picking up the pieces

Sometimes it's better to sit on the puzzle to find where the pieces go. It's easier on the knees! This is the most recent picture that I have of our puzzle progress.

We were even farther...

The challenge of moving a 6000 piece puzzle up two flights with an elevator is easier said than done.

Step one: Get the puzzle off the floor and onto something moveable. Such as...a big sheet of bulletin board paper.

Hm. No, the bulletin board paper is too flimsy.

Okay, now break the puzzle into smaller sections, and place it onto large sheets of hard plastic.

This works, but the plastic is too small to hold the entire puzzle, so let's transfer the puzzle to a large, long sheet of foam core.

Ah, success! And it fits in the elevator...excellent.

Step Two: Enter the elevator. Easier said than done.

Elevator doors open...we enter.

Elevator doors close...oh, no, we're not in yet!

Puzzle falls.

Large parts of it shatter.

Pieces of it fall down 6 flights of stairs into the shaft below.

Step Three: Cry. And pick up the pieces.

Natalie and Katie put the shattered pieces into the bucket, and ask the Harris if we can get into the elevator shaft.

He's too nice. He insists that he go in while we hold the elevator doors open.

He finds the derelict pieces! Among the dust and the bugs...

Now, we're set back about 4 or 5 days...sadly the parts that shattered are the HARD PARTS THAT PAM HAS BEEN WORKING ON FOR THE PAST 9 DAYS.

To borrow the words of Emily: what a day!

...and where do we begin?