Another dispatch from the twilight zone

So last week, premier Shawn Graham skipped out on some high profile events in Freddy that evening to go to Sunny Corner, a small local service district just upriver of the city, to hand out some funds to one of the local legions.

Said he wanted to honour the legion, given his background with them when he was younger and involved in sport. More like he wanted to avoid someone in the capital, but hey, the veterans were grateful.

So I'm waiting outside for Graham to emerge ... when public safety minister John Foran comes up to me.

You have to understand: The honourable Mr. Foran is a very large man. He's past six feet. And, without being too uncharitable, he's also a bit on the big side.

So he looms over me, peers down at me with a big, boyish grin on his face and says, with the enthusiasm of an eager child, "Hey dan-YELL...me and the premier are going to an abattoir after. Wanna come?"

Sweet jesus, it was like I'd stepped into a scene from some Mafia movie.

So I followed their cars, got to the slaughterhouse, but one of the workers' brothers was hospitalised that day, so they only stayed long enough for me to grab the shot.

Left to right is premier Shawn Graham, local MLA and public safety minister John Foran and Earl Sutherland, the owner of what is possibly the only slaughterhouse in the Miramichi.

I felt awful about the pic ... Foran looks like he's thinking about eating the damned thing. But it was the best art we had that day, so onto A1 it went.

Some of the comments were awesome, though.

Still...it stands as the weirdest assignment in recent memory.