Theme:  Colorful Creatures 
17. Whodunit misdirection: RED HERRING.
25. Bovine-named pet food brand: BLUE BUFFALO.
37. Costly possession that's no longer useful: WHITE ELEPHANT.
50. Diamond in a 1963 Peter Sellers film: PINK PANTHER.
Reveal:
60. Where this puzzle's "animals" might congregate?:  IN THE SHADE.  
Boomer here again, filling in another blog slot.  
I
 am not sure about this theme.  Red herring may be in a shady pond but 
the only time I might see a buffalo, elephant, or panther would be in 
the zoo.  If someone has figured it out, rattle my cage.  
Please everyone stay as safe as possible.  C.C. and I are okay, but the numbers coming in on the news are very concerning.
Across:
1. Frankie who played Malcolm in "Malcolm in the Middle": MUNIZ.
6. Forensic CBS episodes: CSIS.
10. Urban pollution: SMOG. 
 We are pretty lucky here in Minnesota.  First we don't have much fog, 
and secondly, most of our businesses control their pollution.
14. In unison: AS ONE.
15. Hyatt competitor: OMNI.  I have never stayed at an OMNI nor have I ever driven a Dodge OMNI.
16. Own: HAVE.  Or HAVE not.
19. Wax-coated cheese: EDAM.  I've seen it, but I prefer shredded cheddar to add on my pizza.
20. "Look what __!": I DID.
21. Poetic adverb: OFT.
22. Kind of green: NILE.  Silly me. I thought it was an African River.  I know it is odd, because it flows south to north.
24. __ Cabos: Baja area: LOS. 
 Means "The" in Spanish.  I am thinking of Los Angeles - home of the 
L.A. Times, the Rams and Dodgers, and many problems with a virus that is
 plaguing us all.
29. Straighten, as hair: UNCURL.
31. Online addresses: Abbr.: IPS. Internet Protocol addresses.
32. "Tubular!": RAD.
33. Burst in on, maybe: RAIDED.  When the Oakland (now Las Vegas football team) comes to play our Vikings.
36. Bit of misdirection: RUSE.
41. Cross shapes: TAUS.
42. Dugouts, e.g.: CANOES.  Many, many CANOES on our Minnesota lakes in the summer.
43. "We the Living" writer Rand: AYN.  Born in Russia, died in New York. Authoress of many quotes.
44. Wedding vow: I DO.  I DID.
46. Melonlike tropical fruit: PAPAWS.  We like watermelon.
54. Pose for a portrait: SIT.
55. Chinese currency: YUAN.  Last I checked, a YUAN was equal to about $.14 US.
56. Tofu source: SOY.  I do not care for Tofu, but I like soy sauce on some things.
57. Thin smoke trail: WISP.
58. __ Crunch: CAPN.  I pretty much stick to Chex and Grape Nuts.
63. "The Time Machine" race: ELOI.
64. Polite sneeze: CHOO.  No,  a polite sneeze would be to go outside and blow your nose off.
65. __ Meunier: Champagne grape: PINOT.
66. Court do-overs: LETS.  Tennis Anyone?
67. Swiss landscape highlights: ALPS.  "The hills are alive, with the Sound of Music!"
68. Set up: FRAME.
Down:
1. Henner of "Taxi": MARILU.  Ricky Nelson once sang "Hello Mary Lou".
2. Applied to: USED ON.
3. DVD player error message: NO DISC.  Mine never worked right, I gave all my movies away.
4. Aired with sharper resolution: IN HD.  I think most TVs are HD now.
5. Letter akin to omega: ZEE.
6. Ionian Sea island: CORFU.  A bit of a tourist resort of Greece.
7. Strike, biblically: SMITE.
8. Roadside stop: INN.  My favorite is the C'mon Inn in Billings MT.
9. Enlist: SIGNUP.  I did not sign up, I was drafted.  But I did not mind giving two years to my country.  It's given me a lot back now.
10. Bookcase part: SHELF.  Ours are very full.  C.C. loves books.
11. Attempted to win, with "for": MADE A RUN.  Many are MAKING A RUN this November.
12. Lab eggs: OVA.
13. 50-Across, e.g.: GEM.
18. Baseball Hall of Famer Fingers: ROLLIE.  Made his name with the Oakland A's but also spent time with the Padres and Brewers.
23. Conditions: IFS.  Along with ANDS  or BUTS.
25. Hot dog relative: BRAT. There are some in our freezer now.  They should be gone near the end of August.
26. Six-term Delaware senator: BIDEN.  I think I have heard about him.
27. Final: LAST.
28. Tribute in verse: ODE.  My favorite is the "Ode to Billie Joe".  Bobbie Gentry.
30. "Trinity" novelist: URIS.
34. Hazardous material cleaning, briefly: DECON. Decontamination.
35. She, in Lisbon: ELA.
36. Utter harshly: RASP.
37. "The __ see it ... ": WAY I.
38. Pooh's pride, as Pooh would spell it: HUNNY POT.
39. Sailor since 1929: POPEYE.  Strong to the finish cuz' he eats his spinach.
40. Learn: HEAR.
41. Keg part: TAP. 
 Not a fan of beer so I never had to deal with one of these.  Now if you
 toss one in the pocket and leave a ten pin, that's a TAP.  7 pin for 
lefties.
44. Keg filler, briefly: IPA.
45. Patrick of NASCAR fame: DANICA. 
 She was Packer QB Aaron Rodgers' girlfriend for a couple of years but 
then they broke up.  Good girl Danica, I never liked Aaron much either.
47. South Korean carrier: ASIANA.
48. What may be dispensed in pearls?: WISDOM.  First you have to open an oyster.
49. Neighbor of Tampa, Fla.: ST PETE.  I visited Tampa once while I was employed by Graybar.  Never got farther south.  Florida has its problems now.
51. Mila of "Forgetting Sarah Marshall": KUNIS.
52. Metro station, in Boston: T STOP. 
 Well let me tell you a story 'bout a man named Charlie on a tragic and 
fateful day.  He put ten cents in his pocket, kissed his wife and 
family, went to ride on the MTA.
53. Hostess products: HOHOS. 
 When I was a kid, Mom would give us a dime to buy cupcakes or Twinkies 
for our bag lunch.  HOHOs came later.  It's been a long time since I was
 a kid.
57. Fan sound: WHIR.
58. Animation unit: CEL.
59. Part of 44-Down: ALE.  I am downing Canada Dry Diet Ginger ALE as we speak.
61. Org. with Sharks and Predators: NHL.  We used to have the Minnesota North Stars but they left for Texas.  Now we have the "Wild".
62. Beach meas.: SPF.
Boomer 











 
