Ringing in the New Year - 12/31/18

Well, it's New Year's Eve again, and today's puzzle takes us to Minnesota where instead of "ringing" they'll be:

Mailing in the New Year

Tomorrow we'll ...

Confidential - 12/30/18

Today's puzzle takes us to Ireland.  I can't say much more than that.  It's:

Confidential

Tomorrow we'll ...

Brainiac - 12/29/18

Today's puzzle is one that I thought I had featured earlier in the year, but in going through and doing the bookmark list I caught that the link actually went to a different puzzle.  So, I figured I should rectify that and give it an official posting here today.  The puzzle takes us to Oregon, and you needn't worry that you have to be a:

Brainiac

Tomorrow we'll ...

Nailed it! - 12/28/18

Apologies for the delayed post ... today's puzzle takes us to Minnesota.  Hope it won't be too long before you've:

Nailed It !!!

Tomorrow we'll ...

7 Point Star - 12/27/18

Today's California puzzle reminded me of a snowflake, even though instead of having six sides it's actually a:

7 Point Star

Tomorrow we'll ...

Puzzling My Way Through the Year - 12/26/18

With just a few days left in 2018, I'm almost done puzzling my way through another year.  Today's California puzzle is part of a series that feels just right for the occasion:

Puzzling my way through the year #4 -Click & Clack

Tomorrow we'll ...

Merry Christmas - 12/25/18

With today's puzzle from France I wish you and yours a very:

Merry Christmas....

Tomorrow we'll ...

Christmas Time is Here - 12/24/18

Today we head to Colorado and a puzzle by a very talented CO that I have at least a couple of things in common with.  I know you'll enjoy his rendition of:

Christmas Time is Here

Tomorrow we'll ...

You do! - 12/23/18

Today we head to Australia for the first in a series of puzzle caches that I'd like to pass along to the next student that asks me:

Who needs Algebra? # 1

Tomorrow we'll ...

A Hippopotamus? - 12/22/18

Today we travel to Canada's Ontario province for a puzzle based on a Christmas classic:

Christmas Tree: I want a Hippopotamus for Xmas!

Tomorrow we'll ...

Colorado Christmas - 12/21/18

Today we travel back to Colorado for a double feature from a CO who obviously enjoys a good Christmas-themed puzzle.  Over the years I have really enjoyed his work.   There are puzzles that look like Christmas ones that are Christmas ones, ones that look like Christmas ones that aren't, and ones that don't necessarily look like they have a Christmas theme, but they do (and of course many non-holiday ones as well).  Try your luck with these two ... a brand new one:

Christmas Wordsearch

and this one I first featured way back in 2012:  Christmas Words

Tomorrow we'll ...

 

Christmas on Suzac Beach - 12/20/18

Apologies for the delayed posting today.  Let's head to France where they're getting ready to spend:

Christmas on Suzac Beach

Tomorrow we'll ...

Three Wise Men? - 12/19/18

Today we travel to Colorado for a puzzle about:

Three Wise Guys

Tomorrow we'll ...

Fruppreciation - 12/18/18

Today's puzzle takes us to California.  I've just emerged from a  two week online puzzle hunt  that I found to be a super difficult, but also very fun experience.  I guess you'd call it an exercise in:

Fruppreciation

Tomorrow we'll ...

Geo-Simon - 12/17/18

I know this game was under our tree way back in the day.  I think we unearthed it and brought it back here for our kids to play too, and I expect we probably still have it.  Today you can travel to Missouri for a game of:

Geo-Simon

Tomorrow we'll ...

Christmas Lists - 12/16/18

Today we have another central New York puzzle.  Now that grades are done I should really spend the next few days focusing on my:

NPC2 #5 - Christmas Lists

Tomorrow we'll ...

Would you care for some cheese with that? - 12/15/18

Today's puzzle is a brand new one from right here in upstate New York. I apologize for the delayed posting.  I've been very distracted by the end of the semester, trying to get ready for Christmas, and a non-geocaching puzzle hunt I got sucked into that is burning through every last brain cell.  I'll stop there before this turns into the:

Ballad of the Whiny Cacher

Tomorrow we'll ...

Geometry - 12/14/18

Today's Swedish puzzle is a little exericse in:

Svartedalsmysteriet - 2 Geometri

Tomorrow we'll ...

Masquerade - 12/13/18

Let's head up to Canada's province of British Columbia for a:

Masquerade

Tomorrow we'll ...

Poker Face - 12/12/18

I made a note that I liked this Swedish puzzle a while back but never did feature it so I'm pulling it out today.  See if you can beat a:

Royal Straight Flush i Macau (MMDO17)

Tomorrow we'll ...

Another Classic Music Puzzle - 12/11/18

Let's travel to Wisconsin today for a puzzle that falls right in the middle of a brand new series:

Music Theory 3.0 - Another Classic Music Puzzle

Tomorrow we'll ...

Holiday Keyword - 12/10/18

Today we travel to California for a puzzle based on a:

KEYWORD - Holiday Edition  (Be sure to check out the street view of the nicely in-theme location!)

Tomorrow we'll ...

Reindeer Riddle - 12/9/18

Today we travel to New Jersey for a little:

Reindeer Riddle

Tomorrow we'll ...

Penguencoding - 12/8/18

Today's puzzle takes us to California. We woke up to more snow coming down again, so in keeping with a snowy theme it seems like a good day to feature a brand new series involving some:

Penguencoding 3.

Tomorrow we'll ...

Happy Holidays - 12/7/18

Today's puzzle takes us to California.  It was a busy day, but now I just have to give exams and get my grades in and I will have a nice break between semesters.  I've had my tree up for a few days, but haven't even got the lights on it yet, so I've got some catching up to do.  Now with work almost behind me I'm about ready to focus on having some:

Happy Holidays

Tomorrow we'll ...

Turkey Huntin' - 12/6/18

Today's puzzle takes us to California.  On two separate occasions, in different locations recently I've had to hit the brakes to avoid a turkey crossing the road in front of me.  Now, I don't mean some idiot driver or a clueless pedestrian wearing earbuds and looking at their phone ... I mean actual wild turkeys.  Neither one of them seemed to be in much of a hurry, and I was thinking to myself, "What are these dumb turkeys doing, anyway?"  But they got the laugh on me yesterday ... while I was waiting for one to cross I looked to the left and saw that there were a whole flock of them right there in the woods by the edge of the road, and they were all clustered around a big red sign that said, "No Hunting."  So I guess they weren't so dumb after all; at least they were smart enough to go somewhere to avoid anybody that was:

Turkey Huntin'

Tomorrow we'll ...

Santa's Pocket Calculator - 12/5/18

It's possible you saw this Swedish puzzle as a component of one that I featured last year, but since I haven't featured it directly, I'm going to go ahead and share it today.  I'm not sure how Santa does his calculations of naughty vs. nice, but I'm sure hoping he wasn't listening on Sunday afternoon when I was struggling to put up my Christmas lights on the front of the house (for that matter, I'm hoping the neighbors didn't hear all the swearing and cursing either).  Try your luck with:

Nötknäckarkalendern 2012-01 Tomtens miniräknare

Tomorrow we'll ...

Goof Balls - 12/4/18

Today's puzzle from Ireland is about a bunch of:

Goof Balls

Tomorrow we'll ...

Xmas Karma Cache Delux - 12/3/18

Today's puzzle takes us back to Sweden for one of the most creative puzzles I've had the pleasure of doing in a long time.  I am really excited that it was passed along to me by a reader.  If you've been on the fence about sending me one yourself, I hope you'll hop on down and send me a message right now.  And after you've done that, I'd recommend brewing up a nice hot beverage and diving in to:

Nötknäckarkalendern 2012-23 Xmas Karma Cache Delux

Tomorrow we'll ...

Julkalender - 12/2/18

Sweden is home to a number of fun holiday-themed puzzles, including several based on counting the days leading up to Christmas.  I am fortunate to have a resident expert on this type of puzzle, so I knew just what to do with:

Härryda Julkalender 2017 #03 - Adventspyssel

Tomorrow we'll be in Sweden again.

An Ode to December - 12/1/18

Well, here we are in December again.  Where does the time go??  I can't believe it's already here ... and that "A" is celebrating his 20th birthday, today.  No more teenagers in our house.  :)  In honor of the occasion I bring you, from California:

Phlsolo Legacy: Ode to December

Tomorrow we'll ...

A Puzzling Note - 11/30/18

Today I bring you from Pennsylvania:

A Puzzling Note

Tomorrow we'll ...

All in All ... - 11/29/18

Today's puzzle takes us to Ireland, and:

All in all it's just a...

Tomorrow we'll ...

If You Like to Talk to Tomatoes - 11/28/18

You'll enjoy today's Maryland puzzle:

If you Like to Talk to Tomatoes....

I'm on the lookout for holiday/winter themed puzzles.  If you've solved or written any fun ones that deserve a wider audience, please send them my way.  I've featured a whole bunch of them over the years, and it gets tougher finding more, but I know they're out there.  I'm looking forward to hearing from you.

Special? - 11/27/18

The CO of today's California puzzle asks:

What's Special About These Numbers?

Tomorrow we'll ...

Poisoned Pen - 11/26/18

Today we head to Canada's Prince Edward Island for a puzzle by a CO who reads a lot of the same authors that I do.  But I doubt that any of them writes with a:

Poisoned "Pen"

Tomorrow we'll ...

Who knew? - 11/25/18

I saw this new puzzle and it made me laugh.  Just imagine, finding this in New Jersey:

It's the Holy G.Rail!

Tomorrow we'll ...

It Ain't Rocket Science - 11/24/18

If you're still recovering from a tryptophan-induced stupor, or you shopped 'til you dropped yesterday on Black Friday, today's California puzzle may be just the ticket:

It Ain't Rocket Science...or Is It??

Tomorrow we'll ...

GC4TECH - 11/23/18

I love coming CO's who make fun use of an interesting GC code they randomly receive by incorporating it into the theme of their cache, as in today's puzzle from Canada's Ontario province.  I am generally pretty good with technology, I think, but I was really flummoxed earlier this week.  I was pointing the remote control at the TV and pushing the "off" button and couldn't figure out why it wasn't responding.  Finally I realized that what I was pointing at the TV was actually my cordless phone. D'oh!  It's a good thing I don't have too many more things that are:

Remote Controlled

Tomorrow we'll be in California.

Thanksgiving Gluttony - 11/22/18

Today we head to Michigan and a puzzle in celebration of:

Thanksgiving Gluttony

Tomorrow we'll ...

GIFF - 11/21/18

Today we head to California for a puzzle about the recently held:

GIFF 2018

Tomorrow we'll ...

Sketchy Kind of Cache - 11/20/18

Have you ever been out caching and all of the sudden realize you're in an area that might be a little sketchy?  Today's puzzle will take you to California and a:

Sketchy Kind of Cache

Tomorrow we'll ...

Talking Turkey - 11/19/18

Today we travel to Australia for our puzzle.  I don't know what they're doing there this time of year, but this week in the U.S. we're all:

Talking Turkey

Tomorrow we'll ...

Asimov's Legacy - 11/18/18

Today's puzzle takes us to the United Kingdom.  As the CO says, "Get ready to channel your inner geek" as you explore:

🤖 🤖 Asimov’s Legacy

Tomorrow we'll ...

Snowflakes are Falling - 11/17/18

I'm not sure if I've ever had to be out shoveling snow before Thanksgiving.  The weather forecast was for 10 inches, and we got 9.5, so I'd say that was a pretty precise prediction.  Today's puzzle takes us to Massachusetts.  One thing I'll say for this weather ... there's no better time for puzzling than when:

The Snowflakes Are Falling

Tomorrow we'll ...

Vexing? - 11/16/18

Well, before the leaves have even all come down, we're getting smacked with winter here in upstate New York.  My commute yesterday morning was lake-effected and turned from 20 minutes to about 45.  Tonight we're supposed to get about 10 inches.  Yuck.  It makes me long for a warmer climate.  Phoenix sounds good.  My in-laws are headed there right now, so let's travel there ourselves for a puzzle that I hope you won't find too vexing:

jakob's Poor Attempt at Vexillology Part II

Tomorrow we'll ...

Franglais - 11/15/18

Today's puzzle from France (in a blend of  languages the CO called "Franglais") landed in my inbox recently.  Have some fun with:

GRENOUILLES ET BICYCLETTES

Tomorrow we'll ...

No Problemo - 11/14/18

Today we're back in Southern California.  Looking for a new puzzle, are you?:

NO PROBLEMO

Tomorrow we'll ...

Should've Gone For The Head - 11/13/18

Today's California puzzle suggests that we:

Should've Gone For The Head

Tomorrow, we'll hang around in southern California for another day.

KEYWORD - 11/12/18

Today's puzzle finds us in northern California, where you'll be looking for a:

KEYWORD

Tomorrow we'll be in southern California.

100 Years Later - 11/11/2018

It's Veterans Day, and I couldn't let the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I pass un-noticed, so today we travel to Michigan for a:

11/11/11 - Veterans Day Sudoku

Tomorrow we'll be in California.

Saturday Mornings

Today we have another post composed for us by guest puzzle-picker Ol'Fogie:

Saturday morning American broadcast TV was once animation's home field. Filling a cereal bowl with artificially colored sugar pebbles and staring at the tube was every kid's weekend plan. Not any more.

NBC ditched Saturday morning cartoons in 1992, CBS followed suit not long after, and ABC lost its animated weekend mornings in 2004. The CW, a lower-tier broadcast network, was the last holdout in a game that the Big 3 left long ago, but even it killed off Saturday cartoons in 2014.

Why? Cable, streaming, and the FCC. In the 1990s, the FCC began more strictly enforcing its rule requiring broadcast networks to provide a minimum of three hours of "educational" programming every week. Networks, afraid of messing with their prime-time slots, found it easiest to cram this required programming in the weekend morning slot. The actual educational content of this live-action programming is sometimes debatable, but it meets the letter of the law.

Fortunately, this Tennessee puzzle created by my geomate, yomegranate, invites us back to childhood on...

Saturday Mornings

Tomorrow we'll...

Music for Adventurers - 11/9/18

Teamajk is off on a quick adventure to Tennessee, so standing in for her today (and bringing you a puzzle that's also in the Volunteer State) is Ol'Fogie who writes:

My geomate, yomegranate, is a very talented music afficianado, and that comes in quite handy when I’m working on a puzzle involving such themes. But, when SHE is the CO of a tough puzzle opus I have to rely on my own limited knowledge and that usually doesn’t get me very far. Fortunately, I was able to get together with some other brainiacs that have been featured in this very blog (Elorabug and PokerLuck), and the three of us managed to work it out. Admittedly, however, it took us quite a few hours before we could successfully sing the find for...

My Song

Tomorrow we'll...

No Geocachers Were Harmed in the Making of this Puzzle - 11/8/18

This week's guest puzzle picker Ol'Fogie says:

Although I am the current CO of this cache, I can not take credit for its development. My good friend, Fugads, created this fun li’l puzzle. Sadly, he moved away, but his contributions to the mystery cache community in East Tennessee are still garnering blue ribbons for their innovation and uniqueness. So, let’s play a game of...

TVG Game Night: Monopoly

Tomorrow we'll...

We're (Still) All Crazy Here - 11/7/18

Brought to you by guest puzzle picker Ol'Fogie:

There is a series in Tennessee called WACH (We’re All Crazy Here!). It features many conundrums to expose the local community to the variety of puzzles in the caching world. PokerLuck started the series and then handed over the reins to Elorabug. I picked this one from the series at random, but you should certainly check them all out as each one is unique. The code for the first one is GC74G46, but let’s jump in the middle at..,.

WACH41 - We're All Crazy Here!

Tomorrow we'll be...

Family Crests - 11/6/18

Ol'Fogie is standing in for teamajk today, and he writes:

When I solved today’s Tennessee puzzle, it sent me down a Google rabbit hole exploring my own family history. There is apparently a ton of info on the interwebs for any surname you can think of, some of it conflicting. Thus, it makes me wonder how reliable any of the info is, especially when I found differing images for my family:

Coat of Arms

Tomorrow we'll ...

Why are we here? - 11/5/18

Lately I've had so much going on that I feel like I'm burning the candle at both ends, and holding a lighter up to the middle.  Fortunately, fellow puzzler Ol'Fogie has agreed to pinch hit for me for a few days so I can snag a little break.  Here's the first of his posts, for a puzzle cache in North Carolina:

Why Are You Reading This Blog?

What compels us to read this blog every morning? What drives us to stare at cache descriptions for hours? What urge do we need fulfilled by days of frustration trying to find elusive solutions? For me, it’s because...

I Love Puzzles #1

Tomorrow we'll be...

Insulting? - 11/4/18

Today's puzzle takes us to California.  I'm at a conference relating to a specific math course I'm teaching, and one of our exercises had us very quickly decrypting something based on some mathy rules.  You can bet I was all over that.  The decryption read, "Descartes said, 'I think not,' and disappeared."  I had to google the joke*, but I thought that was a pretty good punch line.  So, all in all I was pretty busy today and what I've got for you is pretty much:

An Insult to All Puzzle Caches

Tomorrow we'll ...

*There are a lot of different versions of the joke, but this is the one I found first: "Descartes walks into a bar. The bartender walks up to him and says, “Would you care for a drink?”Descartes replied, “I think not.” and disappeared.

Google Art - 11/3/18

Today's puzzle takes us to Canada's province of British Columbia.  I had to spend my birthday at a conference, but at least I was there with friends.  While we enjoyed a piece of cake together, I wanted to know the name of the cocktail* they had ordered me and pulled out my phone to do a google search based on the ingredients.  And I said, "Hey, look, the google doodle has little birthday candles."  At which point I realized it must know when my birthday is, and it had adjusted accordingly.  Spooky.  Everyone else checked their phones and they all had a different, Day of the Dead themed:

Google Art

Tomorrow we'll ...

*It turned out to be a "Bay Breeze."  Pinapple juice, cranberry juice, and vodka.  Yum.

Fifty - 11/2/18

Today we travel to Canada's province of Newfoundland and Labrador for a puzzle in recognition of my big day:

Fifty

Tomorrow we'll ...

Bingo! - 11/1/18

Today's puzzle takes us to California.  I was trying to figure out what to post for today's puzzle, and then:

Bingo!

Tomorrow we'll ...

Treehouse of Horror - 10/31/18

Today's puzzle finds us in central New York, where it seems like the perfect day to pay a visit to a:

Treehouse of Horror

Tomorrow we'll ...

Tea for ... more than Two - 10/30/18

Today's puzzle takes us to my neighbor to the north, Canada's Ontario province.  My own maternal grandmother was Canadian, and I recently mentioned that I'd come into possession of her teacup collection (photos of some are below).  Even more recently I've gotten the cabinet in which to display them, so now I'm all set in case any:

K4: Grannies Come to Tea

 

Tomorrow we'll celebrate Halloween with a central New York puzzle.

Somewhere! - 10/29/18

Today's puzzle takes us to a puzzle from a series in Oregon that I'm sure I'll look into more deeply.  I remember one day last summer I walked quickly past a clock on the wall (one I had walked past repeatedly, as it happens) and thought to myself, "That time doesn't look right. It's not 5:00."  As I walked about ten steps further, I realized two things:  It wasn't an actual clock ... and it was a bar that I'd just walked past.

I had my own "five o'clock somewhere" moment on Wednesday this week.  What a day!  But don't worry.  I limited myself to one Fuzzy Navel flavored wine cooler, and Thursday was much better.  Enjoy: 

CS: It's Five o'clock Somewhere!

Tomorrow we'll ...

40 - 10/28/18

Today we visit a puzzle from Central New York.  The other day my students were discussing having a small Halloween party in class this coming week, and I mentioned that I might be amenable to a little celebration, since I had a birthday coming up as well and it was a big one, with a zero in it.  As class was ending, one of them kindly said to me, "Don't worry, 40 is the new 25, right?"  And I had to say, "Well, that may be, but ... it's 50."  So here's a puzzle in honor of at least one person thinking I can still pass for:

40

Tomorrow we'll be in Oregon.

Hindsight is 2020 - 10/27/18

Today's puzzle takes us to Canada's province of British Columbia.  Whatever your political leanings, I expect you can appreciate the clever word/number play on this bumper sticker that I saw on a car in front of me this week:

B10: Hindsight is 2020

Baking Bad - 10/26/18

Today's puzzle take us to the UK.  I mentioned yesterday that I'd been watching some Halloween baking shows.  I enjoy them, but they make me hungry.  I'm getting an urge to do some:

Baking Bad

Tomorrow we'll ...

Stingy Jack - 10/25/18

With Halloween less than a week away I've found myself watching the Food Network's "Halloween Baking Championship" and "Halloween Wars," so I figured I'd serve up a puzzle with a Halloween-related theme for you today.  This one is from Canada's Alberta province.  I'll warn you that when he archived it the CO did give away the secret, so if you don't want a spoiler don't scroll down too far.  But if you do ... well, you'll know where to look for your treat.  Maybe you'll learn a new trick with:

Stingy Jack

Tomorrow we'll ...

Lucky Day? - 10/24/18

Today's puzzle takes us to Rhode Island.  With the mega-millions lottery jackpot up to $1.6 billion, I couldn't resist putting in my $2 on a quick pick ticket just for the fun of it.  I know the odds are (ridiculously) long.  But they're 0 if you don't try, right?  Talking it over with my son led to an interesting conversation about the odds, and why someone wouldn't just buy up all of the combinations (assuming they had over 600 million dollars lying around to do so, and it was even possible to get all those tickets printed for you).  I bet someone could write a pretty interesting puzzle looking at the possible payouts, and the taxes(!) in such a scenario, depending on how many other people were lucky enough to have the winning combination.  At any rate, as I'm posting this I'm wondering if someone is going to wake up tomorrow as one:

Lucky Dog

Tomorrow we'll ...

Crazy for Cats - 10/23/18

A previous logic puzzle in this series in France had us placing rabbits and trees in a grid.  Today, it's cats.  A whole lot of cats:

42 - Grilles Logiques : facile

Tomorrow we'll ...

Secret Agent Man - 10/22/18

Today's central New York puzzle will put you on the trail of:

Secret Agent Atwater Meadows

Tomorrow we'll ...

Blue vs Red? - 10/21/18

There's a lot of talk about blue vs red these days, and it looks like baseball's World Series will be no different.  The Red Sox made it in on Thursday, but today we travel to California for a puzzle in celebration of last night's victory clinching a spot for:

Dodger Blue!

Tomorrow we'll ...

A Blonde Moment - 10/20/18

Today's puzzle takes us to Canada's province of Quebec.  I think we all have the occasional "blonde moment," but I feel like maybe I've had more than my share lately.  Maybe I need one of these:

Clavier pour blondes 

Tomorrow we'll ...

Winter is Coming - 10/19/18

Today's puzzle takes us to New Zealand, where they're lucky enough to have winter behind them already. The fall colors have been a bit delayed here, but there's no doubt that winter is on its way.  There was actually a good deal of ice on my front and back windshields this morning that had to be scraped off before I could go to work.  Given the time, I will just sit and wait for the defrosters/windshield wipers/windshield washer fluid to do their thing, but I hadn't left enough time for that today.  I guess it's about time to get the garage cleaned out so we'll have some:

Frost Protection (Hawkes Bay)

Tomorrow we'll ...

Czechia - 10/18/18

Today's puzzle takes us to Czechia (which, in case you haven't heard, is what we should have been calling the Czech Republic for a while now, but it took some time to catch on).  I heard on the way to work that this is National Pasta Month, and yesterday was actually National Pasta Day here in the U.S.  So in celebration of the occasion (and because it's one of my favorite food groups), I give you:

PASTA, PASTA... 

Tomorrow we'll ...

Tanks! - 10/17/18

Today's Arizona puzzle was recommended to me recently and I found it a fun exercise.  I've got a birthday with a 0 in it coming up soon, and I've been feeling introspective. I keep finding myself looking back and wondering where the time has gone and thinking:

Tanks for the Memories

Tomorrow we'll ...

Open Secrets - 10/16/18

When I've been lucky enough to visit the San Francisco Bay area, I've made it a point to venture a bit to the east to find some of the caches by today's featured CO.  Not only are the puzzles fun, but they are without a doubt some of the most amazingly clever hides I've ever seen.  If you're ever in the neighborhood you owe it to yourself to give them a shot.  I was tickled to see recently that after a seven year hiatus, some new ones have started appearing.  See if you can solve the mystery of the:

Open Secrets

Tomorrow we'll ...

Impress Me! - 10/15/18

How about kicking off your week with this puzzle from Colorado.  Come on:

Impress Me!

Tomorrow we'll ...

Puzzling my way through the year - 10/14/18

The CO of today's California puzzle sounds like a kindred spirit:

Puzzling my way through the year #3 Sudoku?

Tomorrow we'll ...

All is Vanity - 10/13/18

I spotted this picture in a video I watched the other day, and was intrigued.

Lest you think I'm a little early for Halloween, look a little closer.  The title of the picture is "All is Vanity," so I was inspired to find this Illinois puzzle to go with it:

Word Games - Vanity Edition

Tomorrow we'll ...

P.S.  Halloween will be here before you know it, and then Thanksgiving and all the winter holidays will follow quickly right after that.  If you have holiday-themed puzzles you've written or solved that you think others would enjoy, please send them my way!

Family Matters - 10/12/18

Today's central NY puzzle is one that caught my eye recently, and I found the subject to be an interesting topic.  After all, it's very true that:

Family Matters

Tomorrow we'll ...

The last thing ... - 10/11/18

I hate to admit it, but I'm definitely a caffeine addict.  Diet Mountain Dew is my usual delivery method, but I can definitely understand the sentiment behind today's Illinois puzzle:

The last thing you need is another cup of coffee

Tomorrow we'll be in New York.

Hobby? Or addiction? - 10/10/18

Today we travel to California where it appears the CO of this puzzle might have a geocaching:

Stats addi¢tion

Tomorrow we'll ...

Don't Forget These! - 10/9/18

Today's puzzle takes us to Minnesota.  Sometimes a puzzle just nags at me ... I keep looking and think I have an idea but it heads absolutely nowhere.  So I put it aside and come back, often, repeatedly.  I find it hard to just let them go.  I wonder why it is that I:

Don't Forget These!

Tomorrow we'll ...

Fall Break - 10/8/18

Today's puzzle takes us to Vermont. The semester is flying by, and we've made it to Columbus Day. That means it's time to:

Give Me A Break!

Tomorrow we'll be in Minnesota.

Money Talks - 10/7/18

I recently happened across this Ohio series (which makes a spiffy little geo-art), and am looking forward to checking out more.  Try your luck with:

2 - Money Talks - Vroom, Vroom

Tomorrow we'll be in  ...

Apples! - 10/6/18

Today's puzzle takes us to Michigan.  One of the best things about upstate New York in the Fall is apple season. I've got a new little quilt up on the wall, and  I'll be making a trip to the Cornell Apple Store this weekend (the one run by the orchard, not the one that sells computers).  I'm looking forward to coming home with cider (which is excellent either hot or cold), crunching some crisp tasty apples, and baking some sort of brown-sugary sweet dessert to be topped with vanilla ice cream.  Yum.  The fall colors are really late this year, so what would we do if there were:

No Apples?

Tomorrow we'll ...

Crouching Panda, Hidden Venona - 10/5/18

Today's puzzle (from a part of down-state New York where I've never cached) was a serendipitous discovery for me, as it allows me to talk about a couple of different things.  I was actually looking for a puzzle with a "panda" theme, so I could mention a non-geocaching puzzle magazine called "P&A" which I was introduced to recently.  I'm working on the current issue and finding it to be a fun (but quite challenging) exercise.  I love seeing what's out there in the wider puzzling world beyond geocaching.

The Russian angle to this puzzle was a fun surprise.  I recently watched a bunch of episodes of "The Americans" and it made me grin seeing them copying down rows and rows of numbers and using their one-time pads to decode them.  I have remarked in the past that I would have made a terrible, terrible Russian spy.  All the cursing and moaning as I frantically erased my mistakes and started the decode over and over would have surely alerted the neighbors that something was up.  The story of the actual Venona codebreakers has been in the news lately, and I just wore my official 2017 Order of Venona Member T-shirt while out puzzle caching the other day.  If you're unaware of the (San Francisco) Bay Area's Venona Activities, they are super fun to participate in during real-time, even long distance.  I'd love to see the "activities" resume.

Without further ado, I give you:

Crouching Panda, Hidden Venona

Tomorrow we'll ...

Cheat Sheet - 10/4/18

Today's puzzle takes us to California.  Time is flying by and we're almost half way through the fall semester, which means it's time for a short "fall break."  To give myself the maximum grading time, I'm giving either a test or quiz in all my classes today.  I hope nobody tries to get away with using a:

Cheat Sheet

Tomorrow we'll ...

Conkers - 10/3/18

Sorry about the delayed post ... I got distracted and didn't get it queued up.  Today we travel to the UK for a little puzzle about:

Henry's Obsession IV - It's Only a Game!

Tomorrow we'll ...

Something new - 10/2/18

I learned something new yesterday, and of course I wanted to share it with those of you who may not have seen it yet.  So let's travel to Texas for:

A new kind of code plus a cache!

Tomorrow we'll ...

Accentuate the positves - 10/1/18

I can't believe it's October 1st already.  Where does the time go??  With today's puzzle we return to the series of logical puzzles in France that I've found very entertaining.  Despite the similarities there are always differences that provide an interesting mental workout.  This particular one will have you accentuating the positives ... and the negatives:

39 - Grilles Logiques : moyen

Tomorrow we'll ...

What am I doing? - 9/30/18

Today's puzzle takes us to Texas.  Over the years I have come to feel that puzzle solving can be like many other activities in that you can find yourself in streaks, both good and bad. Sometimes there is a period of a few days where I am just on fire, and the solves are dropping right and left.  The trick is to enjoy those times, and feel confident that you'll get back there when you're in the midst of a bad streak, you know, the times when you feel like:

I don't even know what I'm doing anymore...

Tomorrow we'll ...

Where in the World? - 9/29/18

I've worked through some of this little Pennsylvania series recently, and this one taught me something new.  Can you figure out:

#4 - WHERE IN THE WORLD AM I??

Tomorrow we'll ...

Traveling with L - 9/28/18

This central New York puzzle cache is one I'm hoping to be able to grab today.  Over the years I've come to enjoy visiting locations vicariously through my geocaching friends, many of whom travel a lot more than I do.  Today we'll be:

Traveling with L

Tomorrow we'll ...

Carolina On My Mind -9/27/18

Today's recent central New York puzzle is certainly an appropriate one to feature right now.  With flooding still continuing and the staggering amount of clean-up that will be required when the waters finally do recede, I've had definitely had both North & South:

Carolina on my Mind

Tomorrow we'll ...

Who Said That? - 9/26/18

I recently came across this quote in a non-geocaching "word fall" puzzle (also known as "word drop, " "quotefall", etc.), which I thought was pretty deep:  "If Tetris has taught me anything, it's that errors pile up and accomplishments disappear."  When I looked into it, I wasn't able to find a definite attribution to a specific author.   For today's Australian puzzle, you'll have the chance to try a "word fall" of your own, and then figure out:

Who Said That? # 1

Tomorrow we'll ...

Gryptics - 9/25/18

Today's puzzle takes us to California.  I recently came across a variety of crossword that I didn't remember seeing before, so I knew I'd have to do a post about:

Gryptics - a puzzle cache

Tomorrow we'll ...

Mice to Eat You! - 9/24/18

The title of today's Texas puzzle might make you think you're getting into some kind of horror movie, but actually it's just a spoonerism.  I happened across this theme while searching out "spoon" related puzzles, as I referred to over the weekend.  I found this one to be a fun twist (and a few turns, as you'll see):

Mice To Eat You, aka Wordplay Maze

Tomorrow we'll ...

Mahlzeit - 9/23/18

Puzzling in languages other than your own can sometimes be difficult, but I was glad I tried out this one from Germany, which I came across in my searches on the theme of "spoons," which I was talking about yesterday.  This puzzle taught me something unexpected, which is always a real treat.  See what you can make of this:

Mahlzeit

Tomorrow we'll be in Texas.

Spoon Collecting - 9/22/18

I found this puzzle after searching a bit on the theme of spoons.  I'm sure I've never purchased a souvenir spoon of my own, but I recently brought home my mother's collection of them from some of her  travels many years ago.  With today's puzzle we can travel ourselves to the U.K. for some:

Spoons and Croutons Soup

Tomorrow we'll ...

Can't See the Rabbits for the Trees - 9/21/18

Today's French puzzle really had me going in circles before I managed to figure out what to do with all of those "rabbits."  I kept finding myself checking my work saying "rabbit, rabbit, rabbit ..." and it's nowhere near the first of the month yet.  I only learned about that superstition recently, but I'll have to try saying it first thing in the morning on October 1st and see if it brings me any good luck.
I hope you'll be able to figure out how to work it so you can't see the rabbits for the trees in:

27 - Grilles Logiques : facile

Tomorrow we'll be in ... 

Get Your Kicks - 9/20/18

The choice of today's California cache was prompted by recent events.  I'm not one to kick someone when they're down, so I won't mention any names here, but I couldn't help but have an LOL moment (literally) when reading a coach's reply to a reporter's question about the thought process behind releasing their field goal kicker: "Did you see the game?"  Ouch!  And in case you're wondering, yes, I saw the game.  I hope both the players released this week will find future success somewhere else, and if you happen to be a football fan, that (as long as your team isn't playing against mine) you always:

Get Your Kicks

Tomorrow we'll ...

Salty Dog - 9/19/18

Today's puzzle finds us in Rhode Island.  Somehow I always seem to miss "Talk like a Pirate Day," so I was determined not to do that again this year. See what you can get out of this:

Salty Dog

Tomorrow we'll ...

Ooo, Shiny! - 9/18/18

Today's puzzle takes us to Canada's Ontario province.  The name says it all:

Ooo, Shiny!

Tomorrow we'll be in Rhode Island.

Black Panther - 9/17/18

Today's puzzle was chosen in honor of the movie I finally got around to watching the other night.  The surprising thing to me was that the cache I tracked down is in Finland.  I guess last year folks in a lot of places around the world were all watching the:

Black Panther

Tomorrow we'll ...

Head Cold - 9/16/18

Today's puzzle takes us to Massachusetts.  I have been struck with a nasty head cold this weekend, so it has not made for the most effective puzzling.  I am hoping that I bounce back quickly, because all I want to do right now is sit around and binge watch Netflix while drinking hot tea with lots of:

Sugar & Spice

Tomorrow we'll be in Finland.

Dirty, Rotten Puzzle - 9/15/18

Today we head to Nevada for a puzzle from a series I first featured way back in 2012. This one is:

Puzzle Me This #04: Dirty, Rotten Puzzle!

Tomorrow we'll ...

Atypical - 9/14/18

Today's California puzzle is another one that I looked at, played with a little bit, and then set aside for another day.  I found it quite an interesting mindbender.  Watch out ... it's:

Not your typical KenKen puzzle cache

Tomorrow we'll ...

The Eraser - 9/13/18

I spotted today's Virginia puzzle and it made me grin.  I had never heard of:

The Eraser who tried to rub out Batman

Tomorrow we'll ...

Not just geeky ... - 9/12/18

Today's puzzle takes us to Massachusetts.  I'm sure that if my students don't think I'm geeky enough already, my choice of wording the other day sealed the deal.  During an exercise in map reading I talked about how the "prime meridian" was just  chosen arbitrarily as the "first" meridian, and I said, "You know, like the prime minister, or the prime directive."  Wonder what example I would have chosen:

Before the Prime Directive

Tomorrow we'll ...

A Day to Remember - 9/11/18

Today's puzzle takes us to New York City, where you'll have the chance to learn something about the:

World Trade Center 9/11 Survivor's Fountain

Tomorrow we'll be in Massachusetts

Animal Crackers - 9/10/18

Today's puzzle takes us to Minnesota.  You just never know when a memory is going to instantly transport you back to childhood.  I had that happen the other day, triggered by a dish of animal crackers put out on the table to help get us through a long meeting.  One taste and I was back to being about 3 years old, at the grocery store with my grandmother and receiving some of these as a treat.  I even remember the little string that was attached so you could carry the:

Cracker Box ♻️

Tomorrow we'll ...

Are You Ready for Some Football? - 9/9/18

Today's puzzle takes us to Rhode Island.  The pre-season is over.  The players have been shuffled during the off-season, the slate has been wiped clean from last year, and everyone is ready for kickoff.  Will this finally be the year when it all comes together for our team?  It's always a big day at our house each year as we get ready to watch that first:

Football Game

Tomorrow we'll ...

Cache Name Is Not a Hint - 9/8/18

Today's puzzle takes us to California, where I can assure you that the:

Cache Name Is Not A Hint

Tomorrow we'll ...

Snookered - 9/7/18

Today's highly recommended Massachusetts puzzle landed in my in-box a while back with a note from the sender that they "thought" it could be solved without writing a computer program.  Well, I made a real mess of it on my first few attempts, and then set it aside for a few weeks before giving it another shot.  I was really pleased when it all came together and I knew I hadn't been:

Snookered

Tomorrow we'll ...

Keep Cool - 9/6/18

Today's puzzle takes us to Florida.  I think maybe the heat is getting to everyone around here, and people have been a little on edge. Everyone just needs to cool off.  So please, keep calm and:

Don't Cuss At Me For This One

Tomorrow we'll be in Massachusetts

Arrows, with a twist - 9/5/18

I featured a couple of puzzles last week that involved some arrows.  Today's French puzzle (another in the engrossing series we've visited several times already) features arrows in a different kind of logic puzzle:

34 - Grilles Logiques : moyen

Tomorrow we'll ...

Dog Days of Summer? - 9/4/18

Today's puzzle takes us to Rhode Island.  We're supposed to be past  the dog days of summer, but you wouldn't know it around here lately since it's been super hot and muggy.  Seems like a good time for a:

Canine Decoder

Tomorrow we'll ...

Happy Labor Day! - 9/3/18

Today's California puzzle was chosen just for today:

Labor Day 9652

Tomorrow we'll ...

A bunch of numbers - 9/2/18

Today's puzzle takes us to California, where all you've got to work with is:

A bunch of numbers

Tomorrow we'll celebrate Labor Day in California.

What to do? - 9/1/18

Today's puzzle finds us in Florida.  Will you know:

What to do?

Tomorrow we'll ...

Three Signposts - 8/31/18

Today's puzzle takes us to California, where you'll be given:

Three Signposts

Tomorrow we'll be in ...

Beat the Shark? - 8/30/18

How did I miss it when during 2017's Discovery Channel "Shark Week" they had Michael Phelps (sort of) racing a great white shark??  Today's Oregon puzzle which features a different sort of competition with a shark (I love the photo). Solving this one might make you feel like a:

Braniac.  (OK, I'm only discovering months later now that instead of posting the puzzle I had meant to, which I'll try again for another day, that I actually posted this Texas one instead.  What can I say,:

Programming Messes with your Mind 

Tomorrow we'll ...

Alphabet Soup - 8/29/18

Sorry for the slightly delayed post ... I knew I wanted to feature this puzzle from early in the French series we've been visiting, but got distracted.  I'll blame the heat ... it was a muggy scorcher.  Have fun with this bit of alphabet soup:

04 - Grilles Logiques : moyen

Tomorrow we'll ...

Gateway to Adventure - 8/28/18

Today's central NY puzzle is hot off the presses.  I appreciate the title, since I'd certainly have to agree that geocaching has proved to be an unexpected:

Gateway to Adventure

Tomorrow we'll be in ...

Guided - 8/27/18

Today's puzzle finds us in California.  Lest you think, after yesterday's post, that my idea of heirloom beverage containers is restricted to crystal and china, I'm happy to report that today's Diet Mountain Dew on ice was consumed out of a totally cool, brand new (but old) plastic TV Guide tumbler just like these:

What a blast from the past, and a fun memory of the time when knowing what was going to be on TV required being:

GUIDed

P.S.  Don't worry ... I don't save everything. I did manage to let go of the complete set of Long John Silver's Normal Rockwell mugs, despite their being in mint condition, and in their original boxes. ;)

Tomorrow we'll ...

Bottle of Wine - 8/26/18

The title of today's post might lead you to believe I've been driven to drink ... which I have, but not the way it sounds.  I've come to realize that all the crystal and china I've long considered family heirlooms has essentially no market value in today's world.  My kids don't really seem to value it either, so what good is it doing sitting in the cupboards, or even worse, wrapped up in paper in the basement?  I'm determined to find something to drink out of all the beautiful teacups I collected from my childhood home recently.  I could use a different one every day for a month, probably.  Faced with a dishwasher full of dirty dishes today, I drank my afternoon Mountain Dew on ice in one of my crystal goblets instead of waiting for a special occasion to crack open a nice:

Bottle of Wine

Tomorrow we'll ...

Close Shave - 8/25/18

Today's Texas puzzle taught me something new, which I always appreciate.  Even when it's a:

Close Shave

Tomorrow we'll be in Delaware

MIDI - 8/24/18

Here's a nice Massachusetts puzzle that dropped into my lap a while back.  Enjoy the:

MIDI

Tomorrow we'll ....

A Geo-Riddle - 8/23/18

My first day back went well, and I was reminded that despite what it takes out of me sometimes I really do enjoy working with students.  I'm optimistic that this will be a good semester.  I really do enjoy the academic calendar, and how everything starts off all shiny and new every few months.  Today's California puzzle is the shiny new version of an older puzzle I hadn't tried:

Geo-riddle Redux

Tomorrow we'll ...

Back to School - 8/22/18

Today's puzzle takes us to California.  When you think about me today you can picture the background photo in this puzzle, as I'll be heading:

Back to School

Tomorrow we'll ...

Dotty - 8/21/18

Today we revisit a series in France that I featured recently.  If you're still seeing spots from yesterday's puzzle, this one may make you positively dotty:

33 - Grilles Logiques : facile

Tomorrow we'll be in California.

Step lively! - 8/20/18

Today finds us in Ohio where it's:

Time to Polka Again!

Tomorrow we'll ...

Key Words - 8/19/18

As I said the other day, I've noticed a whole lot of key word puzzles popping up.  Here are two that made me grin:

From Germany, the:  Theft of the golden cookie

and from Rhode Island:  You Blockhead!

Tomorrow we'll ...

Overpacking List - 8/18/18

Today's puzzle takes us to California.  Happy International Geocaching Day!  I'm not sure if I'll get out and find a cache to earn the souvenir or not.  The weather isn't looking promising and I'm not sure I'll want to head out.  I had to ease back into work with some meetings the last couple of days and will be back full swing by the end of next week.  My summer wasn't very restful, so I may try to savor these last few days off.  I just returned on Sunday from visiting my childhood home, which will probably be going on the market soon.  Being a very sentimental sort, I came home with the car stuffed completely full of not so very important stuff which I couldn't bear to part with. I'll try to share some of the highlights with you over the next few weeks as I start trying to unpack it all.  Even with all my elaborate care I still managed to leave at least one box behind.  I guess I should have made an:

Overpacking List

Tomorrow we'll ...

Alphabetically Speaking - 8/17/18

Today we travel to Oregon where the puzzle is:

Alphabetically Speaking

Tomorrow we'll ...

Make it so - 8/16/18

I've seen a whole bunch of keyword puzzles popping up lately, but when I happened across this one in Canada's Ontario province I knew I'd have to share it with you.  If you've been following this blog for long, you will not be surprised to hear that I was grinning from ear to ear when I heard recently that Patrick Stewart will be reprising his role in a new Star Trek series.  I might just have to celebrate with a cup of:

Captain Picard's Tea

Tomorrow we'll ...

   

Ketchup Has What? - 8/15/18

Sorry for the delayed post. Perhaps you've spent the time working through yesterday's puzzle after I got the link corrected.  I was working on this puzzle from Canada's Nova Scotia province which caught my eye and got distracted without finishing things up.  That's just the way things are going these days, so bear with me.  There's a lot going on and:

Ketchup Has Destroyed My Delicious Chocolate Milk

Tomorrow we'll ...

Ten Letter What? - 8/14/18

Today's California puzzle dropped into my mailbox a while back, and I found it a fun challenge.  Try your luck with:

Ten Letter What?   (Link fixed ... sorry about that!)

Tomorrow we'll ...

Warm Beer - 8/13/18

I thought I had shared this California puzzle a while back, but it looks like I didn't.  I'm not a big drinker, but when I do imbibe it's usually something fruity and sweet.  I'm not a big fan of the stuff when it's cold, but I'd never touch:

Warm Beer

Tomorrow we'll ...

Heritage - 8/12/18

Today's Ohio puzzle is near the end of a Language-related series that was pointed out to me not long ago.  I'm looking forward to diving in deeper.  I chose this one because it was appropriate given my recent activities, which I'm sure I'll be telling you about sometime soon:

Language Series 34: My Family's Heritage

Tomorrow we'll be in California.

Wide Open - 8/11/18

For today's Texas puzzle you'll need to:

Open Wide!

Tomorrow we'll ...

Check in to this - 8/10/18

Here's a puzzle fresh from my in-box.  If you've been thinking about sending one my way, please do! TB hotels are some of my favorite caches, so if I ever get to Boston I hope I can check in to the:

Mystery TB Hotel at the Heights

Tomorrow we'll ...

The Philosophical Bear - 8/9/18

Today we travel to New Jersey for a visit with:

The Philosophical Bear (I am so loving that background photo!)

Tomorrow we'll ...

Grilles Logiques - 8/8/18

I happened to come across this puzzle, which is part of a series of different types of logic puzzles in France.  I'm definitely planning to go back and try some of the other ones.  With the multiple stages I don't know if I'd necessarily call this one "facile," but I had fun working through it.  After all the sudoku I did earlier this summer, it took a few minutes to wrap my head around the different rules for:

Grilles Logiques : facile

Tomorrow we'll ...

More Fun - 8/7/18

If you've been following long you'll know I'm a big Sheldon Cooper fan, so I was happy to dive into this puzzle which landed in my in box recently:

More Fun with Flags (PA Edition)

Tomorrow we'll be in France.

Quite a Party - 8/6/18

Today we head to Australia for a puzzle I had fun testing recently.  It's part of a much larger series, so maybe I'll have to check some of those out too.  Try your luck with:

UFO #95 - Crop Circle Done Within Seconds

Tomorrow we'll ...

Cache Cow Week Revisited, Sunday - 8/5/18

We wrap up our visit to the U.K.'s Cache Cow series with a cow I don't think we'd be likely to find there:

#34 Ankole Watusi

Tomorrow we'll ...

Cache Cow Week Revisited, Saturday - 8/4/18

After a fairly dry start to the summer, the last few weeks have been wet, wet wet.  I haven't resorted to wearing wellies yet, but if this weather persists I may have to think about getting some.  Today's puzzle happens to feature several nice options:

#30 Chillingham

Tomorrow we'll wrap up our week in the UK.

Cache Cow Week Revisited, Friday - 8/3/18

For our Friday entry in the Cache Cow Week we'll visit:

#27 Sussex

Tomorrow, another in the series.

Cache Cow Week Revisited - Thursday, 8/2/18

Today we pay a visit to:

#14 Aberdeen Angus

Tomorrow we'll ...

Cache Cow Week Revisited, Wednesday - 8/1/18

Can you believe it's August 1st already??  Today's entry for Cache Cow week is:

#10 Jersey

Tomorrow we'll visit another entry in the series.

Cache Cow Revisited, Tuesday - 7/31/18

Today's UK Cache cow is:

#03 Guernsey

Tomorrow we'll visit another in the series.

Cache Cow Week Revisited, Monday - 7/30/18

About this time last year I featured a week's worth of puzzles from the United Kingdom from a fun series that forms a geo-art cow:

Along with the puzzles you'll find a wealth of information about many, many different breeds of cows, and "cow facts" that could themselves make quite an entertaining puzzle.  I thought it would be fun this week to return to some of the ones we haven't visited yet.  Let's kick things off with:

#24 Piedmontese

Tomorrow, another in the series.

Hole Numbers - 7/29/18

Today's puzzle takes us to Minnesota.  Last weekend I happened to catch the end of the British Open golf tournament (well, they call it just "The Open") and it's gotten me thinking about maybe writing a golf-themed puzzle involving:

Hole Numbers

Tomorrow we'll ...

Hello American Pickers - 7/28/18

I recently saw on Facebook that one of my geocaching friends had paid a visit to LeClaire, Iowa and the Antique Archaeology store of TV's "American Pickers."  I have enjoyed this show for a long time and happen to have watched a lot of episodes recently.  I always find it fascinating what interesting stuff they find, and how much enjoyment they bring to the people they are working with.  I never fail to keep my eye open for their distinctive van when I'm out on the highway.  Who knows, maybe someday our paths will cross.  I'm guessing maybe the CO of today's North Carolina cache is also a fan:

Hello, American Pickers, Raleigh here.

Tomorrow we'll ...

One Step at a Time - 7/27/18

Today we travel to California for:

Word steps - a puzzle cache

Tomorrow we'll ...

What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us? - 7/26/18

My apologies to those of you who may have already seen this recent California puzzle.  I found it quite educational.  Have you ever asked yourself:

What Have the Romans Ever Done for Us?

Tomorrow we'll ...

Here We Go Again - 7/25/18

Last night a friend and I went to see the "Mamma Mia" movie sequel.  It wasn't the movie I would have made, but there were some parts I enjoyed a lot, and if nothing else it gave me the excuse to rewatch the original. It's one of my favorite movies, if just for the sheer joy and silliness of it.    It's hard to believe 10 years have passed since it came out. I first heard of the play back in about 2000 when I received tickets to it as part of an overnight trip to Toronto that I won in a raffle.  My husband had grown up listening to his mom play ABBA, and he and I were both surprised how much we enjoyed the play.  Today's puzzle takes us to Washington State for:

N degrees of ABBA

P.S. You might have heard about one of the Mamma Mia challenges going around.  Geocachers have had their own for quite a while ... for example ABBA: The Challenge.  If I ever get to Saskatchewan, at least I know I qualify.

Encoded Location - 7/24/18

You'll have to solve today's California puzzle to determine the:

Encoded Location

Tomorrow we'll be in ...

Anyone for Tennis? - 7/23/18

Today's timely puzzle takes us to England, home of the recent Wimbledon tournament:

Anyone for Tennis?

Tomorrow we'll ...

November Alpha Tango Oscar - 7/22/18

Remember those Law and Order episodes they called "Ripped from the Headlines"?  That might apply to today's English puzzle:

November Alpha Tango Oscar

Tomorrow we'll be in England for another day.

Wow! - 7/21/18

Today's puzzle from England certainly has:

The Wow factor!

Tomorrow we'll be in England for another day.

All Over the Map - 7/20/18

Today's puzzle takes us to California.  Back when I had a lengthy queue of puzzles all ready to post two or three weeks in advance, I tried to line up the hardest ones for Fridays.  Lately, though, I'm lucky to keep a day or two ahead of myself and it seems that the Friday difficulty levels are:

All Over The Map

Tomorrow we'll ...

Anti-knight - 7/19/18

Today's puzzle takes us to China, for a sudoku variant I fist encountered in this Ohio puzzle.  I had been part of the epic group solve and logged the cache back before I featured it about a month ago, but it's taken me ever since to get through the whole thing from start to finish on my own.  I feel like I've graduated from sudoku boot camp.  What a work out.  The instructions for this puzzle lose a little in translation, but a succinct explanation of this variant is that all squares at a chess knight move from each other must hold different numbers:

2#I love Sudoku-S2

Tomorrow we'll ...

Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You - 7/18/18

Today we travel to Georgia for another puzzle that landed in my in-box this past weekend:

Can't Take My Eyes Off of You II

Tomorrow we'll ...

Titles - 7/17/18

Today's California puzzle is one that dropped into my in-box over the weekend.  I love getting suggestions from fellow puzzlers (hint, hint). I'm always looking for things that will grab people's interest and provide some fun.  Suggestions can be timely, quirky, interesting, educational, or unique in some other way, and of any difficulty level.  And you know I always love ones with catchy:

Titles

Tomorrow we'll ...

Delta Dawn - 7/16/18

Let's kick of the day with a California puzzle I tested pre-publication last week.  Apologies in advance for any earworms introduced by:

Delta Dawn

Tomorrow we'll ...

War Games - 7/15/18

This California puzzle introduced me to some war games I'd never heard of before.  One, two, three, four, I declare a:

Pythagorean Theorem War

Tomorrow we'll be in California for another day.

Russian Hidden Creatures - 7/14/18

Today we travel to Rhode Island for a timely puzzle involving some:

Russian Hidden Creatures

Tomorrow we'll ...

LZW - 7/13/18

The other day I happened across this California puzzle by a CO whose work I have enjoyed before, and since I was worn out from three days of non-stop cleaning, I took advantage of a quiet Sunday afternoon to puzzle through:

LZW

Tomorrow we'll ...

Hidden Creatures - 7/12/18

Today's puzzle takes us to New Jersey.  Even though I haven't done much caching lately, I've managed to score the first six in this summer's geocaching.com summer promotion.  I always try to participate on some level, although I think I've enjoyed the ones that encourage you to find different types of caches more than the ones that encourage a high volume or a streak.  I don't foresee a lot of caching in the next couple of weeks, so I doubt I'll get all of the:

Hidden Creatures Features

Tomorrow we'll be in California.

Bananas - 7/11/18

Today's California puzzle feels like a good one for today ... lots going on and it's difficult to keep from going:

Bananas!!!!

Tomorrow we'll ...

Number Theory - 7/10/18

Today's Washington state puzzle is all about the numbers!  I hope you'll take a shot at this interesting exercise in:

Number Theory: A Math Puzzle That Uses No Math

Tomorrow we'll ...

Are you ready for some futbol? - 7/9/18

I hardly ever watch soccer, but every four years I can rustle up some interest in the world cup.  Today's cache takes us to California:

Are you ready for some (world) football?

Tomorrow we'll ...

Big A's Cache - 7/8/18

Today we travel to Pennsylvania for:

Big A's Cache

Tomorrow we'll be in California.

Astria Porta - 7/7/18

Today we travel to the UK for a puzzle involving:

Astria Porta

Tomorrow we'll ...

Blank - 7/6/18

Today's puzzle finds us in central New York. Our bathroom remodel finally started today, so there was lots of banging and pounding going on, with much more to come. Not the best puzzling conditions, for sure. It's hard to concentrate, and how can I sort anything out if my mind is a:

Blank????

Tomorrow we'll  ...

Logos - 7/5/18

Today's puzzle from Spain is one that I worked on with friends recently.  Since I do most of my puzzling alone, it's always fun to participate in a group effort.  Try your luck with these:

Logos

Tomorrow we'll ...

Happy 4th of July! - 7/4/18

Today's puzzle takes us to California.  Here in the U.S. it's Independence Day, so a lot of folks will be flying and waving:

Old Glory

Tomorrow we'll ...

Banned! - 7/3/18

This California puzzle had me grinning:

BANNED Technique! Catapult 4.0

Tomorrow we'll celebrate Independence day in California.

Heatwave - 7/2/18

When I started looking for a puzzle to post today, they were predicting that we'd be in the midst of  a period of excessive heat unseen around here since 2011.  It didn't take too long for me to come across this puzzle from Memphis, TN.  And since I went to college there way back in the day, I can tell you that they do indeed know a thing or two about a:

Heatwave

Tomorrow we'll ... 

The Knights Who ... - 7/1/18

Today we travel to Canada's Ontario province.  What can I say, I had to laugh at:

The Knights Who Say Knit!

Tomorrow we'll ...

Welcome Back - 6/30/18

Today you can travel along with me as I return to New Jersey for a full weekend of activities coordinated by my friend captainmath:

Welcome to Tri-State Treasures!

Tomorrow we'll ...

Piltdown Man - 6/29/18

I've started working through a difficult but very engrossing multi-layered effort by the CO of today's Illinois cache, but I think I should get further before sharing it with you.  In the meantime see if you can solve the mystery of the:

Piltdown Man

Tomorrow we'll be in New Jersey ...

A Year Ago Today - 6/28/18

I don't know where the time goes ... it was exactly a year ago this week that I made my first trip to Paris since my teen years, and was able to go caching with a friend who happened to be there at the same time.  In memory of those fun days, I'm featuring a puzzle we found along the way:

Centre Culturel de Chine à Paris

Tomorrow we'll ...

Strange ... - 6/27/18

Today we travel to Colorado for a puzzle about a:

Strange Encounter

Tomorrow we'll be in France.

I'm really interested in explorinig some new locations and new CO's for puzzles for the blog.  If you've ever thought of passing something along to me, please do so!  Your suggestions are always greatly appreciated.

Caching and Camping - 6/26/18

Schools are finally out around here, so it's definitely summer time.  What better time for a visit to Maryland for some:

Caching and Camping with Wally

Tomorrow we'll ... 

Stumblefind! - 6/25/18

I actually stumbled across this California puzzle while searching for something to share with you tomorrow, and it turned out to be very appropriate.  While caching in Ohio recently, I had the opportunity to try to pay a visit to a puzzle cache that was shared with me about a year ago.  It was a really unique one, and hadn't been found (or DNF'd) in about 3 years previously.  Although it required a little bit of a drive to get there, my companions for the day VPPlayer and CounselorTroi were game to give it a shot.  When we arrived at the location I told them generally where I thought it was going to be, and made a bee-line for the specific spot I was sure I remembered being mentioned in the hint.  Before I could get there, they had a cache in hand from a very similar, but different spot, and they had opened it up and remarked how it had just been found recently by three or four different people on different days. It didn't appear to be a throw-down container, as there was an old, kind of yucky log down in the bottom of it.  We figured they must just not have logged the find yet.

I will admit that it felt pretty anti-climactic, but I couldn't argue with what they had found ... however, something didn't sit right with me, and after I got home I did a little investigating and realized we had actually stumbled upon a completely different cache!  I'm still kicking myself for not checking the original spot where I wanted to look, and am hoping they'll go back and check for me sometime soon. The cache I had wanted to find was old enough that I wouldn't be at all surprised if somehow the later one had managed to sneak by the reviewer and be ok'd for placement so close to the original one.  In the mean time, so as not to give anything away, I did not log that

Stumblefind!

Tomorrow we'll ...

Nozy, Nozy - 6/24/18

Today's California puzzle made me grin.  I think we can all relate to having a:

Nozy Nabor

Tomorrow we'll ...

Easy Haiku - 6/23/18

Today finds us in Ohio for an:

Easy Haiku Puzzle

I'm sure this is the first puzzle I've ever solved while standing in the CO's kitchen, just moments before going out to find it.

Tomorrow we'll be in California.

Sudoku Symphony - 6/22/18

As promised, I'm sharing with you today the massive Ohio puzzle that was the focus of the final Miami Valley Caching Conundrum event that I attended (and actually wrote a post while attending) last week.  We were afforded the luxury of seeing all but the last piece of the puzzle all at once, so we could divide, collaborate, and conquer together over the course of a (long) evening.  As presented on the cache page, though, this puzzle is going to be a marathon, not a sprint.  I'd actually like to try to get through the whole thing myself, since I didn't have the chance to try all of the ones at the event.  You'll have to complete each of the 48 puzzles (which include 12 different varieties, 4 difficulty levels each) in sequence in order to have what you need to solve the: 

Sudoku Symphony


Tomorrow we'll remain in Ohio for one more day.