Beginning the 2018

I feel it fitting to begin the year with something 

completed today, January 1, 2018

 I received this amazing and detailed puzzle for Christmas

 from a good, long time, friend, Anne Hatch.

 When I first opened it I was appalled with the really tiny sizes 

of the pieces and the unusual shapes they were cut.

 As you can see that mixed in with the odd shapes 

there were recognizable shapes, so I thought.........

this will be easy.... HA!

 Some of these pieces could be 1/4 of an inch to 1/2 inch. 

The women figures were larger usually 2 inches in length.

 So I started and as usual began looking for edge pieces.

There were not enough for the edges of this 

6 by 18 inch finished puzzle.

So I quit looking for edges and went to color.

 Color was fine till I got the plain areas and that 

stumped me for a couple of days

Giving up what I should be doing I 

  finished it today just to begin the New Year.

 I must admit that I enjoyed the challenge but don't 

want to start another anytime soon, 

despite the beauty of this one.

 The title of the picture is Black-Naped Oriole 

and it is by Ando Hiroshima

Here is the signature chop and in the upper picture, the poem.

Happy New Year to everyone.

May you have happy challenges and much success in 2018.