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Jun272006
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Madeira Beach – Home |
Lauren, Arien and I went to Madeira Beach this morning. This was the first and only time I’d seen the Gulf of Mexico on this trip. It was hot outside and the water was pleasantly warm. We stayed at the beach until about 1:30 this afternoon. After we got back to Linda’s place and got cleaned up, we went over to Lauren’s friend Lisa’s place to visit for a while. Not long after four, Lauren drove me over to Tampa International Airport so I could catch my flight(s) home. It’s not an especially large airport, but they do have these little trams that go from the check-in terminal to the gates. I got to the airport well over an hour before my flight departed so I had the chance to get something to eat. I just got a ham sandwich, chips and one of those huge and expensive Starbucks cookies. There is free Wi-Fi in the terminal which kept me entertained while I ate. There were no irregularities in boarding the plane. Not long after I was in my seat a flight attendant offered any passenger $400 and a hotel room to catch a later flight. The lady I was sitting next to was familiar with the situation. Another flight to Atlanta was canceled and I guess there was just one seat left but a wheelchair-bound passenger and his companion obviously wanted to be on the same flight. The flight to Atlanta (Boeing 757) was a little bumpy in the latter half as we were flying over bad weather. This was the first flight I’d been on that had and sort of in-flight entertainment. They showed some ABC ‘news’ program that was interviewing Angelina Jolie. I listened to music on my laptop and caught up on some log entries, including this one. We arrived on time in Atlanta. I had about a one hour layover, which gave me enough time to get to another terminal where my next flight was. Atlanta has a huge airport. There are at least five terminals. An underground tram links them all. The flight to New Orleans (MD-88) was about 15 minutes late in leaving. There was some sort of mechanical problem and a transceiver had to be replaced. The flight itself was smooth and quiet enough. I met Dad and Jeff after I retrieved by checked bag. I didn’t do much after I arrived home as I was tired.