Leaf Peeping. In New England people like to travel in the countryside to see and enjoy the colorful fall foliage before the leaves begin to fall. In today's puzzle the first word of each theme answer r is a type of leaf. Because the answers are all in the down position, the leaves are all "Falling".
5-Down. Sherlock Holmes portrayer in 15 movies: BASIL RATHBONE. Basil Rathbone (né Philip St. John Basil Rathbone; June 13, 1892 ~ July 21, 1967) was born in Johannesburg, South Africa. He got his start as a Shakespearean actor, before moving on to swashbuckler films and his portrayals of Sherlock Homes.
<11-Down. Wise counsel: SAGE ADVICE.
24-Down. Silicon Valley region: BAY AREA. This one was the final leaf I found because I didn't see Bay Area as being a particularly long answer.
Here's the unifier:
19-Down. Autumn occurrence, and a hint to the start of the other four longest Down answers: FALLING LEAVES.
Fall Colors in Northern New Hampshire
1. Meat on a skewer: KABOB.
6. Better mtge. deal: RE-FI. As in Refinance.
10. Subtle "Look this way": PSST!
14. Gulf of __: Red Sea inlet: AQABA.
15. Horror movie helper: IGOR.
16. Healthy: HALE.
17. Albacore and yellowfin: TUNAs.
18. "Darn it!": SON OF A GUN.
20. Ingredient in some Tibetan cheese: YAK MILK.
22. Genealogy aid: DNA TEST.
23. Pie-mode link: À LA. I am not keen on ice cream. I prefer a solitary pie.
25. "Heavenly!": AHH!
26. Mont Blanc, e.g.: ALP. Also the brand of a very expensive writing instrument.
29. Beatles' meter maid: RITA.
31. Hunk of dirt: CLOD.
33. Lea plea: MAA.
36. Pro Football Hall of Fame receiver Michael: IRVIN. Michael Irvin (b. Mar. 5, 1966) played college ball for the University of Miami. In 1988, he was selected in the NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys.
41. Maple extract: SAP.
43. Female folklore deity: NYMPH.
44. Part of a plug: PRONG.
47. First name in country: REBA. As in Reba McEntire (b. Mar. 28, 1955).
51. Crayon shade: HUE.
55. Drink with scones: TEA.
59. "No idea": BEATS ME.
63. Living labyrinth: HEDGE MAZE.
66. "The Clan of the Cave Bear" author Jean: AUEL. Jean Marie Auel (b. Feb. 18, 1936) wrote a series of novels set in prehistoric Europe. The Clan of the Cave Bear was the first book in the series.
67. Kitchen cooker: OVEN.
68. Clear the board: ERASE.
69. Nimble: SPRY.
70. Let off steam: VENT.
71. Drops below the horizon: SINKS.
1. Pop singer Perry: KATY. Katy Perry (née Katheryn Elizabeth Hudson; b. Oct. 25, 1984) was once married to Russell Brand.
4. Hawaiian-born president: OBAMA. Barack Obamas (b. Aug. 4, 1961) was the 44th President of the United States.
6. Gamble: RISK.
8. "On Golden Pond" actor or actress: FONDA. Both Henry Fonda (May 16, 1905 ~ Aug. 12, 1982) and his daughter, Jane (b. Dec. 21, 1937) were in this 1981 film.
10. Awesome, in '90s slang: PHAT.
12. Blizzard remains: SLUSH.
21. Bandit's hideout: LAIR.
26. "You got that right!": AMEN.
27. Like many doilies: LACY. Do people still used doilies?
35. Predicament: SPOT.
37. Lendl of tennis: IVAN.
Ivan Lendl (b. Mar. 7, 1960).
38. Uncool one: NERD.
45. Kid-lit's __ the Great: NATE. The first Nate the Great book was published in the early 1970s. Nate the Great a series of over 24 children's detective novels.
52. Exhaust: USE UP.
54. Ward (off): STAVE.
58. Hideous: UGLY.
This is an Ugly Ugli.
59. Like knees during a squat: BENT.
61. Face concealer: MASK. This word has a whole new meaning on today's world. Masks were also worn during the 1918 pandemic. Almost exactly a century ago, world was also suffering form a viral pandemic. The Great Influenza, by John M. Berry is a fascinating history of that pandemic. I was struck by how little has changed in the past 100 years. The events of this book are so similar to the events of today.
64. Buddhist sect: ZEN.
Here's the Grid:
Mask Up!
