I'm having one of those weeks where there's no possible way I can finish everything I have to get done. One project in particular is taking days longer than it was supposed to. There's just no way I'm going to get through this week without pissing someone off or at least seriously disappointing them. Oh, well. All I can do is keep plugging away, and hope for a miracle. So much for taking a break after I got back from Washington.

Damn, I'm tired.

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BABIES FOR BUSH

This latest Washington trip went really well. I got a lot of work done, and got to spend a little bit of time with some good friends. Friday night on the roof terrace of the new building was howling good time. I got home Saturday evening and even though I had long list of projects and obligations to get through this week, I decided to just chill on Sunday. Around 1:30, my doorbell rang, and when I answered the door, I found a little girl, maybe just 5 or 6 years old standing with her mom and dad. The little girl, holding some brochures in her hands, asked, "Are you voting for my President, George W. Bush?"

I paused for just a second as a thousand thoughts went through my head. "HELL NO!" was of course what I was thinking, but there was no way I'd say that to this adorable little child. I looked at her dad and then looked back at her. I smiled and simply said "No, I am not."

Without saying a word, the little girl turned around and started to walk away. Her father instructed her to say thank you, which she did, and the three of them walked on to the next house. This was one of those situations where after it was over, I thought of a dozen things I should have said, but I responded the way I did (and with a plesant smile) because I didn't want to say anything negative in front of the child. Forget about what candidate these parents were supporting. That's not the issue here. What these people did was use their young daughter as a human shield. By putting her out front, and forcing her to recite the lines they made her memorize, they insured that they would get just a yes or no answer. It makes me sick! If it had just been the parents at my door, I would have had a few questions for them as well, like if they had seen this video.

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CROSSING THE LINE

Just two days after installing the Copper Hopper Chopper, I was back in the Washington office to help out with the quarter end crunch. We've moved out of the Watergate and now we're in a new building on M Street near Georgetown. In the first six days, I worked some long hours (over 80) and pulled a 24.5 hour work day on Sunday/Monday. It's never easy to do that, but it's the way the system works. We got the job done, and had a little fun while doing it. Of course, there are times when it is not wise to cross the white line that divides an office. As you can see here, this poor guy didn't make it.

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MORE COPPER HOPPER CHOPPER

As I said yesterday, Copper Hopper Chopper, the final frog in the Leapfrog Erie outdoor art project is finished and in place at Dobin's Landing in Erie, PA. A crane had to be used to lift the giant metal monster from the trailer from up to it's pole.

My dad and I covered every square inch of the fiberglass frog with small sheets of copper. Each piece of copper had to be cut, bent, and in many cases hammered into shape.

The copper was attached to the fiberglass with small copper pop-rivets. For each rivet (well over 5000) a hole had to be drilled in the metal and fiberglass, and then the copper pop rivets were put into place with a small rivet gun. Believe it or not, we thought that attaching this copper would be a quicker job than gluing all the small round mirrors on to Croak-A-Dot Boy, were we wrong! The copper took much, much longer.

Now, for all of my old racing friends who are reading this, look closely at the center of the top rotor. Does that look familiar? Well, it's an old steel Soap Box Derby wheel and axle (stamped 1988). I know that there are some derby purists who will hate to see a wheel and axle used that way, but believe me when I tell you that they were not from a matched set, and they are now being put to good use.

The tail and top rotors spin freely and are always in motion. It takes almost no breeze to get them moving. I think this really helps the look of the sculpture because it is always in motion.

And of course, the location couldn't be more perfect. It's right by the water at the public dock, where some of the most beautiful sunsets you'll ever see appear on a nightly basis.

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COPPER HOPPER CHOPPER

Yes! Saturday morning went very well, and we successfully installed my dad's Copper Hopper Chopper. I have more photos to show and more to tell, but I'm on my way out the door...

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TOMORROW

We're just about done with my dad's Leapfrog, and tomorrow is the day we install it! This has been a long, hard build, but we're very happy with the way it has turned out. We still have a long day (and night) ahead of us today to get all the final touches taken care of, but we are definitely chomping at the bit to get this thing installed. The frog will be at the foot of the public dock and will go up sometime in the afternoon. There is no unveiling ceremony planned, since it will take a little while to install, but if you're going to be in Erie tomorrow afternoon, drop by the dock and check it out. You won't be able to miss it!

**UPDATE!**

The "Copper Hopper Chopper" installation has been moved up to 9:00 tomorrow morning. That means we just lost about four hours of finishing time, but we'll still make it. Stay tuned!

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THE KING

Earlier this week, the king of all Leapfrogs (a.k.a. Toadally Elvis) made his debut. This one is the great work of Chuck Dill. Chuck did a super job sculpting this highly detailed frog. And with the King now out, my Dad's frog is the only one left, and it will be the last one to hit the streets. We're on the home stretch now, and it won't be long before we unveil his "Copper Hopper Chopper."

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