An opportunity

I just got word of an opportunity for our puzzle business.

Some time this week or next I should be getting some poplar in the mail.

So, I hear you saying – it’s poplar, what’s the big deal.

This poplar came from a tree that grew outside of Monticello. You know, the place where Thomas Jefferson lived. This is a tree that he had planted when he lived there, some of his writings mention it.

A bit earlier this year (or maybe last) the tree had to come down as it threatened the house. It was 12 feet in diameter, about 22 feet around. It had gone hollow inside and it was feared it just wasn’t strong enough any more. The wood I’ll be getting comes from a couple of limbs.

What, you ask, am I going to do with this? Make puzzles, of course – and my contact with the wood thinks they can get these puzzles into the Monticello gift shop. It’s not clear right now how much wood will be delivered as I’ll be getting the stuff that’s left over from his work that’s too small for him to use in the pieces that he’s making.

Even if the puzzles don’t get accepted for the gift shop – having puzzles made from a tree planted by a future president over 200 years ago will be an amazing thing.