Here's the story behind the rooftop lion in the Lower Garden District

What he says: "Lions are a symbol of strength and determination," Frost tells Axios New Orleans. "I do a lot of projects like that. The real reason is because one day, I can't."

• "It's an expression of being alive and of strength."

Catch up quick: On a recent dinner trip to Beggars Banquet, I got distracted by a lion statue that someone had managed to haul onto the roof of their massive Lower Garden District home.

• The lion is mid-roar, and he peeks out over his shoulder for a river-bound view of the Prytania Street traffic that crosses in front of his home.
• I couldn't stop thinking about it, so I finally just knocked on the door in search of the story behind it.

The placement is purposeful, Frost told me.

• "I love that you can see it from the street," he says.

The intrigue: Frost says he did make one careful consideration before hauling the lion to the roof of his house.

• "I had to do it at night because people would have called the police if they saw that in the middle of the day," Frost says. "But I got it done with no help!"
• Frost estimates the fiberglass lion only weighs between 30 and 40 pounds, and he managed to get it up to the roof with just a rope and some grit.
• "It was made in Turkey," he says. "It's a beautiful piece."

Threat level: Frost has three of the lion's legs attached to the roof, he says, and he'd consider taking it down completely if there was a big hurricane on the way to town.

• "I have a plan," he says, if that happens. "But that thing isn't going anywhere."

Fun fact: The lion, by the way, does have a name.

• It's Leonidas, Frost says, just like the Spartan warrior.