"Scale Back" - April 29, 2022

[SusieG]

I am with Isaac after returning from a quick trip. I am officially puzzled.

[Puzzle mom]

I don’t think this week is gonna happen for me. But I’m gonna keep trying until last call.

[jmorgie7]

stuck on the boat ... cant even see the shore. sigh. not my week / month /year

[BarbaraK]

Speaking of last call, I'll check in the Muggle Zoom Room at 8PM Eastern in case anyone still shipbound wants to try Isaac's Last Call Zoom Group Solve

[Wendy Walker]

I will be there at 8 p.m., too, Barbara.

[Ben B]

Would love to be at the last call Zoom but we are literally at the beach. Figuratively spending the day with Isaac and the crew on the ship. Ugh.

[Bob cruise director]

Good Sunday morning muggles

An active day both on the ship and the shore

We have 18 on the ship and 117 on the shore


Emerging from rabbit holes to enjoy Isaac's jokes and Maine Marge's garden on the stern are

CPJohnson
Joes and Natasha
barney
SusieG
RDaleHall
Puzzle mom
jmorgie7


And making their way to the sunny shores are

streroto
MarkWoychick
CromsFury
Jennifer
ky-mike
Lee-Ann
David K
MikeM000
Ann
CAe39
CallMeShane
DapperDan
DennyB
Jace54
mrmd
JeanneC
Cindy N


As noted above, Wendy and Barbara will be hosting Last Call at 8 pm tonight for those whose noses are still covered with dirt from deep digging in rabbit holes, of which are are too many to be a coincidence.

[Hamrock]

Finally ashore! Was getting frustrated but then remembered title and what they were looking for in an answer....aha! Had part of it early on but didn't recognize it ! Good to be ashore!

[Tina]

May have to take a DNF for the second week in a row. I finished the grid, but don't have a clue on the meta. We just got back from a week abroad, I have horrible jet lag, and I don't think I'm going to have the time or energy to keep working on it before the deadline.

[Katiedid]

Got it! After more staring at the grid, I got the aha. Solving it was fun.

[iggystan]

On shore.

Finished the grid on Friday, as I usually do, looked for the meta yesterday and didn’t get anywhere. Picked it up again this morning, gave it some thought and found the answer. Very clever puzzle, Mike.

[Berto]

Ashore!!!!! Refused to give up on this given I played the violin for years. Will be having carrots with dinner tonight in honour of the countless rabbit holes I explored en route to the solution…

[curtremarks]

On the shore- sometimes you just see it right away!

[Prozach]

On shore - thanks to a good nudge.

[kamashdas]

While walking and discussing with my wife, the answer revealed itself. Quick check once home and solution confirmed. On shore thanks to teamwork!

[Inca]

I really thought I wasn't going to get it this week but I was wrong. If I don't see some path right away, I tend to give up. I can't stand just looking at the grid non-stop with no clue what to look for. But knowing it's a Mike Shenk puzzle, I didn't feel good abandoning it either. From time to time, I kept coming back to it, staring blankly and wondering why I keep doing it when I see nothing. And, then suddenly the clouds parted and there it was. I truly do not understand how my brain works.

[Mister Squawk]

Nudged, or more properly shoved, ashore.

[hoover]

Ashore! Thanks to @Inca for the reminder that it's a Mike Shenk puzzle, so all the pieces are going to be there and there's no funny business going on.

[Thurman8er]

I should probably not admit that I solved this one while stopped at a red light.

Ashore!

[Scott M]

Throwing in the towel on this one. I see nothing.