"Group Outings" - September 18, 2020

[MajordomoTom]

have a solid idea of the answer, please PM me to discuss and see if I'm on the right beach

[Beth Tyrpin]

🏝 Apologies again, Bob. I was driving and my sister didn’t volunteer to fill in the grid for me. Maybe next week I’ll do better.

[hazmat]

on shore.
Does anybody have a link or .puz for the "Variations on a Theme" special puzzle? I haven't watched the Q+A yet. Not a WSJ subscriber.

[Joe Ross]

on shore.
Does anybody have a link or .puz for the "Variations on a Theme" special puzzle? I haven't watched the Q+A yet. Not a WSJ subscriber.

HERE

[Georgeall]

I'm ashore, joining the (pretty large) group.

[Dplass]

Ashore, after visiting with a few rabbits.

[Orsys]

Done. Fun one.

[VanVeen]

I can't tell you how many times I've tried this mechanism with other metas. So when it actually worked on this one, I was shocked.

[cbarbee002]

Ashore - - got the grid and first step yesterday and put it down. Brewed coffee this morning, sat down to ponder the meta and it jumped at me within 2 mins. Fun, and def a good break from last week (which for me was KAS 4). Make mine a Weller's (but a little later please . . . .)!

[LadyBird]

I am NOt seeing anything woRTH pursuing yet, but thERe is pleNty of time. A lot of folks are not finding this one to be HARd, but there is a big barRIER between puzzle and solution for me!

So, I am not on shore. Which is ironic because I volunteered to work at a women's retreat at the family camp/retreat center that we often vacation at. And it is on the shores of Lake Michigan. I'm in my room and the lake is 60 feet away. Hopefully, I will make it to the figurative meta shore.

[John77]

On shore after whiffing last week! Celebrating with an Alpha King - Indiana Pale Ale (that’s a pale ale from Indiana. Not an IPA).

A wonderful Three Floyds beer, IMO better than Zombie Dust. Enjoy!

[bhamren]

On shore

[HeadinHome]

On shore in record time. Was this really easy/straightforward, or am I just starting to think like a muggle? I think Irish Coffee this morning. Fun cocktails later.

[ky-mike]

Had to sleep on this one, but am confidently on shore.

[lbray53]

I was misled by the comments about this being easy. I spent WAY too much time trying to make an answer out of an early finding instead of looking for the next direction.

[John77]

Finished grid in less
than fifteen minutes, but the
Meta, overnight.

I've been doing this for about 4 months, and watched the WSJ+ sessions. And I didn't find this one as easy as City Blocks, but I believe I'm ashore. I'll wait until 5 to enjoy a delicious Tree House IPA.

[CallMeShane]

Done. New streak starting!

[John77]

Did 3Floyds ever re-open or are they still just bottling? Spent many a Thursday evening there. And bootlegged a few hundred bottles into Illinois. Even bootlegged a few T-shirts to the east coast for bartenders (airlines don't allow beer in carry-ons for some reason). They have some of the best 'named' beers, as well as some of the tastiest. And what an audio visual experience dining there.

Oh man, that sounds amazing (the hundreds of bottles, not the closing). I'm not sure if they opened back up - moved from Indiana a few years ago and (besides the food) the number #1 thing I miss is the beer. We would take trips up from Indy to Munster, grab two cases of Zombie Dust each, and drink them like they were the elixir of life. One of my buddies came to visit me in Durham and brought a case of AK and ZD. Trying to save them for Sundays but the temptation is too much sometimes.

Haven't been in over a year, but used to do projects at a plant in East Chicago -- motto: "gateway to Hammond". Whined that there was no where to eat good food except Mexican. A consultant from Philly said "we're all going to 3Floyds." They knew about the place. From that week on, I would take all of the plant supervisors to dinner there on Thursdays before flying home on Friday. After that, anything I needed at the plant was never a bother. You could tell when Zombie Dust was available for take-out, the parking lot was full at 5 o'clock. It was almost always available inside. That, Alpha King and Robert the Bruce were my standby's. But I would try whatever stout or porter they had to offer also.

I was in IN late July and the 3F taproom was not open. Sad, because their food is good too. On the bright side, Zombie Dust, Gumballhead and Alpha King are now widely available in the Philly/south Jersey area where I live. Prost!

[Janet P]

So much fun to do
Both the grid and the meta!
On shore early-ish.

Good luck to all on winning the mug and stay safe friends

[Bob cruise director]

🏝 Apologies again, Bob. I was driving and my sister didn’t volunteer to fill in the grid for me. Maybe next week I’ll do better.

LOL
You will have to get your sister addicted