Otto Knirsh, The Road--Winter

Optimago, 308 pieces.  I realize that my affection for Optimago may seem odd given how much I normally like complicated puzzles, and Optimago (with the partial exception of their Gold Box line that has some whimsies) is strip-cut.  All I can say is that, while at first I found the relatively loose cut jarring and the strip-cut offputting, I have come to appreciate the classic picture selection and homey feel of the pieces.  It all seems so British.  Laser-cut strip-cut puzzles seem kind of pointless to me--why take the affordances of lasers and just make ordinary old pieces?  But the fact that these were all hand-cut, apparently in stacks of more than one based on the pinholes to be found around the edges, makes a difference in my enjoyment.  I even smile at the relatively high number of non-interlocking sides, because I imagine a cutter who is tired of the effort involved in creating the interlocks. 3/5

BTW, if there are other puzzlers in the greater DC area who'd be interested in some sort of puzzle club, I'd be delighted to hear from you.