Puzzling Puzzle!

Several months ago, my grandniece pleaded with me to have a party for her at the Little Bayou House.  She and three of her friends wished to come here for a small party.  It has been a long time since I had any type of get-together for a group of teenagers and I was a bit bewildered at her request.  When I questioned her as to why here, her answer was that she just found the Little Bayou House so interesting with all of its "treasures" (aka..dust collectors")!  Well, that got me to thinking.  If I am going to go to all the trouble of having a party for this sweet young lady, I want it to be one to remember!  The wheels in the head started turning and I came up with the idea of having a mystery party!  Now, I am in the process of writing the ultimate of mystery party/ clue hunts!  I have to admit that this has turned into quite the interesting project!

The mystery party/clue hunt is not going to be the ordinary old clue hunt of days past.  This will be much different and all can participate.  The group will act as a team and solve the mystery depending on each others strong points whether it is a knack for puzzle solving, a strong knowledge of history or even physical abilities.  They will have to work as a team if they want to ever learn the outcome of the mystery.  One of the clues required a certain type of puzzle.  This puzzle will need to be completed to unravel a clue.  So, I got busy.  I had seen a puzzle several years ago and wanted to have one in the hunt. Last month, Mark picked up a bunch of damaged tiles at the lumberyard.  These are now the components of my puzzle!  I painted each with acrylic paints and then with a number of coats of sealer.  I just happened to have saved a little wooden box that held the tiles perfectly so the puzzle was complete.  It was a quick and easy task to create...but not a quick and easy task to "recreate".  It never occurred to me that this thing would be so time-consuming and difficult to put back together! The puzzle appears simple enough when first viewed (while solved) but once the parts are scrambled...it is hard! The idea is simple..match the colors on all four sides of each tile.  Color matching should not be difficult for the most part but it is the getting of all four sides of every tile to match that presents the problem!  And to think...this is only part of the clue!  This is the first step to getting the next clue.  The puzzle has to be completed and then three other steps are involved in finishing the segment.  Only after all four steps are completed in sequence can the players venture forth on another portion of their hunt! The entire hunt will involve more than thirty different puzzles interspersed among the clues. It should prove to be an interesting afternoon for both the teenagers and for me!  Hopefully, this idea will be something that she and her friends will find enjoyable!