Kosti had a fascination with traditional skills and activities and the men who kept these traditions alive. The Maine Guides photographed in this series were hired for their hunting, fishing, and survival skills, but here we see them chatting and telling tall tales by the woodstove at the Kennebago Lake Club. Earnest La France and Kosti Ruohomaa spent an evening with a group of Maine guides in order to gather some of their tales. Some of the tallest tales were transcribed by Earnest La France and were published with the title, “I Rassled a Bear On a Hill,” along with four photos from this series in Parade magazine on November 9, 1952 pp 10-11. Stories from Gib and Ralph Philbrick, Dan Ross, Ken Crocker, and Lester “Bucky” Buck entertain and amaze, and some of the stories were actually true.