Flying & Voting

I tried to avoid all election stories and left them for the real journalists... but yesterday I couldn't turn down the opportunity.

Romney had a hot air balloon on steroids in town.  It was a blimp, but a hot air balloon with a fan the back to propel it.  I got to go up in the blimp.  It was pretty sweet to be able to see the city and Central Ohio from the air like that.  Quite a view and probably one of the most memorable stories I have ever done.

Amazing! Boy was it cold!  The cockpit was completely open and the temperatures were below freezing and then factor in the winds about twenty miles per hour and I really wish I would have put on my gloves before we took off.

One of the coolest parts was that they did not fly it from city to city.  They can take the blimp down, fully deflate it, and have it on a trailer in less than thirty minutes and then hit the road. 

After editing my blimp story together I went back to the station to do a follow up on the Scouting for Food drive that happened Friday.  The food was delivered yesterday and it totaled over seven thousand pounds.  This was their kick off for the month and they hope to get another three thousand to beat last year's numbers.

I got to sleep in a little today since I will be working tonight for election coverage.  Dawn and I did go vote this morning.  We walked to our polling location and we were only gone for 25 minutes including the walk... Still don't understand early voting... unless you plan on working a 16 hour day.  Anyway, super quick and now I wait to head into work for an election night that I, again, will probably never forget.  The station is providing dinner and my assignment has changed several times and it probably will continue to change through the night to help out where they need assistance.

Couldn't ask for better weather for election day... A little frosty this morning, but plenty of sunshine.  Still a slight chance for a spotty shower tonight into early tomorrow, but not everyone will be seeing the rain.  It will be a little cooler for tomorrow, but it will be the kickoff for a warming trend.  We will warm into the 60's for the weekend and stay dry the entire time, but then rain returns with colder air early next week.  Get out there and vote and have a good one!

Best,
Andrew Buck Michael