Delegates arrive for convention

Hello, Minneapolis!
We are here!
After getting up at 4 o’clock Sunday morning to begin our journey west to the Land of 10,000 Lakes, we arrived early and made it to our hotel, where the Virginia delegation was waiting to greet and sign in everyone.
Travel was excellent — hats off to US Airways. It was rainy in Richmond but we left on time, arrived in Philly on time and then left Philly on time. We must have had a tail wind because we cruised into Minneapolis-St. Paul airport 30 minutes early. Everything went perfectly.
Many from the Pennsylvania delegation were on board our plane, and spotty political talk could be heard throughout. Everyone was excited at the vice presidential choice of Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.
The Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport had greeters at all levels welcoming everyone, asking if they could help and directing travelers to cabs and shuttles. It was a nice entry into the city.
The shuttle to the hotel was full of delegates from Oklahoma, North Carolina and Virginia. Talk was lively about politics in each state, and again about Sarah Palin. I haven’t seen this much energy coursing through Republican veins in a while.
Minnesota is truly the Land of 10,000 Lakes — we saw many as we flew into the airport. The mighty Mississippi River divides the two cities — Minneapolis, with its Scandinavian influence, and St. Paul, with its Irish and German influence.
Activities at Monday’s opening of the convention have been pared back to a two-hour business meeting from 3-5 p.m. The convention will then be adjourned for the evening, and Republicans are urged to remove their Republican hats and put on their American hats as we pray for those along the Gulf Coast. Hurricane Gustav is bearing down on a part of America that is still recuperating from Katrina.
As Sen. John McCain said this afternoon, “Pray for the best, but prepare for the worst.”