Roland Davis put together his first puzzle at the age of 15, just because, and has been hooked ever since. He remembers his first puzzle very well. He was in North Carolina, where he is from, and it was one of the 160-piece puzzles from Dollar Tree. It had a house and a fence around it with flowers and fruits and animals. He has had much practice putting together puzzles over the years. He put together about 25 before he ever moved to Virginia. He’s had to work himself up from 100, to 500, and then 1000-piece puzzles. “The 1000-piece puzzles take me about a month; they’re the biggest I’ve tried to do. I assume a 2000-piece one would take me 2 months,” he joked.
Roland thinks he’s done about 1,050 puzzles over the years; 50 of them since he has been at the Home. His favorite one of all time was a Christmas present. “There was snow everywhere and there was a Christmas tree in the yard with children playing and parents watching. The children were throwing snowballs and there was even a horse pulling a sleigh!”
Roland explained his very methodical approach to putting together a puzzle. It is haphazard in the least that is for sure. He has several Tupperware containers, all of different sizes and shapes, which he employs to go about his endeavors. He dumps all of the pieces out onto a large piece of white foam board, and organizes like pieces into the different containers. He always starts with the outside first when putting a puzzle together, and like any good procrastinator, saves the hardest part for last.
Working in that routine, Roland can finish a 60-piece in 30 minutes, 100-piece puzzle in 3-days, 500-piece puzzle in 4 days, and a 1000-piece puzzle in 3-4 weeks. “I can finish it in 2 weeks if I work days and nights!” he exclaimed. Roland even has 3 puzzles framed and hanging in his room. He works diligently on each of his puzzles until they are completed, at which time he displays them on a table outside his room for passersby to admire his work. Currently on display, a puzzle of John Wayne. As for his next undertaking, Roland hasn’t decided which one he will tackle next. He is enjoying the fact that he just got a few new ones to look forward to.
