"Outer Regions" - April 15, 2022

[Jade]

Looked at it for ages without getting there; came back to it a couple of hours later and suddenly saw it - on shore!

[JimJim]

Very very late start. Lost track of time at the lake house. Ashore. Amazing construction.

[BarbaraK]

Last week we had an "Isaac's Last Call" Zoom meeting for people who wanted to work as a group on the puzzle and talked about doing another one. It seems that this Sunday most Muggles have vacated the bar to hunt eggs on the beach, so a last call may not be necessary.

In any case I forgot that the Padres are a late start today, so I will be at the ballpark at 5PM Pacific instead of here. But anyone can hop into the Zoom Room at any time by clicking the link, so anyone who has fallen into a rabbit hole can organize a meet-up through this board.

It does sound like most everyone here is on shore. But I'll check out the zoom room at 8PM Eastern, just in case there's someone who doesn't want to admit that they're stuck on this one that so many call easy. Because no matter how many get it quickly, there's always someone who just doesn't see it. (That someone was me for Pandora's Blocks this morning:)

[Notbitter]

On shore. I decided to limit my time on this by starting on Sunday. That way if I didn’t find the path, I’d only have one day to dwell on it.

[haydendog]

Ashore after joining the 8:00PM zoom call. I was the only one who didn’t have the answer but was nudged to a quick solve by BarbaraK, Wendy Walker, and Robert S (cruise director?).
If you have never done a zoom call with these fine folks, I highly recommend it! There is so much more to talk about than the puzzle too!

[Bob cruise director]

Ashore after joining the 8:00PM zoom call. I was the only one who didn’t have the answer but was nudged to a quick solve by BarbaraK, Wendy Walker, and Robert S (cruise director?).
If you have never done a zoom call with these fine folks, I highly recommend it! There is so much more to talk about than the puzzle too!

OOPS - I posted a spoiler story

Will repeat it tomorrow

[Bob cruise director]

Our final status is 221 on the shore.

And we have our newest muggle - Jade

Getting to shore since lunch are

EmilyW
JimJim
Fred
JRS51
Notbitter
Drew and Kasia
Jade
haydendog


Have a great week everyone

[Cbaudhuin]

Just made it to shore.
One Wisconsin old fashioned coming up!

[iggystan]

On shore.

I completed the grid yesterday, after printing it off on Thursday, but we were packing for a trip for today and I didn’t have a chance to look for the meta solution. After a long day of travel and a great dinner with cousins, I finally had a chance to look at it and it came easily (for me).

[zonkswonk]

First time successfully completing a meta!! Ashore, I believe is the technical term. I spent forever looking at pieces of the solution, but it took doing the entire Crosswords 101 course as practice to finally help me put it all together. I can see why y'all get addicted to this lol

[BarbaraK]

First time successfully completing a meta!! Ashore, I believe is the technical term. I spent forever looking at pieces of the solution, but it took doing the entire Crosswords 101 course as practice to finally help me put it all together. I can see why y'all get addicted to this lol

Congratulations! And welcome!

Sounds like you got the bug. I expect we’ll be seeing you here regularly.

[Joe Ross]

[Joe Ross]

For MASTER Mike Shenk:

[mikeB]

After working the grid, I succumbed to anticipation bias. Seeing the four long horizontal entries, I started looking for hints or patterns among them, because I was used to that. Looking for the Easter Bunny in that hole. In the fog of solve, I was expecting a long slog to glean a place name from those four entries. Then . . . Wait. Stop. BORDERS??. Aha!

To me, the great variety of mechanisms is one thing that makes metas so interesting – and the constructors so valued. Incidentally, who could have worked this one and not been reminded of Nicholson’s classic response to Cruise in “A Few Good Metas”?

[escapeartist]

I first started circling state abbreviations, then saw LA and ND together.

Then I saw ENGLAND, then I saw NEW ENGLAND and then - woah!

Very nice meta.

[MajordomoTom]

did not see this, just ... wow, the feat of constructing this!

[JeanneC]

More than elegant, this was exquisite!

[Ergcat]

After finishing the grid, I confess I spent some time just looking for *something* geographical !! I knew the central clue “borders” was a hint so I began to look more carefully at the edges and corners…. AHH, wait!!! is that “whose” in the lower right corner? And then “England” in the upper right corner….
Brilliant construction, Mr Shenk!

[Tom Shea]

Hesitated for a moment that the correct answer might have been Maine coastline.

Fortunately submitted the real correct answer, so now my odds are only a half a billion to one.

"So you're saying there's still a chance?"

[MaineMarge]

We who live in Maine are called Mainiacs. Not content with that, I became maniacal when finding the answer. Actually Maine is the one state in the WHOLE US of A whose name is only 1 syllable.
You better believe I put in a special plea to the WSJ to “Pick me!! Pick me!” for the mug.
Here’s to Mike: