Carrying on...

It's now Thursday and we're done with diving. Good thing as we can't fly for another 24 hours anyway. We are driving up to Dundee county to the Days Inn. We're staying there while the two guys participate in the shooting competition.

American cars have turn signals that flash the brake lights. This is difficult to adjust to, as you keep thinking that something's wrong with it before realising what's going on. Anyway, we get to the inn and check in ok. Next day the two shooters go off early and register, one is shooting today and one tomorrow and Sunday.

It's sunny outside so I lather up with sun cream. Being blond and English, I burn really easily.

The rest of us are allowed in the practice range with the spare guns to squeeze off a few (Hundred!) rounds. It helps the range officer is a good friend of both the shooters with us.

We have guns, we need ammo. So we go to the store and buy some. WHOA! HOLD IT! We just go to the store and buy some? Yep! CULTURE SHOCK! In the UK, handguns have been banned from public sale and ownership for the last three years. My friend had to hand his guns in. He's borrowing the gun for this competition. Even before then, Ammo and gun sales were very strictly controlled. The sale of rifles and shotguns takes lots of checking and the storage requirements for the home require Fort Knox-like security. The three of us buy 200 rounds each of 9mm ammo, showing only proof of age to get it. I will never quite get to grips with this as long as I live.

At the range, we shoot off all the ammo and swap banter with the range officer and his wife. The most pleasant couple I could ever wish to meet. Even if he does drive around with seven handguns in the car. I turn out to be not a bad shot, although the weakest of the three of us. The best turns out to have done this before, giving it up when the ban descended.

All three days we buy more ammo and shoot it, eventually getting through about 600 rounds each. The guys do well in the competition, one of them coming second overall and the other top in his class. A nice bulky trophy to stash on the plane home. We swap e-mail addresses with the range officer, he took several photos of us in what he calls 'Soldier of Fortune' poses.

On Monday, it's time to head home. A leisurely drive to Miami takes four hours or so. We arrive in plenty of time to catch the flight which turns out to be delayed by two hours anyway. My dad is picking us up so ring and tell him. He's pleased as it means he doesn't have to be at the airport until 9:00am now. We got ten dollars food vouchers each as compensation so spent it all on pizza. Limited choices - no pepperoni or mushrooms! I buy my dad a bottle of Glenkichie whisky as thanks for the lift. I know he'll appreciate it, he's a definite whisky man. Ten years as an Excise officer in the Scottish highlands and his brother's a salesman for Bells Whisky group.

Arrive at my front door around Noon local time having been up for 27 hours straight. Straight to bed, then wake up to go through 13 days worth of Forum messages.

One day soon, I'm gonna do it all again.

Beasty