Folks contact the Lafayette Puzzle Factory every imaginable way. E-mails, notes on our website, phone calls, and letters. It is the letters that fascinate me. They are usually formal letters on stationary. The writer uses cursive. I admit, I sometimes have a hard time reading cursive. Even though the cursive in the letters is neat and formal. I just do not read or write in cursive very much (ever).

The letters are pleasant with terrific penmanship and grammer. I always write back. Two of these folks have become pen pals. It seems they do not really have access to computers. I am not sure why, but they do not. So we write to each other. They tell me what puzzles they have bought and assembled lately. Often, they have suggestions for me on images or piece counts. They also tell me about competitors puzzles. Sometimes they complain about the prices of puzzles (usually not ours) or the poor quality (again, not ours). Frustratingly, they often are frustrated that they can not find every puzzle we make at their local puzzle store.

I assume the letter writers are older than me. I think folks in my age group (I am 42) use e-mail much more often than pen and paper. Its quicker and easier. I coached a basketball team this winter. One of the assistants was 20 years old (he is an older brother of one of the team members). E-mail seemed old fashion to him. He rarely checked his. He communicated via Facebook and texts on his phone.

I have enjoyed my new found pen pals. I do not handwrite my letters back. I type them on the computer and print them out. I use nice paper (I went and bought some just for my pen pals) and I sign my name as neatly as possible. I do not want my pen pals to think I am completely uncultured.

JP