2018/01/13/jigsaw-puzzles-and-true-love/
zicharonot 
I was going to ask what you did with the puzzles once they were put together, and you answered it before I could! Isn’t it bittersweet to spend months putting it together only then to take it apart and give it away? I am not a jigsaw puzzle person (too many cats around), but I think I would find that very hard to do.
The few he really loves we keep and he does them again. But really it is the fun of putting it together that makes him happy. And he loves to do new ones.