Week Six: Golf cart fun!

Welcome to another thrilling installment of CATCOUK, live from the United States of America. I have to start this week, with an exclusive announcement. The United States once again recognises the authority of Her Majesty the Queen. For the time being, I am accepting the position of Supreme Governor of the US, until the Foreign Office dispatches someone to relieve me. How did this all happen, I hear you cry. Well read on and find out...

This week has been pretty good. Well, it started pretty good. We took 10 kids through their sailing merit badge this week, bringing our seasonal average up to 6.5 Scouts a week. Once again, this brings our weekly average to more than 100% of my department's capacity. At this moment in time, I have a further 8 this coming week.

The camp has a couple of golf carts for various people. Most prominently, the Camp Director, and the Health Lodge (whose cart is known effectionatly as the 'Am-boo-boo-lance'). On Tuesday, I needed to transport a couple of cots (camp beds) to the Lenape campsite. Lenape is farthest away from everything. It's about 30 million miles out from the rest of camp. Naturally, I wasn't going to struggle all that way with two wooden cots, so I asked to borrow Bill's Golf Cart. He said that he didn't have a problem with it, so I carried on.

When I went to stop at the equipment shed, I misjudged the brakes a little, and pulled a very Starsky & Hutch style skidding turn and stop on the loose gravel. I did this, unintentionally, right in front of a whole class of an Eagle department merit badge. The whole class stopped, and turned around to look at me, wide open mouthed like fish. Then one kid said 'That was so cool!', shortly followed by the other 30 kids jeering. It did feel pretty cool.

I also had to pick up a cot from another campsite. Instead of folding it up, I decided to just rest in accross the length of the cart. This worked pretty well, except that I now had a huge blind spot. I didn't run over any small Scouts, but I did hit a small tree stump. That was uncomfortable. To end the day off, the Health Officer tried to race me in the 'boo-boo-lance'. It was a futile effort, as my cart was much faster (newer batteries), but they cheated, and the climbing director pulled their cart past ours. Cheats.

Following this, the less competent Camp Director told me that I was banned from Golf Carts. This I have taken with a pinch of salt, as he has far less safety practices than I. He drove in the pitch black of night, with no lights, and a camping adult standing on the back. And because he couldn't see where he was going, he drove under a low branch, and knocked the leader off the back. Idiot.

This weekend, Jordan and I went on a train. That's right, a TRAIN. My first trip on an American train. It was interesting. Many different characters. But I have to say, for all of the US's technological advancements, I was suprised at how backwards the train network was. Everything on the train was manual. Each carriage had to have a man operating it. There weren't even computerised tickets. But we had a great day out in Philadelphia (if not a very warm day).

Also, I have had complaints about a lack of photos. Well, yeah, I haven't been taking many. But here is a photo that I have taken.

Why am I wearing a Hawaiian shirt? Because it's Friday!!!

Finally, how did I become Supreme Governor of the US. Before we left on Saturday, as always, we had a closing ceremony, which includes lowering the US flag. We were lined up ready to marvh on as the staff, when I realised that the only directors we had, was our unconfident ecology, our very old doctor (medical advisor), and one of our Asst. Program Directors. As he sucks at parade offers, I offered to march on the staff, in the absence of other people. I marched on, and I realised that I would be taking the salute. Oh well, we'll deal with it. But it wasn't until they were lowering the flag that I would also be receiving the American flag.

Okay, so this was akward. They were about to retire the American flag, in front of 700 people, to an English bloke. One of our small, but excpetionally competent staff members came to present the folded flag, and you could see his eyes widen as he saw who he was reporting to. He came up to me, and asked unsure, 'So, am I giving this to you?'

Equally unsure, 'I... I guess so' I replied. So I took the flag, and marched off holding it as best as I had been told. The Americans are very picky about how their flag is carried. Despite being the only person I have seen attenpt to carry it off correctly, I think I held the flag upside down. Bummer. But never mind. I guess as the US have presented me with their flag, they have surrended. Jolly good!

If you would like to be Supreme Governor of America, why not leave a message, addressed to the UK foreign office.

If you think that I have made an error, why not leave a message, addressed to the US State department.

Quote of the Week: 'If you'll look out of the window, you'll see the boat of professionalism sailing away' gestured one of our competent Asst. Camp Directors, Terry, at the Sunday night leaders meeting, as the meeting ended in many a joke, and hilarity. It was funny.