Those Were the Days

 by guest blogger, Elmer Prather

One word that many of our puzzlers would use to describe our puzzles is "nostalgia". Our images are significantly nostalgic and "The Happy Hen House" is no different. Reading Mr. Prather's write up about the memories that this puzzle stirred up for him is one of the reasons we love doing what we do. We hope you enjoy his recounting of the good ol' days. 

This is the 54th Cobble Hill puzzle I have had the pleasure of putting together. It is titled The Happy Hen House by Greg & Company. I really like his puzzles; I have put 8 other puzzles of his together. Those other puzzles are Blue Truck Farm, Deerfield, Summer Afternoon on the Farm, Cozy Fireplace, Welcome to the Lake House, Hooked on Fishing, Sheep Field and Summer Truck.

"The Happy Hen House" 1000pc assembled by Elmer Prather

I must have a connection with a puzzle before I spend the time putting it together. My connection to this puzzle is the chickens. When I was 12 years old my mother put me in charge of our 25 or so chickens. They were free range chickens with several nests for the hens to lay their eggs. When one of the hens started brooding, I would gather some of the fresh eggs from other nests and take a number 2 lead pencil and mark the eggs until they were almost black. I did this because when the brooding hen would leave her nest for food, water and to use the bathroom, some of the other hens would lay their eggs in the brooding hen’s nest. Marking the eggs with the pencil allowed me to know which eggs she was sitting on and which ones were freshly laid. I would usually put about 12 eggs under the brooding hen. It takes 21 days for the eggs to hatch.

Since our chickens were free range, they were in jeopardy of hawks swooping down and grabbing one of them. To prevent this from happening, we placed a tall pole into the ground, mounted a cross arm to it and hung 12 gourds from the cross arm. The gourds had holes cut into them for small birds to fly in and out. These gourds became nests for Martins. Martins are a small breed of bird also in jeopardy of hawks attacking them.  When a hawk would fly by near the chickens and the Martins nests, the Martins would collectively fly out of their nests and do what is called “mobbing”. This is when Martins collectively attack the hawk and run it off. By doing this we created a natural defense against the hawks. In the puzzle, I did not see any protection for the free-range chickens except for the chicken house itself.

The chickens displayed in the puzzle were different breeds of chickens and roosters. We had mostly Game chickens and roosters. We also had a few Bantams, Domineckers and a few White Leghorns.

The puzzle has a sign on the chicken coop door advising customers they sold fresh eggs. The eggs our family did not need were put into egg cartons and I would put them in the basket on my bicycle and take them to a local Grocery store in town, which was about a mile away. The Grocery store owner would give me all the egg cartons I needed and pay me 50 cents for each dozen I brought him.

In the puzzle, there were horses and cows in the pasture behind the hen house. There were two large barns for the farmer to store hay and for the animals to have a place to go to get out of the weather.

This puzzle brought back many fond memories of my youth and my tenure as being the sibling who had the sole responsibility of taking care of our small flock of chickens. Those were the days.

"The Happy Hen House" 1000 pieces by Greg Giordano

Four More New Puzzles for January!

In late November 2021, we added 35 new images to our collection. These new images were made available to our Cobble Hill Retailer Partners or "Preferred Retailers" as you may have heard us call them on social media. These retailers are very important to our brand as they commit to always having an abundance of images for you to choose form when you go to their store (or shop online with them). Any retailer you find on our website (in North America) will always get first pick of our new puzzles ahead of other stores. So we thank you for supporting them!

However, in January, we added four more new puzzles that have been made available to all retailers! We love these four new images and we hope you do too. So without further ado, here they are!

****************
"Doodlecats"
1000 pieces
Beth Wilson
In stock now!
****************

What a luxurious day in the life of Doodlecats! The artist is from the UK and we're happy to share their work in this 1000 piece collage of cats. Whether it's yoga, gardening, painting, or baking, these Doodlecats know how to do life! We hope you have as much fun putting this one together as they do being in it!

********************
"Marvelous Minerals"
1000 piece
Artist: Abigail Kramer
In stock now!
********************

These rocks were created with pencil crayon and watercolour. They are numbered and labelled underneath so that you can identify them in the chart. It's a beautiful rainbow of rocks in 1000 pieces for our Infographic theme! We think this one is a treasure gem and we hope you do too!

                                                                         

*****************
"Save the Bees"
1000 pieces
Artist: Jane Shasky
In stock now!
*****************

Our Art Director, Chantal, worked with the images from Jane Shasky to create this lovely "Save the Bees" puzzle. This charming bee-friendly garden is full of information to help you learn more about what bees love. And if you love this puzzle, please help it pollinate around the world! 

****************
"Family Reunion"
1000 piece 
Gwendolyn McShepard
In stock soon!
****************

The artist, Gwendolyn McShepard, has created a very well thought out and intentional painting. This isn't just a gathering of people, there is a lot of meaning behind each "tier". We think Gwendolyn has explained her painting very well, so we'll share her statement below.

Artist Statement about Family Reunion:

I draw much of my strength from the knowledge of my ancestors who paved the way for me and made it possible for me to be here today.  The two people in the haze on the hill represent all of the ancestors of long, long ago that you’ve never known yet are intrinsic to your every breath.  Then I thought about the family members that I have recently lost, who helped shape and mold me to be the person I am today.  So, the second tier of the painting is the traditional funeral march. What most people don’t notice about this piece is the green shadow figures marching in the opposite direction of the funeral march. They are heading to the hill to join all the ancestors who are waiting to greet them. The third tier of the painting represents the entire cycle of life which is pretty much the same for all of us. In the center the couple represents family home and children.  Spiraling out on all sides from the center couple are all the elements of life and living. Fellowship, spiritual life, education, vocation, military, play, happiness and sadness, which we all encounter in the cycle of life. 

The border represents fabrics of Africa. As the mother continent, these fabrics are interwoven throughout all of our lives. In the truest meaning, this painting represents all families, all over the world. It represents the cycle of life.  

***

If you made it here, we think you deserve a sneak peek at one of the 17 images releasing in March to our Preferred Retailers (that means all other stores will have new images by late May/June). 

We hope you like this sweet treat! (You just have to hold tight for a few months to enjoy it!)

Frozen Treats 1000 piece by Cobble Hill Creations

Okay... one last one to help you relax the day away ... thanks for stopping by! 

"Seaside" 1000 piece by Joelle McIntyre

Get Cozy with "Cozy Fireplace"

 by guest blogger, Elmer Prather

Before we share Mr. Prather's latest write up, we wanted to let you know that we realize it's post Christmas! But, we know that at least 45% of puzzlers who answered our poll last year said that they do Christmas puzzles all year long. So, with "Cozy Fireplace" being a NEW 2022 puzzle, maybe you'll enjoy this right now, in the midst of winter or how about for Christmas in July this summer?  Or, for the non-all-year-around-Christmas-puzzler, get this on your wish list early for Christmas 2022! So there are a few reasons for us to share this post-Christmas beyond the simple fact that we always enjoy Mr. Prather's reviews, no matter what time of year! (Not to spoil our favourite part of his commentary, we'll bold it below, but it made us giggle). Without further ado... 

This is the 53rd Cobble Hill Puzzle I have had the pleasure of putting together. I need to have a connection with a puzzle before I spend the time putting it together. When I saw this puzzle, I just fell in love with it. It is a 1000-piece puzzle titled Cozy Fireplace by Gregg and Company.

Greg Giordano's "Cozy Fireplace" 1000 piece assembled by Elmer Prather

The puzzle depicts a Christmas scene with a mother Golden Retriever and her five Golden Retriever puppies laying on the floor and chair in front of a roaring fire. Christmas gifts are in front of the giant Christmas tree in the corner of the room. There are five stockings hung from the mantle, one for each puppy.

You can see Santa and his reindeer and sleigh highlighted in the moon from the window. There is a large comfortable looking green chair with two of the puppies sitting in it. The mother and all her puppies have expressions on their faces that appear as if they are anticipating Santa Claus to appear at any moment. The fire in the fireplace shines brightly and makes the room look warm and welcoming.

One of the pups, probably the mischievous one, is attempting to open one of the wrapped presents in front of the Christmas tree. I guess that it thinks that gift has its name on it.

This was a great puzzle to put together during Christmas. It has a warm welcoming theme and is exploding with the bright colors of Christmas decorations displayed in the room and a Christmas tree decorated with lights, balls, garland, and a large star on its top.

Families come in all kinds and sizes, whether they’re human or other, this puzzle depicts the meaning of family at the most joyous time of the year.

This puzzle was a pleasure to put together.

"Cozy Fireplace" by Greg Giordano

Good Things Come to Those Who Bait!

by guest blogger, Elmer Prather

This is the 52nd Cobble Hill Puzzle I have had the pleasure of putting together. I need to have a connection with a puzzle before I spend the time putting it together. When I saw this puzzle and the puzzle title, “Hooked on Fishing” I had to have it. This is a 1000-piece puzzle by Giordano Studios.

I love to fish and this puzzle has twelve beautifully illustrated types of fish. As I have fished over the years, I have caught at least one each of the fish shown in the puzzle except for the King Salmon. Most of these fish are edible except for the common carp.

"Hooked on Fish" assembled by Elmer Prather

The fish in the puzzle are posed in such a way that you feel as if you are viewing them in their natural environment. There are also several different fishing lures displayed in the puzzle. Different lures are used to catch different kinds of fish. One of my favorite fishing lures is the Yellow Sallie. I have used this lure for many years because it is so effective in catching fish, especially Large and Small Mouth Bass.

I live in Georgia, U S A and we have access to most of the fish displayed in the puzzle especially the Large and Small Mouth Bass, Black Crappie, Yellow Perch, Rainbow Trout and Sunfish. 

As I mentioned before, I love to fish. I have fished as far North as The Pas, Manitoba, Canada as far South as Key West Florida, as far East as The Outer Banks, North Carolina and as far West as Ennis, Montana. Since I live in Georgia, most of my fishing expeditions have been in and around Georgia, and the other Southeastern states.

I enjoyed putting this puzzle together. As I was finishing it and it began to come to life, I had memories of the many fish I have been lucky enough to catch. Most of the fish I caught I released but there were a few of them that became dinner for me.

"Hooked on Fish" by artist Robert Giordano

"Fishing Cabin" - Nostalgia of Elkmont

by guest blogger, Elmer Prather

This is the 51st Cobble Hill Puzzle that I have had the pleasure of putting together. I need to have a connection with a puzzle before I spend the time putting it together. I love old cabins and this puzzle filled that bill. The title of this puzzle is Fishing Cabin by Mark Keathley. This is the fourth Mark Keathley puzzle I have put together. The other three were RockyMountain High, Mountain Cascade and Smoky Train.

Mark Keathley's "Fishing Cabin" 1000pc assembled by Elmer Prather

The cabin depicted in the puzzle reminded me of some of the cabins I have visited in Elkmont, a small community in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. There are many old cabins like the one pictured in the puzzle on the Little River that runs through Elkmont. These cabins were built during the time the Little River Lumber Company was harvesting timber from an area which would later become part of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The Little River Lumber Company built narrow gauge railroads deep into the virgin forest to carry the timber from the mountains to the sawmill in Townsend, Tennessee where the timber was stored in a pond beside the mill until it was cut into different sizes of lumber and moved to Knoxville, Tennessee by train. This lumber was then shipped all over the world.

The timber they cut was virgin timber and as such many of the trees were 5 or 6 feet in diameter at their base and were several hundred years old. What a loss for our future generations not to be able to see them still growing. Many of these trees were Chestnut trees. When the Chestnut blight hit the mountains, it destroyed most of the Chestnut trees. The locals used to harvest chestnuts from these trees and sell them. The money they received helped them survive while living in the mountains.

The community of Elkmont was established as a satellite facility for both railroad and lumbering operations and to serve as a base of operations for harvesting the upper watershed of the Little River.  There was a post office, church, hotel, commissary, houses and cabins for management and workers. With rail access now available into the heart of the mountains, the Little River Lumber Company made land available for summer home sites.  Many of these old houses and cabins still exist but had become badly deteriorated.

As a result of efforts by the National Park service to restore some of the community structures, visitors are now allowed to enter some of these restored cabins and houses.

In the late 1930s the Federal Government began purchasing land for what would become the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The landowners who refused to sell their land were taken to court and forced to sell. This included all the cabins and houses in Elkmont. In 1939, after they had harvested many thousands of trees from the property, the Little River Lumber Company sold 76,507 acres of deforested land to the Federal Government for the sum of $273,577. This was twice the price they paid for the land.

The railroad tracks were removed in 1939 when the last load of timber was removed from the mountains. The National Park Service took advantage of the railbeds by converting them into roads and hiking trails. The Smoky Mountains National Park was established by President Franklin Roosevelt in 1940.

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park is the most visited of the 63 National Parks in America. In 2020 12.4 million visitors toured the park. Many of them had the pleasure of visiting the old cabins beside the Little River in Elkmont.

 

International Art Day

by guest blogger, Elmer Prather

When Mr. Prather told us he had finished two of our fine art puzzles, we knew that we had to save his post to help us celebrate International Art Day! Fine Art puzzles are new for Cobble Hill and we do them differently by creating collages with information as opposed to just a single famous image from a famous artist. We hope that you'll enjoy his experience with Carl Larsson and Van Gogh. 

This is the 48th Cobble Hill puzzle I have had the pleasure of putting together. It is a 1000 piece puzzle titled “Carl Larsson”. It is a puzzle displaying 40 of Carl Larsson's paintings. Carl Olof Larsson was a Swedish painter who is known for his paintings of images during the Victorian era.

In the photo of the puzzle below you will see a gentleman dressed in a black suit looking at a painting in what appears to be an art museum. It is the second picture from the bottom on the far right side. It is a self portrait of Carl Larsson painted in 1895.

Carl Larsson 1000pc assembled by Elmer Prather

Carl Larsson married fellow artist Karin Bergoo and they had eight children. Karin was also an interior decorator and she painted many of the interior rooms displayed in the puzzle. The intricate details drawn in each room appear realistic. Larsson's family became his favorite models.

When I started putting this puzzle together I thought that I would be an interesting project. As I added puzzle pieces and the puzzle started to come alive, I was in awe and amazement of how beautiful the paintings in the puzzle were.

Many of the paintings in the puzzle have people, Larsson's family members, doing many different activities. Some of the portraits are of his family in outdoor scenes while others have an inside setting. You will be able to look at each of the 40 portraits and imagine the different stories Larsson was trying to tell in his paintings. Paintings, like photos, tell a story.

The colors used in each of the paintings and the detail used to make the scenes look alive is amazing. If you let your imagination run free as you look closely at each painting, you would be able to write a book about the lives of the individuals he posed for his paintings.

This was an interesting and personally rewarding puzzle for me to put together.

Below is the 49th Cobble Hill puzzle I have had the pleasure of putting together. It is titled "Van Gogh". I chose this puzzle because of my love of art. The puzzle displays 26 of his paintings. Many of them were painted while he was in a mental institution and some were painted from his bedroom window. 

"Van Gogh" 1000pc assembled by Elmer Prather

Vincent Willem van Gogh was born March 30, 1853 in Zundert, Netherlands. He died July 29, 1890 in Auvers-sur-Oise, France at age 37.

Van Gogh had a troubled life. Once after an altercation with his friend and fellow painter, Paul Gauguin, he cut off his right ear. He depended on his younger brother for financial support. He only sold one of his paintings before he shot himself in his chest with a pistol.

Van Gogh was commercially unsuccessful during his lifetime and considered a madman and a failure. As he only became famous after his suicide, he came to be seen as a misunderstood genius in the public mind.

He created about 2,100 artworks, including around 860 oil paintings, most of which were completed in the last two years of his life.

Van Gogh suffered from psychotic episodes and delusions. He often neglected his physical health, did not eat properly and drank heavily.

Van Gogh did many self portraits. When he painted these he always painted them with his face on the left side showing his good ear.

I have had the pleasure of seeing several prints of his paintings including “Sunflowers” at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and some at the Saint Louis Art Museum.

Today, Van Gogh's works are among the world's most expensive paintings ever sold and his legacy is honored by a museum in his name, the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. This museum holds the world's largest collection of his drawings and paintings.

NEW Images Coming Soon!

We are very excited to be rolling out new images for our Cobble Hill fans, and hopefully new puzzlers too! 

In mid-November, our network of Preferred Retailers will start stocking our new images. We'll have 35 new images to share with the puzzling community. Some images will be from familiar, tried and true artists for Cobble Hill, as well as new artists that we hope to continue working with after this first release.

"Flower Truck" - Greg Giordano - 1000pc - tried and true artist!

Our Cobble Hill Creations team has also expanded our Fine Art theme. What we really enjoy about our presentation of fine art images is that we've added context to the artist's work. We call these infographic or informational puzzles. Rather than featuring one popular image from an artist, we've created a collage of the artist's work and labeled the art. Some fine art puzzles will also include a timeline that speaks to the artist's life and their work. 

"Redoute" - Fine Art Infographic (labels & timeline) - 1000pc

Another theme addition to our line are the European street scenes. We traditionally lean wildlife, nature, and nostalgic imagery. But even with the saturation of European street scenes in the puzzle market, we continue to get requests for these types of images. And in the past 18+ months, the demand for around-the-world scenic images has increased! Our team is scouring licensors portfolios for other scenic images of different countries from South America, Africa and Asia, so hopefully, we'll be adding those to our offerings soon! Feel free to make recommendations if you know a great artist!

 

"Rainy Day Stroll" - John O'Brien - 1000pc - new artist for us!

And lastly, we'd like to bring your attention to our fantastically fun, whimsical Whamond puzzles! Yep! Doodletown is back and more hilarious than ever! We're excited to bring you two new Doodletown puzzles with chaotic characters from the farm and the haunted house. And two more from Whamond that are not Doodletown branded (camping and Christmas theme). The "Catching Santa" Family Pieces 350 puzzle image below will be a fun family gift this Christmas, so be sure to add it to your wish list!

"Catching Santa" - Dave Whamond - Family Pieces 350

There are 35 brilliant images coming your way very soon. Of the 35 new images, the piece count break down is as follows: two 2000 piece, 19 1000 piece, seven 500 piece, three Family Pieces 350, and four Easy Handling 275 piece. We look forward to sharing them all with you soon! If you'd like to find out which retailers will have early access to our new images, check out our Find A Store link to find a local retailer near you. Any retailer listed on our website is a Preferred Retailer and will have access to ordering these new puzzles earlier than other retailers. So be sure to find the retailer who works best for you! 

Follow us on social media to keep up to date on when and where you can get our new puzzles!

Facebook

Instagram