2010 TRAVELING FLOAT

CONSTRUCTION PROJECT

March 1 - 7, 2010

by Tom Grady:

We are in the 10th week of this fifteen week project. This is a very pivotal week as we have to have the plywood deck 100% complete this weekend for other things to fall into place. We have a very tight schedule from here on out and we cannot afford a glitch.

By completing the deck this weekend, my brother will be able to spray fireproofing chemical on it sometime this week so that we will be able to pass the most stringent of all fire inspections (even that San Diego one). Then John Hiatt (Marysville Everett Ceramic Tile - Jodi's husband) has volunteered to come down on Friday and install our Astroturf on the float deck. We sure appreciate his expertise AND help. Then we will really start to look like a parade float.

This weekend we worked a lot on finishing up the storage compartments (all nine of them!) and finishing up the rear and front deck of the float. We also put in some access doors to things like the batteries and the animation for the sun/moon feature. We relocated the fuel filler neck to one of the storage compartments so that we won't have to use the funnel and hose method when we fill the gas - and - we don't have to worry about decorating around it.

Greg and I went brain dead went it came to what to do about the four corners of the float. There really was no way to get them to blend in properly. So, after a little while, Greg came up with a bright idea and thought that we should put some floral element there and I expanded on it with the fact that we have no strawberries on our float...so let's make them strawberry plants! There you go - we have strawberry plants on the corners now. It looks pretty good, I must admit.

We kind of had our first accident this weekend. Greg was working on the sun/moon animation (which is a garage door opener) when for some strange reason, a plastic pulley or something broke when he was testing it - and the thing collapsed on Greg's head. He was able to get his hand in the way but he suffered a nice little cut on his hand and we had to use the first aid kit from the float... Greg's all right but the incident sure surprised us.

We also discussed the placement of the speakers. Jeez...they're a little bit larger than the ones we're used too. Folks, get used to having more noise! We may have to buy ear plugs! hahahahahahaha! Seriously, our system is going to be a lot better than ever. It incorporates six active speakers managed by a mixer and will be run off of an Ipod.

Well, I looking forward to Friday and seeing John lay the Astroturf down over all of the enhancements we have made. The we can start on the decorating.....