Title: Up, Up and Away!
Hi, after only a two day respite - it's Husker Gary again! Bruce and Gail LIFT our winter spirits with a fun Wednesday puzzle featuring variations of the word LIFT as a single clue. The fill on this amusing theme resulted in top and bottom grid spanners and a thirteen-letter entry gracing the middle. WINGTIP INSERT, BARBELL ACTIVITY and CAFFEINE EFFECT didn't make the cut.
First the theme answers:
17. Lift : SKIERS TRANSPORT - Or WEDDING PARTY TRANSPORT to this summer event on a mountain in Aspen
38. Lift : BRIT'S ELEVATOR - A Cheshire-based British company called LIFTstyle is marketing these for around £13,000
61. Lift : HITCHHIKERS RIDE - All right, would you or wouldn't you give this hitchhiker a LIFT
Across:
1. Roasting bird : CAPON
1. Roasting bird : CAPON
6. Kennel racket : ARFS
10. Doze, with "out" : ZONK
14. How writers often work : ALONE - I can't blog unless I am ALONE
15. NATO alphabet ender : ZULU - Her latest movie uses the NATO alphabet and stands for...
16. Ancient Andean : INCA
20. Bar sing-along : KARAOKE - Yeah, that's what I was just thinking about you
21. Quasi-convertible option : T-TOP
22. Rock gp. with winds and strings : ELO
23. Mil. training site : OCS - Zac Mayo getting harassed in Office Candidate School by Gunnery Sgt. Foley. BTW, do you remember the wonderful song from this movie with LIFTs in the title?
25. Pizzeria attractions : AROMAS
29. Nervous giggle : TITTER
32. "Cure Ignorance" online reader : UTNE - I have never UTNEd
34. Glamorous Gardner : AVA - Mrs. Frank Sinatra II, Mrs. Mickey Rooney I and Mrs. Artie Shaw V
35. Windy-day window noise : RATTLE
37. Strummed strings : UKES
42. Linen fiber source : FLAX
43. Newspaper space measurement : LINAGE - alt. Lineage. Is this replacing LINAGE?
44. So last week : OUT
45. Take in the wrong way? : OGLE - What's the time limit before a peek becomes an OGLE?
47. Split with the band : GO SOLO - How'd that Ross girl's career work out after she left The Supremes?
51. Pet shelter mission : RESCUE - Bless shelters for the work they do. Joann'd take all the kitties home.
53. Apt name for a cook? : STU
55. Put the cuffs on : NAB
56. Does one's part? : ACTS
58. Elves, at times : HELPERS - Will Stockdale line: "It's just that the infantry is the real soldiers, and the Air Force ain't nothin' but HELPERS." And, for the game, the movie is...
65. Curved entrance adornment : ARCH
66. Drop : OMIT
67. Nautical table listing : TIDES - The Navy wanted low TIDES on D-Day to see the beach obstacles for its LST'S and other ships and the Army wanted high TIDES to lessen the distance men had to run on the beach. They compromised on 1 - 3 hrs after low TIDE
68. "Okay, granted" : TRUE
69. "Bossypants" memoirist Fey : TINA- See her new movie at 15 Across
70. Mail-order-only company until 1925 : SEARS - Alvah Roebuck never said publicly he regretted the fortune he missed by leaving the business he helped found
Down:
1. Small jewelry box : CASKET - Bigger than a box, smaller than a chest
2. Acid neutralizer : ALKALI - Adding ALKALI to acidic soil to "sweeten" it
3. "Little grey cells" detective : POIROT - A Netflix BBC addiction of mine
4. Draft category : ONE-A - A dreaded 60's - 70's classification
5. "Quo Vadis" emperor : NERO - "Where are you going?" A film showing NERO's Rome vs Christians
6. Tenochtitlán native : AZTEC
8. Like much desert : FLAT
9. Acquisition on a blanket, perhaps : SUNTAN
10. Brand with a flame over the "i" in its logo : ZIPPO - ZIPPO Ad
11. Artist Yoko : ONO
12. Big name in bar code scanners : NCR
13. Dennings of "2 Broke Girls" : KAT - It took me 60 seconds to get a sense I didn't like this show where wit is replaced by crudity. Different strokes...
18. Hybrid tennis attire : SKORTS - With an improvised storage area
19. Ticked off : SORE
24. Besmirches : SULLIES
26. Powerful shark : MAKO - MAKO is Maori for "shark" or "shark's tooth"
27. Say with certainty : AVER
28. Carrier to Oslo : SAS
30. Cereal "for kids" : TRIX
31. Work on a course : EAT
33. Many a "Hunger Games" fan : TEEN
36. Bluffer's giveaway : TELL - In M*A*S*H, Winchester whistles arias while playing poker and the louder he whistles, the more he is bluffing. He gets wiped out!
37. Colorado natives : UTES
38. Cobalt __ : BLUE
39. "Aw, shucks!" : RATS
40. Harder to see, as shapes : VAGUER
41. Have-at link : A GO - I had A GO at unicyling once. Yikes!
42. Voting yes on : FOR
45. "That stings!" : OUCH
46. Hit a winning streak : GET HOT - Some Super Bowl winners just GET HOT at the end of the season
48. New York lake near Utica : ONEIDA - After 9/11 ONEIDA Mfg. lost $25M after the airlines discontinued flatware on planes
49. Pantry : LARDER
50. Dominate the thoughts of : OBSESS - Michael Douglas and OBSESSED Glen Close have a steamy LIFT scene in Fatal Attraction
52. Hidden stockpile : CACHE
54. Iota preceder : THETA - ...zeta, eta, THETA, iota...
57. California's __ Valley : SIMI - A beautiful place to visit at 40 Presidential Drive, SIMI Valley CA. 93065
59. D-Day transports : LSTS
60. __-dieu: kneeler : PRIE - Literally "Pray God". Here are two at JFK's casket in White House East Room
61. New Year's party handout : HAT
62. Clearance rack abbr. : IRR
63. Fort Worth sch. : TCU
64. Many holiday guests : KIN - After two days, guests and fish...
Let's hope all of you can raise the level of discourse here to a higher level than I just did -
Morning, all!
ReplyDeleteWell, today's learning moment was discovering that CASKET could mean a jewelry box and not just a coffin. I had no idea and needed all the perps to get it (I tried LOCKET at first, which still wasn't a good fit for the clue, but seemed better than CASKET).
I love that picture of the personal elevator. I've often dreamed of having a fireman's pole installed in my bedroom so I can zoom from the second floor to the basement, but now I have a new dream... ^_^
I screwed up the NE so bad I can't in good conscience call my attempt anything but a DNF. My "embarrassments were: 8D flan/FLAT; 10D citgo/ZIPPO; 13D kay/KAT; ntog/TTOP; 10A conk/ZONK and 17A ...tory/...PORT. If I had gotten ZIPPO. I'm pretty sure I would have been ok, especially if I learn the spelling foe DESERT and dessert! Then I would not wonder what FLAT & dessert had in common. Yeah and I kept wondering what an ntog was when I really wanted TTOP, but it was going too mess all my other goofs up!
ReplyDeleteI hope this is it for "dumb ass" perfomances for a looong time.
Good CW, but I really struggled with it, seemed more like a Friday puzzle. Almost gave up a few times, but eventually got 'er done, in FAR over my Wednesday time. Thanks, Bruce and Gail, for a real challenge. Great write-up, too, thanks Husker Gary!!
ReplyDeleteZONE instead of ZONK, and never read the perp clue.
ReplyDeleteGood morning!
ReplyDeleteNice puzzle from BV/GG. I discovered after the fact that I'd labored to produce a DNF. I had ZONE out rather than ZONK; EAT looked good, so I never read the down clue. Bad, D-O!
During my traveling days, SAS was a favorite airline. Air Canada, too. Pan AM, not so much.
VAGUER -- what an ugly word! Husker, I still prefer LINAGE so as not to be confused with LIN-E-AGE. And am I correct that your White House photo features deux prie-dieu?
Barry, the CEO of a corp. that I once worked for had a fireman's pole in his suburban Minneapolis house. It dropped from the second story near the boys' bedrooms right into the middle of the kitchen. Every guest at his house had to try it at least once.
Gotta run...
Husker Gary: Outstanding write-up & links ... and YES! I would give THAT HITCHHIKER a RIDE.
ReplyDeleteBruce & Gail: Thank You for a FUN Wednesday puzzle that gave me a LIFT.
And that movie was No Time FOR Sergeants.
Thought the "Newspaper space measurement" was "Inches" ... until the TEEN Hunger Games fan stepped in.
Cheers!
Gnarly. I tried Hondo's conk, but caught it. Tried Old for Out, but caught it. Tried Got Hot for get hot, but caught it. Despite my best efforts at self-sabotage, finished it correctly. But in about double normal time. Thanks Gary!
ReplyDeleteGood morning, folks. Thank you, Bruce Venzke and Gail Grabowski, for a fine puzzle. Thank you, Husker Gary, for a fine review.
ReplyDeleteGot through this fairly quickly. Amazed myself.
Theme was neat.
CASKET was new to me as a jewelry box. Learning moment.
Tried ZONE for 10A. EAT did not look right for 13D, so I wrote in KAT, which gave me ZONK.
No idea what UTNE is. Perps.
Have been by Lake ONEIDA while traveling through New York.
Was wobbling between AVER and AVOW until I got UKES. AVER was them written in.
FLAX was easy. I take Flax Seed Oil every day.
In Pennsylvania, Elk County, we have acid soil. However, some things like it. Such as the Mountain Laurel, the Pennsylvania State Flower.
See you tomorrow from Virginia. Leaving in the morning.
Abejo
( )
Hello, friends!
ReplyDeleteGood puzzle with a LIFT! Thank you, Bruce and Gail, you two are a winning combination.
In literature CASKET is well known as a jewelry box so that was no problem. In fact, no problems arose in this little gem with interesting fill like AZTEC/ZULU crossing each other as well as ZONK/ZIPPO. I love it when constructors creatively use those Zs. It also gives me fodder for future Scrabble games.
I love Agatha Christie's POIROT especially as acted by David Suchet.
Thank you, Gary for a sparkling commentary and for answering my question about husks yesterday.
Have a delightful day, everyone! Temps in the 80s all week.
HM and DO, hand up for ZONE instead of ZONK, and not noticing that EAT did not fit the clue. Otherwise, clear sailing and lots of fun. Great puzzle, Bruce and Gail, and great expo, Gary.
ReplyDeleteDO, I am with you on LINAGE, too.
"I still prefer LINAGE so as not to be confused with LIN-E-AGE."
The sun is out after a long dark spell! We are heading for the deep freeze on the weekend, not to complain because it has been a very mild winter.
Good Morning:
ReplyDeleteNice, easy offering with a fun theme. Only w/o was conk/zonk. Casket as a jewelry box is new to me, also.
Thanks, B and G, for a mid-week treat and thanks, HG, for your usual amusing and informative write-up.
YR, our weather forecast is the same as you mentioned and I heartily agree that we have no complaints about this mild and practically snow-less winter. But, as someone once said to me, "we ain't out of the woodwork yet!" 😉
Have a great day.
Good morning everyone.
ReplyDeleteSolved in due course.
4 Native American groups: INCA, AZTEC, UTES, and ONEIDA. We live in ONEIDA County. Oneida Lake is largely in Oneida Co.; Oneida, the city, is not; it is in Madison Co.
I believe Rhododendron is a Laurel and loves acid soil.
We spread ground limestone (a mild alkali) on our sandy loam to raise the pH so that alfalfa could thrive.
This one took much longer than usual but I finally got 'er done. Thanks, Gail and Bruce for the workout!
ReplyDeleteTin, newspapers do measure in Column Inches, but since that didn't fit I just waited for the crosses. The spelling didn't bother me.
HG, I loved your alternate LIFTS that didn't make the cut! What fun!
If you haven't seen it, I recommend Boo Luquette's videos of the Cajun Mardi Gras from late yesterday, especially the one of the band playing at the party after the parade. Eunice, LA, has the oldest and best of the Cajun Mardi Gras celebrations and not many people get to see it. The national media is more comfortable covering the hoopla in New Orleans so they neglect the smaller, authentic celebrations. We here on the Corner are lucky to have Boo share this!! Thanks.
Spitzboov, Rhododendron and Azaleas are both acid loving plants. I'd forgotten that. We have lots of both.
ReplyDelete
ReplyDeleteThank you Brcue, Gail and Husker Gary. Enjoyable puzzle and write up.
Part of the middle and the southeast gave me a bit of a problem this morning. Took a break. Then remembered ONEIDA with the help of the N from NAB. GO SOLO and LARDER then made closing the southeast much easier.
Finally accepted (gave in, acceded to) OCS. Am familiar with both OCS and WOFTS, but "site" in the clue was the hangup. I tend to think of them as programs, not locations or sites, although for the US Army, they would be located (sited) at Ft Benning and Ft Rucker respectively.
"Many a Hunger Games fan" left me totally in the dark as I would have no interest in it based solely on its premise, but the answer made sense when it perped in.
Cute to have CACHE and LARDER in the puzzle. Best to lay in provisions before the real cold gets here. I'd probably stew a CAPON. Coq au vin perhaps.
Husker, to answer your question, no. I would not pick her up. It's a crazy world. She might be an Aileen Wuornos. Also, "No Time For Sargeants."
And, for how you get Linen fiber source(d) from FLAX, see Argyle's explanation from
December 29, 2009 at 8:40 PM post.
SKORT: A wonderful style for a 22-year old science teacher in the early 70s with a 12 foot high chem-storage area and a ladder!
ReplyDeleteMontana
I enjoyed this one very much. As I was working on it, I found myself thinking about how clever some of the cluing was. Tricky, witty yet fair. Fun! Thanks Bruce, Gail and Gary.
ReplyDeleteYes to a fireman's pole but no to an elevator, at lease for now. Ten years ago, the husband of an old girl friend (with the girl friend) was visiting and asked me if I had future misgiving about the stairs in our house. I said no. They are getting more difficult to negotiate but I still tackle them several times a day as needed. I think the exercise is good for me.
Also, yes to the hitchhiker. I always had good experiences with hitchhiking, both as the provider and the hitcher.
Hello Puzzlers -
ReplyDeleteI resisted Casket until perps required it. Glad we had Oneida instead of Skaneateles - easier to spell.
Howdy Husker, I agree that animal shelters deserve respect for what they do. It's a crying shame the need even exists, but there it is.
ReplyDeleteNice puzzle from Bruce and Gail and great write-up by Gary. I finished it without Red Letter help today, but had to rely on Perps to set me straight in a few areas.
I agree with others about ZONE vs. ZONK but EAT didn't make sense for the first name of the 2 Broke Girls star. The UTNE reader was an unkown. I also started to put in TEEHEE instead of TITTER but figured it was wrong when I started on the down clues.
Like Barry, I liked the Elevator. I've told my DW that I would get an elevator or a chair lift on the stairway installed in our two story house since she is having difficulty negotiating the stairs anymore, but she adamantly says "no way." Looks like it will mean adding a first floor master to our current home or ultimately moving to a single story home. Not very thrilled with another move. I think we have only so many moves before it is too much of an effort. I am somewhat of a pack-rat and have too much junk to deal with in a move, but I guess I'll have to get rid of the stuff someday rather than leave the task to the kids.
It's getting colder and some flurries are flying today in Central PA. We are heading for below zero temperatures this weekend. I hope you all have it warmer where you are.
Musings
ReplyDelete-Other failed entries – LIFT – PLANE WING EFFECT, PICKPOCKET ART, PLAGIARISM TOOL. Okay, okay, I’m done!
-I’d vote no on that hitchhiker.
-The premise to Hunger Games left me unmotivated to part with $10
-LARDER - do you say lard ər or lah duh?
-The beautiful answer to the song with LIFTS in the title (2:07) in that OCS movie
Here is an example of a jewelry casket.
ReplyDeleteLink CASKET
Here is an example of a casket jewelry casket.
Link CASKET CASKET
Found this a bit tough, and had ZONE instead of ZONK, like others. But loved seeing a reference to Hercule POIROT, a favorite of mine. Great pics, Husker Gary.
ReplyDeleteHave a great day, everybody!
Gail and Bruce have done it again, serving up a pleasant STU of clever clues and interesting fill. Since I knew KAT Dennings it was easier to get ZONK. LW and I use the word zonk often, as in, "I'm gonna go zonk out for a while, honey." At 37A, Strummed strings, I entered L and expected the perps to indicate whether it was going to be lute or lyre. MAKO quickly disabused me of that assumption. I had a hard time getting and accepting FLAT because most deserts I have seen are rather hilly and even mountainous. I concede much desert land is flat, too.
ReplyDeleteI honestly don't know if I would give that hitchhiker a ride or not. I do know that LW would insist on passing her by.
I love the actor, MAKO, and will always admire his terrific performance in The Sand Pebbles.
Interesting info about TIDES on D-day, Gary. Thanks again for your high quality explanations. It must be the teacher in you.
Best wishes.
Enjoyable puzzle, but my bane was Utne.
ReplyDeleteI knew it started with a vowel, but none of them rang a bell.
It didn't help that I started with Bullies instead of sullies as a perp.
(military? must end with B for base...)
I ended up running the vowels thru the Ipad until I found one that
actually matched with "TNE."
Wanted Konk out, (hmm, what's a Kippo?)
It also did not help that I misread the flame being over a "T."
(Ooh! 10A must start with a "T." A gimme!)
(Aw Shucks!)
44A so last week is not old?
I always have to wait on oneA versus Aone. (Come on Dave, A-One is a steak sauce...)
Raise the level of discourse? (Sorry HG, I am under too much pressure just trying to find silly pics...)
Hmm, personal elevator. reminds me of when DW was working with an Architect to
design a bedroom and bath over our garage. (DW reminds me of Mrs. Winchester & her house....)
My contribution was to have a spiral staircase from the basement, thru a corner in the kitchen, ending in a short hallway that preceeded the new bedroom. With some kind of trapdoor
(for privacy.)
She shot me down:(
I even had it all picked out & everything!
Swamp Cat thanx for the shout outs. My you tube is Boo luquette the same as on here.
ReplyDeleteI have gardening videos as well for fertilizing and planting plus a few on hydroponics.
Not a speed run today. Hands up for konk/conk, I had to look hard at UTNE or whatever it is downs were solid and the TADA went off when the T fell in the square.
The K came out when the second P went in ZIPPO I use ZIPPO's to light my cigars. No chance of loaning that and not getting it back. " oh I have a blue one too I thought that was mine " LOL ~!~!
Bon Apres Midi from Cajun Country ~!~!~!
The only "confusion" that slowed me down was up in the NE corner, when like others before me I had ZONE before ZONK. But I caught up right away when EAT didn't make a lick of sense at 13D.
ReplyDeleteZIPPO was a fave answer. Back when I was a smoker, I enjoyed the familiar snap and clink of my Zippo lighters. The smooth metallic feel was another plus. Old smokers will attest that one of the pleasures of the filthy habit is the sensation of preparing to smoke. Fussing with fingers and hands is pleasurable in itself, and Zippo enabled me in that vice. I haven't smoked for many years now, but I recently reclaimed some of the old pleasure when, among Christmas gifts, my wife gave me a Zippo Hand Warmer. I feel the cold more and more with each advancing year, so this pocket-sized gem brings me much comfort. I recommend it to anyone who finds his/her fingers growing numb in these winter months!
The ZIPPO comment above (Anonymous @ 12:43 PM) was from me! The only reason it wasn't properly attributed is that I am now being challenged when I'm ready to publish as to which identity I will choose. This is a new hurdle, and I can't say I appreciate it. I'm not used to posting a Google password to leave a message -- so I tried to click on a non-Google category, and it decided to post me as "Anonymous."
ReplyDeleteIs everyone being challenged these days?
Skiers transport?(Your'e doing it wrong!)
ReplyDeleteBrits elevator? How bout a famous American elevator!
Does hitchhiking really require an explanation?
Lift?
Personally, I think you are thinking about this all wrong.
It's not an elevator, it's an alleviator...
Lift?
ReplyDeleteMeanwhile, in Japan...
Speaking of Oneida, the Finger Lakes region of New York state is very pretty. That's where Cornell is located. Cornell has two beautiful gorges running through the campus. I never spent a summer there but Spring was lovely and the fall foliage was brilliant. Winters in that part of the US can be dreary when they last into March and April though the first snowfall around Thanksgiving was peaceful and welcome. I would have enjoyed it all even more if I hadn't been so stressed out with trying to keep my grades up.
ReplyDeleteUnlike others my first fill at 10a was KONK (out) so the K at least was in at the end and ready for the word change when ZIPPO came along. I remember buying those in the past for many relatives. KAT might have been a problem for me since I don't know that name.
ReplyDeleteThank you, B.V. and G.G. for the fun puzzle. I had a couple w/o's, but perps corrected me. H-G, I enjoyed the write-up and the links.
ReplyDeletecONK b/f ZONK, teehee b/f TITTER which I put in the wrong spot to begin with. Dumb!
Favorites were 6a kennel racket/ARFS and 51a pet shelter mission/RESCUE. Knowing that the dogs and cats have a home until adopted makes volunteering at the shelter therapeutic. I always leave there feeling better than when I arrived.
Temps are going down to 10* tonight. You'd think it was winter!
Pat
Bill G, does anything look familiar?
ReplyDelete& 4 the rest of you,
Take a break from Winter...
Today's puzzle started badly, wanting GOOSE before CAPON made its way, didn't really know POIROT or NERO, and had never heard of a jewelry case being called a CASKET. TITTER- no comment. Sounds like one who visits strip joints. But with just a few letters the theme spanners were easy.
ReplyDeleteMy only other waffles were SULLEYS or SULLIES and CONK or ZONK out. Never sold ads or wrote screen plays but LINAGE looked strange; I knew it wasn't the ancestral LINEAGE.
LIFT for that that little? A friend just had an outdoor elevator installed at his elevated camp (12 ft.) so his aged mother and in-laws could get up to the house's first floor. It was more expensive and not even enclosed.
CED, some of it looks a little familiar. I'm pretty sure none of that was taken on campus; maybe in a nearby state park. And it seems that was taken in the summer whereas I enjoyed the scenery in the other three seasons. They were having more fun than I did trying to pass Physics my freshman year.
ReplyDeleteOl' Man Keith @12:43 & 12:48
ReplyDeleteAt the "height" of my collection ... I probably had 13 ZIPPO lighters.
My favorite (of ALL-TIME) was the "4077th M*A*S*H" lighter.
It's kinda funny, when you have a ZIPPO you kept it "well-fueled" and always made sure there is a "spare-flint" (as a replacement) in the "body."
Husker & Jayce ...
Well I realize you guys are married ...
But as a 100%-Male, Over-the-age-of-21 ... who is "single" ...
There is No-Way I could pass her by ...
Cheers!
I'm with BillG on the hitchhiker. I hitched a lot back in the day, and still pick one up occasionally. My favorite hitchhiking story: one Friday night in 1964, I was very late picking up my girlfriend for a date, and in a hurry. I stopped and picked up a guy who appeared (to my 18 year old eyes) to be about 50. He got in, I said, where ya going? He said "Texas". I said I'm only going 12 miles but il drop you at a better place to get a ride. Four miles down the road he said "You can let me out here". I said, "thought you were headed to Texas?" He said, "I am, but I've got plenty of time to get there and I'm not sure you're gonna make it." I let him out.
ReplyDeleteHi All!
ReplyDeleteAnother day, another bad square - FIW. W/ _ASKET in place, I guessed T (I don't know what a tisket nor a tASKET (a green and yellow basket) is; I thought I had a learning moment - aha it's a Jewelry box. Not! [CAPON has never crossed my table.]
Thanks Bruce & Gail for the upLift. Thanks HG for the write-up. Enjoyed all the pictures.
WOs: WEES cONK, Old b/f OUT, Nec b/f NCR and 5 spelling-stabs for POIROT.
Fav - The aptronym STU.
Runner up - 24a's clue: WKRP S1E3 (Les on a Ledge) came to mind. Les says Besmirch and they all run for a dictionary :-)
The LARDER at The Biltmore is huge. I had more fun OGLE'n downstairs than up.
We've had UTNE b/f. I used to read that in my UTE, so it filled right in.
Hondo - How I remember Dessert v. Desert: I want 2 slices of pie, hence 2 s's. The same helps with Supper / Super; gimme seconds.
TTP - 'site' in 23a's clue made me want Ft. Ord.
OMK - I love (and miss) my old ZIPPO too (I put it up after smoking). I do like cigars on the weekends; maybe I'll RESCUE it from the junk drawer.
CED - Funny Japanese Lift clips.
Cheers, -T
On the hitchhiker topic, I've never thumbed myself, but I've had some very pleasant riders....though not for well over 30 years. 3 stand out. One fellow rode from FL to KY and I wish I'd gotten his name and address cuz he was such a pleasant traveling companion. He left a pack of cigarettes in my car and I felt like I'd cheated him. Another rode from Denver to NE Nebraska and I fed him breakfast in a small town before going 20 odd miles out of my way to put him on a more significant highway so he could get another ride to his destination....MN, IIRC. I got a Christmas card from him later that year. The third was a harmless fellow I picked up outside Omaha on my way to Denver, but I was bored by his conversation after a couple hundred miles. I rerouted my trip in order to have an excuse to drop him off at North Platte. The side trip was interesting, and I'd never been to KS prior, so it broadened my horizons. I probably wouldn't do it again at my current age, but never had cause to regret any riders I picked up.
ReplyDeleteTTP, I know about Ft Rucker AL and Hunter Army Airfield GA, but had no knowledge of Ft Benning having a WOFT program. Was that in place during the Nam era, or did it come later? My older brother took training at Ft Rucker in ~68 and was a trainer at Hunter in ~72.
Tin - you are spot on re: 'maintaining' the ZIPPO - always a spare flint under the cotton.
ReplyDeleteIndulge me in two fraternal-grandpa stories:
1. He told a story about his days in the Pacific theater during WWII (never about battles, just buddies & weird sh*t) that included tying a string around the flue and dipping his 'naked' ZIPPO into the kerosene tank to refuel.
2. On walks with him, Gramps would stop and pick-up discarded / broken Bics. Later, at his workbench, he'd remove the flint and add it to an Rx bottle. He bragged he never had to buy flints. Depression-era ways.
Cheers, -T
OCS is not Office but Officer Candidate School.
ReplyDeletealways enjoy a Gail and Bruce puzzle. Learning moment: jewelry casket. Thanks YR for the visual.
ReplyDeleteAfter Argyle linked The Turtles, I've been listening to 60s and 70s music. One playlist had over 100 songs from the 70s. For whatever reason I only VAGUELY recalled this song, and never saw the video before. Now I'm in love with it. Rickie Lee Jones - Chuck E.'s In Love
ReplyDeleteHi Joe, they were at different locations. Solely. Officer Candidate School was at Ft Benning, and Warrant Officer Flight Training School was at Ft Rucker.
Jump School was at both Ft Campbell, KY (101st Airborne - "Screaming Eagles") and Ft Bragg, NC (82nd Airborne). The 101st came recruiting to Ft Knox while I was there and I signed up, only to get turned down as they were looking to fill certain company positions, and my MOS had already been filled. In Germany, I was assigned to the 70th Trans which was predominately rotor wing, and my XO there started talking to me about WOFTS. Strongly considered going for it, but backed off. Too much of a commitment at that point. I think it was 6 more years if you made it through school. Then got PCS orders to another kaserne / city shortly thereafter. No doubt in my mind they were related.
Anon-T: Loved your Gramps stories! Though my dad never served in WWII due to family obligations, I can appreciate your second memory. My fix-all father, Depression-era adult, did the same sort of recycling (nuts, bolts, electrical wiring, sockets - you name it)! Unfortunately, I have inherited his trait - who knows when you'll need a twistee tie, a stretch of fencing or scrap lumber? Thanks for the fond memories. :)
ReplyDeleteAnonymous T,
ReplyDeleteI thought you were kidding when you wrote aptronym, but sure enough, how apt it is. Just looked at the wikipedia article that gives plenty of colorful examples. Cool.
It could have been Ft Ord. Back in the day, I'll bet Ft Ord was pretty high up there on most recruits wish list of permanent assignments. "Ok, let's make Schofield my first choice, followed by Ft Ord..."
AnonT, count me in for missing your referring to STU as an aptronym. I totally blew right past it. Now I've learned something too. By my calculation, after solving a few more crossword puzzles, I will have accumulated all of the world's knowledge.
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