Rained out

The rest of the week is forecast to be warm and balmy, but it is 42 degrees, windy and threatening rain when we leave the hotel. Two hours later the only thing that has changed is that now it is raining. It is surprising that people are lining up to see the plane in this weather. Reminds us of Dulles last September. Those of us who came from Florida are not prepared for the cold as up to two days ago the forecast was for 69.
Since we have a large group and are not selling merchandise, there are plenty of us and we can keep cycling people through the FBO to warm up.
There is a rather constant stream of people through the plane from the moment the gates open. Very polite people with very well behaved children. We are all astonished when Dennis begins conversing with them in flawless Spanish. Seems he was born in Spain and moved to England as an infant but Spanish was spoken in the house his whole life. Jim counted 88 people taking shelter under the wings at one point.
Most of our men are standing out in the rain and they vote that Gene, who is essential to flying the plane and recovering from illness should return to the hotel to preserve his health. Sheryl, who is coming down with his illness, left also. The weather got even worse and the ceiling dropped and the air show was canceled. Some displays remained, but the freezing Flagship crew closed up shop and came home. In spite of the weather, we took in about $600 in admissions. This show is part of the Washington's Birthday Celebration which is a really big deal in these parts and is well supported by the community. Photo shows George and Martha costumes on display in the hotel lobby.
With the weather still drippy and cold, we stayed in the hotel for dinner and found that the incredibly slow service from breakfast was not a fluke. While drinks and appetizers seemed to come out fairly quickly, we still didn't have our meals an hour after ordering. And the dining room was only half full.
The next challenge is to get back to Fort Worth. During dinner people started getting calls that it is snowing in Dallas/Ft. Worth. If this system has not moved out and warmed by morning, we will either stay here or fly to a location closer. Zane flew out after the show. Peggy and Jim will leave from Laredo via commercial carrier in the morning. Dennis and Jeff are waiting to see what will happen. Jake, Buff, Gene and Sheryl will be with the plane regardless.
The final photo is of the military section of a cemetery we kept passing on the way to and from the airport. We were overwhelmed by the sheer numbers of the plastic flowers.