Theme: "Bring It On" - IT is added to each common phrase.
22. Drill team for outlaws?: MARCHING BANDITS. Marching band.
31. Study up on Newton's theories?: GRAVITY TRAIN. Gravy train.
49. Book club choices for a church group?: PULPIT FICTION. Pulp fiction.
64. Vampire's introspective question?: TO BITE OR NOT TO BITE. To be or not to be.
82. Unusual cold snap in England?: BRITAIN FREEZE. Brain freeze.
96. Funny business in an Oregon city?: EUGENE LEVITY. Eugene Levy.
108. "Now where did that minty cocktail go ... "?: I'VE LOST MY MOJITO. I've lost my mojo.
Ah I think some of the regulars know the gimmick before they even start the grid. Revealing title.
Simple theme expertly executed. No other straying IT in the grid. I really like that 64A fill and clue.
Every time I see Doug's byline I think of Barry Silk. They used to collaborate on themeless quite a bit.
Across:
1. Classic cartoon horse Quick Draw __: MCGRAW.
7. Superhero with anger issues: HULK.
11. Rapper __ Nas X: LIL. Known for his "Old Town Road" and fashion sense.
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14. Slavic native: SERB.
18. Beethoven's Third: EROICA.
19. "Ohhhhh": I SEE.
20. Point value of a gol de fútbol: UNO.
21. Egyptian peninsula: SINAI.
25. "__ it!": PROVE.
26. Be behind: OWE.
27. Texter's rebuttal: OTOH.
28. In the past: AGO. And 61. In the past: PRIOR.
29. __ tofu: SILKEN. Looks delicious. I mostly use silken tofu for miso soup.
30. Big name in casualwear: POLO. And 78. Big name in casualwear: IZOD.
35. Big name in cookware: T-FAL. My saute pan.
38. Ramp up or ramp down: INCLINE.
40. 2022 AL MVP Judge: AARON. Doug is Yankees fan I think.
41. Permits: ALLOWS.
43. Sword part: HAFT.
44. Pronombre personal: ELLA. Pronombre is Spanish for "pronoun".
45. Gather into loops: COIL.
52. Really big: IMMENSE.
54. Mariana Trench, e.g.: ABYSS.
55. Subject for a primatologist: APE.
56. Zen garden tool: RAKE.
58. Homeric saga featuring the Catalogue of Ships: ILIAD.
59. Door latch: HASP.
61. Put (together): PIECE.
63. Groups of sheep: FLOCKS.
68. Key with one sharp: E MINOR.
70. Legal docs: WRITS.
71. Leave out: OMIT.
72. Bossy star of a kid's game: SIMON.
73. Sony laptop brand: VAIO. The other four-letter laptop is ASUS or ACER.
74. Org. that oversees tobacco: FDA.
75. Apt name for some Aries: APRIL.
80. Has a tendency for: PRONE TO.
86. Hawaii's state bird: NENE.
87. Pasta type: ZITI.
89. "Voilà!": DONE.
90. Lady Bird's husband: LYNDON. I know what Boomer would have linked.
91. Swiped: STOLE.
93. Hyundai model: ELANTRA.
95. "Alice in Wonderland" bird: DODO.
99. Egyptian vipers: ASPS.
101. Academic's achievement: TENURE.
102. In the manner of: A LA. I'm still waiting for David to finish my USA Today "Reciting Pi" puzzle. Notice he can't even get 64A. But this is only his first 15x15.
103. __ chamber: ECHO.
104. Atlanta-based network: TBS.
107. Met's lineup?: ARIAS. The Met. Not the Mets.
113. Bishop's hat: MITRE.
114. Secret code: PIN.
115. 20 quires: REAM.
116. Twist in a novel: OLIVER. Great clue also.
117. Pomegranate bit: SEED. Called Aril.
118. Reproductive cells: OVA.
119. Lady __ of "A Star Is Born": GAGA.
120. "Prithee make thyself scarce": BE GONE.
Down:
2. Sticking point, metaphorically: CRAW. And 69. Sticking point: MIRE.
3. 1990s vice president: GORE.
4. Pro wrestler Flair: RIC.
5. Blessed sound?: ACHOO.
6. Limbo for a college applicant: WAIT LIST.
7. Daily temperature stat: HIGH. More snow last week. Now we've had over 80 inches in the Twin Cities area this season.
8. Computer port initials: USB.
9. Grassy expanse: LEA.
10. "Crazy Rich Asians" actor Jeong: KEN. South Korean heritage. This name is sometimes spelled as Chung, as in Jamie Chung.
11. Video game brother: LUIGI.
12. Counting everything: IN TOTAL.
13. __ Angeles: LOS.
14. Round Table knight: SIR LANCELOT. Sparkly fill.
15. Thin mushroom: ENOKI. I used to eat these regularly. So pricey after Covid.
16. Poe's "ungainly fowl": RAVEN.
17. "Muy __": BIEN.
21. Hubert's successor: SPIRO.
23. Twelve sharp: NOON.
24. Bautista of "Guardians of the Galaxy": DAVE. He played Drax the Destroyer,
29. Hall of Fame football coach Hank: STRAM. Google info: "On January 11, 1970, Chiefs Head Coach, Hank Stram, became the first NFL coach to wear a wire in a Super Bowl."
30. Fat raindrop sounds: PLOPS.
31. Candied, as cherries: GLACE.
32. Breach: RIFT.
33. Not pro: ANTI.
34. New Haven Ivy Leaguer: YALIE.
35. Andalusia appetizer: TAPA.
36. Part of a blooper reel: FLUB.
37. Fellow fighter: ALLY.
39. Great Lakes people: CHIPPEWA. I thought the Chippewa Falls is in MN. But it's in WI.
42. Thanksgiving snapper: WISHBONE.
44. Put into law: ENACT.
46. Ready if required: ON ICE.
47. Novelist Dinesen: ISAK. She wrote "Out of Africa".
48. Parts of some flashlights: LEDS.
50. Observe Ramadan, say: FAST. This is hard.
51. Cookies with an occasional Mystery Flavor: OREOS.
53. Word with service or surplus: MILITARY.
57. Low-carb regimen: KETO DIET. This is hard also. Why doesn't love carbs?
60. Bubble filler: AIR.
62. Mtge. figure: INT.
63. Heist film antagonists, often: Abbr.: FBI.
64. Shakespeare's title Athenian: TIMON.
65. Ready for anything: ON ONE'S GUARD.
66. Savannah antelope: ORIBI. Hi there.
67. Persian Gulf sultanate: OMAN.
68. Network with a "Deportes" channel: ESPN.
73. Soft sheer fabric: VOILE.
74. __ pack: FANNY. Often worn as a crossbody bag now.
76. Hangs: PENDS.
77. Try again: REDO.
79. Former host Jay: LENO.
81. Oil region?: T ZONE. Due to its T shape. Oily area.
83. Rice cake served with chutney: IDLI. Never had this.
84. Fits __: TO A T.
85. Quickly assembled group: FLASH MOB.
88. Israeli port on the Mediterranean: TEL AVIV. Nice to see a full name.
92. Clipped: TERSE.
93. Short critique?: EVAL. Evaluation.
94. Risqué: RACY.
96. Haunting: EERIE.
97. Join together: UNITE.
98. Justice Kagan: ELENA.
100. English Channel port: POOLE. New to me.
101. Scottish lids: TAMS.
103. "Room" novelist Donoghue: EMMA.
104. Record, in a way: TIVO.
105. Bingo call: B TEN.
106. Vexed: SORE.
108. Stock acronym: IPO.
109. Alternative to edu: ORG.
110. Coral __: SEA.
111. Playground game: TAG.
112. Leprechaun's dance: JIG.
C.C.
The theme's very standard, but the themers themselves are GREAT, which is what can make even a simple theme work. I especially loved GRAVITY TRAIN, PULPIT FICTION, and "I LOST MY MOJITO". Also, some very nice bonuses (SIR LANCELOT, WISHBONE, KETO DIET, FLASH MOB). And the clue for OLIVER is top notch. I didn't get it immediately, but just from the way it was worded, I knew there was some non-"?" punning involved.
ReplyDeleteI knew this was going to be crunchier than the typical Sunday when I realized that my initial guess (MAIL at 1D crossing LAG) was wrong. TZONE is new to me, and the "?" clue made no sense until I looked it up. One more snag was EMINOR, where I had _MAJOR because I incorrectly assumed that major keys have sharps, and minors have flats.
But OH BOY, does the fill get reallllllly bad at times. I mixed up TFAL with TGEL, the CHIPPEWA VAIO ORIBI VOILE TZONE zone is a bit of a mess (...I had _OILE and thought, "not TOILE again..." after yesterday's NYT puzzle).
And that area ABUTS (I'm in the mood to speak crosswordese today)... what? IDLI EVAL plus a crosswordese meeting session in that little S-SW part of the grid. And TOAT clued in a way that makes you go "...please don't be TOAT". And finally, BTEN is what broke me. What a shame, with those cool Downs. The fill here is the textbook definition of bittersweet.
See no EVIL, hear no EVIL, speak no EVIL... put no EVIL in your crossword, even if it can easily get rid of EVAL. Clued with a "?", to boot.
Also, isn't the PRONE TO clue just wrong? "Having a tendency for" would work. I had PREFERS at first.
ReplyDeleteGood morning!
ReplyDeleteFigured out that 1d couldn't be MAIL. (Have I ever mentioned...?) Got the theme, but looked sideways at several non-theme entries: STRAM, IDLI, TZONE, VAIO -- they just looked wrong. But d-o got 'er done, so perhaps he should just shut up. Thanx, Alan, Doug, and C.C.
d-o @6:12 STRAM.... how could I forget STRAM? The STRAM/ELLA crossing was the last letter I needed to finish. When I first saw the ELLA clue, my brain only processed "pronoun in a foreign language" but not "Spanish" and I entered ELLE. I only saw the mistake later.
ReplyDeleteFIW. Stram and ella, voile and Vaio, craw and owe, three places where I guessed wrong. Got the theme early and that helped, but too many clues just didn't seem right.
ReplyDeleteGood Morning:
ReplyDeleteI agree with much of Anonymous’s @ 4:26 assessment. My favorite themer was To Bite Or Not To Bite and I was pleased to see that CC singled that one out, as well. The unknowns were fewer than usual for a Sunday grid, i.e., VAIO, Timon, Oribi, Idli, and Poole. I can’t remember any w/os but I was well aware, as usual, with the always welcome scarcity of three letter words. I enjoyed the solve very much, unlike yesterday’s torture session.
Thanks, Alan and Doug, for a smooth Sunday solve and thanks, CC, for the summary and the always delicious-looking food photos.
Today is the Feast of St. Joseph (Hi, MalMan) and the historical return of the swallows to Capistrano. I wonder if that still occurs.
Have a great day.
The best theme answers I've seen in a long time. I loved them!
ReplyDeleteI never heard of Silken Tofu so guessed the S, then I had the S for Hank Stram but put 0 in for the A (to cross ELLO instead of ELLA). So 3 words interlinked I didn't know.
I also didn't know TZONE, but the cross Ziti gave that. Never heard of IDLI either.
C.C., I didn't look at the 'revealing title' but caught the gimmick at MARCHING BANDITS. It was a slow fill today with very few unknowns for a Sunday puzzle. DAVE, TIMON, ORIBI, VOILE, T-ZONE, IDLI, POOLE- perps solved those. The T ZONE VOILE area was the last to fall.
ReplyDeleteHank STRAM coached the Saints and lived in the NOLA region after he retired.
G MAJOR or E MINOR, ELLE or ELLA, WILLS or WRITS. I haven't practice my scales in a while but my piano is right in front of my desk and I just look at the keys. But let's hope no constructor uses one of the other minor modes-Dorian, Phrygian, Aeolian, and the Locrian- because it can get confusing. And there's the mixolydian mode that most of the Beatles' songs are in.
VAIO laptop? I hate those small keyboards. I commenting on my new HP All-in-One 27" desktop with wireless mouse and keyboard. But I'll get a new ergonomic keyboard; don't like the one that came with the computer. It's so nice to have no wires on the desk.
Anon@4:26am- I'm PRONE TO never criticize constructor's work, even if I don't PREFER "IT" (keeping with the theme)
A LA- It looks like DAVID was trying to solve his first 15X15 using a pen unless he was using a pencil with soft graphite (lead). But whoever David is, keep it up and it will be easy as 'custard'
This puzzle was a lot of fun with the amusing theme answers. Favs: IVE LOST MY MOJITO and BRITAIN FREEZE
ReplyDeleteI'm in a church book club so got a chuckle out of PULPIT FICTION with my husband being the pastor to boot.
I spent 3 months in India many years ago - and I liked IDLI to eat and the word was just fun to say.
Hank STRAM was a gimme - coach of the Chiefs from 1960 to 1974 - including the year they won their first Super Bowl. I went to high school with 2 of their 5 kids. Their mom was a professional singer before staying home to be a mom and so they all were very talented musically as well as in sports! The oldest Hank STRAM Jr. went on to perform on Broadway.
Their house was good-sized (with 5 kids!) but not pretentious at all.
Thanks CC for the blog and Alan & Doug for the puzzle
Really enjoyed today’s CW, even though after 45 minutes I TITT for a FIW, couldn’t WAG my way through the VAIO, ORIBI, VOILE area. Never heard of Voile, thought it had to be Toile 🤷♂️. Cool theme from Alan and Doug, TOBITEORNOTTOBITE, IVELOSTMYMOJITO and EUGENELEVITY are classics!
ReplyDeleteC.C. ~ nice write-up today! I too always enjoy your food photos. I’ve actually been to CHIPPEWA Falls WI several times, home of Leinenkugel brewery.
Glad to see very little in the complaint department today, yesterday was a bit too much whining, but for the most part not from the regulars on here.
That’s due to yesterday’s puzzle being so totally whine-able, sir!
DeleteToday’s, however, was pure fun and had a bunch of grin-inducing fills on the theme lines (w/ a tolerable number of proper names). FIR after a bit of brain-twisting 😎 Thanks to Alan & Doug for a nice Sunday cruise!
====> Darren in L.A.
FIW, missing EMlA x REAl and mispeling ViaO. UNTIE! Didn't know that quires weren't money. Figured it was some variation of the undecipherable quid. Hand up for erasing mail for MEMO, and also had to fix lag for OWE, hilt for HAFT, emir for OMAN, and then lost, but after a brief rest period restored, ERECT.
ReplyDeleteI only know KEN as that guy in the eyedrops commercial.
If the FDA oversees tobacco, shouldn't we rename the ATF the AF?
Never heard of "mystery flavor", but what other four-letter (plus pluralization) cookie graces crosswords?
Thanks to CC for the fun review.
Hola!
ReplyDeleteMust hurry. Finished this with a few problems at the bottom. 108D left blank. No time to linger and later will go to lunch with my friends.
I liked MARCHING BANDITS!
Later. Wishing you all a spectacular Sunday!
Very do-able puzzle today, except I completely forgot to look for the "bring it on" theme once I got started. It was somewhere around BritainFreeze that I realized, "oh yeah," I can use "it" to complete the themers. (Except there were only two themers left at this point,)
ReplyDeleteLast to fall was the "M" in Timon/Simon, and the "V" in Viao/Voile, which took "ESL."
ESL could be interpreted as, Every Single Letter, or English Second Language..
(Hey, I couldn't find anything to complain about with the puzzle, and I gotta complain about something...)
The Theme:
"Bring it on" will forever remind me of watching the Emperors New Groove with my kids.
(Hey, I've watched it several times since they grew up, I'm not ashamed...)
Watching that scene made me realize that when you feel life has you tied to a pole, and you are heading for a waterfall, you might as well just say, "bring it on." BOOYAH-haha.......
Just the right amount of difficulty for a Sunday. Lots of fun clues like Twist in a novel. I got the theme right away, and that simplified fills. What’s not to like about a Shakespearean vampire or a reference to one of my favorite movies PULP FICTION. My favorite one however was IVE LOST MY MOJITO. I learned to like mojitos in Key West.
ReplyDeleteThé one puzzler for me was EUGENE LEVITY since I don’t know who Eugene Levy is.
We had a few White House visitors and a member of the court.
That tofu dish doesn’t look like anything I’d know how to do. I agree with CC, it looked scrumptious.
Eugene Levy, I guess you never saw Ghostbusters
DeleteThe legend lives on, from the CHIPPEWA on down, of the big lake they call Gitchee Gumee...What a difference a day makes! This had some crunch to IT, but was a lot more enjoyable than yesterday's hot mess. The perps made it possible to WAG some of the unknowns, and a lot of the clues were fogie friendly. (ECHO was gimmie!) Never heard of IGNI, but it reminded me of Heinleins IGLI from Glory Road. The themes brought a chuckle or two. FIR.
ReplyDeleteMusings
ReplyDelete-BRITAIN FREEZE was my fav!
-My colleague had huge amounts of beer ON ICE for his daughter’s wedding reception last night. The elaborate proceedings had to run him $15,000 or more.
-TIMON, IDLI, POOLE and ORIBI? Happy to learn (briefly).
-One famous thing Hank Stram while he was wired.
Oops...IDLI? NOT IDNI. And my sword had a HILT before I traded it in for one with a HAFT!
ReplyDeleteFIR but not without quite a bit of wite-out.
ReplyDeleteHad “mail” for 1D, “Sonata”at 93A (which didn’t even have enough letters) “Mario” at 11D and the list goes on as there are still 2-3 that I don’t even recall my 1st fill was. Fun puzzle at the end of it all.
What’s not to love about this puzzle? Thanks Alan and Doug for a fun and intelligent exercise . I laughed out loud at TO BITE OR NOT TO BITE.
ReplyDeleteI even knew most of the names today, which made things a lot easier. I thought the clues for ACHOO” and “OLIVER” were especially clever.
Thanks C.C. for the tour, interesting as always.
I’m sad my Duke Blue Devils went down to defeat yesterday, but there’s always next year. It’s always fun to see those college games - so much heart and emotion.
Yesterday's puzzle took two days to actually FIR. Toughest ever. Below see why I was short on time.
ReplyDeleteHand up loved today's "IT" theme. Crossed obscure/proper names not so much.
Zhouqin Thanks for the LYNDON post. Such a tragedy. He gave us the original Clean Air Act, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and Medicare and Medicaid. But he will always be remembered for the MIRE of Vietnam.
Yesterday we watched this extraordinary bit of MILITARY SERVICE by the Blue Angels
One of the worst traffic jams I have ever experienced. We ended up turning back, parking four miles away from Point Mugu and walking in, past thousands of cars on Highway 1. Memorable experience.
HAH the TV news said “free parking”; they didn’t say it was on miles of highway! But I’m still a bit jealous you got to go to the air show, Mr. Picard; I miss the one that used to be here in Van Nuys, CA but 9/11 put the brakes on that one. The best part was Monday morning at the S end of runway 16R, when all the military guys would fly out their hotrods and then do a low pass over us. Good days!
Delete====>. Darren
Ended up with a FIW today. Like Yooper Phil, I thought the fabric had to be “toile.” Never heard of “voile” and was unfamiliar with the computer brand. Oh well, you can’t win ‘em all!
ReplyDeleteThanks Alan and Doug. Although I found the puzzle a lot of fun and the theme very helpful today, I wasn't quite with IT today due to a failure to a failure to proof read (FTPR), e.g. 5D ACHEW. DUH?
ReplyDeleteThanks for all the food for thought today. Loved Boomer's post from Heaven!
A few favs:
19 EROICA. Beethoven's Third Symphony was the longest ever written until that date and was considered revolutionary at the time. Here's just a short clip with the 1st Movement main theme. The "Heroic" dedication was to Napoleon. It seemed like a good idea at the time, but Beethoven, who was a lover of liberty, came to regret it later.
73A VAIO. DNK VAIO. TAIO seemed as good as any and filled 73D TOILE, which kinda sort worked, but wasn't VOILE.
80A PRONE TO. I am PRONE TO FTPR before coming here.
101A TENURE. A CSO to Misty, OMK, and Tante Nique.
47D ISAK. AKA Baroness Karen Blixen. She also wrote Babettes Feast, which was made into a magical movie.
100A POOLE. DNK POOLE, but DOVER and CALAIS didn't work and DUNKIRK was too long.
Cheers,
Bill
Sunday Lurk say...
ReplyDeleteIT (Information Technology) gets a little love today but it's not reflected in the title...
Jinx - KEN Jeong is a real doctor and is hilarious.
//I just linked his Medical Questions from Twitter but he's a funny actor too - even had his own TV programme on CBS(?).
Mystery Flavor - Sam Waterston missed that lollipop question on WWDTM. [FF to 18:00 and you hear RUSH's I Think I'm Going Bald from their debut album before Sam's interview & quiz - He (Sam) only got one right but Bill gave it to him anyway]
Dum-Dum's Mystery Flavor comes from not cleaning out the drums between flavours. [Canadian spelling 'cuz ...wait for it....]
TanteN - Oh, no. Say it isn't so. Eugene Levy is a great Canadian comic actor & writer. He came out of Second City (Toronto), on SCTV, was writer & cast in Shitt's Creek. He's also The Reluctant Traveler.
Picard - Nice Blue Angels vid. I think in real combat they fly delta-style to look like something bigger on radar(?). Nevertheless, awesome flying.
Worst traffic jam ever was 4hrs on I35 going from San Antonio with DW to SPI, IL to meet Pop. Full Stop (forever!) outside of Waco.
//We were just married and on a (with jam, a 28 hour) road trip for her to meet my fam for the 1st time.
CED - David Spade is his smart-a**y self in Emperor's New Groove - LOL movie. //I'm not ashamed either.
Cheers, -T
Subgenius @1:18 PM Thanks for that SG. If you FIW then I don't feel quite so bad.
ReplyDeleteWaseely: thanks for the reminder about Babette’s Feast. It was indeed a magic film,
ReplyDeleteThanks, Alan & Doug for a fun and clever puzzle! Well done!
ReplyDeleteAll the themers were great but my FAV was I'VE LOST MY MOJITO.
I liked this puzzle and marveled at the clever theme. I didn't do yesterday's puzzle because we were busy, but judging from the comments today I'm glad I didn't.
ReplyDeleteSuper Sunday. Thanks for the fun, Alan and Doug, and C.C.
ReplyDeleteI saw the IT theme early which helped with the subsequent themers. Hand up for liking the Hamlet quote best (although I smiled at the Canadian LEVITY. (See my comment to Anon T below)
But I had a personal Natick cross, because I couldn’t remember TBS, and the Bingo letter could have been B,I,N,G or O. I should have done the letter run and guessed the B.
Hand up for Sonata before EROICA.
I entered G Major but was prepared to change to E MINOR. Sure enough.
I thought of Okapi, but the animal was ORIBI. We saw them on safari in Kenya (they are quite dainty and small), but I can never remember their name.
IDLI was unknown, as was VAIO.
I always have a problem spelling CHIPPEWA. We have a section of Niagara Falls that is called Chippawa (somewhere long AGO it was misspelled from the Ojibway).
AnonT- you beat me to explaining Eugene Levy’s Canadian connection for Tante Nique.. Yes, I smiled at your “flavour”. Did you notice mitre today?!
Picard- great video of the Blue Angels. It reminds me of our Canadian Snowbirds. Awe-inspiring.
Wishing you all a great day.
It's been a disjointed day and I finally got time to finish today's puzzle. But hand up for putting STRoM and ELLo. Didn't know STRAM and had Strom Thurmond in mind to justify my choice. FIW. Thanks C.C. for explaining things today so well.
ReplyDeleteBut I got everything else with perp help and solved the fun themers so thanks, Alan and Doug. My vote is for MARCHING BANDITS as a former marching band member.
I also liked the clue "Prithee make thyself be scarce" so I will BE GONE now. Enjoy the rest of your day!
Delightful Sunday puzzle, many thanks, Alan and Doug. And I now look forward every Sunday, hoping to see your always interesting and helpful commentary, C.C.--many thanks for that too.
ReplyDeleteWhen I see a phrase like MARCHING BAND, it reminds of my time in high school when I played a French horn, and hopefully remembered my E MINOR. Can't remember if we ever played an ARIA, but our audience gave us HIGH praise, even if it didn't exactly go GAGA. I did go on to college (no, I wasn't a YALIE), and wrote a dissertation on FICTION, and became a professor with TENURE. But, hey, enough GRAVITY--we could use some LEVITY. Actually, I'm going to go and read the ILIAD.
Have a great Sunday, everybody.
CanadianEh!@4:11. I was thinking the same thing you were about BINGO but then I remembered the lower numbers go with the Bs.
ReplyDeleteI just now googled the ranges:
B (1-15)
I (16-30)
N (31-45)
G (46-60)
O (61-75)
Perhaps this will help in a future puzzle.
= )
AnonT, Anon/Darren, CanadianEh Thank you for the kind words about my Blue Angels MILITARY SERVICE video clip. I have dozens more yet to edit.
ReplyDeleteNot sure we would have done this adventure if we knew what we were getting into. But very glad we did it and had the memorable experience. Good to soak in the spa last night!
Here was the "free parking" lot we sat on, Darren, on Highway 1 from Oxnard toward Malibu.
Very glad we were able to cross that dirt median to head back to Oxnard and walk! Very grateful the people at the strawberry farm along the road let us use their porta-potty. Very sad: The strawberry crop looked mostly destroyed by all of our recent flooding.
Thanks for the traffic jam story, AnonT. But this was tiny compared with our experience after the 2017 total solar eclipse in Oregon. Reputed to be one of the worst traffic jams in US history. We left Madras immediately after the eclipse at 10:30AM, heading for our friends' house in Ashland about 200 miles away. We arrived just before dawn the next day. About 18 hours. Bumper to bumper crawl the entire 200+ miles.
Hand up never heard of EUGENE LEVY. Learning moment. A learning moment is where an unknown is worth knowing. Thanks, AnonT!
Picard, I wish I had known about the Mugu when I lived in LA. I would have taken my boat to Oxnard marina and spent a few nights.
ReplyDeleteWorst traffic jam I've been in (in the USA) was returning to LA from Vegas on the Sunday after Thanksgiving. It was so bad that I (and many others) got off I-15 and found a way onto the dirt access road for the railroad. Did this several times before I got smart enough to take a vacation day on Monday. The second worst was returning from the open house at Edwards AFB. No access roads to bail out on; everyone just sat there. Well worth it. SR-71 (while it was still flying missions), B1, B52, F15, F16, A6, A10. Most on static display, but plenty of aerial displays as well. At the time the USAF didn't admit that we had the F117, so there wasn't one of those.
But the worst traffic jam I was ever in was between the (then) new Caracas airport and downtown Caracas on a Sunday evening. It was a long drive up a mountain, and many cars overheated and broke down on the way. To prevent people from driving on the shoulders, there were police with automatic weapons, plus giant construction tires in the shoulder every couple of miles. I was told it was this way every Sunday evening. Our executives flew company jets into the old airport near downtown.
Picard- Thanks for the Blue Angels clip. I've been a fan since my dad took me to see them back in 1959 when I was knee-high to a nose wheel. They flew the Grumman F11F then, and I have seen them many times since. Never gets old!
ReplyDeleteHi Y'all! Really liked this puzzle, thanks, Alan & Doug. Took me twice as long as yesterday's to fill but today's was more than twice as enjoyable. Hard spots, but such a clever theme IT was! Thanks, C.C.
ReplyDeleteNever heard of ORIBI, VAIO, or POOLE. Kept thinking the latter needed to be short for Liverpool.
Picard. When I first clicked on your link, I didn't realize it was a video. I just now went back and saw it. Very cool! Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteFilled while watching Speith fail at Palm Harbor and Marquette fail in last five minutes. And I failed on TIMOr and TOILE
ReplyDeleteI know it's late but what's EUGENE LEVY mean? OK, Anon-T explained
Fairly quick for a Sunday. FIW on unguessable isn't so bad as FIW on a hard Saturday for what could have been guessed
WC
Jinx @7:05 PM There's a legendary traffic jam still going on. It's called "Gridlock" by the legendary crossword constructor Merl Reagle: 3 stacked across grid spanners X 3 down grid spanners intersecting in the middle of the puzzle, consisting of every car model you've ever heard of. Here's a PDF of it. A real brain twister. If you can't open the link, let me know and I'll try to get it to you some other way.
ReplyDeleteWC @8:25PM Eugene Levy is a Canadian comedian.
Thanks sumdaze. I guess I haven’t played enough Bingo!
ReplyDeleteJinx - I bought an Estes model kit back in the day. On the back of the box was a satellite photo of Groom Lake [Area 51] taken by a Russian Sat (this must have been '84ish). A few months later, I saw a real F117, flank'd by USAF with M16s guarding it at the SPI air show.
ReplyDeleteThere's a cool book called "Skunk Works" that talks about the design of the aircraft coming from a Russian mathematician's idea they had on file.
{SPOILER!: The coolest bit of the book was 1st flight test into Groom Lake - radar never picked it up.}
The F117 wasn't seen in combat until the '89 Panama [insert silly Van Halen here].
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//I'm sure we have more sh** way more advanced if we are giving this info away.
Cheers, -T