Saturday football to the nth degree

I got to carry my son, half asleep, up to his bed last night. I haven't enjoyed the feel of his cheek molded to my shoulder in a long time, and likely won't get to much longer. His feet dangled past my knees as I lumbered up the stairs to undress him and deposit him in bed.

We were all exhausted after a day that started with a county parks program on insects and ended with the exciting conclusion to Michigan's first night game ever in the Big House. 

We have found that even if games start later in the day the tailgaters don't. They just party longer. We parked at eleven and ate lunch then dinner with friends and family, ducking under tents for short bouts of rain, walking to the park for afternoon entertainment, and mingling as the sun rose and then descended. It was edging toward the horizon as Jon, Calvin, and I headed for home to catch the game on TV.

Calvin's day ended at half time, which because of the night game was still hours after his usual bedtime, but he was hoping for a glimpse of the Airborne Paratroopers we'd met while tailgating. He got to take his picture with them and they were very nice about answering questions, and gave him a football, so we'd hoped their drop into the stadium at half time would be shown on TV. Alas, it wasn't.

That time of year again

College football is back. We live in a college football town and the start of the season is something we look forward to every year. I know not everyone feels that way. People who live here usually either love or hate the football program because on home game Saturdays the entire city gets locked up. We have the largest football stadium (the third largest sports stadium in the world), and funneling more than 110,000 fans into, and then out of, such a small area for every game is a practice in patience for all who live here, and all who are visiting.

This year's football season arrived in a rather unusual fashion. Tailgating in temperatures upwards of 90 degrees is not as much fun as usual, but my family has been tailgating with the same crowd since I was young, possibly since before I was born, and our festivities are as much tradition as any other holiday. And as with other holidays, it brings me great joy to see my son enjoying the same activities with the same people, and the next generation. So, not to be missed, we spent a very hot afternoon enjoying grilled sausage and other fun foods while summoning the energy to play games, dance, and laugh in spite of the heat. We don't get to go to all the games, but I can honestly say that today I didn't envy anyone their tickets. And as it turned out the game was short lived, being called in the third quarter due to severe weather. And that makes our first win under a new coach. I can only hope the remainder of the year is less eventful, but equally as successful.

Well, there's always next year

The football year started out with what seemed like promise, but fizzled out with what seemed more like the waning efferevesence of flat ginger ale, and that's no real fizzle at all. To that all I can say is, well, there's always next year.

Good times tailgate fun.

Tailgates are always fun because they come before the game. Enough said.

Another winner!

I could be talking about the football game, though today's game against Indiana left much to be desired, and may prove to be a real harbinger of doom (especially if, as it looks, Forcier is nursing an injured throwing arm), we can actually add it as another W on our schedule.  It was a dismal reminder, though, that we are relying on the courage and convictions of a freshman quarterback or two.

It does not, however, take a winning game to enjoy a fantastic pregame party, and this was one of my favorites.  At least once a season we rock the tailgate world with a full on made to order breakfast buffet, with eggs (plain, scrambled, or omelet? And would you like green pepper, mushrooms, or onion on that?  And what kind of cheese?), pancakes (would that be blueberry, chocolate chip, or plain?), bread (feel free to use the toaster, and help yourself to butter or homemade jam), and, of course, the usual sides of fresh fruit, sausage, bacon, cheese, crackers, taco dip, and chips, not to mention mimosas, beer, and wine (those are not all breakfast foods, you say?  Not a standard breakfast, maybe, but this is a tailgate, after all).  This is by far my favorite tailgate of the season, and as I walked back from the game I pitied all the people who were cleaning up the pizza or sub boxes from their own pregame revelries.  We love our tailgating crowd!  But alas, we've been spoiled for all other tailgating experiences.