Art Deco Clock Box

puzzle boxsequential discovery puzzle box

Dec 28

Reeling in the Years

Happy New Year! Another year gone by and this time, another decade as well. I’m reflecting back over the past ten years from a beautiful porch overlooking Lake Travis outside of Austin Texas. I’ve just had emergency surgery for appendicitis (and am doing fine), which is a great way to put things into perspective and cap an incredibly interesting decade. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend it, as I’m sure there are other ways to put things into perspective, but it was effective. I’ve got an amazing family and a satisfying career, not to mention the most enjoyable hobby I could have imagined. Things could be worse. A decade ago, I wasn’t writing this blog each week. I wasn’t even collecting puzzle boxes, and was only just starting to make cocktails. It hasn’t all been martinis and roses but I certainly can’t complain.

Art Deco Clock Box by Bill Sheckels

Reflecting on time has been a preoccupation since at least the ancient Greeks, whose original god of time, Chronos, personified the concept. Chronos, which literally means “time”, pre-dates the more famous Greek gods and got mixed up with the later Titan Kronos, god of agriculture, who famously ate his children (including his son Zeus, who didn’t like being eaten). The god of agriculture was often portrayed as an old bearded man with a harvesting scythe, and because of the similarities in names, the idea of “time” and this persona merged. He became the god Saturn to the Romans, and their end of year winter festival “Saturnalia” was the original holiday that has now been replaced by Christmas, and why images of Father Christmas and Father Time are tangled up in it.

Time is full of secrets

To commemorate the year’s end, the passage of time, and the New Year ahead, I traditionally try to find an appropriate puzzle box to offer. I’ve featured a box with soba noodles, which are a Japanese New Year’s tradition, and a pineapple, a common symbol of welcome. I’ve presented an origin story for a favorite artist, by way of referencing a new beginning. And I’ve featured an incredible clock, perhaps the ultimate symbol of time. This year I’ve got another clock, it so happens, and time waits for no man, so let’s get to it. This handsome mantel clock is crafted in the classic Art Deco style by master furniture maker Bill Sheckels. It sits 9 ½ inches high, is made from thermally modified Ash, and contains a functioning quartz clockwork which has been beautifully lettered in Art Deco font. The bottom of the clock face bears Sheckel’s name, which is a nice touch. The clock, a perfectly pretty piece all in its own right, hides a cleverly disguised hidden compartment locked with multiple steps. Sheckels has helpfully installed access to the clock inside the secret compartment, so that the puzzle must be solved before the clock can become functional. It’s a very handsome puzzle with a solution that only time will tell.

Clockwork Orange by Taylor Hall

Here’s a toast to the decade with something delicious. It will awaken the senses and stimulate the brain. It comes from “down under”, a place ahead of its time, if you live where I do, at any rate. Mixologist Taylor Hall, from Sydney’s Tandem Bar, was inspired by the flavors of one of his favorite cookies, the Jaffa Cake, a delicious McVitie’s biscuit covered in bitter orange jam and dark chocolate. These are often dipped into hot coffee, as if they weren’t tasty enough already. Hall recreates all of these flavors into a wonderful after dinner drink which is perfect to help you stay awake with while awaiting the New Year.

Time for a treat

It features a spicy Scandinavian spirit, aquavit, which also makes it an ideal cocktail with which to toast the Art Deco Clock Box, as Sheckel’s originally hails from Scandinavia, and his design sensibilities are heavily influenced by his home. To that base spirit is added fresh strong coffee and the lightly bitter and citrusy amaro Aperol. Some choice cocktail bitters round things out and a good shake produces some wonderfully festive foam. After that, it’s up to you to take the time to enjoy it. Here’s a toast to the decade – thanks to everyone who has taken the time to read my writings each week, and to the wonderful friendships I have been gifted as a result. Cheers!