Blinded

Dee Dixon did the puzzle world a favor when he decided to dedicate himself fully to designing and crafting his beautiful, delightful puzzles. Now in Utah, this journey started for him in Idaho in 2019, back when he was crafting furniture pieces and jewelry boxes. For some fun, he would create one-off boxes which hid clever internal locking mechanisms, ranging from simple to fiendish. He didn’t know there were hobbyists and collectors in the world waiting for such creations. But he began to offer them online, and people like me bought them. One of these original designs was called “Blinded”, due to the inability to see what was going on inside. Which was not a bad name for many of those early designs!

“As everyone has probably heard by now when I started making puzzles, I was unaware of the larger community out there. I made several one-off puzzles before Blinded. I made one copy and sold it on my Etsy shop. After WMH I decided to revisit Blinded and make it more difficult. I didn't want to call it Blinded because of the previous copy so I settled on Blinded II. Several months later I continued with the blinded theme and released Blinded III. I suppose I could have given it a new name but they had similarities. So far all the boxes in the Blinded series have a lid that all open in the same way and a sliding bottom. Manipulate the inside mechanism to lift the lid is the goal of all the Blinded puzzles.”

Blinded II was originally made from sapele, zebrawood and maple, then remade in mahogany and Peruvian walnut. Distinguishing features are the slanted slip feathers around the corners and the little block on top. Blinded III was offered in a host of various wood combinations which all featured curly maple for the main box, including purple heart, sapele, zebrawood, monkeypod and roasted red oak. The distinguishing feature for it is the layered knob on one end. Blinded (I) was made in two variations, pairing either mahogany or zebrawood with Peruvian walnut.

“When I release a Blinded IV It may have a sliding bottom and a similar opening lid but I make no promises. Not long after Blinded III was released I started getting inquiries on Blinded. The original Blinded was far too easy and I didn't want to remake it because of that reason. After more requests, I decided to remake Blinded but I added a few more moves and upped the level of difficulty. I was never meant to be a difficult puzzle but I think it filled the void nicely.”

The Blinded series are all nice examples of Dee’s work. They are expertly crafted from beautiful hardwoods in a classic aesthetic. Their simple elegance hide tricky internal mechanisms which lead you along several steps with varying degrees of difficulty. Subtle clues guide you along the way as you explore what can be done. Dee’s work is always a pleasure to handle and explore, and the Blinded series is a nice example of his puzzle box style which traces its roots back to the beginning.

Winding one’s way along the progressive course of these lovely boxes is like traveling down a “Blind River”. Let’s enjoy a mellow drink as we meander. It comes from bartender Jesse Carr of Justine in New Orleans. The namesake river can be located in southeastern Louisiana where it originates in St James Parish west of New Orleans and wends its way east into to Lake Maurepas. Carr, who is well known to the Louisiana bar scene, defines a good bartender as “someone who cares about people”. I’ll drink to that.

His Blind River is a gin based cocktail but splits that base with Genever, the original Dutch gin which has deeper malt flavors. Benedictine is a classic French herbal liqueur made from 27 different flowers, botanicals and spices that brings flavors of clove, citrus, honey and cinnamon to the mix. Carr wanted to highlight the  “melon, citrus and floral notes” of blanc vermouth with the other ingredients in his drink. The cocktail is reminiscent of the Poet’s Dream, which I have also featured in the past. Both are lovely drinks that might sweep you away on a reverie, floating blissful down the river. Cheers!

Blind River by Jesse Carr

¾ oz gin

¾ oz Genever

¾ oz blanc vermouth

½ oz Benedictine

3 dashes orange bitters

Stir ingredients with ice and strain into a favorite glass. Dehydrated orange wheel or twist recommended.

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