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Rows Garden 101 — Two Year Anniversary!

ROWS GARDEN 101 — HARDER

ROWS GARDEN 101 — EASIER

Rows Garden 101 Harder — Solution

Rows Garden 101 Easier — Solution

Thanks to everyone’s dedicated solving and steady encouragement, I’m happy to say that we’ve made it two years here at AP.com. I think I’ve come a long way since my humble beginning here in November 2010, but most of all I would like to thank all of you for making it worth while.

I only ask every six months, so pardon the low-pressure pitch, but feel free to Donate to the cause by clicking on the Paypal link on the sidebar. Any donation is greatly appreciated and goes towards making sure the site remains ad-free and adequately maintained. I started a tradition last year of giving a percentage of donations to a worthy cause, and we’ve had some worthy causes come up in the last few weeks, namely the weather emergencies on the East Coast. So do know that a percentage of the donations received in the next week will be donated to the American Red Cross for Sandy/Nor’easter storm relief.

And I still have some spare crossword books around, so two random donators will win their choice of either the 100 Years, 100 Crosswords book that I contributed to, or my newly released Texas Crosswords book (which isn’t only for Texans).

One thing I also wanted to mention: though the Onion will no longer be running the exemplary PG-13-rated AV Club crossword puzzle, editor Ben Tausig is reviving the project as a pay-for-play digital-only weekly puzzle, much in the vein of the Peter Gordon-edited Fireball Crosswords. Ben is nearly already funded for this venture a mere four days after announcing the change, but make sure that this becomes a reality by pitching in to his Kickstarter campaign.

Thanks again to all of you! It’s been an honor to puzzle you for these last two years, and here’s for many more in the future.

1 Comment

Andrew J. Ries, November 13th 2012 | Tags: , , , , ,
Posted in Puzzles, Rows Garden

Rows Garden #50 — One Year Anniversary!

ROWS GARDEN 50 — HARDER

ROWS GARDEN 50 — EASIER

Rows Garden 50 Harder — Solution

Rows Garden 50 Easier — Solution

Just one year ago, I started a site based on the theory that the Rows Garden format was one that was under-served and that its loyal fan base was deserving of more choice when it came to their Rows Gardens. Granted, you’ll hardly be left completely unnourished when Patrick Berry is the format’s chief practitioner. But I loved the format and it’s become my pride to offer these to you on a weekly basis. For your loyal support, I thank you.

If you have been a loyal reader and solver, please consider donating to the site. You can do so by clicking the yellow Paypal DONATE button on the top right of the page, or you can e-mail me and I can send you my snail mail address if you’d prefer that approach. I don’t like to ask for money, but keep in mind that these puzzles are here on a weekly basis (I did take two weeks off in a year — for that I apologize) and that they require a lot of time and energy from yours truly. On average a Rows Garden takes around 10 hours from start to finish for me to construct. I do so without any computer software, relying only on a clue database and Onelook for additional assistance.

As Thanksgiving is quickly approaching, I’ve decided to help out those not as fortunate by donating a percentage of this week’s donations to two charitable causes: one to a local mission that will provide a Thanksgiving dinner to those in need, and one to Lucky’s Place, a local pet shelter from which I adopted my first kitty, Charlie. By donating to this site, you can assure that both our fellow citizens and furry friends that need our help can get it.

It’s been a pleasure to offer these puzzles to you, and I hope that I can continue to do so for years to come!

6 Comments

Andrew J. Ries, November 15th 2011 | Tags: , , ,
Posted in Puzzles, Rows Garden