Good afternoon from Madrid!
Yes, we made it. No I have not removed Gary Moorhead from the distribution list. I happen to know that he loves to suffer so I will continue to inform him and the rest of you about our "boondoggle" trip to sunny Spain. And sunny it is. After a long and somewhat cramped flight from Dallas, we arrived at the super-cool Madrid Barajas international terminal, with its undulating wooden ceiling. 
We whisked through Spanish customs with nary a glance from the man in the glass booth, and picked up our luggage without a hitch, and exited into the lobby. There we were met by Ford's representatives. We got to meet some of our fellow contest winners, and chatted a bit about the charities on behalf of which we won the trip. Everyone was happy to have arrived and probably a bit tired out. After a 20 minute bus ride we found ourselves at the Silken Puerto de America Hotel, which has a multi-colored facade that makes you wonder whether it is a hotel or the result of a Spanish style Ken Kesey experiment. Here's a shot of the front of the hotel but it doesn't quite do it justice.
We whisked through Spanish customs with nary a glance from the man in the glass booth, and picked up our luggage without a hitch, and exited into the lobby. There we were met by Ford's representatives. We got to meet some of our fellow contest winners, and chatted a bit about the charities on behalf of which we won the trip. Everyone was happy to have arrived and probably a bit tired out. After a 20 minute bus ride we found ourselves at the Silken Puerto de America Hotel, which has a multi-colored facade that makes you wonder whether it is a hotel or the result of a Spanish style Ken Kesey experiment. Here's a shot of the front of the hotel but it doesn't quite do it justice.
As it turns out each floor of the hotel was designed by a different architect. I haven't seen the other floors yet but our floor is arresting to say the least. Here is a photo of the hallway leading to our room: You may be wondering if this is right side up. It is. Everyone in this floor is issued wrist bands to prevent sea sickness as you navigate the hallways.
Things get even more interesting when you enter the room. Our bathroom is separated from the main portion of the room only by a glass wall, which brings new meaning to the term family togetherness. 
I don't think Jane would have approved of these accommodations at all had she accompanied us on this trip as originally planned.
I don't think Jane would have approved of these accommodations at all had she accompanied us on this trip as originally planned. In a few minutes we go down upstairs to the fifth floor where our "Blue Room Hub" which is the central meeting place for our group. There will be a welcome dinner at 6:00 p.m. I understand that the hotel management was not very happy about serving dinner at 6, since the Spanish eat dinner around 10 p.m. I believe they ended up characterizing the meal "heavy tapas" which seems to suit everyone.
More later,
Jim S,, reporting from Madrid, Espana
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