Monday, February 20, 2006

The Resurrection of the Big Fritz

Winter is a time for puzzles. There's always one in the process of being put together on the coffee table in front of the fireplace. Last summer, when we were up on Lake Superior at Whitefish Point, I purchased this puzzle of the iron freighter "Edmund Fitzgerald" which sank in November 1975 and is remembered today thanks to Gordon Lightfoot's ballard. The copper top coffee table is new this year and made the sky of this puzzle particularly difficult as it was hard to pick out the pieces on the table. The Big Fritz puzzle is now back in its box and another puzzle is being worked on. Of course, the real Big Fritz sits on the bottom of the lake in 500 feet of water.

It's been cold here, but no real accumlation of snow. I went for a walk with the dog on the North Country Trail late yesterday afternoon. It's always nice to walk at twilight, to see the setting sun set the western sky on fire. It was cold. When I took my cap off too cool my head, I quickly developed a headache. The light coating of snow crunched under my feet. Stars were popping out by the time I got back to my truck.

7 comments:

  1. I'm going to have to start getting back in to the puzzle thing when my child gets a little older. (Has to be born first!) I already have the fireplace finished, just need the nice big coffee table.

    Fortunately for me, I have that GL ballad in mp3 form on my computer and can play it when the mood strikes... like now. Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  2. i love puzzles! thanks for the reminder of what a great cold weather activity it is!

    i have failed your comment thing twice now...

    ReplyDelete
  3. I love puzzles too, and I have one I thought I would start in January. Didn't get into it though, and now that the Olympics are on TV, the puzzle will have to wait.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Brrrr! California has spoiled me -- though I grew up in the Pacific Northwest, I can no longer stand the rain and the cold. My friends in Michigan find me insufferable.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Of all things to happen, I stepped outside after work, got in my car, turned on the ignition and Gordon Lightfoot filled my car with the ballad of the Edmund Fitzgerald. (Not a CD but on the radio.) I'm going to have to start referring to you as the Great Sage!

    ReplyDelete
  6. I used to be a big Gordon Lightfoot fan..back in the day.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Ed, although the top of this coffee table makes it hard to find certain pieces, I feel in love with it and brought it--I love the way the copper top changes color in various light.

    Murf, I generally give them away, except for ones like this--I'll hold on to it and do it again.

    ING, come to MI in the summer, the mosquitoes will make you long for winter.
    Kenju--the olympics are perfect occassion to work on a puzzle--you got lots of commerical time to feast upon the pieces. time

    ReplyDelete