google.com, pub-2774194725043577, DIRECT, f08c47fec0942fa0 L.A.Times Crossword Corner: Saturday November 28, 2009 Alan Olschwang

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Nov 28, 2009

Saturday November 28, 2009 Alan Olschwang

Theme: None

Total blocks: 31

Total words: 72

This grid is so atypical of Alan Olschwang. I don't remember his puzzles being so scrabbly: 4 Z's, 2 J's, 1 X, 1 Q and 2 V's. Only 1 letter F away from a pangram (all 26 letters are used at least once in the grid). I guess I was used to his old TMS Daily Thursday quote style.

Tough puzzle for me. Quite a few unknowns. Some struck me as a bit obscure. Take CET (10D. Belgium winter hrs.) for example. I've been to Brussels several times. Don't recall seeing CET (Central European Time) at all. GMT +1 yes, same as Paris.

Favorite fill today is ZAHARIAS (39D. Golfer Babe who was a six-time AP Female Athlete of the Year). A rare long gimme for me (golf trivia is my strong suit). Babe was the founding member of LPGA and won over 80 tournaments in her career. Definitely the best female althelete of all time, with her track & field and other sports success.

Across:

1. King overthrown by William of Orange: JAMES II. Tough start. William of Orange sounds like a Dutch king. The Dutch House of Orange.

8. Breaks out: ESCAPES

15. Conversion gadget: ADAPTOR. Adapter too.

16. Was humbled: ATE DIRT

17. Dennis the Menace's neighbors, with "the": WILSONS. I thought Dennis the Menace is a rather cute name. Surprised that Dennis hated it.

18. "Told you!": SO THERE!

19. Zen enlightenment: SATORI. Literally "awakening". Japanese Kanji character satori is the same as Chinese.

20. Certain theater, for short: REP. Stumper. REP is repertory.

21. Berkshire school: ETON. Easy guess. I did not really know the exact location of Eton.

22. Carmen, for one: MEZZO-SOPRANO. Completely out of my knowledge zone. A gimme for our Sallie, hopefully. She loves opera.

25. Bad start?: MAL. Like malfunction.

28. "__ for Evidence": Grafton novel: E IS

29. Fork in the road: VEE. Struggled with the answer also.

30. Caribbean cruise stop: ARUBA. Dutch territory.

33. Inexpensive kids' toy: PAPER DOLL. Somehow I don't connect paper doll with "toy".

38. Maker of many jets: JACUZZI. Oh, jet stream. I was thinking of jet plane. Very scrabbly answer.

40. Asmara is its capital: ERITREA. A province of Ethiopia until 1993. Last time we had ASMARA clued as "Eritrea capital".

41. One in a box: SPECTATOR. Box seat. I was picturing a present.

43. Nutritious beans: SOYAS. Soybeans.

44. "I'm so clever" sound: HEH

45. Big affairs: DOS. Big galas.

47. Classic Jag: XKE. What does XKE stand for?

48. Spinach is high in it: BETA CAROTENE. Well, I associate carrots/sweet potatoes with beta carotene, not spinach, which is high in iron.

54. U.S. dept. with a windmill on its seal: ENER (Energy)

55. Robot play: R. U. R. (Rossum's Universal Robots). The Capek play which debuted the word "robot".

56. Company with a kangaroo on its logo: QANTAS. A Q word without the U. Kazie just mentioned last time that Qantas is an acronym for "Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Services".

60. Daydream: REVERIE

62. Decay, as pipes: RUST OUT

63. "Sleepless in Seattle" studio: TRISTAR. Unknown fact to me.

64. One who aches: YEARNER. Argyle is still bothered by last time's RE-ADDS.

65. Party leader: HOSTESS. Was thinking of political party.

66. Brisk, to Brahms: ALLEGRO. Brisk tempo.

Down:

1. 1975 thriller shot largely on Martha's Vineyard: JAWS. Have never seen the movie.

2. 1998 Sarah McLachlan hit: ADIA. Don't confuse it with the "Verdi slave girl" AIDA.

3. Brewer's supply: MALT

4. Derby town: EPSOM. English derby.

5. Supply: STORE

6. Create charged particles in: IONIZE

7. Org. that gets a lot of returns: IRS. Tax returns. I outsmarted myself by thinking of tennis returns.

8. Uncomplicates: EASES

9. Short stay: STOPOVER

11. Didn't deviate from, as plans: ADHERED TO

12. Michelangelo masterpiece: PIETA. See the sculpture, which depicts Virgin Mary mourning Jesus after the Crucifixion. It's housed in St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican City.

13. Former Tennessee Titans tight end Kinney: ERRON. Nope. Total stranger to me.

14. Court figure: STENO. Judge's court. I was in the sports direction again.

20. Santa __: Sonoma County seat: ROSA. No idea. What is it famous for?

23. "Shh!": ZIP IT. QUIET would not fit.

24. Sprites of Persian mythology: PERIS (PEE-ees). A word I keep learning and keep forgetting.

25. Some mil. brass: MAJS (Majors)

26. Give __: care: A RAP

27. Fortune founder: LUCE (Henry). Founder of Time/Life as well.

31. Romania's capital: BUCHAREST. Alas, I only know the Chinese word for this capital.

32. Ancient Valley of Mexico native: AZTEC

34. Dallas Mavericks owner before Cuban: PEROT. H. Ross Perot, Jr. Son of Ross Perot. Again, I was oblivious to this fact.

35. Antelope that often has nearly upright horns: ORYX. See this picture. Nearly upright horns indeed. It's not listed in JD's Safari antelope list.

36. Pipe problem: LEAK

37. Cut with light: LASE

42. It may be fishy: ODOR. Nailed it.

46. Film follow-up: SEQUEL

48. Distance maintained between vessels: BERTH. Origin for "Give a wide berth" I presume.

49. Hot time in Chile: ENERO. Spanish for January. It's summer time in Chile. Great clue.

50. "The Hustler" author Walter: TEVIS. See the book cover. Unknown author to me. Loved the movie.

51. Who's sorry now?: RUERS. Shouldn't the clue be "Who are sorry now?"

52. Vocally twangy: NASAL

53. Between: Fr.: ENTRE. I don't like the abbreviated Fr.

57. Half a patio pair: TONG. For your grill.

58. "Violin Playing as I Teach It" author Leopold: AUER. Same pronunciation as "hour". Meaning "from the meadow" in German. I can never commit his name into my increasingly deteriorating memory.

59. Houston pro, locally: STRO. Houston Astros.

61. 66, e.g.: Abbr.: RTE. Route 66.

62. Knotted pile carpet: RYA (REE-uh). The Scandinavian rug. Why knotted?

Answer grid.

C.C.

53 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oy! Almost no gimmes.

Zhouqin (C.C.) Burnikel said...

Warren et al,
Thanks for the concern for Dan Naddor. He's still having some medical issues, but he's fighting and winning the battle.

Argyle said...

Good Morning, All!

I didn't waste much time agonizing on this stumper; I went straight for the Google. Even then, I spent too much time looking for a college in the MA Berkshires.

I was pleased to see the few I had filled in turned out to be right. And I have no problem with YEARNER. OneLook listed seven dictionaries with the word.

Paper Doll, The Mills Brothers

Barry G. said...

Give A RAP? It's bad enough that we've got eat DIRT instead of eat CROW, but give A RAP? I had A FIG there until the bitter end when I finally had to remove it to make any sense of that section of the puzzle. It allowed me to solve the puzzle, but it really felt like desperate, made-up fill and left a bad taste in my mouth.

The rest of the puzzle was challenging, but fair. I had no idea that spinach was high in BETA CAROTENE, since I thought that was the stuff that made carrots orange. I didn't know CET, TEVIS or ZAHARIAS, but I was able to get them via the perps.

But Give A RAP? Seriously? Boooo!

[And yes, I'm sure I'll now be deluged with comments about how this is a very common phrase. I don't care!]

Argyle said...

If anything, "Don't give a rap" is more common. I never heard of "Give a rap" though. Most common, to me, would be "I don't give a ...(rodent's prat)!"

Chris in LA said...

@ Barry G - for what it's worth, I'm with you on "give A RAP" - have never heard it used.

For those who may care, Barry Silk did the Newsday Saturday Stumper today. Beware, if you do it online - no "tab" functionality and no "red letters". It was pretty challenging.

Hope all have a happy Saturday!

Dennis said...

Good morning, C.C. and gang - I hope everyone's having a nice, relaxing long weekend.

I struggled mightily with this one, so I liked it a lot. Haven't seen an Olschwang puzzle in quite some time, and as C.C. said, this one isn't the style we're used to from him.

I was able to get some traction in the NW because 'Wilsons','Jaws' and 'IRS' were gimmes, but I had quite a slog moving across towards the NE. And I think 'Erron' Kinney is really stretching things - I am a huge football fan, and even I have hardly ever heard the guy's name mentioned. He only played a few years.

I don't eat spinach, nor most anything green for that matter, but 'beta carotene' popped into my head right away when I saw 'Spinach is high in it'. Likewise, when I got the 'z' in 'ionize', I knew 22A, 'Carmen, for one' was gonna be 'mezzo soprano'. Yet two more examples of how we store stuff without realizing it. I wouldn't know a mezzo soprano from a mezzanine.

Anyway, a fun, challenging Saturday puzzle. Off to fight the leaf wars.

windhover said...

Writing from the mountain retreat again. i could get used to this life of liesure pretty damn quick. Typing on the Iphone has ruined my ability to use a regular keyboard, though. Not that I ever could really type, though. Men of my age did not generally learn, so i use the hunt and peck method, mostly hunting.
This was a very nice puzzle, just hard enough to make it a slow, wandering around the grid looking for traction solve.
I knew Tevis, because he was from Lexington. Here, a fork in the road is a 'Y', and the Derby is in Louisville. Being old, I knew Zaharias, and Geography gave me Bucharest and Eritrea. What I didnt know, and there was a lot, I got from the perps.Leaving tomorrow, back to the farm and the damned Commuter puzzle.
May return tonight, if Kentucky can beat Tennessee for the first time in 25 years.

Anonymous said...

55 down Robot play: I thought how does a robot play?

41 across Spectator should have been clued as defunct magazine now an emag The American____________.

38 across maker of many jets I tried Douglas.

23 down shh! That's what a librarian says. I tried quiet.

I did not like the puzzle. Oy Vey no perps! Can't do a puzzle with too many unknowns.

windhover said...

making the point: the word is leisure.

lois said...

Good morning CC, et al., Thanks for the links, CC. It really helps to see these odd things.

When the NW corner fell fairly well, I thought this might be an easy Sat. I was wrong. Beta carotene is carrots not spinach to me as well. And 'who's sorry now' sent me to Connie Francis. Wrong again. Agree w/Argyle & Barry, don't give a rat's donkey is more the saying than 'a rap' to me. Loved seeing 'the hustler' clue. Played the role myself yesterday and won a few drinks. It's hilarious to me to see the look of shock on the men's faces when they realize they're going to get beat by a 'not so young' woman while we're laughing and cuttin' up. Fun times.

It's all good. It's Sat and beautiful outside and some big college games today. Looking forward to Va Tech/UVA and Bedlam in OK with family & friends and leftovers. Go Sooners and Hokies!

Enjoy your day.

lois said...

WH: I thought of you on the Derby question and wanted Lousiville too. As for your typing approach? Right! I'm familiar w/ the 'hunt 'n pecker' kind. It's more than just a technique.It's a style...life style for some.
I'm glad you're enjoying your 'reverie'. Safe travels to you.

Jeannie: thanks for asking. Katie is doing very well. CBC is still being monitored and will be for a while longer.

tfrank said...

Good morning, C.C. and all,

This was a real workout this morning! I spent about 48 minutes online and broke for breakfast with twenty clues unsolved. Surprisingly, with food in me, the answers seemed to come rather quickly. I confess to having to Gspot two clues, Tevis and Eritria. This is my first trip there in weeks.

Spectator, Erron, betacarotene, berth, rur, rya and a rap were all stumpers for me.

I do enjoy the harder puzzles more than the easy ones, however. My biggest gripe is about the use of too many names, like Erron in today's puzzle, or show business names, or musical performers or groups.

I hope you all have a pleasant wrap-up of the long weekend.

Anonymous said...

@Clear Eyes, can I substitute baking powder or baking soda for yeast for the sweet potato dinner rolls?

Hungry in Chicago

Mary said...

Happy Saturday all,
Boy, we asked for harder puzzles and we got them this week!

I got almost no answers on my first pass. After time out for a Sudoku my brain was functioning enough to get a few answers. I googled six clues today, Asmara/EMITREA, McLachlan/ADIA, ERRON/Kinney, Fortune's/LUCE, Babe/ZAHARIAS, and Walter/TEVIS. Thankfully other unknowns fell with perps.

PJB, Another good train story. And your link worked just right. Keep them coming.

Warren, I moved to Chicago shortly after the DC10 crash. The owners of the house next door died in the crash.

Bill G. said...

I agree with Barry and others. GIVE A RAP is bogus. I have heard "don't give a rip" though.

Also, I did not know that meaning of BERTH. My desktop dictionary says "a ship's allotted place at a wharf or dock" or "a fixed bed or bunk on a ship or train."

I got through it though. I still wish Saturday puzzles had a theme.

~ Bill

Dennis said...

BillG, did you ever see the 'DC' explanation?

Clear Ayes said...

Good Morning All. Thank goodness for my early Canadian education, when we studied English history and monarchs. I wasn't quite sure which JAMES it was, but the extra space called for JAMES II. That fill along with WILSONS and JAWS gave me a good start in the NW.

It was definitely a day for perps and they got me through the answers I didn't know. ERRON, TEVIS and AUER were not familiar names and I have never heard GIVE A RAP actually used.

Is there really such a thing as a TONG for half of a pair of TONGS? The only definition I could find, that nearly fit TONG in that sense, was as a verb "to take, gather, hold, or handle with tongs". If the clue were "Lift with a patio pair" I'd feel better about it.

Other than that minor quibble, I liked this puzzle very much. Answers like MEZZO SOPRANO, PAPER DOLL, SPECTATOR, BETA CAROTENE, BUCHAREST and ZAHARIAS were terrific.

Barry G. said...

Is there really such a thing as a TONG for half of a pair of TONGS?

I'm sure it's perfectly valid. Just like scissor and pant are valid nouns, right? ^_^

Barb B said...

I lasted through about 15 minutes of this one, and realized I was in waaaay over my head. I just hit the solve button and copied new words and clues to my database.

I don't feel too bad; it's a learning experience.

Second Thanksgiving celebration for us today. Lots of lovely friends to meet.

Anonymous said...

ClearAyes, is that dog on C.C.'s Rya rug what I think it is?

Anonymous said...

Chickie here. For some reasone my password will not be accepted.

Hello All--I have had eight extra people for three nights as well as for the traditional dinner on Thursday. Since my kids come from a fair distance 4-5 hours away, I do most of the cooking. This kept me very busy with no time left for the CW. I have saved them for later, as I hate to miss even one.

I did want to tell everyone what a terrific journey it has been this past year as a regular on the blog and before that as a lurker. I am so grateful for the many new friends and for the daily enjoyment of visiting with each and everyone of you.

Since I am one of those members of the "West Coast Coven" I have met face to face with a group of the most fantastic women. I would never have met them but for this blog. Thanks to C.C. for getting us all started and for keeping us going every day.

'Nuf' said.

DCannon said...

After I got James II, Jaws, ionize, and IRS right away, I thought this one was going to be easy. Little did I know!

I had an extended affair with Mr. G this morning and did a lot of guessing. I never did get yearner; I had hearter, which I knew was wrong. I had tong at one time, but was expecting something like the "half a fly" clue we see so often. I couldn't think of anything called a tongtong for the patio. I didn't like that clue, but if I ever see it again, I'll remember it.

Zaharias was a given for me. My mother admired her and mentioned her from time to time in conversation. My mother also was fond of saying "I don't give a rip" so that is what I used. Made Jacuzzi look funny, though.

A fork in the road is a "Y" to me, so I penciled in "wye." I was a little disappointed when the perps revealed "vee" because it seemed like a copout by the constructor to fill a space.

It is going to be 80º here today. Might get out this afternoon to do some shopping - not Christmas, just general. We might go to "Mi Piazi" this afternoon for dinner. It is a local Italian food place run by Albanian immigrants. The Mr. just became a US citizen a couple of weeks ago. Hardworking, sweet couple who have a successful business. Glad to have 'em.

Crockett1947 said...

Good morning everyone!

This puzzle really kicked my butt! Way too many names and other unknowns for me. I was into the g-spot so many times trying to get traction. Wanted MET for REP, had WYE for VEE, loved the Maker of many jets/JACUZZI combination, had no idea that Asmara was the capital of ERITREA, thought SPECTATOR for One in a box was really clever, wondered about SOYAS being a proper plural, had TKE for XKE (I should know better), looked up the nutrition information on spinach and saw NO mention of BETA CAROTENE, couldn't remember RUR at all, thought HOSTESS as a Party leader was cute, had no idea on Sarah McLachlan's ADIA, wanted HOPS fro MALT, absolutely no idea on CET, had no idea on ERRON kinney, went to G for PERIS, didn't grok Give A RAP (alwyad thought of it as Give a rip), had to Google LUCE and BUCHAREST (need to eat worms for that one!), had MAYAN for AZTEC, didn't know that H. Ross owned the Mavs before Cuban, saw ORYX emerge from the perps, didn't remember how to spell ZAHARIAS, thought that I had a fishy TALE instead of ODOR, was unaware of that particular meaning of BERTH, had never heard of "The Hustler" or the author TEVIS, did a WTF on TONG, took a WAG on STRO (is that for real?), and had no clue for RYA. A royal mess.

The Pieta was on display at the 1964 New York Worlds Fair. It was an awesome experience to see such a lovely work in person.

Thanks for the Dan Naddor update, Keep on getting better, Dan!

@barryg I'm with you, brother.

@dennis I'll bet you would know a mezzo-soprano's mezzanine, though.

@lois There's such satisfaction that comes using that typing method when you finally find your target and poke that key!

Have a fantastic Saturday!!

Lemonade714 said...

Good day all:

Could not sleep, so I did the puzzle at 3:00 am, and then stayed busy, fitting 2 hours sleep in from 5-7, and then out to enjoy the beautiful weather here in So. Fla. My son is back from a birthday party and we are about to walk to the beach. Meanwhile, I agree with Dennis, ERRON MCKINNEY is the most obscure clue ever.

Bill G. said...

Dennis asked if I ever saw the DC explanation.

Yes I did. Thank you. I think CC was the one who asked first.

My father used to fly on business for the government all the time in the 40s and 50s. First on DC3s, later on Lockheed Constellations. That plane with three tails was the prettiest thing...

Clear Ayes said...

C.C. Santa Rosa is famous because my youngest sister owns a house there?? Probably better known is the Charles M. Schulz Museum the museum that Peanuts built. Schulz lived there for many years before his death. Santa Rosa is also known as the home of horticulturalist Luther Burbank. His home and gardens is a National Historic Landmark.

Spitzboov said...

A meaty challenge for a Saturday.

Had trouble with CET and ERRON. Didn't like ARAP. Gimme's like ERITREA, BUCHAREST and QANTAS helped with traction. Have seen ENERO also start with letter I.

Didn't think MAJS had enough rank (O4) to be thought of as 'brass'. More like 'field grade'

Clear Ayes said...

Hungry in Chicago, Sorry, but the dinner rolls recipe is strictly a yeast dough and takes some time to prepare. There are lots of quick sweet potato biscuit recipes that are made with baking powder on the internet. I can't vouch for any of them however. Maybe Jeannie has a tested recipe.

Barry G. We may be hearing from Jerome about TONG as a valid noun. (Jerome, don't hurt us!)

Sallie, I'm afraid the pooch on the RYA is not a Schipperke Our Charley. C.C.'s link is a larger dog and may be a Labrador Retriever.

Chickie, right back at ya!

MJ said...

Good day to all!

I found this to be a great, challenging puzzle overall. I do share some of the same quibbles as others. Give a RAP seems like a huge stretch. And, C.C., I agree with you on 51D: RUERS. The clue "Who's sorry now?" indicates a singular response, not plural.

So carping over, I loved seeing fill like JACUZZI, ERITREA, SPECTATOR, and REVERIE. Many clever clues which initially led me down the wrong path such as 38A: Maker of many jets. Final section to complete was the NW. Had no clue as to 19A: Zen enlightenment. Had JAWS, MALT, and EPSOM for sure, so had S_TO__. Figured 5D could reasonably be STOkE or STORE. Couple this with the facts that I couldn't name a single Sarah McLachlan hit (nor pick her out of a line-up, for that matter) and had misspelled MEtZOSOPRANO. So I conceded and came to C.C.'s blog for enlightenment.

@Jeannie-Made your Tomato and Basil Pies for our gathering yesterday, complete with the vodka pie crust. They were a huge hit! Thanks again for the recipes.

Enjoy the day!

Dennis said...

Forgot to mention this yesterday - I've now had both Clear Ayes' and Jeannie's macaroni and cheese recipes, and they are both outstanding! By far, the best mac&cheese casseroles I've ever had. Thanks very much for those.

I might someday share my recipe for Cheeseburger Helper...

Warren said...

Hi C.C. & gang,

C.C, Thanks for the update on Dan Naddor's condition. Here's hoping for the best possible outcome.

Today's was another tough puzzle that my wife and I do in tandem with me online in red to check. It would have taken us much longer to finish without help.

Here's the story on the Jaguar E-type AKA XKE
"Smooth and balanced, the Jaguar E-Type (known in the U.S. as the XKE)..."

Re: Yesterday's question on the Origin of DC series name?
'The airplane Frye agreed to purchase was the DC-1 (DC stood for "Douglas Commercial")...'

That was a hard one to find and it agrees with Dennis's answer.

Jazzbumpa said...

Hi gang -

Tough time today. I'll defend ERRON Kenny. But the STENO beside him shd hv hd an abbrv in the cl.

Turns out spinach is high in beta carotene. Good misdirection, I guess.

I don't give a you-know-what for give A RAP.

But, I guess if you can have a pair of TONGs you can have a single TONG, though it wouldn't be very useful.

I do like RTE 66.

Beautiful sunny day here, and not too cold, at 45 deg. Nov. has been quite pleasant.

Got some chores to do.

Cheers!
JzB the cheers for chores trombonist

PJB-Chicago said...

Good afternoon C. C. & friends.
Sun's out so I worked on the grid in the park, with a thermos of tea. First couple passes through the puzzle were hardly productive: results looked like the "unsold letter room" at Wheel of Fortune!

Thanks to sports legend ZAHARIAS, inventor Candido (Frank?) JACUZZI, Dr. Seuss-ian sounding ORYX and the anon. MEZZO SPORANO, and a few trips to Google, the rest fell together. No real nirvana here, but SATORI was good enough!

Agree with C.C. about the needless abbrev. "Fr." for "Between." Barry G., right on about (not) giving A RAP. I only (don't) give a HOOT, a RIP, or possibly a CR@P about something.

Many of the same unknowns as others have listed. RYA rugs were big in the 70s, and the yarn is knotted/cut rather than woven. I stupidly had "David" rather than PIETA. No "ef" words in the puzzle, yay, but a couple almost slipped out from the mouth of this solver!

Enjoy the day!

Dennis said...

For me, Erron Kinney remains the most obscure proper name clue I've yet seen.

Off to the casino to see the Beach Boys (what's left of them).

eddyB said...

Oops, try eddyb688@gmail.com.

eddyB said...

Hi,

My first comments didn't post so here we are again.

My first airplane flight was on a
DC3 - Pit to Det - when I was about 10. Used to fly the "Connie"
from Bos to Pit all the time.

Always wanted an E Type. Did have
a XK120. Drove a D Type at Lime Rock. Just a few laps but what an experience.

My tongue is still sore after last Thursday night. Wanted to say something but knew that I would upset someone.

eddyb688@gmail.com
XK 120. Drove a Le Mons

carol said...

Hi C.C. and friends

I am so glad I'm not the only one with a sore prat! I really thought it would be easier since I got JAWS, WILSONS, MALT (of course) and IRS right away. Wrong!
Those were the last words to reveal themselves for ages.

I had never heard of 26D (a rap)... thought of 'rip but didn't put it in. Thought (as Argyle mentioned) of a rat's prat too. By that time I didn't give a good *&$$# either!

29A made me laugh, it brought to mind an old statement from Yogi Berra:
"If you see a fork in the road, take it."

CA (12:54) Your Charley is absolutely darling!! (don't tell him that though, say he's a hunk)

Chickie - Love you too 'coven memeber'

Lois - glad Katie is doing well. Very scary situation.

C.C. thanks for the update on Dan Naddor. All the best Dan!!!

lois said...

Crockett: LMAO You said a mouthful there, my friend!

Dennis; Let us know how the Beach Boys were. Always one of my favorite groups.

Crockett1947 said...

@lois That puzzle beat me up so bad I just had to share all of that to get it out of my system!

carol said...

Crockett - my friend, I feel your pain on the puzzle. Loved your post!

Dennis: do let us know your opinion of the Beach Boys. Sadly the last time I heard one of their concerts they were not up to the grade. Hard to hit the high notes at their age so lots of instrumental help but still left a lot to be desired. None of can do some of the things we did at age 20...some of us can do it better ;)

Bill G. said...

I just got around to doing last Sunday's Merl Reagle puzzle. It had digits in the lower-right corner. New to me. It had 1964, V2, 6AM and APRIL1st. Have you ever seen that before?

~ Bill

JD said...

Good evening to all,

Like Barb and others, this puzzle was way too hard for me.It reminded me of the ones last year where I was googling way too much.I had gotten used to no or little help, but just too many unknowns. Yet I am happy for those who thrive on this challenge, and it's never a waste of my time.

CC, no wonder you were not familiar with Tri Star.At 1st I thought the answer had something to do with Canada as many of our movies are now being filmed there. Tri Star is in New Jersey, 25 min. out of Manhattan, but it has an evolving history. In 1919 Harry Cohn founded Cohn-Brandt Cohn film sales.Columbia acquired it and then Coca-Cola puchased it and launched Tri Star Pictures in 1982 along with HBO and CBS. In 1989 it was bought by Sony. I'm sure there is more to it, but that in a nutshell is how little guys get eaten up by the bigger guys.

Had a house full of nieces, nephews, toddlers and babies today..lots of fun.

Chickie, thanks; it's time to set up a meeting with ALL of us here in the area. Maybe we should all go down to get a massage :)

BTW, did anyone else use the old Sears or Penny's catalogue to make paper doll families?

MJ said...

@Bill G.-I'm guessing you did Merl Reagle's puzzle on-line. Last Sunday's puzzle in the LAT was by Sylvia Bursztyn. Where did you find Merl's?

@JD-Loved the safari photos! I was able to get two of them onto our opening "Safari" page (we have iMac). Somehow it wouldn't take more than two.

@CA-I neglected to thank you for all the wonderful poems in my T-Day post. I do so enjoy them! Thank you.

Argyle said...

More TriStar:
TriStar Pictures (spelled Tri-Star until 1991) is a subsidiary of Columbia Pictures, itself a subdivision of Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, which is owned by Sony Pictures.

Bill G. said...

MJ answered: I'm guessing you did Merl Reagle's puzzle on-line. Last Sunday's puzzle in the LAT was by Sylvia Bursztyn. Where did you find Merl's?

Yes, I did hers too. I did his online with Across Lite. I think I downloaded it from Cruciverb but you can also find it at http://www.sundaycrosswords.com/ccpuz/MPuz.php

This seems to be the new one though, not the one I did with digits called Mr. H. and Mr. L.

Bill G. said...

Dennis mentioned mac and cheese casserole recipes from Clear Ayes and Jeanie. I must have missed those or maybe they were posted before I stumbled in here. I would sure like to have them both if someone would help me out. Thanks in advance.

Bill G. said...

You could just send the recipes to my e-mail address if you want. Thanks again.

kazie said...

I am so glad to see that I wasn't the only one facing a losing battle today. However, I suffered as badly yesterday as well. Had hardly any time to work on it before leaving for the day, but ended up not returning until today and then had to face them both. Googling after giving up on each, I kept seeing references to the blog, so gave up and came here. Simply had no traction either day, and had to look up about half of each.

I find that when severely challenged, I tend not to get even some that I should know, because my brain goes into desperation mode and shuts down.

What made up for this was that our younger son made it to his brother's for our Friday T'day meal and that was why we stayed over. He continued on his way home to AR this morning, but we all had a great time together for the first time since last summer.

Diane said...

Crockett, I'm with you ---I kept coming back to this puzzle all day and really never got anywhere! I did get "give a rap" very quickly but much of the rest of it was very difficult---

Clear Ayes said...

We finished up our gifted leftover turkey this evening with some of those yummy avocado and turkey sandwiches. That's enough turkey until Christmas!

Bill G. Here's a link for the Good Morning America Mac and Cheese recipe contest finalist.

Have a nice evening, everyone.

Anonymous said...

Good night all.

CA, that's a gorgeous picture of Charlie. Thank you. And thank you for all the poems.

Dennis said...

Lois, Carol, I've probably seen the Beach Boys 30+ times since the 60s, including some not-so-good concerts in the past 5 or so years. This concert was their best in many, many years; they've got Mike Love's son doing a lot of the vocals, and a couple new guys whose harmony is remarkably close to that of Carl Wilson and Al Jardine. Mike Love and Bruce Johnson are still great, but they can't hit the high notes like the young guys can. I closed my eyes and was back in the 60s. A fun night.