The Razor’s Edge Tailgate

What a wonderful way to end the 2008 regular season of tailgating!  Snow started on Friday, 12/19 and continued right on through to Sunday. The forecasters predicted a switch to rain and we were lucky that it held off until the 2nd half of the game. Therefore, we enjoyed a nice snowy tailgate... perfect for any Pats fan!

We met up at our usual spot and knew it was a go since Mike scouted out both Wicked and Lot51 on Saturday to be sure. Our caravan of  a dozen or so cars had no problem setting up in our favorite spot along the fence and thanks to double cinder blocks, the tents were just fine. We had  plenty of room since it was a “stand up” tailgate with nobody sitting and folks bringing the bare minimum in terms of supplies.

It was a mostly male tailgate with regulars Robin, Robin & Laureen taking a pass this week. There were, however, plenty of Santa hats in the house!  I crafted a cute mascot, Tedy (of course) to join in the fun and bring some extra special mojo.

Food was aplenty as usual, although both Al and I barely ate, having stuffed ourselves the night before when we got together with our friends for a holiday get together. Naturally, there were huge vats of Jambalaya and chili, grills full of a variety of meats, Geoff‘s asparagus, and breakfast food galore. Ice cold beers were on tap but I opted instead for coffee and hot cider with rum.

Since the weather was a mess, Quinn stayed home in NH and Jose and Chris Woods helped on with guide duties. I took my turn as well during the tailgate and shuffled along in the snow.

The tailgate seemed to last for a record number of hours and was quite mellow. I inserted some footwarmers but they really didn’t kick in until after got home but it really wasn’t that cold and was bearable.   Expecting some wicked weather before the end of the game, everyone broke down the tents and tailgate before heading in to the stadium.

After our toasts and pictures, everyone geared up with extra layers and rain gear willing the snow to continue in lieu of the predicted wind and rain. Al and I headed up to our seats and made the long trek in boots up the ramps in the snow. It was snowing steadily for the first half but unfortunately many of the folks in the section were more concerned with throwing snowballs than watching the game. Of course, the Pats were crushing and it was in hand early so the mood was light. (There were plenty of opportunities for Snow Fireworks thanks to lots of points wracking up on the scoreboard.)

By halftime, the freezing rain started and we were very thankful that we brought our ponchos. It was great to see Johnny “Noiseman” Monaco and his dad receive the Fan of the Year award on the Jumbotron and it was well deserved!

Pats ended up crushing 47-7 and the Jets lost but unfortunately, the Dolphins also won so it all comes down to the final game of the season. We need to win and the Jets need to beat the Fins on Sunday, then the division is ours!