Texans (Reliant Stadium)

A Curse Has Been Lifted
We arrived at Reliant Stadium's parking lots around 8:30am for a noon time game.  The skies were mostly cloudy, somewhat ominous.  It was a bit windy, but for the most part the weather was mild.  To say that we've been jinxed, or cursed, is certainly an overstatement.  But the thought of witnessing another Patriots loss in person weighed more heavily upon us than it should have.  As is the norm with the Patriots you pay your dues as a fan, hoping for the best and sticking it out even in the toughest of circumstances.  But so far this year the Pats had played 10 games with only 2 losses; and as our law would have it, we were there to see the deuce.   And no one was eager to make it three.  That being said, the tailgates always make our travels worth while.
 
Rabid fans Craig and Joyce from Colorado found us first, and promptly cranked up the Patriotic tunes.  They were more than ready for the game, dressed to the hilt, and carrying a Pats banner.  Only minutes later die-hard Jennifer from Dallas arrived to join our budding tailgate.  We welcomed Craig and Sully, who started off the festivities with an early morning shotgun.  Now that'll wake you up.  Even though lately we'd been accustomed to crowds of 25 or more, and this day's total would peak at about half of that, it didn't lessen any of the fun.   We can't say enough about the fans who joined us.

As for the Houston faithful, well we can only say their hospitality and generosity has topped that of all opposing fans we've met to date.  A sincere thanks is given to Houstonian's Steve and Michelle, who for all intents and purposes hosted this tailgate, supplying most of the gear.   And when our grill's propane tank suddenly ran out on us mid-morning, neighboring Texans tailgaters didn't even bat an eyelash to offer up their spare tank to a group of rowdy New Englanders.  Now that's what we're talking about!

Before long  those ominous clouds lived up to their billing and began dumping buckets on the cookout crowds.  As Murphy's Law would have it, that's when Mrs B from PatriotWorld.com called.  On her hike across the stadium grounds to find us, she got caught up in the pouring rain.   But that didn't even come close to stopping her.  She and her fellow Pats fans eventually located our canopy (mostly drenched mind you ) and huddled under it with us 'til the rain subsided.   And oddly enough for the second time this season the Murphy's pre-game toast of Irish Cream did the trick to rid us of the rains.   ...at least long enough for a few group photos, that is.

The fans, the stadium, and game all exceeded our expectations.  And we're thrilled to say we are not a jinx.  

...Knock on wood.

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