On New Year’s day, we always do a jigsaw puzzle. We never finish it that day, but we start it soon after we wake up (however late that is) and go all day, snacking on New Year’s Eve leftovers as needed, turning on the lights around 4 so we can continue into the evening.
This year’s puzzle was a doozy: the map of downtown Toronto in three levels – the street grid from the lake shore up to Dundas (and all 640ish pieces, devilishly, the same shape and size); a second layer of just the city streets fashioned out of foam pieces with cutouts for buildings; and then a set of 110 plastic models of the skyscrapers and other historic buildings to be inserted into the proper cutouts in the foam, on the streets where they live.
We started it together, but I finished it alone a couple nights later. All except for two buildings, one which was missing (did I place it in the wrong place?) and one extra, that I couldn’t for the life of me figure out where to put…
It’s kind of nice to start the year off with a manageable project. The parameters are defined, and we all (M, H, my sister, and I) get to contribute as we like.
For some reason, I usually end up working the puzzle upside down. In this case, it felt particularly apt, taking the view south, from where my grandparents lived, imagining the car, subway, or bus ride from Bathurst to downtown, the walk to the harbor front, the ferry to Centre Island, the view across the choppy lake from the country where I felt at home to the country where I lived.
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These photos and post are in response to this week’s theme for the 52 Photos Project. You should participate, too! Read about how it works here. You can see a gallery of everyone’s photos for this week’s theme here. To see a list of all my blog posts for this project, go here.
Grongar 
Oh wow, would my mama love that. She is a graduate of the National Ballet School of Canada and spent her high school years traipsing around downtown Toronto. The dorm was on Maitland Street (sp?)–I don’t know the city, so I am not sure where it is in that conglomerate of blocks. I was there once for an audition when I was twelve. Loved it. The school has now grown and lives in a sexy multi-storey building in the same general vicinity–I believe the dorm, academic classrooms, cafeteria, and ballet studios are now under one roof. Mom still goes up there for summer teacher training and alum reunions.
That’s a lovely tradition, btw.~D
That’s so cool, Deb! It’s a wonderful city. I’m so glad you have good memories of it, too.
We started the New York version of this puzzle on Christmas day and finished it up last week. You know what I learned? I really do need glasses. They should arrive next week. Then we’re going to tackle Boston.
A wonderfully happy New Year to you and M and H. May you all be healthy and merry almost all the days!
The NY one must be great! And I understand about the glasses… I couldn’t have even approached this year’s puzzle without my reading specs. Happy New Year to you and M and T and L and B! I hope it’s a wonderful one for you all…