To pass the time while waiting for our next adventure on the Rhapsody of the Sea, a treasure hunt will take place aboard this fine ship! The treasure.....the sum of the individual contributions of each treasure seeker among us....(I suggest $10.00 to $25.00).. will be  up to $275.00. While I will contribute, I will not, for obvious reasons, be a treasure seeker. 3red7s will not have access to more information than any other 42er. 

The Rhapsody Treasure Hunt - Update!

10/17/2005 thru 10/27/05

10/15/05...all who have responded so far have indicated that $25 per Treasure Seeker would be acceptable...so just bring the funds with you. I will assume that all 11 in our party will participate unless I hear otherwise. Good hunting ...all of you will need a cruise brochure showing the layout of the decks of the "Rhapsody of the Seas" (contact Harry at Cruises Only if you need one) and your trusty little "Crime Scene Detectives" flashlight. You just can't solve a mystery without one of those!

All questions, comments, suggestions regarding the Rhapsody Treasure Hunt should be directed to our guest page on 42 Green Dominos and answers will given there. Happy Prospecting!

CORRECTIONS            Ref #5....should refer to happenings at 1800....not 0800

                                       Ref #14....should refer to deck 6....not deck 8

                                       Ref #19....should refer to happenings at 1850....not 1930

                                       Words  #lll..  should be .._LEGSIN-DEPENGAAP  RATCENLIS(45)_  notice 

                                            where the "D" has been deleted and the "C" has been added!

                                      Word   #a..  should not have (  )  around it,  however, the words # f..   have (  ) around  

                                             them to highlight the fact that there are 3 2-letter words required

                                       Word  # oo..  should be RINGWAN    .....NOT RINGWAM

                                        The happening just before Jody Brandon makes his proposal occurred at 0700...not 0900

                                        Ref # 44 should refer to 5 SS's...not 4 SS's

                                        Word dd.. should be _CALLETHANITISSUY_

                                        Word  hhh.. should be followed by a period.

                                        Word iii.. should be followed by "A COPY OF"

                        sorry!

Background:

At 1800, on 10/30/05, the Rhapsody of the Seas departed from Galveston, TX for the Western Caribbean. The Captain welcomed all aboard assured everyone that we were in the good hands of a veteran helmsman from Indianapolis. He then remarked that there was a unique room on the ship that was next to an elevator and whose number was a combination of two numerals each used twice. He promised that all those who searched the decks and found this room would be given free drinks at the Moonlight Bay Bar. Doug "Medicine Man" Lill spent 4 hours hunting for the room and, instead, found himself in a fight with some top gun wanabees.

At 0900, guests are reminded of the production of "Pirates of the Caribbean" which will be featured in the Broadway Melodies Theater, and the "Goose that Laid the Golden Egg" slot tournament that would be held on Wednesday night. One guest was overheard saying that only fools would spend their money gambling in a tournament like that. One lady, a red head, standing close by, hit him with her fanny pack and another lady, with fire in her eyes, blew smoke in his face. The guest, referred to as "Dirty Dog", retreated to where he and his buddies could safely and leisurely enjoy their favorite game.

At 0800, on the morning after the Rhapsody of the Seas set sail from Galveston enroute to the Western Caribbean, the Ship's Captain sounded an all_ships alarm in which he stated that it had just been discovered that someone had gained entry to the Jewelry Shop during the night and made away with $5000 in jewels. A Red Leather handbag was also missing. DD (yes, the same one who incurred the wrath of the gambling gals) and GiGi, a couple returning late from the Shall We Dance Lounge, reported that, as they were just exiting the Schooner Bar, at about 0200, they had seen a man and a woman entering the elevator, and the woman had a RED LEATHER HANDBAG! The Green's noticed that the elevator stopped on Deck 7, the same deck that their stateroom was on, then returned to Deck 6 for them to enter. When they arrived on Deck 7, there was no one in sight.

At 0830, Jim, "JimBoe" Lill, was returning from a secret practice session at the shuffleboard courts when he decided to step into the Champagne Bar for a bottle of water. But, first, he needed to use the restroom....bad! Upon entering the restroom just across the hall, he discovered an unconscious woman laying face down behind a trashcan! She had been hit on the head. After taking care of his urgent business, JimBoe called out for assistance! Robert "1stLight" McWhorter, occupying stall #3, came out to see what the shouting was all about. As he was returning from a dip in the pool, he had stopped in the restroom, and had seen the body, but had just thought it was a drunk passed out on the floor. Together, they revived her and she told the story that a couple had approached her in the bar just before midnight and stuck what she thought was a gun in her back and forced her to leave with them. They had forced her into the restroom and, then, hit her on the head. They had taken her handbag which had $275 in it. The man was about 25, thin, and wore a Captain's Cap with "VCL" on it. The woman was about the same age, pretty, with a lot of sex appeal, but not beautiful. She had a gold ring in her tongue that shined several times as she forced her victim from the lounge and said, "Yes, I will kill you if I have to!"

At 0930, Monica Trulove, lounge singer and entertainer, reported that she had gone to get more ice just a few minutes after midnight, (the late, late show was just coming on) when, as she returned to her cabin, 4535, she noticed a couple getting on the elevator. She remembered because she thought it strange that the man was carrying a handbag instead of the woman...the woman had on a very tight t-shirt with the letters "EDR" on it. Medicine Man, leaving the Champagne Bar after catching Miss Tootsie's last performance, also saw the couple, but, when questioned, could remember nothing but the ...very tight t-shirt!

At 1530...The burglary of the Jewelry Shop occurred just hours after the ship had embarked on its cruise, sometime after the shop closed at 2200 and before 0800. In the afternoon after the crime was reported, Tooter "1mark" Newman came forward and reported that he had seen a man fitting the description of the perp earlier that morning as he (1mark) was jogging. As he watched the Captain's wife take her little poodle for his morning constitutional, he noticed a man waiting at the elevator that goes up to the Viking Crown Lounge and the only thing 1mark saw him carrying was a book. He remembered it because it was titled, "Pay the Line" in big yellow letters and he couldn't figure out what such a book could be about!

At 1850, during the evening meal, Shayne "MKLady" Hansen poked James "BarNone" McWhorter in the ribs and pointed out a young lady walking thru the dining area carrying a bundle of table linens and she had a shiny gold ring in her tongue. BarNone got up from the table and ran up to her, grabbed her by the shoulder and spun her around. The linens fell to the floor and revealed a black leather handbag she had been concealing. She screamed in anger, whacked BarNone with the handbag, knocking him into MKLady who was trying to help out. She fell into the middle of the Head table, burying her face and , er...chest in the Captains' mashed potatoes and gravy. LaVern "3red7s" McWhorter, seeing the whole thing, grabbed the handbag but was not able to stop the woman who ran from the dining room and disappeared. The black handbag was empty except for a Casino Royale $5 chip, a $ 1 slot token, a plastic bag filled with caviar and a picture of the woman with a thin man wearing a sailor's cap, standing beside a "Lucky 7's" slot machine and carrying a book entitled "Treasure Island". The Chef concluded that the woman, an employee of his , was trying to steal the caviar, since a lot of it had been found missing lately. A search for the woman was begun as was a clean-up of the Captain's table and MKLady. 3red7s asked if she could keep the $5 chip and the $1 token as a reward but was told that they were evidence in an on-going criminal investigation. The ship's photographer announced that photos of the "Gravey Makeover", the purse snatching, and other events of the evening would be available in the Photo Shop.

At 2020, Carolyn "Smiley Face" Newman, returning from a delightful late-evening session at the ShipShape Spa, entered the elevator just past the Solarium Pool and next to the ladies restroom. As she descended to Deck 7, the noticed a plastic bag stuffed down behind the potted plant next to the elevator . Upon retrieving it, she found a brown handbag with a leather wallet inside, empty of cash and credit cards, but with a driver's license in the name of Rita Hazelip...the woman who had been hit on the head and her handbag stolen. Fearing that she would be accused of stealing the handbag, Smiley Face did what any god-fearing, red-blooded American woman would do...she looked around to be sure nobody was watching, wiped her prints off of the handbag and wallet, dropped the plastic bag with its contents on the nearest housekeeping cart and went on to her cabin.

At 0700 the next morning, the 42'ers were not surprised at the announcement that Ms. Hazelips' handbag had been found. Nor that the young lady with the gold tongue ring had been found the night before in the cabin of Jody Brandon, a bartender in the Viking Crown Lounge. She was identified as Dona Nou and was immediately taken into custody. But all of the evidence except for the caviar in the black handbag was circumstantial. There was not sufficient grounds with which to hold or charge Jody Brandon. Then Mr. Brandon made a startling proposition. Not admitting any guilt, but admitting to having witnessed the hiding of the jewelry, he proposed this.....

Proposal:

He would offer a series of clues that, if carefully and thoughtfully followed, would result in the recovery of the $5000 in Jewelry, the recovery of the $275 missing from Ms. Hazelips' handbag, and the apprehension of the perpetrator.

However, if the ships' crew and passengers were not able to find the perpetrator or the missing items by the time the ship docked at Cozumel, Mexico, and he could show that his clues did, indeed, lead to the missing items, he would be allowed to claim them and leave the ship a free (and richer) man!

Mr. Brandon also revealed that, should the treasure not be found and become his property, he was going to give a nice gift (of about $275) to his old friend and former U of Texas fraternity buddy, Robert "1stLight" McWhorter!

Wanting to settle this matter as quickly and quietly as possible, the Captain agreed to his terms, believing full well that the items would be found. He agreed to share the clues with the crew and passengers and offered the person who found them (and turned them in) a nice reward (of about $275).

The Treasure can be found....by solving the attached document:

By analyzing the following document or treasure map, if you will, and using the background data and references, you will learn the whereabouts of the Rhapsody of the Seas treasure......when you have solved the words, e-mail me for the key to see if you have indeed found the treasure!

a.._____ .......Each significant word or phrase is tracked by a lower-case

letter

__OO5__ .....are words that contain double OO's and have clues attached, where 5 would reference a clue like

5...something sticky...................GOO

_BASERDMCL_ ......are words that have the letters (scrambled)

____7_____ .....are words that require reviewing the evidence found at that reference number to derive them.

7...pickup truck.................FORD

__ __ L __9 ......are words that you fill in the blanks after looking at the reference cited.....

9...hold up pants................BELT

THE 42ERS ALL PLAYED A PART IN SOLVING THE CRIME ON BOARD THE RHAPSODY OF THE SEAS, BUT WILL THEY REAP THEIR REWARDS? You may begin....but save the original by making a copy and working on it...that way, you won't lose the work tracking letters or the word reference numbers. It reads like a book but the alignment may be off in places.....

THE a..__OO1__ WAS b.._TRESUSEQEED_ BY THE c..__OO2__ OF THE d..____3____ AS HE WAS e.._DENIJOEN_ f..(_O

_O _O_)4 BY THE g..____5___ h..__OO__6 i.._SHOEW_ j..____7____ IS TO k.._ _ e e _ the _ _ s s _ _8. GIGI l.._LEGGDIG_

AS SHE m.._CHEWDAT_ A n..__OO9__ PUT HIS o..__OO10__ IN p.._MOSE_ q..__OO11__ r.._HIEWL_ s.._PEEWINGS_ THE

t..__OO12__ OF THE u..___13___ IN THE v..__OO14__ . w..___15___ x.._MESTUBLD_ OVER A y..__OO16__ WHILE

z.._OO17__ FOR A aa.._OO18__ TO FIX THE bb..___19___ DOWN IN THE cc..___20___. dd.._CALLETHANITISSAY_,

1MARK ee..___21___, ff.."__ E __ __ O - __ O__ __ __ E __- A __ E -A- __ __ I __- O __ - __ __ E I __ - O __ __" AS THE gg..___22__

IN THE hh..___23___ ii.._EDTHAE_ UP. TWO OF THE jj..___24___ , kk..___25___ AND ll..___26___, HAD mm..___27___ ON

THEIR nn..___28___. WITHOUT oo.._RINGWAN_, A pp..__29___ qq.._DANGBAH_ rr.._TUMPLEED_ ONTO THE TABLE,

ss.._LISTRGNAT_ THE tt..___30___ AND uu.._GINSIAR_ A BIG vv..___31___. THIS CAUSED BARNONE TO ww..___32___

HIS xx..___OO33___ AND RETIRE TO THE yy..___34___ FOR SOME zz..__OO35__ aaa..__OO36__ AND A bbb..____37___.

DIRTY DOG DECIDED TO JOIN THE MEDICINE MAN AT THE ccc..___38___, WHERE A ddd.."____39___ eee.._TOOPH_ WAS

BEING UTILIZED AS A fff..___40___ IN THE ggg.._METO_ hhh.."____41____" 3RED7S WAS iii..___42___ A COPY

jjj.."____43___" AS SHE WAS BEING kkk..___44___ BY A   lll.. _LEGSIN-DEPENDGAAP  RATCENLIS(45)_  NAMED

mmm..___46___ IN THE nnn..____47___. MEANWHILE, ooo._MAGEBIN SIVEAG_(48) ppp.._LOGAPIZOED_ TO BOE FOR

qqq..___49___ HER rrr..____50____. WEARING A sss..___51___ WITH ttt.."___52___" ON IT, JIMBOE WAS uuu..____53___

BOE ON THE VICE OF vvv..____54___! SHE JUST www..___55___, DISPLAYED A xxx..___56___ IN HER yyy.._NOTEUG_,

AND DEFTLY zzz.._REDMANVUEE_ A aaaa.._TACKS_ OF bbbb..___57___ SLOT TOKENS WITH HER FINGERS.

References:

1...PELF

2...DEAL MAKER BUT WITH AN "M"

3...DON'T BLOCK THE BREEZE, BABY, ON DECK 9

4...3 LITTLE WORDS....TDS

5...REVIEW HAPPENINGS AT 1800

6...BASKETBALL FANATICS

7...JOB

8...SAIL THE SHIP

9...WHO RUSHES IN?

10..UNDERPIN

11..REVIEW HAPPENINGS AT 1530

12..MADE FOR WALKING

13..FORWARD OF THE RADIO ROOM

14..EVER DONE ANY DRINKING ON DECK 6?

15..WORE THE CAP WITH "VCL" ON IT

16..BAR

17..GLASS

18..NOT THE PUPPET KIND

19..REVIEW THE HAPPENINGS AT 1850

20..DUH!

21..BID

22..TRADITIONAL AMARILLO DOMINO GAME

23..ACROSS FROM THE INTELLECTUALS ON DECK 7

24..PLAYERS

25..BUSH SUPPORTER

26..BUSH SUPPORTER, TOO....MAYBE SOMEONE IS TELLING THEM SOMETHING!

27..REVIEW THE HAPPENINGS AT 0900 AND AT 1850

28..NOT TAILS

29..TAKE YOUR PICK...MAY HAVE TO CHANGE IT LATER! CONSIDER HAPPENINGS AT 1850

30..GROUP......WITH AN "ASS"

31..REVIEW HAPPENINGS AT 1850......POOGH!

32..NOT BE ABLE TO FIND....BUT NOT LOSE

33.. COMPOSURE

34..DECK 5...STERN

35..PREPARED

36..HINT IN HAPPENINGS AT 0900

37..COLORADO KOOLAID

38..REVIEW HAPPENINGS AT 1800, 10/30/05

39.. REVIEW HAPPENINGS OF 1850

40..PLACEHOLDER

41..DONNA NOU'S BOYFRIENDS FAVORITE READING MATERIAL

42..CARRYING...BUT WITH TWO GG'S

43..YELLOW LETERS

44..ROBBED EXCEPT WITH 5 SS'S

45..ONE-ARMED BANDIT

46..REVIEW HAPPENINGS AT 1850

47..DUH!

48..SMILEY FACE

49..HIDING

50..CIGARETTES

51..REVIEW HAPPENINGS AT 0830

52..DUH!

53..MORALIZING

54..GAMBLING, SORT OF....

55..TO CURVE THE LIPS UPWARD EXPRESSING PLEASURE...

56..REVIEW HAPPENINGS AT 0830

57..$1 OR $5.........