Happy New Year!

Saturday marked the beginning of the 2008 Texas football season, and LonghornExperience.com was ready to kick off another round of tailgates!


It was a hot day, but intermittent breezes and an oscillating fan kept us from melting.

Our opponent this week: the Florida Atlantic Owls. In lieu of owl meat, we feasted on a delicacy from the ocean: shrimp.

Also on the menu: brats and Earl Campbell hot links.

Every tailgate needs plenty of koozies, and now we have our own!

It was good to catch up with our Section 1 buddies. Steve (at right) was greeting everyone by saying, "Happy New Year!"

In spite of his cancelled flight and prolonged trip to Austin, T still managed to be the perfect host (even if he did send Dede and me on a wild goose chase to look for a new satellite receiver)!

We enjoyed the canopies' shade and the breeze. At one point, we even got some raindrops. Refreshing!

Tailgate Golf also made its return.

These tailgates are a ton of work (and Dede and I do just a smidgen of it all), but it's so nice to get to the stadium grounds early and have time to visit, eat some good food and watch football while waiting for our own game to start. Back in the day we used to spend the hours before kickoff fighting the crowds at restaurants or sports bars, but now that we've been tailgating for several years, we've grown accustomed to this little patch of grass. It's here that we can fellowship with those other burnt-orange crazies who have also been counting down the days until our year begins.

At long last, it's FOOTBALL SEASON!