columbus area mensa, col-m, quest, 2002 august

Quest
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by Dick Nuenke

Last month's Quest asked what the following all have in common: HEART, LEAF, LIBERTY, RAIN, RIVER, and SUMMER.

They are all members of the Phoenix family. John Bottom and Aryln (Heart) Duntz took the surname Phoenix and had five children who were given or took on names relating to the earth — sons Leaf and River; daughters Liberty, Rain and Summer. River Phoenix, the best known of the children, was a promising actor who died of a drug overdose in 1993 at the age of 23.

Correct answers came from Alma Litten, Sue Katoll, Kevin Skehan, and Jeff Wolfe.

For the August Quest I've created a clue-filled puzzle. Your task is to identify two inanimate objects which are somewhat related. If they could talk, this is what they might say:

I've been around for a long time, but had a face lift in 1997 which made me more or less visible at the same time. I hate black. I resist the tendency to turn black when rubbed for the wrong reason like some of my imitators. But when things look black I now will show my yellow streak. I'm somewhat secretive and keep my country of origin under my beard. Also, my true value, while well-known, is also stored in many tiny secretive places.

Next year I will be 70, the last of my small group to still survive. While I stayed hidden for many years, they found me out in 1997. Still, I will prove very shortly that two birds in the bush can be worth millions in the hand.

Send answers by August 21st to Dick Nuenke; 1460 Kingsgate Rd.; Columbus, OH 43221 or call in to 614-326-0452; fax to 614-292-4118; or e-mail to rnuenke@columbus.rr.com.