Wednesday, Oct 30th, 2024 ~ Marshal Herrmann

"THE HEAT"

Labor Statistics on cooks, chefs & bakers

It would appear that today's crossword from Marshal Herrmann is his debut for the LA Times, and it's the closest we are going to get to a "Halloween" themed puzzle, as far as I can tell.  Three Across theme answers, plus the reveal, with two equally long 11-letter non-theme fills in the Down as well.  Double the number of four-letter words over TLWs, no circles, and a mere handful of names - though I did not know half of them.  I note, too, that several answers are straight definitions of the clues.  The theme answers;  

20. Chiles near the top of the Scoville scale: GHOST PEPPERS

36. Hard-boiled hors d'oeuvres: DEVILED EGGS

42. Citrus with red pulp: BLOOD ORANGE

56. Gordon Ramsay cooking competition that sounds like it should involve 20-, 36-, and 42-Across?: HELL'S KITCHEN - Devils, yes; Ghosts, likely; Blood, not so much . . . .

I actually watched the show, way back when it first aired

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Supermodel Banks: TYRA - name #1, but learned from Crosswords

5. Ritalin target: Abbr.: ADHD - Attention Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder

9. The real deal: LEGIT

14. Zig or zag: VEER

15. Darling: DEAR

16. Many a resident of the Fertile Crescent: IRAQI - I tried iraNi first

17. Treadmill setting: PACE - I do the Downs first; the "P" made my 1D. wrong

Cat on a hot tread mill

18. Gumbo ingredient: OKRA - regular crossword ingredient

19. So last year: PASSÉ

23. Plant anchor: ROOT

24. Cornea locale: EYE

25. Concealed: HID

28. __ and reel: ROD - made my 28D. wrong

30. One of a set needed for a monopoly in Monopoly: DEED

This is the first time I have paid attention to the "Connecticut" square since

I moved to the state - right next to "jail"

33. Landform generally bigger than a gully but smaller than a valley: RAVINE

35. Curved path: ARC

38. Ernie's bestie: BERT - name #2, but who doesn't know this duo~?

40. Halloween night, to All Saints' Day: EVE - it's the Eve of the Eve - but not the theme

41. "Hot Girl Summer" rapper Megan __ Stallion: THEE - no clue, filled via perps, name #3

47. Not close: FAR

48. "Honest!": "I SWEAR~!"

49. Arise (from): STEM

50. Gallery collection: ART - I am slowly building a collection of art in my home

51. Fictional coach Lasso: TED - name #4, I know, but never watched the show

52. Light touch: TAP - not DAB

54. Pine for: MISS 

61. Off the cuff: AD LIB

64. Comparable (to): AKIN

65. Word on an Irish passport: EIRE - AND - 7D. Symbol on an Irish passport: HARP

66. Small crown: TIARA

67. Casserole pasta: ZITI

68. Eggy seasonal drinks: NOGS - with EGGS in a theme answer, I would have preferred a different clue for this fill

69. Taxi fare calculator: METER

70. Primatology subjects: APES

71. Grandson of Adam: ENOS - name #5


DOWN:

1. Common sitcom rating: TV-PG - I figured it was a little more mature; TV-MA . . . . 

2. "Sure," informally: "YEAH..."

3. Feature of a 2023 women's volleyball match at Nebraska's Memorial Stadium: RECORD CROWD - they moved the game to the football stadium to beat another record; watch to hear why . . . .

Did you make it to the game, HuskerG~?

4. Playground retort: "ARE SO~!" - oops, not AM TOO

5. Rescued dog, e.g.: ADOPTEE - I SO want to adopt a dog, but going on the road to install Pipe Organs, like I did for the last two weeks, this week, and next week, is not fair to the animal, even with a dog-sitter.  Here is the progress of the organ we are installing at St. Peters in Harwich, MA

Note the bourdon wood pipes laying flat against the back wall

6. Hockey feint: DEKE - I'd like to find a deck hockey league and play goalie again 

8. Hang, as a curtain: DRAPE

9. Watch what one says?: LIP READ - great clue / answer

10. Notable times: ERAS

11. Neon or xenon: GAS - noble, no less

12. Educ. testing data: IQs

13. Deadlock: TIE

21. Welker's "Meet the Press" predecessor: TODD - name #6, no clue

22. Brontë's "Jane __": EYRE - name #7, but a crossword standard

25. Haute couture: HIGH FASHION - Frawnche for "high sewing", according to Google translate

26. Ready to go: IN GEAR

27. Climate for Utah's "Mighty Five" national parks: DESERT - the website for Utah parks

28. Protein in a traditional paella: RABBIT - ah.  Not SHRIMP - rabbit in Spanish is coneja

29. Vague warning: OR ELSE - or else what~?

31. At any point: EVER

32. Prima donnas: DIVAS

34. Nov. honoree: VETerans Day - The History of why it's the 11th

37. Pre-Easter period: LENT

39. __ the line: TOE

43. Baked snack with dried fruit: DATE BAR

A recipe here

44. Spoken: ORAL

45. Some June babies: GEMINIs - Ha~!  CANCERS fit, too

46. Give off: EMIT

53. Public square: PLAZA

55. Part of an act: SCENE

56. Put on the payroll: HIRE

57. Button that plays the next song on a playlist: SKIP - ah.  Stumped me at first

58. Toy on a string: KITE - I toyed with YO-YO

59. Thus: ERGO

60. Loch __ monster: NESS

61. 20s dispenser: ATM

62. Stop working, as a battery: DIE

63. Long. counterpart: LAT - Longitude and Latitude

Splynter

Wednesday, Oct 16th, 2024, Rebecca Goldstein

 INGREDIENTS

Today's construction from RG was not a great one for me - I find the theme answers to be vaguely tied to the reveal at best, and we had a handful of names again, one of which was an 'ingredient' in the recipe for my disaster.  20 TLWs and 24 four-letter words, but we get a reprieve from circles, at least.  Sadly, I 49A. "flubbed" the middle left of the grid today, so I have to admit to cheating; though in hindsight, I shoulda known - maybe that's why I am not a fan of this puzzle.  The Themers;

16. Fruit given to Snow White by the Evil Queen: POISON APPLE

21. Rabble-rouser: BAD EGG

He's been "sEGGregated"

26. Youthful rebelliousness: WILD OATS - I missed my error here - I had Wild Rats, the "R" from DRS, which didn't jibe, and then a Wild Cats "C", which made no sense at all in the Down

45. Unrefined petroleum: CRUDE OIL

I cave in and put gas in my Prius once every six weeks

50. With 58-Across, conditions likely to lead to catastrophe, or what 16-, 21-, 26-, and 45-Across are ingredients for?: RECIPE - AND - 58A. See 50-Across: FOR DISASTER - with these "four" ingredients, I think you end up with a McDonald's Apple Pie

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. Rapid transit vehicles?: RAFTS - Rapid(s) as in white water, and "rafting" upon them

6. "Dancing Queen" quartet: ABBA - CrossWord Staple, still a name - #1

10. Weep loudly: SOB

13. Introverted, maybe: ALOOF - I am definitely introverted

14. Watering can part: SPOUT

15. Actress Thurman: UMA - CWS, still a name - #2

18. Write: PEN

19. Bombard, as with snowballs: PELT

20. Cribside coos: AWS - Meh.  I would have preferred "Amazon Web Services" for this clue; plus, it's usually AWW in crosswords

23. Tosses in: ADDS - AND - 34A. Much of magazines: ADS - meh on the semi-dupe

25. Turkish dough: LIRAS

 $1 US = 34.31 Lira

30. __ party: sudsy celebration: FOAM - I am not familiar with this "type" of party, but it makes sense - I stopped drinking (beer) 20yrs ago, and essentially stopped partying the same time as well. . . . Sigh

31. Literature Nobel laureate Bashevis Singer: ISAAC - No clue, waited on perps, and that didn't help either - note my little black triangles in the cel corners in the grid below; I just could not be bothered to think about finding the answers - just cheat and reveal the letters. . . . AND name - #3

32. Off-balance: ATILT

AWW, cute

37. Put down: DISS - Meh.  Usually has just one "S", as in DISrespect

38. Comrade: CRONY

39. First Nations people of Canada: CREE - had the last "E", but it's not OTOE - CWS and name #4

40. Rough no.: ESTimate

41. Hits upon the answer: HAS IT

42. Relaxed: CHILL

43. Look to be: SEEM

47. Gush with naches: KVELL - All I can say about seeing this in a Wednesday crossword is "What?!?"  21st century-speak for spewing pride.  P.S. naches is also the rump of a cow, and one might say I am leaning towards that definition in context. . . .

49. Flubs: ERRS

52. Prefix with -logue: EPI - epilogue, the wrapping up,  "last chapter", in a novel - this does SEEM to be trying too hard to avoid being the 'usual' crossword clue/answer. e.g. Epi Pen

53. Fries or tots: SIDE

57. Latin for "I": EGO

61. End of many superhero names: MAN  - let me count the ways. . . .

62. Reversed: UNDID - I am truly grateful for the "UNDO" button on several pieces of software, including the Blogger

63. Home of the Kaaba: MECCA - no clue, but I had M_C_A, so...name #5

64. Come to a close: END

65. Future AG's exam: LSAT

66. Oldest of the Three Musketeers: ATHOS - name #6

DOWN:

1. Reneé of "Mean Girls": RAPP - no clue, name - #7 - her IMDb

2. Succulent genus: ALOE - A shout-out to Hahtoolah

3. Wrap for leftovers: FOIL  - SARAN didn't fit

4. Open-faced dishes with crispy tortillas: TOSTADAS - my last fill, and I toyed with the last vowel - "A" or "O"~? even tho I knew it was an A

5. Hub across the Bay from OAK: SFO - San Francisco airport code; my closest airport code is BDL

6. Starters, casually: APPS - APPetizerS, trying again to NOT be typical, but it just doesn't work on Wed, IMHO

7. Danceable song: BOP - we (I) just learned this last Friday

8. Glowing object on a marquee: BULB - Meh.  IN a marquee seems better

9. Went back for thirds, maybe: ATE A LOT - Ugh.  I don't care for ALOT in puzzles to begin with

10. Nintendo platform game series: SUPER MARIO

11. Seamaster watchmaker: OMEGA - it was either this or ROLEX, as Audemars Piguet doesn't fit - I was a CAD designer for their Southampton store, which required bullet-proof glass - their most expensive piece is $430K, almost twice the cost of my house

NOTE: the website selling this watch is

offering $100 off your first order - ooh, good deal~!

12. Fringe on some foreheads: BANGS - A shout-out to our host C.C.

She likes the BANGS in this picture

14. Reacted to something striking?: SAW STARS

17. Absolutely nothing: NADA

22. San José day: DIA - Spanish lesson

24. OB or GYN: DOCtor - I knew DRS (plural) didn't match with the "or" in the clue

26. Broad: WIDE

27. Egyptian goddess: ISIS - name, #7

28. Stressful time for a procrastinator: LAST SECOND

29. Showing no fear, maybe: STOIC

30. Wing it?: FLY

33. Boldly brave: INTREPID - and then we have great fill like this

35. Market with a pickle barrel: DELI - Um, OK - when I did an internet search, I expected to find A LOT of B&W images, but no

36. Move merchandise: SELL

38. Laptop lens: CAMera - I have one at work for Teams meetings

39. Drawing board?: CHESS SET - a "draw" in chess is rare, but not unheard of; I plan to make a table for my living room with a chess board in the center

41. Advantageous: HELPFUL

42. Sr. officer: CDR - commander; I happen to know it's the abbr. for these, too

44. Nickname that drops -jah: ELI - again, trying to NOT be the typical "Yale" clue/answer

46. Novelist Leon: URIS - name #8

47. Krispy __: KREME - Mmmm, Donuts. . . . 

48. Plant-based: VEGAN - Do donuts count~?  I mean, the sugar comes from a plant, right~?

51. Many millennia: EONS - or AGES~?

52. Resolve a tense disagreement?: EDIT - correcting verb tenses - clever

54. Burning desire: ITCH - I have a "burning desire" in the form of poison ivy (oak, sumac) all over my arms from the yard work I did two weeks ago.  Yay.

55. Miami Beach style: DECO - Had something similar yesterday

56. Distinct periods: ERAS - is it going to be ERAS or AGES~?

59. Dietary amt.: RDA - Recommended Daily Allowance - my Daily Allowance these days is totally UN-recommended; I need to stop eating and start exercising - this is my New Year's Resolution

60. 24-Down's org.: AMA - American Medical Association

Splynter

Wednesday, Oct 9th, 2024 ~ Blair Hassett

ANONYMOUS EPONYMOUS

I do not recognize the constructor of today's puzzle, and congratulations are in order if this be their LA Times debut~! I am not entirely sure I grasped the theme - can't be sure I get how it connects with two of the "*" starred clues exactly.  Add to that over a dozen proper names, and I have to give this a mere "⭐⭐" rating, despite the fact that it's a shout-out to yours truly, Splynter, who in the "real" word is "Rich".  The theme answers;

17. *Layered dessert with coffee buttercream and chocolate ganache: OPERA CAKE - pretty much THE definition of a RICH cake

A recipe for you

25. *Evergreen used to make incense: SANDALWOOD - the plant wood is RICH in fragrant oils, and highly aromatic - also used in perfumes, and expensive

I not sure I even know what the scent smells like. . . . 

36. *Silicon Valley success story: TECH BILLIONAIRE - my last fill was the "B", which I had as "M", so a Natick of a theme crossing a name. . . . "BOO~!" - the better use of this 14A. word

The "original" tech billionaire, IMHO, Bill Gates, $106.1B-worth RICH

46. *Triangular landform: RIVER DELTA - A river delta is RICH in sediments; a river is rich because it has TWO BANKS~!  Ba-dum-tiss

Kachemak Bay, Alaska

56. "You're one to talk!," or what can be said about the answers to the starred clues: THAT'S RICH - THAT'S RICH (Splynter) on the left in the picture above, with Seamus, loading a pipe organ case in Glens Falls NY

And Away We Go~!

ACROSS:

1. All the rage: HOT

4. "Same here": "DITTO." - from the Latin dictus, "said"

9. "CBS News Sunday Morning" correspondent Mo: ROCCA - name #1, but I do know of him

14. Sweetie: BOO - not a fan of this type of "abbreviation".  Period. 

15. Strike caller?: UNION - I read that the East  & Gulf coast Dockworkers went on strike, but then suspended it until January - which seems to defeat the purpose of a strike, but it means our economy won't collapse before the upcoming Christmas season. . . .😜

16. Cartography collection: ATLAS - Seven syllables : two syllables = clue : answer

19. Barren and severe: STARK - or better yet, a description of Tony

Iron Man

20. Dress style: A-LINE

21. Plug in: CHARGE - like just about everything these days, from candles to cars

Halloween version

22. Quaint cry: EGAD~!

27. Live (in): RESIDE

29. Celtic "The Celts" singer: ENYA - crossword staple, still a name, #2

30. Sambuca flavor: ANISE

I did not know a variety of anise was star-shaped

31. Cooped (up): PENT - I would not mind being cooped up in a PENT house

33. Network that airs many MGM and RKO films: TCM - Turner Classic Movies

40. CIA forerunner: OSS - crossword staple; the Office of Secret Strategic Services

41. Mountain route: PASS

42. Eatery with its own lingo: DINER - A Greasy Spoon List from Wikipedia

43. Bridge: SPAN - I love the architecture of bridges; this one is in Frawnche Bordeaux

Longest Lift Bridge in Europe, the Pont Jacques Chaban-Delmas

45. Cashless exchange: BARTER

51. Game with a rhyming name: I SPY

52. Performs penance: ATONES

53. Wheelchair-bound "Glee" teen: ARTIE - name #3, had him once this past year, so I "64A." knew it

55. Up: RAISE - meh.  Give me a sentence with a one-to-one swap of these two words

60. Discovery astronaut Ochoa: ELLEN - I knew this one, but still a name, #4

61. Pigpens: STIES

62. Shade of green: PEA

63. Map lines: ROADS

64. Rather, informally: KINDA - Sorta like, you know, slang

65. Outside the mainstream, genrewise: ALTernative - I like the Vevo video channel Alternative 80s


DOWN:

 1. "House of the Dragon" network: HBO - shoulda known this; my buddy insisted that I watch "Game of Thrones" because I like castles and dragons, but that's not the only thing going on in the series

I don't have HBO, and I've only seen scenes of GoT

  2. Alley-__: OOP

3. Low digit?: TOE - crossword comedy

4. Binary: DUAL

5. Carve: INCISE - dah~! not SCULPT

6. Disney princess voiced by Anika Noni Rose: TIANA - Disney's The Princess & The Frog - name #5

7. Arcade coin: TOKEN

8. "Best Song Ever" singers __ Direction: ONE - name #6, don't know this 'boy band'

9. Without thinking things through: RASHLY

10. Canadian capital: OTTAWA - CanadianEh~!, hockey is here~! ( name-ish)

11. Spanish "Of course": CLARO - Filled via perps; I really should learn a second language

12. __ shorts: garment with lots of pockets: CARGO

THATS NOT "RICH"

13. Inquired: ASKED

18. Peppery salad slice: RADISH - Ah.  Took me two passes before I got it

21. Poem division: CANTO - A long subsection of an epic or long narrative poem, such as Dante Alighieri’s Commedia (The Divine Comedy)

22. Muse for poets: ERATO - crossword staple, still a name #7

23. Part of one's inheritance?: GENES - har-har

24. "Sound Mind, Sound Body" athletic brand: ASICS - name #8

26. "Dune" and "Dune: Part Two" director Villeneuve: DENIS - name #9 - I cannot get into "DUNE"

28. DOI head Haaland: DEB - name #10 - Dept of the Interior - her website 

31. Jet: PLANE 

32. Raised trains: ELs - Seamus, in the Pipe Organ picture above, is from Chicago, known for its ELevated trains

33. Shades: TINTS - as in color tones, not window treatments

34. Advance slowly: CREEP

35. "__ Christmas!": "MERRY~!"

37. Apple tablets: iPADS - I am PC

38. Confidentiality contract, for short: NDA - Non-Disclosure Agreement - I have three board games I have "invented", and would like to get published/produced, but I cannot go to any company without having some sort of  'theft protection' - and a patent costs about $3K

39. Less stuffy: AIRIER

43. Had a feeling: SENSED

"I've A Very Bad Feeling About This"

44. Primps: PREENS - good for "PR" - get it~?

45. Went for a run?: BATTED - baseball reference for C.C.

46. Less common: RARER

47. Novelist Calvino: ITALO - name #11

48. "Behold!": "VOILA~!" - Frawnche

49. Christine of the Paramount+ series "Evil": LAHTI - name #12 - her IMDb

50. Coach: TRAIN - ooh, I got this; I guessed at the 'verb' definition

54. Rae of "Barbie": ISSA - crossword staple, still a name #13

56. Sound of shame: TSK

57. Hoppy brew, for short: IPA - every other crossword

58. Cartoon frame: CEL

59. Pillbox, for one: HAT - standard uniform item in the 60s, for most airlines

They fly "DELTA" 

Splynter

Wednesday, Oct 2nd, 2024 ~ Jay Silverman

  WAH~!

Calvin & Hobbes

Yesterday we had UNFAIR for an answer, today it's a lot more.  I have not had the pleasure of blogging a Jay Silverman puzzle, who last appeared at the LA Times on 11 June this year.  No circles, a mere 10 TLWs, thirty-six four-letter words, and just a handful of proper names, most of which are "fairly" common, at least to us Cornerites, in crosswords.  Three things that are "not fair" for themers, as defined by the reveal at 60 Across;

17. Like some brunettes: DARK-HAIRED - most of my exes - perhaps it's time for a FAIR-haired girl

It could be I'm "Autumn-ing" for her. . . .

26. Location of on-deck circles: FOUL TERRITORY - FAIR ball~! - some baseball for C.C.

44. Rough conditions: STORMY WEATHER - Do you have any "fair-weather friends~?" Here's a song co-written by 'Buck Dharma', the guitarist from Blue Öyster Cult on his 1982 solo album "Flat Out"

"Wind Weather and Storm"

60. Petulant cry, and what might be said about 17-, 26-, or 44-Across?: "IT'S NOT FAIR~!"

And Away We Go~!


ACROSS:

1. Authoritative doctrine: DOGMA

6. Crush, for one: SODA - Ah.  I do the Downs first; fooled me on the first pass

I loves me some orange soda

10. Large primates: APES

14. Districts: AREAS - I liked the movie "District 9"

The IMDb for those interested

15. Throw hard: HURL - also a clue yesterday

16. Say a novena, e.g.: PRAY

19. Benefit: PERK

20. Hit the snooze bar: SLEEP IN - I have done way too much of this lately - need to get some house projects finished

21. Publication whose name comes from an old Venetian coin: GAZETTE - The Wiki

23. "Good __!": IDEA

25. Promising words: OATHS

32. Gentle hills: RISES - "it's just over that rise there"

33. Defensive excavation: MOAT - seven syllables : one syllable = clue : answer

34. May honoree: MOM - & - 40A. Summer month: JUNE - & - 1D. 40-Across honorees: DADS

37. Canned brand: ALPO

38. Exasperated: FED UP - I thought this was the merger of FedEx and UPS. . . .

I'm still waiting for my first recliner to be delivered via FedEx. . . .

41. CIA relative: NSA - I can't tell you any more about this - it's a secret

42. Many a fundraising party: GALA - I had the first "A"

43. Soap star Susan: LUCCI - name #1, and I know this one

48. Map of Hawaii, often: INSET

A "variation" on the usual INSET

50. Splinter group: SECT - HEY~!  It's a self-proclaimed shout-out~!

51. Alternatives to tablets: LAPTOPS - I was issued one for work with the drafting software loaded for work in our second warehouse

54. London's Globe, for one: THEATRE - Learning moment for me

59. Hamper emanation: ODOR

62. iPhone helper: SIRI  - name(ish)

63. Largest of the Three Bears: PAPA

64. Extreme vigor: ARDOR

65. Body art, briefly: TATS - tattoos; I don't have any, don't really find them attractive

66. Social media platform with stories, colloquially: SNAP - I don't Snapchat, Facebook, or Instagram, and I have been "banned" from Pinterest.

67. They may butt heads: GOATS - How 'bout these "G.O.A.T.s~?

Josh Allen vs. Tom Brady

DOWN:

2. __ phase: ORAL - part of Freud's psychoanalysis - more here; I chew my fingernails, so. . . .

3. Richard of "Chicago": GERE - name #2, also one I know

4. Cobble together: MAKE

5. Barbecue receptacles: ASH PITS - I vacuumed out my fireplace ash pit last weekend - we are good to go for this winter~!

6. Black eye: SHINER

7. John Green's "The Fault in __ Stars": OUR - Here's the Wiki 

8. Leftover bit: DREG

9. "Same Time, Next Year" actor Alan: ALDA - name #3, I know, but not this movie - IMDb

10. Materialize: APPEAR

11. "Mostly, yes!": "PRETTY MUCH..." - and a fresh Xword fill, too

12. View from the moon: EARTH - one of the 20th century's greatest photographs

Earthrise, taken by Apollo 8 crew member Bill Anders on December 24, 1968

13. "I'ma Be Me" comedian Wanda: SYKES - name #4, and I know it

18. Assistant: AIDE

22. __ suit: ZOOT

I wonder if I can still fit in my Zoot Suit

24. Sessions that may involve curls and presses: ARM DAYS - my bother and his gym friends talk like this - Thursday is "Arm Day", Saturday is "Chest Day", Monday is "cardio"

26. Kukla and Ollie's partner: FRAN - vaguely familiar with this name, #5  - The Wiki

TV show, 1947 -1957

27. Essential __: OILS

28. Small book with an eagle on its cover: US PASSPORT - Great fill

29. Footballer Messi, to fans: LEO - name #6, becoming a crossword staple

30. Debtor's note: I.O.U.

31. Dance like Savion Glover: TAP - a good WAG, but then again, three letters....name #7 ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

35. Starter of many a storybook: ONCE - ". . .upon a time. . . "

36. Golda who was a prime minister in the early 1970s: MEIR - name #8

38. Nowhere nearby: FAR

39. West __: high-end furniture retailer: ELM

name(ish)

40. Protrude: JUT

42. Usual choice: GO TO - when I get Chinese, it's always General Tso's Chicken

43. Reason for a safe call: LATE TAG - do you remember this Miller Lite commercial~?

Bob Ueker - "He missed the tag~!"

45. "From Russia With Fun!" arcade game: TETRIS

46. Barbecue wipe: WET NAP

47. Canyon sound: ECHO

48. Brief concession statement: "I LOST."

49. Gymnast Comaneci: NADIA - name #9, and one I know 

52. Gladys Knight's guys: PIPS - technically a name, but I know this one, as well~!

I heard it through the grapevine

53. Suffix on seven Asian country names: STAN - getting a break from the 21st century definition

Five of the Top 18 countries in Asia

55. Roundish hairstyle: AFRO

56. "I did it!": "ta-DA~!"

57. Real hoot: RIOT

58. Isn't perfect: ERRS

61. Site for relaxation: SPA

Here's the Washington National Cathedral site for their pipe organ & restoration

That's me, your Wednesday blogger Splynter, on the left