9 hours of daylight; 12 hours of rain.

That's the forecast for tomorrow - November 15th.

Yippee!

The only "good" news is that it isn't supposed to be "a lot" of rain (just .33") and the air temp won't be too bad.


Wind gusts - that's a little concerning - but hey - we've survived worse.


Here are a few tips for the rainy day tailgate:

The set up:

• if you haven't already, invest in a pop up canopy. You don't want to be out in the rain trying to assemble anything - 
• Bring tarps - if you have the fancy canopy walls - use them - but you can also use regular tarps and plastic drop cloths on the sides of the canopy - use clamps to secure the "walls." 
  
• Another great use for a tarp is as a "floor."  Generally, with a weather forecast like this weekend's, the ground is going to be wet and muddy - a plastic tarp on the ground will help keep you and your tailgating gear clean(er).  We'll even bring 2 pairs of shoes - one pair for "in the tent" and one pair for outside.
• We also bring an extra tarp to "link" to the car/truck - using the hatch (or other means) to elevate the tarp and securing with clamps.  This way we can keep a lot of the tailgating supplies off of the ground and out of the elements without having to "go outside" every time we need something.
• Pay attention to/for any pooling and devise a "gutter system" if necessary - believe it or not - hoola hoops work really well to arc the canopy top if it has a tendency to sag - just slide them between the top beams and the cover 
• Keep propane appliances out from under the closed in area and be wary of flammable items and ventilation.

The Food:

• Keep the food simple.  You don't want to be running back and forth to the grill/stove - 
• Most of your guests will be huddled around in your tent(s) - to maximize on "huddling" space - set up your table(s) "against" one of the tarp walls  
• Sog-proof your food- put out chips/bread/etc in small amounts - keeping the extras in sealed bags.

Clothing:

• Bring an extra...everything:  socks; shoes/boots; pants; hats; sweatshirts, etc.
• Best to leave your pretty sweaters at home - wear weatherproof and jersey type clothing
• hats - baseball - serves as an extra awning to keep the rain off
• rain gear - the full suit of rain gear is really the only way to stay dry.  Ponchos are fine for walking around and/or standing at the tailgate - but you need the rubber pants to stay dry in the stadium.  I usually change into the "gear" before heading into the game.

Most of all - remember to still stop by and say hello to your tailgating neighbors and that the rainy days can be just as fun and the sunny ones -