It is a tremendous gift for one to create moving, beautiful short stories. It takes a great amount of talent to bring someone from laughter, to tears, all within a tapestry of finely woven words.
Canadian writer, and story teller, Stuart McLean had this gift. Canada lost Mr. McLean in 2017, but his short stories live on.
In 1994, Stuart McLean launched "The Vinyl Cafe", a radio/live audience series of short stories featuring a variety of characters, but mainly focusing on; Dave, his wife Morley, and their two kids, Sam, and Stephanie. These characters are fictitious, but we truly get a sense that they are real. Real in a sense that we can relate, laugh, and through McLean's writing, clearly see the quirks that they encounter as they navigate through life.
Stuart McLean captured human decency so confidently in his short stories, they weren't all sunshine and rainbows, but Stuart always seemed to find a way to get to a poignant conclusion. My mother and I would often sit in our car, long after arriving at our destination, just to listen to the end of one of his epically simple, yet sincere endings to "The Vinyl Cafe."
This mystery cache pays tribute to a man who shot Canada with such a warm literary lens. Who saw the generosity, kindness, and uniqueness of this nation.
Your task is rather simple. Listen to his story called "Dave and the Sourdough Starter". I have supplied a related webpage link. Answer the questions below to find out the coordinates to the final cache. Enjoy!
A. Where were Carl and Gerta Loebeir going?
A) Down the street (7)
B) Florida (8)
C) Newfoundland (6)
D) Cape Breton (9)
B. How long has the starter been with Carl's family?
A) 50 years (9)
B) 100 years (8)
C) 20 years (5)
D) 32 years (2)
C. What does Carl usually do with the starter when he goes away?
A) Take it with him (1)
B) Find someone else to look after it (2)
C) Give it to a bakery to look after (4)
D) Give it to the Turlingtons to look after (8)
D. How much flour is Dave supposed to add to the mason jar?
A) One cup (4)
B) One tablespoon (6)
C) One teaspoon (5)
D) Two tablespoons (7)
E. What kind of feel did Carl and Gerta's kitchen feel like?
A) A roadside souvenir shop (8)
B) A cold dungeon (7)
C) A warm atmosphere (6)
D) Dollar store (9)
F. Where was Dave and his family going for a weekend getaway?
A) Halifax (8)
B) Lake Superior (7)
C) Truro (2)
D) Montreal (9)
G. Who thought they had a recipe for sourdough starters?
A) Kenny Wong (5)
B) Jim Schofeild (8)
C) Mary Turlington (7)
D) Gerta Lobeir (3)
H. Who waved his bun in the air?
A) Jim Schofield (7)
B) Dave (8)
C) Sam (6)
D) Kenny Wong (4)
N 49 1A.BCD W 123 0E.FGH
While this is not part of the puzzle, why not listen to a beautiful tribute song written by Buddy MacDonald. Rachel Davis is on the fiddle, and Buddy on the guitar. It's from an interview at Cape Breton University. Watch the whole interview, or jump ahead to the tribute song at 10:30. Click here.