MaineCourse

Gritty McDuffs

This is it for me, the last camping story.

Our first stop after leaving Acton is always Portland, Maine. Besides being a town with good food, it breaks up the long drive. Two hours to Portland, three hours to Greenville, an hour or so to our campsite.

As we drove along the waterfront, Adam and I bantered briefly about where to eat. Portland is a college town, and restaurants abound, with one on every corner, and some streets having nothing but. I thought we should stay away from the micro brews, not because the food that accompanies their copper-kettle-created creations isn’t good, but because only two of us were over sixteen.

We circled the crowded streets before we gave up our search for a cheap meter, and pulled into a parking garage. Matt spied the going rate - one dollar for the first two hours. We laughed. A fee we could afford. We parked, walked out of the garage, and Robby, glancing across the street, said “How can we not eat at a place called Gritty McDuffs?”



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Robby has always reminded me of Travis. They are both understated, smart, and have a sense of humor that appeals to maybe six people in the country. Fortunately, Diane and I are two of those six. I remember Travis and I were looking for lunch one day, and though he wasn’t wild about sushi, we had to stop when he saw the name of the restaurant - Fugakyu.

And that was it, no debates, no hesitation, we walked into Gritty’s, a micro brew, and sat down at a picnic-style table next to one with all women.

I got a quick glimpse before I sat, back to the gigglers, and assumed college age.

Trying to get a conversation going, and wanting to acknowledge how fond I was of the sounds that accompany Matt’s collective group, I said “Those people sound like your friends.”

“What, my friends sound like a bunch of drunk thirty year olds?”

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Guess what? Ice out on Moosehead lake - May 1st.

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I, too, am one of the six. That leaves three.

Posted by The Earleigh.

Good call on Robby's part -- it must be noted that with only one minor exception (the homemade chips in "fish & chips"), the food and drink were all excellent, and a good time was had by all.

Oh, and count me fourth.

Posted by tablemate.

Posted by Michael at May 7, 2004 06:28 AM