Posts tagged "puzzle" (Page 20)

Puzzle: Iguazu Falls, Argentina

Size: 1000 pieces
Dimensions: 73cm x 48.6cm
Producer: The Canadian Group, Sure-Lox, Impressions
Notes: Iguazu Falls, Iguassu Falls, or Iguaçu Falls are waterfalls of the Iguazu River located on the border of the Brazilian State of Paraná and the Argentine Province of Misiones. The falls divide the river into the upper and lower Iguazu. The Iguazu River originates near the city of Curitiba. It flows through Brazil for most of its course. Below its confluence with the San Antonio River, the Iguazu River forms the boundary between Brazil and Argentina.

The name “Iguazu” comes from the Guarani or Tupi words y, meaning “water”, and ûasú, meaning “big”. Legend has it that a god planned to marry a beautiful woman named Naipí, who fled with her mortal lover Tarobá in a canoe. In rage the god sliced the river, creating the waterfalls and condemning the lovers to an eternal fall. The first European to find the falls was the Spanish Conquistador Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca in 1541. [Wiki]

Puzzle: Metis International Garden Festival, Quebec, Canada

Size: 500 pieces
Dimensions: 40.64cm x 40.64cm
Producer: Hasbro, MB Puzzle, Big Ben series
Notes: The International Garden Festival is recognized as one of the most important events of its kind in North America and one of the leading annual garden festivals in the world. Since 2000, more than 900,000 visitors have explored 110 gardens created by over 220 designers from 15 countries.

The Festival is a unique forum for innovation and experimentation and an exceptional showcase and launching pad for participating designers from a host of disciplines. It provides an annual rendez-vous for admirers of contemporary gardens and design as well as offering a unique space for those involved in the renewal of this art form.

The site is bordered to the north by the St. Lawrence River, to the west by a woodland of deciduous trees, to the east by a large field and conifer forest. On occasion, gardens are installed on other parts of the Festival site and in the historic gardens. [Festival site]

Puzzle: Rockefeller Center

Size: 500 pieces
Dimensions: 48.26cm x 35.56cm
Producer: Sure-Lox, Land Marks series
Notes: Rockefeller Center or Rockefeller Plaza is a complex of 19 commercial buildings covering 22 acres between 48th and 51st streets in New York City, United States. Built by the Rockefeller family, it is located in the center of Midtown Manhattan, spanning the area between Fifth Avenue and Sixth Avenue.

Paul Manship’s highly recognizable bronze gilded statue of the Greek legend of the Titan Prometheus recumbent, bringing fire to mankind, features prominently in the sunken plaza at the front of 30 Rockefeller Plaza. The model for Prometheus was Leonardo (Leon) Nole, and the inscription from Aeschylus, on the granite wall behind, reads: “Prometheus, teacher in every art, brought the fire that hath proved to mortals a means to mighty ends.” [Wiki]

Puzzle: View from the CN Tower

Size: 500 pieces
Dimensions: 48.26cm x 35.56cm
Producer: Sure-Lox, City Scapes series
Notes: The CN Tower is a communications and observation tower in Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Standing 553.33 metres tall, it was completed in 1976, becoming the world’s tallest free-standing structure and world’s tallest tower at the time. It held both records for 34 years until the completion of the Burj Khalifa and Canton Tower. It remains the tallest free-standing structure in the Western Hemisphere, a signature icon of Toronto’s skyline, and a symbol of Canada.

Its name “CN” originally referred to Canadian National, the railway company that built the tower. Following the railway’s decision to divest non-core freight railway assets, prior to the company’s privatization in 1995, it transferred the tower to the Canada Lands Company, a federal Crown corporation responsible for real estate development. Since the name CN Tower became common in daily usage, the abbreviation was eventually expanded to Canadian National Tower or Canada’s National Tower. However, neither of these names is commonly used. [Wiki]

Puzzle: Sweet Dreams by Kinuko Y. Craft

Size: 1500 pieces
Dimensions: 84cm x 60cm
Producer: Ravensburger, # 162611
Painting: photo
Artist: Kinuko Y. Craft – Kinuko Y. Craft is one of the most widely respected and well known fantasy artists in the United States today. She considers herself a story teller. Her past commissions have included paintings for the book covers of many well known fantasy authors, opera posters, fairy tale books and covers for many national magazines. During her career she has become known for meticulous attention to detail, a passionate love of fine art and a deep knowledge of art history. [Kinuko Y. Craft site]

Puzzle: Gladiola

Size: 500 pieces
Dimensions: 45.72cm x 35.56cm
Photographer: Dietrich Leis
Producer: E&L Corporation, “Still Life” series
Notes: A lovely photo by the same photographer and in the same tones as the Spring Concerto puzzle.

Gladiolus (from Latin, the diminutive of gladius, a sword) is a genus of perennial bulbous flowering plants in the iris family (Iridaceae). Sometimes called the sword lily, the most widely used English common name for these plants is simply gladiolus (plural gladioli, gladioluses or sometimes gladiolas).

Gladioli have been extensively hybridized and a wide range of ornamental flower colours are available from the many varieties. The main hybrid groups have been obtained by crossing between four or five species, followed by selection: Grandiflorus, Primulines and Nanus. They make very good cut flowers. However, due to their height, the cultivated forms frequently tend to fall over in the wind if left on the plant. [Wiki]

Puzzle: Home Sweet Home by Robin Anderson

Size: 1000 pieces
Dimensions: 73cm x 48.6cm
Producer: The Canadian Group, Sure-Lox, #41693-2
Artist: Robin Anderson
Notes: “Home Sweet Home” is a song that has remained well-known for over 150 years. Adapted from American actor and dramatist John Howard Payne’s 1823 opera Clari, Maid of Milan, the song’s melody was composed by Englishman Sir Henry Bishop with lyrics by Payne. The opening lines

Mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam,

Be it ever so humble, there’s no place like home;

have become famous. [Wiki]

A home is a place of residence or refuge. When it refers to a building, it is usually a place in which an individual or a family can rest and store personal property. Sometimes, as an alternative to the definition of “home” as a physical locale (“Home is where you hang your hat”), home may be perceived to have no physical location—instead, home may relate instead to a mental or emotional state of refuge or comfort. Popular sayings along these lines are “Home is where the heart is” or “You can never go home again”. [Wiki]

Puzzle: The Little Veterinary

Size: 500 pieces
Dimensions: 35.2cm x 50.5cm
Artist: The MB Puzzle failed to indicate the artist
Producer: MB Puzzle, Elite series, #C4589-3
Notes: A veterinarian (American English) or a veterinary surgeon (British English), often shortened to vet, is a person who treats animals and a practitioner of veterinary medicine. The word comes from the Latin veterinae meaning “working animals”. “Veterinarian” was first used in print by Thomas Browne in 1646.

In many respects a veterinarian is similar to a pediatrician. Animals cannot talk like human beings, and much of the clinical history is obtained from the owner or client as a pediatrician would obtain the medical history from a child’s parents. [Wiki]

Puzzle: Moonlight Calm II by Anthony Casay

Size: 500 pieces
Dimensions: 35cm x 48cm
Producer: Canada Games, #40216-4
Artist: Anthony Casay [Bio at AEJV site]
Notes: The intensity of moonlight varies greatly depending on the lunar cycle but even the full moon typically provides only about 0.2 lux illumination, so the full moon is about 500,000 times fainter than the sun. When the moon is viewed at high altitude at tropical latitudes, the illuminance can reach 1 lux. The color of moonlight, particularly near full moon, appears bluish to the human eye compared to most artificial light sources.

In many legends moonlight is an important part of magical processes (for example, werewolves are said to transform at full moon). [Wiki]

Puzzle: Hotel Lobby by Joan Steiner’s

Size: 1000 pieces
Dimensions: 69cm x 51cm
Producer: Ceaco, #3316-5
Notes: Can you find the coffee creamer, 5 dollar bill, coin purse, and 117 other common objects that fool the eye? [Puzzle box]

Once you’ve completed this jigsaw, there’s a whole new puzzle to solve. Using everything from acorns to zippers, artist Joan Steiner has created an alternative universe where nothing is as it appears. At first glance, we see a perfectly normal scene. But look again, and that lamp turns out to be a salt shaker with an inverted coffee creamer on top. And could that cozy pot-bellied stove actually be a hand grenade? In fact, wherever we look, familiar everyday objects are masquerading as something else. The challenge is to find all the imposters. The more you look, the more you see!

“I got started doing these puzzles when I was working as a freelance magazine illustrator,” Steiner says. ” An editor challenged me to come up with some sort of puzzle of game. I had always flirted with the idea of one thing looking like another, and here was an opportunity to take it to the max and make a whole little world where everything actually was something else.

“People ask me where I get my ideas,” she adds, “and I really have to say that I don’t know. Sometimes I have a “eureka moment” when something hits me out of the blue. Driving down the road one day, I saw a cement mixer and suddenly it hit me — plastic mustard jar! Another time, w2hile cooking dinner, I noticed that the lasagna noodles looked a lot like frilly draperies; that eventually led me to construct a parior scene.

“Other times, I really have to work hard for my ideas. I spend hours and hours “shopping” going up and down the aisles of stores, and I may spend ten minutes inspecting a mousetrap or a cheese curl, turning it every which way, trying to see if it would work.” [Puzzle box]

Puzzle: Belvedere Castle

Size: 1000 pieces
Dimensions: 68cm x 48.1cm
Producer: Mega Brands, Click series
Notes: Belvedere Castle is a building in Central Park in New York, New York, that contains exhibit rooms and an observation deck.

Built as a Victorian folly in 1869, the castle caps Vista Rock, the park’s second-highest natural elevation Constructed of Manhattan schist quarried in the park and dressed with gray granite, it tops the natural-looking woodlands of The Ramble, as seen from the formal Bethesda Terrace. As the plantings matured, the castle has disappeared from its original intended viewpoint. Its turret is the highest point in the park.

Belvedere means ‘beautiful view’ or ‘panoramic view’ in Italian and the castle provides impressive views across Central Park and New York City. It was designed as an additional feature of the Central Park “Greensward” plan by the architects Calvert Vaux and Jacob Wrey Mould after they, along with Frederick Law Olmsted, were reappointed to oversee the park’s construction in 1865.

The site, which overlooks the Lower Reservoir, already held a fire tower under the control of the Croton Aqueduct board. In 1867, the board transferred the site to the Park, and the fire tower was demolished. [Wiki]

Puzzle: Boats on water by Paul Rezendes

Size: 500 pieces
Dimensions: 40.64cm x 40.64cm
Producer: Hasbro, MB Puzzle, Big Ben series
Artist: Paul Rezendes
“In order to capture the essence and beauty of nature, there must be an intimacy with it, not as an object, but as a process that is forever changing. The more you learn to see nature, to observe it with the quality of attention that is crucial to seeing, the more one is able to create works of art.” – Paul Rezendes from: Wetlands: The Web of Life [Paul Rezendes site]
Notes: Thanks to Hasbro, once again there is no information on the puzzle box about what place the puzzle is depicting. The only information I was able to find is the photographer’s name.

Paul Rezendes

Puzzle: Birds of the Season, 4 of 4, by Greg Giordano

Size: 500 pieces
Dimensions: 40.64cm x 50.8cm
Producer: Karmin International, Birds of the Season series
Artist: Greg Giordano

Puzzle: One of the 4 puzzles in the box (first, second, third, fourth).

Notes: Birds (class Aves) are feathered, winged, bipedal, endothermic (warm-blooded), egg-laying, vertebrate animals. Around 10,000 living species makes them the most speciose class of tetrapod vertebrates. They inhabit ecosystems across the globe, from the Arctic to the Antarctic. Extant birds range in size from the 5 cm Bee Hummingbird to the 2.75 m Ostrich.

Modern birds are characterised by feathers, a beak with no teeth, the laying of hard-shelled eggs, a high metabolic rate, a four-chambered heart, and a lightweight but strong skeleton. All living species of birds have wings—the now extinct flightless Moa of New Zealand was the only exception. Wings are evolved forelimbs, and most bird species can fly, with some exceptions, including ratites, penguins, and a number of diverse endemic island species. Birds also have unique digestive and respiratory systems that are highly adapted for flight. Some birds, especially corvids and parrots, are among the most intelligent animal species; a number of bird species have been observed manufacturing and using tools, and many social species exhibit cultural transmission of knowledge across generations. [Wiki]

Puzzle: Champagne Illusions

Size: 500 pieces
Dimensions: 48cm x 36cm
Notes: I do not have a record of the producer of the puzzle as I do not have the box anymore. A clarification is welcome – if you have any clue as to the details regarding this puzzle, I would much appreciate that information.

Champagne is a sparkling wine produced by inducing the in-bottle secondary fermentation of the wine to effect carbonation. It is produced exclusively within the Champagne region of France, from which it takes its name. The primary grapes used in the production of Champagne are Pinot noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier. Champagne appellation law only allows grapes grown according to appellation rules in specifically designated plots within the appellation to be used in the production of Champagne. [Wiki]

This puzzle looks like an array of sealed champagne bottles from one angle, and an array of champagne bottles with their corks being popped out, spraying champagne, and falling spiral holiday ribbons.

Puzzle: Palm Desert, California, U.S.A

Size: 500 pieces, 1 missing
Dimensions: 46cm x 36cm
Producer: GPC Puzzles
Location: Palm Desert is a city in Riverside County, California, United States, in the Coachella Valley, approximately 18 km east of Palm Springs.

The area was first known as the Old MacDonald Ranch, but the name changed to Palm Village in the 1920s when date palms were planted. Local historians said the main residents of pre-1950 Palm Desert were Cahuilla Indian farmers of the now extinct San Cayetano tribe, but a few members of the Montoya family of Cahuilla/Spanish descent were prominent leaders in civic life.

The city was home to the “Palm Desert Scene”, a unique musical genre heavily influenced by Stoner rock/Stoner metal. [Wiki]

Puzzle: Loire Valley, France

Size: 500 pieces
Dimensions: 35cm x 48cm
Producer: Canada Games, Windsor
Location: The Loire Valley (French: Vallée de la Loire), spanning 280 kilometres, is located in the middle stretch of the Loire River in central France. It comprises an area of approximately 800 square kilometres. It is referred to as the Cradle of the French Language, and the Garden of France due to the abundance of vineyards, fruit orchards, artichoke, asparagus and cherry fields which line the banks of the river. Notable for its historic towns, architecture and wines, the valley has been inhabited since the Middle Palaeolithic period.

The valley includes historic towns such as Amboise, Angers, Blois, Chinon, Nantes, Orléans, Saumur, and Tours.

The architectural heritage in the valley’s historic towns is notable, especially its castles, such as the Châteaux d’Amboise, Château de Chambord, château d’Ussé, Château de Villandry and Chenonceau. The châteaux, numbering more than three hundred, represent a nation of builders starting with the necessary castle fortifications in the 10th century to the splendor of those built half a millennium later. When the French kings began constructing their huge châteaux here, the nobility, not wanting or even daring to be far from the seat of power, followed suit. Their presence in the lush, fertile valley began attracting the very best landscape designers. In addition to its many châteaux, the cultural monuments illustrate to an exceptional degree the ideals of the Renaissance and the Age of the Enlightenment on western European thought and design. [Wiki]

Puzzle: Sacré-Coeur Basilica, Paris, France

Size: 1000 pieces
Dimensions: 51.12cm x 66.52cm
Producer: Big Ben, MB Puzzles
Notes: Once again the puzzle producer failed to be informative regarding the building depicted on the puzzle, titling it only as “Paris, France”. Thanks to my Parisian friend, the building was identified as the Sacré-Coeur Basilica in Monmartre.

Sacré-Cœur Basilica is a Roman Catholic church and minor basilica, dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in Paris, France. A popular landmark, the basilica is located at the summit of the butte Montmartre, the highest point in the city. Sacré-Cœur is a double monument, political and cultural, both a national penance for the supposed excesses of the Second Empire and socialist Paris Commune of 1871 crowning its most rebellious neighborhood, and an embodiment of conservative moral order, publicly dedicated to the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which was an increasingly popular vision of a loving and sympathetic Christ. [Wiki]

Puzzle: Hidden Arbor by Thomas Kinkade

Size: 300 pieces (oversized)
Dimensions: 46cm x 61cm
Producer: Ceaco
Artist: Thomas Kinkade
Painting: “I often seek out a quiet place to meditate and pray; a special retreat like Hidden Arbor. This marvelous waterfall, with its myriad rivulets and streams; the climbing flowers on a romantic arbor is a little touch of heaven.” [Thomas Kinkade site]

A pergola, arbor or arbour is a garden feature forming a shaded walkway, passageway or sitting area of vertical posts or pillars that usually support cross-beams and a sturdy open lattice, often upon which woody vines are trained. As a type of gazebo, it may also be an extension of a building, or serve as protection for an open terrace or a link between pavilions. [Wiki]

Puzzle: Portland Head Lighthouse

Size: 500 pieces
Dimensions: 48.26 cm x 35.56 cm
Producer: The Canadian Group, Sure-Lox, Images, #43270-10
Notes: Portland Head Light is a historic lighthouse in Cape Elizabeth, Maine that sits at the entrance of the shipping channel into Casco Bay. The headlight was the first built by the United States government, and is now a part of Fort Williams Park.

Construction began in 1787 at the directive of George Washington, and was completed on January 10, 1791. Whale oil lamps were originally used for illumination. In 1855 a fourth-order Fresnel lens was installed; that was replaced by a second-order Fresnel lens in which was replaced by an aero beacon in 1958 . That lens was replaced with an DCB-224 aero beacon in 1991. [Wiki]

Puzzle: Traditional Village, The Czech Republic

Size: 1000 pieces
Dimensions: 73.5cm x 49cm
Producer: Wonderful World
Location: The Czech Republic is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Poland to the northeast, Slovakia to the east, Austria to the south, and Germany to the west and northwest.

The Czech state, known as Bohemia and later as the Bohemian Crown, was formed in the late 9th century. The country reached its greatest territorial extent during the 13th and 14th century, under the rule of the Přemyslid and Luxembourg dynasties. Following the Battle of Mohács in 1526, the Kingdom of Bohemia was integrated into the Habsburg monarchy as one of its three principal parts alongside Austria and Hungary. [Wiki]

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