Road Trip Puzzle Acquisitions: Impact and Sunsout

"Little Bighorn Battlefield," Impact, 500 pieces, 18 x 24 inches

When I left on my summer road trip on June 30, I had high hopes that I would visit at least a dozen thrift shops along the way in search of jigsaw puzzles. Turns out that I stopped by a grand total of three of them, and that I purchased only one puzzle. There was just too much to see and do for me to take the time to search for and drive to very many thrift shops as I made my way from Texas and on to New Mexico, Arizona, Utah, Wyoming, Montana, Kansas, Oklahoma, and finally back to Texas. I ended up driving a grand total of 4,586 miles and a total of 83 hours and 29 minutes in eleven days.

All in all, though, I came home with five puzzles in all because I bought four more in gift shops at some of the sites I spent time at. For instance, the one up above is a large-piece puzzle that I purchased in the Little Big Horn Battle Site gift shop. It brings back some great childhood memories, because the second puzzle that clearly remember working as a kid was a classic image of a Civil War battle.

And I bought these two in the Mt. Rushmore gift shop:

"Mount Rushmore National Memorial," Impact, 500 pieces, 18 x 24 inches

"Mount Rushmore," Impact, 1000 pieces, 20 x 28 inches

This SunsOut puzzle is my favorite acquisition, though, what I think is a fantastic image of eight past Republican presidents (including the party's first president, Abraham Lincoln) enjoying each other's company around a pool table. SunsOut makes a similar puzzle for Democrat presidents (including Obama and the party's first president Andrew Jackson) and offers two more puzzles with the same presidents sitting around a poker table. I'm drawn to how the artist, Andy Thomas, shows the presidents smiling and genuinely enjoying each other's company. This one was on sale in the gift shop at the Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library.

Callin' the Blue, SunsOut, 1000 pieces, 19 x 30 inches

And, finally, here's the one thrift shop puzzle that I bought while on the road. It's a nostalgic look back to a time when fire fighters and policemen were still heroes in the minds of every American (I miss those days).

Coca Cola Heroes, Springbok, 1000 Pieces, 24 x 30

And there you have it...five puzzles added to my collection so far in July. The trip was wonderful even though I feel as if I barely scratched the surface of what the states I visited have to offer. I plan  now to get back to regular blogging since WiFi service was generally too slow to do any blogging while I was on the road. It's good to be home...I need the rest.