Winter has come early to this part of the Midwest. It started snowing early in December and it has kept snowing; so far, where I live, we're three times ahead of the norm in snowfall. So it wasn't surprising when we got hit with another storm on Friday, but it pretty much ruined my plans for driving to Packerland that evening after work. Instead, I waited until the storm passed, cleared the snow, and then went to bed though it was  more of a nap rather than a full nights' rest.

The original plan was to spend Saturday driving through the countryside doing photography but the roads were going to be too bad for that. I got up at 3:00 AM, was out the door at 4:00, and arrived at Lambeau Field shortly after 6:00 AM. The Packers put out the call for people to come shovel snow out of the stadium. They were paying $8/hour in cash, but it wasn't the money that attracted me, it was the experience of being able to have done it.

Start time is 8:00 AM. They take the first three hundred bodies and always turn people away which is why I came early. It was a chilly morning and I had an hour and forty five minute wait but there were already a good 100 people in front of me already. One kid counted the people and he was around #130 in line and he was about 20 people behind me.

it was an interesting mix of people. Many were obviously Packer fans. A fair amount of girls and women were in line and ready to perform manual labor out in the cold. There also was a percentage where you could tell the people really needed the money. $8/hour in cash was all they needed to hear. $20 or $30 was all they needed to have enough cigarettes for the week. They'd worry about next week when it came.

The couple in front of me were from the state of Washington. I asked them why they moved here because, despite being God's country, Wisconsin is not exactly a place people move to. They said it was cheaper to live here. A pack of cigarettes in Washington costs $5. I thought of a way for them to save $5 but I didn't think they'd be willing to take my advice so that was the end of that conversation. The guy behind me was on disability and was trying to find a way to raise $32.50 in order to get his deer meat from the processor.

The line snaked around a curve of Lambeau Field so I never saw how big it got but people kept arriving on a steady basis. The ones who arrived after 7:30 AM, I don't know what they were thinking, it's common knowledge you have to get here early. Regardless, the time passed quickly and they opened the doors a little after 7:45 AM.

When you entered the concourse the line worked its way to an equipment room where various maintenance equipment was stored. You gave your name to a check-in person and they wrote it down along with your start time on a card. Then you grabbed a shovel and headed on out.

It was organized chaos out in the bowl. Two front loaders were down on the field scooping up snow into a dump truck. Their engines growled away while "People-In-Charge" kept barking out orders as to what to do. Combined with the scraping of snow shovels it was fairly noisy.

The way it worked was like this: They had two chutes that were clamped to the seats. You shoveled snow onto the chute and it would slide down onto the field where the loaders would pick it up and put it into the dump truck. Once a section was done the chute was picked up and moved to another location within the stadium. We started in the south end zone and one chute went along the east side of the stadium while the other went along the west side until they eventually met in the north end zone.

After we started having a clue as to what to do the People-In-Charge stopped barking out orders and it was fairly quiet except for the trucks grinding away down below. Some people were very meticulous with their work, others not so much, but it seemed to go rather quickly. The snow was light and fluffy so it was easy work. Everyone just kind of spread apart, finding a spot where you wouldn't be in the way of someone else and you did your job. Being a person trapped in a cubicle world, it was kind of nice to be working outside and using the body.

At random points in time the physical location around you didn't offer much opportunity for more work so you'd take a break and just soak in a little Lambeau ambience. Trucks hauling snow as efficiently and quickly as possible, people shoveling, people resting, people smoking, people having fun.

Once in a while groups taking the Lambeau Field tour would pop out and take in the scene. It's not often you get to witness the snow clearing so I hope they found that to be a unique experience. Since they were hauling the snow through the tunnel it meant the tours were not able to do the tunnel like they normally do.

I'm next to a kid and he points a pile of puke to me. "A special moment frozen in time." Sometimes you just have to laugh.

Once in the north end zone I ended up in the Miller Light Best Seats in the House section and working on clearing out the snow in there. The bulk of the work was done and I didn't notice that the People-In-Charge had been dismissing people and sending them home. There were only a few dozen left and the only ones left with any work to do were in the outdoor Club seats where they were using towels to wipe off the chairs.

A People-In-Charge told those of us in earshot that "We don't need you any more, you can go." Well, I wasn't exactly ready to go. I was enjoying myself and wanted to keep working. I started heading toward an exit but I tried to look busy and kept shoveling what I could but the act of looking busy wasn't working so I was sent on my way.

It was back to the equipment room to drop off the shovel and they gave you your card with a check out time which you took over to the pay window. The pay window was really the media check-in booth; you turned in your card and they gave you money in return. I logged 3.25 hours which netted me $26 in cash. Not exactly a fortune but it will probably be a very long time before I ever get paid hard money to go into Lambeau Field!

All in all, it's something I can put down in my book of Life Experiences. And I can say I worked for the Packers!

Since it was lunch time I drove over to Skip's Place, a greasy spoon not too far from Lambeau Field. The place isn't much of anything, but its claim to fame is it was a favorite for Ray Nitschke. When he passed they retired his counter stool and I like to get a booth next to where he sat and have a bite to eat with ol' Ray. You can go to a dozen cities around the country and eat in a restaurant owned by some famous player and look at memorabilia nailed onto the walls and pay $20 for a hamburger but the money and marketing compares to nothing like a place like this. Your hands stick to the table, the cigarette smoke kind of hits you when you walk in, but these are real people and right there in front of you is Ray's stool. His elbows leaned onto that counter many times. He came here not because he could get a private booth in the back but because he could be with the people. No bling, no entourage, just Ray out looking for good company.

The last time I was here the locals were chatting about fishing for walleye. This time around they were talking Packers.

"Didja hear about that new stadium they're building in Texas?"

"No."

"I got a niece that lives in Dallas. She says if you want to get on the waiting list for tickets, it's going to cost you a hundred dollars. And then it's $10,000 on top of that to get a seat."

"Really?"

"Yah, it's that Personal Seat License."

"It was only $1400/seat when they did that at Lambeau."

I think Ray knew what he was doing. If you want good company then just go out and find some good people.

Having time to kill, I decided to hit the back roads to see if there were any opportunities for photography. The snow we had the last few days was the clingy kind. It may snow often around these parts but it's rare when you get that snow that covers everything like a blanket. And even more rare when it stays that way, usually the wind blows it down or it melts.

I drive to the west and north for a while, pointing my car in directions away from the city and trying to get lost, but the back roads were still in bad shape. I stop for a few pictures but it was slow going on the slick roads so I headed back to Green Bay. A good picture is not worth a wrecked car.

Scene from my attempt for photography

When I got back to town I stopped at Fuzzy's. The place was packed and sure enough, Fuzzy was there. He's looking good, stands strong and tall, and so far has turned up his nose to getting old. I get an autograph and shake his hand. Try and do the same at Mike Ditka's place.

I ended up hanging out in the mall for a while and then the atrium at Lambeau Field. I know it was a game weekend and all but I was still shocked at how many people were in the Pro Shop and even more shocked at how many people were lined up to buy stuff. They had set up extra cash registers to handle the load and the line never let up. I enjoy football and the Packers same as anyone else but for people to be lined up and throwing money at the team like this? Can you imagine people buying a $200 jersey that demonstrated a person's love for cable TV or oil companies?

There were several weddings going on; the photographers had the couples pose in the atrium and people would stand and gawk which added to the hustle bustle. Lambeau Field tours were still running, people were going to eat in Curly's Pub, some just came to visit and browse the Pro Shop, and others came to get married. Life in Packerland. 

 In the evening I head over to Champions and meet some Packer buddies I know from the Internet. There's a father/son here for the game and they're from "Carolina." One guy is from Missouri; he had started booking this trip back in May. Another drove up from Milwaukee just to meet everyone even though he wasn't going to the game.

Another guy is Phil and he goes 'way back to earlier days of the Packers. He's lived here all his life and you'd think that he made a living out of being a Packer fan. The conversation goes back and forth on all kinds of subjects but Phil probably offered one of the best sage comments I have ever heard about Green Bay: "If you want a good fish dinner in Green Bay on a Friday night, you need to go to a tavern."

The evening eventually ends and I drive 30 miles south to my parents house thinking about real people making for real company and the experience of shoveling snow at Lambeau Field.

Game day Sunday comes as one of those gloomy, winter days. It's actually foggy and it stays foggy going into game time and it makes the snow covered ground blend in with the sky. Had it been snowing or windy it would have been white-out conditions. It's chilly but not bone-jarring cold. Cold enough to keep things from melting.

I know the roads are going to be bad but I head out for the game by taking the long way through the back roads to see if there is anything to point my camera at. It's a dreary and surreal landscape, but a fascinating landscape. I discover a couple roads that had never been plowed and wonder what's down them if they're too desolate to bother plowing.

Back road south of Green Bay

I avoid the main roads the best I can while still heading more or less toward Green Bay. I have the pre-game show on the radio and I listen while my eyes take in the landscape. The game today is meaningless; the Packers are locked in with the #2 seed in the playoffs and nothing can change that. The Lions lost their chances for the playoffs a couple weeks ago so the radio tells me what we should be looking for with the game today. Essentially it just boils down to both teams wanting to play well. The Packers made fools of themselves in Chicago the week before so we will want them to look sharp today. The Lions will be wanting to knock off the Packers just to say they could.

That was my morning, trying to lose myself in the game hype and the countryside.

Creek covered with ice

It's past 10:30 when I park my car a few blocks from Lambeau Field. I dress up in my winter gear and boots and start heading on over to the stadium. It's about 11:00 when I hit the scalper pit, merely being curious to see how the ticket market is doing. I hear prices are starting at $120 for singles. That seems a little high for a meaningless, cold weather game but there are tons of Packer fans here looking for tickets and not many tickets available. There is always that imaginary line, what the scalpers are asking and what the fans are willing to pay, at least most of them, so they stand here and wait, hoping for prices to drop. When there are this many fans in the scalper pit it's unlikely the prices will drop much, if at all. There are games where the scalpers lose their shirts but this won't be one of those days.

For noon games, 11:00 AM seems to be the time when the pre-game activities peak. I described how it was crunch time in the scalper pit, but in the parking lot the tailgates are at their maximum. The parking lot is full, crowds congregate around the well-known and popular tailgates, and it's time for everything to be wrapping up and heading into the stadium. You can feel the anticipation; "electricity in the air" may be a cliche, but if you held up rechargable batteries they would be fully charged within minutes.

I go into the stadium and the freebie today is a mini bobblehead of Brett Favre. What's really cool about the bobblehead is it actually looks like Brett Favre.

I sign up for the designated driver program so I can get a free NA beer. NA beer is pretty much flavored water but I'm thirsty and this will be a lot cheaper than buying a soda. I plop down $3 for a giant pretzel and I'm good for my game day eats. My other ticket went to a Packer buddy, John. He lives northwest of Green Bay, not too far away, and he arrives shortly after I get to our seats.

I don't see John that often so it was good to see him again. He's a true Packer fan and the kind of company you like to have at a game. 

The game begins, the Packers play sharp, they start pulling the first string out, and the game turns into a pre-season game. The second string has their hands full but they match up against the Lions well and the kitties are sent packing. That was the game in a nutshell and you should know as much from watching it on TV and the final 34-13 score. Years from now it will be a forgotten game for having been meaningless.

However, people don't linger outside in the scalper pit and consider paying $120-plus for tickets to a meaningless game, especially when they know players like Brett Favre won't be playing the whole way through. So what is it that makes a game like this an experience unto itself?