TV & PUZZLES (Cheri)

One of the things we wanted to do after we sold the house and moved was to find a different way to watch TV.  Surely there must be a less expensive approach!

I was the one who researched the options, as Mark said all he cared about was being able to watch the Golf Channel.  (Perhaps he knew that, with me in charge we were certain to have access to CNN and a lot of other channels, but that is what he said.)  I ended up adding Discovery+ and YouTube TV, and ditching DirecTV.

I adore the Magnolia programs, which are available selectively through a lot of cable options, but can be watched at any time Discovery+.  The photography is lush and there are many in-depth programs featuring different types of artisans.

Last night I happened upon a new show, called The Piece Maker.  I thought it was a one-off, which would have been fine, but it is apparently the first of a series.

This episode was called "The Wild, Wild West," and started with a helicopter ride into the Grand Canyon and a hike to Native American homes carved into the rock hundreds of feet above the Canyon floor.  Did I mention that Magnolia programs are beyond beautiful?

I had to laugh at the beginning of the show, when the artist, Eric Dowdle, said something self-deprecating about how puzzle art isn't what painters are dreaming of when they go to art school.  More than once he said that he appreciates creating something - puzzles - that facilitate conversations while they are being used.

As soon as I saw him working, I realized that he is the artist that paints a series of very thematic puzzles that can often be found at Costco. (And elsewhere.  I think his web site claims that he is the world's most successful puzzle artist.)

Two of our favorite patient-friends gave us one of the puzzles for use in our lobby at Pacific Physical Therapy:

The art was different from what I usually chose - photographic collages of various collections - but it featured the San Francisco Giants . . . hoorah!

Whether he always intended to create folk art or not, Dowdle appears to be doing quite well.  The program included a shot of his attractive ranch in Utah, which he has named "No Missing Pieces."

Mark just finished repainting the dining room in our "temporary house," so I am going to start looking for a table across which I can spread puzzles.  So many distractions . . .