Props! In this unbounded realm of creativity, I find it difficult to filter out the everyday scrum of information and boring type from the merely interesting and distill the final essences into a formidable post for Friday props. Surrounded by the visual cacophony of color exuded by the maples, ash, birch, beech, sumac and other deciduous trees turning at this time of year, I stare at the contrast of the rich green fields lying in the river bottoms on my drive to work. With our props today, though, I refuse to succumb to these natural beauties and ignore the increased population of white-platers and tour buses on the road. "With such natural beauty, how could you possibly focus on optimizing websites or jumping into vibrant search engine marketing strategies," you ask. "Friday Props," I reply. "Friday Props." I've never been to Wisconsin. Traveling to that Midwestern state, a prominent rival in cheese and dairy production, could get me shot. I did, however, have a friend who visited and told an amazing tale of The House on the Rocks. To prove that this place existed, she even brought a book back with her. This adventure happened many years ago and while I still am afraid to enter enemy cheese territory, the tale of the house sticks in my brain. The dates of origination are hazy and in dispute. There is a strange spiteful connection to architect Frank Lloyd Wright. Though the history is fascinating, the wonders inside are incredulous and impossible to describe cohesively. Instead, I invite you to glimpse inside and explore the oddities yourself.

From the heartland, I beacon you back to the urban insanity of New York City. This particular piece, in spite of its location, made me think of the mythological(?) monster of Lake Champlain known as Champ. Here, Joshua Allen Harris used the resources available to him (garbage bags) and took advantage of his environment (subway ventilation grates) to create very cool installation art......situational, if you please. I'm trying to imagine my own reaction walking down the street beside a pile of garbage bag when they suddenly leap up creating a huge monster.

And then there's this man. I know this probably should be featured on "Dirtiest Jobs" or will end up on Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me's "Not My Job" segment, but how can you NOT give props to this fella? Sigfried and Roy have their tigers, sure. There are plenty of folks that play around in shark cages and on crocodile farms. Let us not forget the folks at the CDC who poke and prod potentially cataclysmic microbes. They are all brave. And so is this man. He's cool. Cool as a cucumber in a bowl of hot sauce. Cool like Steve McQueen (you know this fella has a motorcycle). After you take on the task of cleaning the King Cobra pen without getting jacked on a adrenalin, you are no longer considered simply "cool." You are THE Cool. Happy Props Folks.