Hurry up and wait

Saturday morning dawned sunny, windy and COLD!! We arrived at the airport a little after 9AM and again were greeted by the enthusiastic employees of Top Gun Aviation. The plane was oiled and fueled and toured and photographed. Dennis sold about $70 in merchandise to various people. We handed out literature and luggage tags.
We braved the cold to pose for photos in our Top Gun tee shirts. We were not in a hurry as we found out that we cannot land in Laredo until after 4 PM due to air show practice. We finally take off about noon and head across Texas. We paused at Galveston for some practice take offs and landings. Jim Skelly did some excellent ones for a first timer, heck, for an any timer.
We disembarked for a few minutes to use the facilities and scarf down junk food from the machines and then were on our way.
This last leg seemed very cold, especially as the sun, which had been warming the left side, went behind clouds. It seemed like a very long trip by the time we landed in Laredo. But, looking out the window, I spot Jeff Selby from Dallas, who remarks at how dirty his airplane is. Also awaiting our arrival are Zane Lemon and Dave Buffington with rental cars. They whisk us off to what has been touted as the best Mexican restaurant in the area.
Zane told us of a bit of miscommunication. Seems Jake had texted him that we were holding over in Hammond, LA, but the message read "Hammond OK" as in Hammond. OK? The guys in TX were trying to figure out where the heck Hammond Oklahoma was and why in the world we would go there. There has been much frivolity over Hammond, Oklahoma.
The service here is unbelievable. They even bring out wrought iron stands to hold Peggy and Sheryl's purses. The chip and dip routine is different with about five things to dip in, we indulged way too much before the real food came. A nice evening and good to be warm.
Then it was off to our hotel, La Posada which is on a quaint square backing up to the Rio Grande. The hotel is Spanish Colonial style, newly renovated, and quite beautiful with a lot of attention to detail. Our room is across a lovely courtyard and turns out to be a suite with a bedroom, living room and a hath and a half. Standing at just the right angle you can see the Rio Grande out of the window