I tried again using hot water from the kitchen tap.

The bubbles were about the same. I realized that if the bubbles were to have a chance, they'd be pulling straight upwards immediately.

These weren't doing that.

Just in case the bubbles were just "stuck" to the bucket or heavier bubbles, I tried grabbing a hunk and tossing them into the air.

No. They were not lighter than air.

My next step was to try hotter water and cooler weather. This time I warmed two pots of water on the stove before dumping them into a bucket with a generous dose of soap.

My bubbles looked pretty good so far, so I stuck with dollar-store dishwashing liquid instead of a party store bubble solution.

The next day was Sunday, and at the crack of 9, I was up, taping a hose to the exhaust pipe again. The air was about 45 degrees F. outside.

The hot air and water did seem to make a difference. The bubble blob was a bit taller.

But again, the bubbles would not fly.

I felt like I was making progress, improving my results incrimentally. I needed to either get really hot air and water or try a completely different approach.