Snowflake - 12/7/16

Today we travel to Croatia for a seasonal puzzle (at least, in the northern hemisphere).  We've already had snow in upstate New York ... some very warm days followed by a cold front bringing a lot of air from farther north led to some pretty nasty bands of lake effect snow, which we usually don't have here in Ithaca.  It's all melted now, but I expect it won't be long before we see more of the white stuff. I don't enjoy shoveling it (or driving in it) but I admit to a certain fascination with the:

Snowflake / Snjezna pahuljica

Tomorrow we'll ...

Geocaching 101 - 12/6/16

Today's puzzle takes you not far from where I live in New York.  It's the last week of classes for the semester for me, so in addition to trying to get ready for the holidays, I'm neck deep in grading papers, and preparing exams.  Here's a little test for you in:

Geocaching 101 

Tomorrow we'll be in ...

Altered States - 12/5/16

Today's California puzzle landed in my inbox recently and I knew I wanted to pass it along to you, even though I don't normally recommend spending a lot of time in:

Altered States

Tomorrow we'll ...

Stitched Together - 12/4/16

Today we find ourselves in Washington state for another day. (So, am I weird that I always say "Washington state" to distinguish from Washington, D.C.?  Probably.)  I recently accompanied my neighbor to a quilt shop I'd driven past on many occasions but never visited.  I was looking for one thing, which I didn't find, but discovered a bunch of other stuff I didn't even know I wanted.  I got two puzzle-related fabrics and a bunch of really cool geometric prints with bright colors interspersed with black.  I have no idea what I'll do with all of it ... for right now I'm content to just admire it.  Some day I will get it:

Stitched Together

Tomorrow we'll be in ...

A Walk in the Woods - 12/3/16

Today's puzzle takes us to Washington state.  When I first started geocaching and found myself hiking out in the woods, fording (small) streams, and looking for blaze marks on trees, it was a very new experience.  I like that geocaching has gotten me at least interested in getting outside for a walk in the woods, even if my efforts don't rise to the level of what most outdoor enthusiasts might call "hiking."  I've never really understood the appeal of long distance hiking, and have been fascinated by people who hike the Appalachian trail, which passes not far from where I grew up (I knew that in an abstract way, but just looked up how close it actually is).  I recently enjoyed listening to the audio book of Bill Bryson's "A Walk in the Woods," (I enjoyed some parts more than others) and would like to see the movie some time.  All that talk about being in the woods did at least get me thinking about doing some caching.  I hope it won't be too long until:

The Puzzler Hikes Again

Tomorrow we'll ...   

Ready ... 12/2/16

Today's Ohio puzzle was sent to me by someone who enjoyed it, and I had a lot of fun working on it with another puzzler from the Buckeye state.  It's definitely helpful to work in tandem with someone else so that you can catch any small mistakes that the other makes as you go.  It's not a quick solve but there's a lot of fun along the way, so clear the decks and get:

Ready Player Two

Tomorrow we'll be in ...

Happy Birthday A! - 12/1/16

If it weren't for the "A" in teamajk I don't know if I ever would have gotten involved in geocaching.  It was his love of everything map-based that got me thinking he might enjoy the game.  As a little kid he could be kept amused for hours by giving him a handful of paper and a pencil and asking him to draw a map.  Not only was he content to reproduce maps he had memorized, but he also enjoyed making up his own maps with fanciful place names ... I think my favorite of those had all the places names incorporating the names of different dinosaurs.  It's hard to believe he's turning 18 today and is off at school.  But it's not hard to believe he's planning to major in Geography.  In his honor today, I bring you this puzzle from Ohio involving:

Lines on a Map

Tomorrow we'll be in Ohio for another day.