MaineCourse

Maggots

Mt Katahdin
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Wednesday is Matt’s night to cook dinner and he usually barbeques on our dubious gas grill. Tonight he invited Robby to help and they both ate Boca Burgers as they waited for the chicken to cook.
Earlier they had to toss out a box of meal moth infested Rice Pilaf.

At the dinner table:

Robby. “I ate maggots once.”
Matt glanced over at Robby, “Nice.”
Me. “Most of the world eats bugs.”
Robby. “When I got through eating I wasn’t bothered at all. I guess it means I don’t mind eating bugs.

I thought, great dinner conversation.

---

Me. “When are we going to Gilsum next? We can’t this weekend and next weekend is Annie’s Bat Mitzvah. How about the weekend after that?”

Matt. “Sure.”

We usually leave at 3PM, after his shift at Skip’s, but with the sun setting at 6 in those hills....

Me. “You should call in sick on that Saturday.”

Diane. “He can’t call in sick.”

Me.’ Tell Skip you can’t work that weekend.”

Diane. “That’s different, that’s not calling in sick.”

Robby. “But calling in sick is the only way he’ll be sure of getting the
day off.”

---

Me. “I’ll bring one of my new lanterns so you can have light at your camp site.”

Matt. “We’ll build a big fire; we won’t need more light.”

Me. “Your fires are so big the earth doesn’t need the sun.”

Matt, deadpan. “Good one, dad.”

Matthew purees me and all I can do is laugh. The kind of laugh that speaks to how narrow the margins have become. I would have gotten away with that six weeks ago.

Matt. “No, really, I meant it.”

Me. ‘Yeah, I’m sure you did.”

Beautiful image. Nice foreground touch, elevating it above most calendar art.

Wonderful series of conversational vignettes as well. The flavors of a day in Casa Miller, Wacton, come through sparklingly.

Where the hell is everybody?

Posted by adam.

I'd crop that damned ugly leaf out of the foreground. I'm also curious how Matt compares boca burgers to tender beef on buttered white bread.

Posted by ansell.

Ignore the crackpots.

Posted by DavidHumeKennerly.

I like the leaf myself. The picture wouldn't be the same without it. Isn't it possible that the master lake photographer himself composed that leaf right into the picture for a (good) reason?
Leave that leaf alone!

Posted by rackity ed.

Well put, Rackity! What Adam alluded to -- makes the shot. And touche on the suspicion of digital intervention -- care to respond, oh photog?

Posted by seconder.

First, it is hard to respond to anyone named Rackity without laughing.

Secondly, from my reading there is only one suspicious soul who believes deft digital digits manipulated this masterpiece. Only a nut or a crackpot (Kennerly thinks Ansell is more wisecracker than crackpot), would crop out that fortuitously floating fragment of foliage.

Personally, I am stunned and delighted at the quality of the photos I found on my camera. There are many more to come.

And, Adam, I'd love to see yours.

Posted by Photog.

Posted by Michael at October 16, 2003 06:00 AM