Football, Hawaiians, and Freezing Temperatures

The New Year was kicked of with the annual Sugar Bowl and we were there for a trial run of our new tailgating outreach. While die hard fans from Georgia and Hawaii walked the streets of downtown New Orleans, we were setting up to tailgate. My truck was loaded down with our tent, ice chest, grill, about 12 cases of bottle water to give away, and all the other little things that were needed to make the outreach possible. We were able to get a great spot on the neutral ground (that's what we call our medians) next to the interstate about a block and a half from the Superdome. Everything was nicely in order except for one minor detail. It was the coldest it had been all winter. The high on January 1 was 41 degrees with a wind chill in the lower 30's. Now I know what you folks from up north are thinking, "That's not cold." I'll agree that the temperature drops lower up there but remember that our climate is wet. What is tolerable up north soaks into your bones in New Orleans. The wind that day blew constantly between 12-15 miles an hour with gust up to 20. Needless to say, our weather conditions for tailgating were less than ideal. Our tent acted more like a sail at times and even tumbled over my truck at one point. Despite the weather, we had a good time and our efforts were well received. Locals were supportive and visitors were grateful for our hospitality and assistance. Few people took our water (I wouldn't want it either as cold as it was) but we at least made it through the day and were able to make note of things done right as well as needed improvements. Next up, LSU and the BCS Championship.

Jaime and I would like to give a big thanks to Jon Young for sticking it out for the duration. What a trooper!