It's time for our Annual Puzzle and Video. Click the tree below to get a printable PDF of the full puzzle.
Once you have figured out the password, click the video link below to see all the fun we've had in 2024!
As always, post a comment below about your favorite part of the video to show you've solved the puzzle, but don't give away the password directly.
P.S. If you need help, here is the answer key with the password.
Loved it all, but my favorite part was Uncle Steve's visit. I had 15 uncles (never actually did the math until just now) and they were each special in their own way. Treasure your times together! The orca encounter was awesome (with John Denver's Calypso) and of course, all the beautiful cakes. Loved the 88 piano keys!
ReplyDeleteFelicia picks out all the songs so I'll let her know. I loved it too but for John Denver, but also Jacques Cousteau.
DeleteApparently it had been several years since the ferry had encountered orcas and never that close. It was a pod of 6 with a matriarch.
What a joyful family! Wishing you all wonderful new adventures together in the new year.
ReplyDeleteThanks Lorenzo. And the same to you in 2025!
DeleteI could NOT make my cursor start the tree puzzle, no matter how hard I tried. BUt I managed to guess the password, even without a mirror (however, since it was upside down, I didn't understand how a mirror would have solved that.).
ReplyDeleteMy favorite part was the Channel Islands, with my beloved John Denver song Calypso. But I was really waiting for the fancy cakes section...sadly, when that postcard finally arrived, my computer decided to start freezing...cursor wouldn't move, the video froze, etc etc, so I could never finish watching. I had to take advantage when the cursor finally would move again to close the window. BUt it was fun while it lasted!
The answer is upside down and mirrored. The puzzle is a printable PDF, not interactive. As for the freezing, I'm sorry that it happened at the cake section. Give it another go when your computer is happier.
DeleteGreat video, great production, great fun, great family!
ReplyDeleteBut the gift that truly keeps on giving is your 24hours/7days/52weeks blog – a gift from a gifted guy!
LegoWhoThanksBlaineAndHisExtendedFamily
I most enjoyed the times spent on water...
ReplyDelete... you must be referring to a couple times in particular. 😜
DeleteExcellent video, as always! Happy holidays, Blaine!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Jan. I'm just happy it's out before Christmas this year! Happy 2025!
DeleteWonderful. What a fun year! And I got to experience vicarious vertigo on the rope ladder, abject fear at the axe wielding, the Charles Schulz Museum--I'm only about 500 miles from it as I write this (maybe someday a Bill Watterson Museum?)--bocce that reminded me of the of the old Italian and Greek men in Braddock Park, the Halloween Party (my new grandson's birthday!), and the many Happy Birthdays to one and all.
ReplyDeleteBest wishes, Blaine, to you and yours for a joyous holiday season and a happy, healthy, and safe New Year.
As we attempted to play Bocce, we were constantly getting "help" from various longtime players about how were were supposed to throw from inside the court, that if it bounced off the back wall it was dead, etc. But a very fun outing, nonetheless and at least I feel we are following the rules better now. Happy 2025!
DeleteFabulous, Blaine, as always! The family that plays together stays together. The cakes blow me away.
ReplyDeleteI'm Felicia's sous chef when it comes to cakes, but I think I'm pretty good on my own now. I did most of the boot cake myself and obviously her birthday cake. We're a good team with her the expert on flavors and ideas and I'm good with precision. I especially liked our Carcassonne cake which was a pretty nice replica of an actual playable board. Thanks Lancek.
DeleteGreat video, Blaine. I liked the boot best. So real you could reach down and put your foot right in.
ReplyDeleteGreat site for NPR puzzles, too. All year 'round.
Chuck
Blaine, I enjoyed the video very much! Merry Christmas! Orcas, Dolphins and Cakes were my favorites. Wow, that boot cake could be on a cake boot camp class 🏕 😀.
ReplyDeleteMerry Christmas and Happy New Year to you and your fabulous family, Blaine! Wishing infinite best always to you and your loved ones.
ReplyDeleteAnyone remember the precise wording of today’s puzzle?
ReplyDeleteThis week's challenge comes from Dan Ezekiel, of Ann Arbor, Mich. Think of a two-word brand name for a food item that is marketed as upscale. Remove the last two letters of the first word and the first letter of the second word. Read the result from left to right and you'll get a one-word brand name associated with the budget-conscious. What is it?
DeleteThanks once again to you and Felicia for sharing your family. Especially the astounding BOOT CAKE.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. Merry Christmas all!
ReplyDeleteThat is one kickass boot cake! I had to stop the film and keep looking at it. It looked to me like it was a real boot dipped in something black. I'm glad you filmed it sliced open to prove it. Q would be impressed.
ReplyDeleteHappy Holidays
Alex, what is the song Bernie Taupin regrets writing?
ReplyDelete