Game Face

Sunday morning I took Aaron and Jake to the International House of Pancakes for a send off breakfast prior to their last two days on the river. The night before the guys got some of the local flavor of New Orleans as they ate po boy sandwiches and crayfish e’touffee. Carol and I were treated to many stories about Aaron and Jake’s trip. They were bright eyed as they told each story with enthusiasm. It seemed one story would stimulate the memory of another story. It was like watching a tennis match listening to the stories shared by both guys. We took a quick stroll down only one block of Bourbon Street when both Aaron and Jake said they should get to bed.

I saw a different demeanor on Aaron and Jake’s faces as we walked the two blocks to IHOP. The banter at breakfast was much different than the night before. It was obvious they both had their game faces tightly secured. As a former head coach of 10+ years I have seen this look often. Both men were completely focused on the remaining task at hand. They knew these last two days would be an extreme challenge as the current fades and ocean going ship traffic increases. They ate a sensible breakfast loaded the canoe and were off to finish the trip.
Posted by Aaron's dad