1043-1050. When Irish Eyes are Smiling - stroll
(more fun and games for St. Pat's :-)
Mystery Puzzle in MA

This curious assemblage of stamps was actually a part of sewsewbizzy's legacy collection that we picked up at a memorial gather for her in NJ back in October of 2018. Since that time, we have unsuccessfully tried to puzzle out what exactly it is supposed to mean. We probably could just have asked someone in the Mid-Atlantic region who might have known the back story for these stamps, but since there currently seem to be so many people who enjoy puzzle-solving in our own southern New England area, we thought we'd give them first crack at telling us what they think the final solution might be.

The first stamp of this series we actually planted as an easy RI semi-mystery for St. Patrick's Day 2019 (StPDP at SDSP), but only a few people found it that year, so we have now transferred it and the "whole kit and caboodle" over to a more central MA location that some of the local tri-state puzzle-people may remember from having found one of the easier dingus dufus boxes nearby. Dingus mystery boxes have put so many smiles on our faces in recent years, and this particular one actually reminded us of the charade/riddle-like quality of "things" (Latin: ablative plural) that seem to be involved in solving this sewsewbizzy puzzler as well. So, we thought that "playing off" the general location of that particular dingus box might be fun and apropos, and we certainly hope that he won't mind!:-)

Anyway, to get to the particular starting point that we used to plant this series, we first went up a cliff to find some granite and garnet, then decided to park at the top of the hill (even though the road up there was surprisingly bumpy by southern New England standards, so please exercise caution;-) After parking along the street there near the end by some houses, you can enter the trail through boulders by a sign welcoming you to woods named after the nearest river. Follow along a short way with a brown wooden fence on your left, and then 40 steps from the end of the fence, you will undoubtedly see a sign that should bring a smile to your face! Take about 40 steps more to another sign that should make you smile, then look over your right shoulder to a large flattish boulder with an instrument to kick off this series tucked in a small round box under a rock behind it. The logbook for this series is also here, but we won't harp on the necessity of not giving away the final puzzle solution therein, or in online comments. (Simply send us a private note if you can figure it out and that should suffice!:-)

Now, to continue the "charade", take about 60 steps more to the next sign of 3 words, and look sinisterly to a 2-tree (+ 1 dead). Behind it under 1 of 2 smaller rocks find 2 wds in a tiny black pouch.

Next take about 50 more steps along the trail and then take a moment to look around. 1st is off trail left in a little black pouch on the back left side of a 2-foot long rock with a cave in front. Off trail right is a large curved, somewhat chunky ear-shaped boulder with another pouch under a small rock in front where a hearing aid might be.

Now for a slightly longer stroll, take about 75 steps to the 1st "Y" with a large boulder on the left and stay left, then about 100 steps to a 2nd "Y" and stay right. After about 300 or so steps curving through the woods, look for a "Y" tree about 6 steps off trail left as you curve right. Under a small light gray stone there between two more jagged ones find another type of Y.

Continue about 55 steps to the second circular yellow blaze, on a tree to the left, then 7 more steps on trail to see a smallish two-trunk birch on the left with 2nd in another pouch under a small flat stone.

So far so good - it's just this last part we need explained!;-) Continue about 75 more steps to a boulder on the left that seems to be wearing a hat? Look behind the top left part of that hat tucked under the brim secured with a small stone to tell us what's up with the Zorro sombrero? And finally, just a dozen steps further to where a fallen tree has been cut across the trail? Just look under where the section on the right "scissors off" into two and don't forget to send us the final "cut"! Thanks for playing along on this letterboxing game, and hope you got a few smiles out of solving a puzzle with at least a little walk in the woods thrown in, the unrestricted free time way we still always love to play!;-) Cheers, W&P

Copyright (c) Wanda and Pete. All Rights Reserved.

BEFORE YOU SET OUT, PLEASE READ THE WAIVER OF RESPONSIBILITY AND DISCLAIMER.