The Register-Herald, Beckley, West Virginia

Wyoming Report

June 25, 2009

Couple turns home into puzzle palace

By Mary Catherine Brooks

From mystical far away lands to charming, snow-covered bridges, to laughing cartoon characters, Bonnie and Hubert Woolum have seen it all — at least in the dozens upon dozens of puzzles they’ve compiled.

Those hundreds of puzzles are now decorating the walls — top to bottom, corner to corner — of their guest home on Rockhouse Mountain, near Hanover.

“He didn’t like my wallpaper,” Bonnie joked, of her husband’s handiwork.

“I didn’t like her wallpaper,” Hubert confirmed, with the hint of a smile.

It has taken the couple 11 years to cover every wall in their six-room guest home, used by their eight children, 14 grandchildren, and three great grandchildren during visits and holidays.

“I work them in the winter, when there is nothing else to do,” he said. “I used to work them, then break them apart and just put them back in the box.

“One day, I decided I needed to do something with them,” Hubert explained.

Now, he covers the back with duct tape to hold the pictures together, then staples them to the walls. The staples, for the most part, disappear.

They have picked up the puzzles at a variety of locations, including flea markets and during their travels.

Hubert enjoys the complicated, 1,000-piece versions, while Bonnie likes the smaller, more colorful, children’s puzzles that feature cartoon characters and much larger puzzle pieces.

There is even a puzzle made from a photo of two of their grandchildren which holds a prominent spot in the living-room.

The result is a colorful array of pictures that adds an atmosphere of whimsy to the charm of the house.

Among the most difficult puzzles to complete was a roller-coaster that featured a mostly white background with mere bits of color, he noted. The puzzle holds a spot in the dining room.

“Now that one was hard,” he emphasized, pointing it out.

His favorite, though, are the ones that feature old cars.

“It is amazing,” Bonnie emphasized of the walls.

The two live next door in a larger home, but there are no puzzles on the walls there.

“Not a one,” she notes.

Hubert believes he will take a break from puzzles for at least a while.

“I’ve got three buildings out there, I may cover those,” he teased his wife.

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