Supporting the cat (Buoy) and the fiddle is Stewart T. Coffin, author of The Puzzling World of Polyhedral Dissections and, moreover, author of a bunch of polyhedral dissections crafted in fine wood. One of these was Convolution, published here a month ago as "the best polycube puzzle ever".

While Stewart's fame as the creator of many a fine piece of woodworking is assured, a lot of folk do not realize that he has, as well, a solid history in the art and practice of canoeing. At one time, Stewart wanted to sell one of his handcrafted wooden canoes and I expressed some interest, if only as an investment. However, we had little canoeing experience — not even a vehicle to transport a canoe (neither my wife nor I drove) — and so, eventually, cooler heads prevailed and I declined. I wonder if that canoe has appreciated in value as much as Stewart's puzzles.