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Rows Garden #31

ROWS GARDEN 31 — HARDER

ROWS GARDEN 31 — EASIER

Rows Garden 31 Harder — Solution

Rows Garden 31 Easier — Solution

Thanks to all those loyal readers who pointed out an inaccuracy in last week’s puzzle (for those who haven’t solved it yet, don’t continue reading past the spoiler space.)

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Very surprised I was to find that ADLAI STEVENSON was in fact not the first divorced presidential candidate on a major party ticket. As two readers pointed out, they found a source that stated that James M. Cox, 1920 also-ran in the year of Warren Harding’s landslide, was in fact the first divorced candidate. Now, Cox had remarried by the time that he gained the nomination, and Stevenson remained single after divorcing his wife in 1949, but the fact remains that I was wrong. Interestingly, the source which confirmed the trivia for me was a TIME piece during the 1952 campaign…and it’s this source that’s cited as giving rise to the common misconception that Stevenson was the first divorcee to win a nomination. I guess TIME isn’t as ironclad of a source as I thought it was…

But the nice thing is, hopefully, that solvers got a chance to write in Stevenson’s full name, and especially not those dreaded initials that keep popping up in puzzles all the time (AES, to be specific). He is and probably always will be the only ADLAI option there is for crossword constructors. But alas, sorry for the inaccuracy, and I hope not to fail you this week.

For those interested — and I know you are — Trip Payne has posted a third Rows Garden on his website, Triple Play Puzzles. It’s a toughie, but if you know Trip’s work, you know that’s it’s quality stuff and I definitely recommend it. While you’re in the mood, hop on over to Patrick Berry’s site and do any of the seven Rows Gardens he’s posted there, or any of Patrick’s other delightful variety formats.

4 Comments

Andrew J. Ries, June 28th 2011 | Tags: , , ,
Posted in Puzzles, Rows Garden

Rows Garden #30

ROWS GARDEN 30 — HARDER

ROWS GARDEN 30 — EASIER

Rows Garden 30 Harder — Solution

Rows Garden 30 Easier — Solution

We’ve made it to thirty puzzles here! As my test-solver Jon Delfin quipped, “30 is a dangerous age, Cynthia” — a somewhat arcane Dudley Moore reference for those scoring at home. But nevertheless, Americans have always made a point to commemorate round numbers, so what they hey — have your favorite beverage in celebration!

What’s the deal with the above photo, you say? Well, cute story actually…I purchased an Epson printer, Workforce Center model 610, last April, which gave me nothing but headaches, and it finally crapped out last week. Turns out the warranty expired and the machine is all but worthless, so in an Office Space-inspired moment of brilliance (or insanity, depending on who you ask), I decided to exact my revenge on the thing. If you are planning on demolishing any office products in the near future, let me recommend the 20-pound maul that I’m wielding there. Gets the job done and then some. And for those planning on buying a printer soon, I’d steer clear of anything with Epson on it. Makes me regret that I’ve put the brand in a crossword puzzle before!

Enjoy this week’s offering.

4 Comments

Andrew J. Ries, June 21st 2011 | Tags: ,
Posted in Puzzles, Rows Garden

Rows Garden #29

ROWS GARDEN 29 — HARDER

ROWS GARDEN 29 — EASIER

Rows Garden 29 Harder — Solution

Rows Garden 29 Easier — Solution

Welcome to all those who may be fairly new to the site, thanks to a grateful plug by Rex Parker over at his blog. According to my analytics reports, I had by far the busiest week traffic-wise to the site, and most of it came via the link that Rex posted on his site. Thanks Rex! And for those who are new to the game, feel free to join the Aries Puzzles Facebook page on the side, and remember to comment on the puzzles after you’re finished. Feedback is always a plus, positive or negative, because it lets me know what the reception is to the puzzles. If you haven’t yet commented on the site, you’ll have to first get it approved by me to make sure it’s kosher, and then you’re good to go. I do encourage everyone to give me some feedback, as I enjoy listening from solvers and I certainly take suggestions!

5 Comments

Andrew J. Ries, June 14th 2011 | Tags: , ,
Posted in Puzzles, Rows Garden
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