On my way to photograph the wildflowers and butterflies on Eastern Point I would often pass a couple so very obviously much in love, walking hand in hand along the shore road between Raymond’s Beach and Eastern Point Lighthouse. After perhaps the twentieth time passing by, I introduced myself and asked if they would mind posing for a snapshot. We began chatting and they asked what was it I was photographing. I mentioned the books I was writing, about garden design and butterflies, and the great numbers of Monarchs encountered, in the meadows and sleeping in trees. Joe became very animated and asked to see the Monarch trees–he had lived on Eastern Point nearly all his life and hoped to see this phenomenon one day. Of course, I would be delighted. We made a time to meet again to look for Monarch trees and to photograph.

Joe and Helen Garland October 2006

Joe and Helen became fast friends to Tom and I. Helen and Joe’s insight and wisdom helped me enormously during a challenging time with launching my first book.  I remain forever grateful for their assistance. Joe’s interests were varied and his was a brilliant mind. He wrote the most thoughtful blurb for my book–an author is expected to collect several blurbs, but Joe’s was so beautifully written, I only wanted his on my book’s jacket. And it was Joe who urged me to contact Carol Gray at the Sawyer Free Library about having a photo exhibit at the Matz Gallery. All of us who have been graced by Joe and Helen’s loving kindness will sorely miss Joe. Our thoughts and prayers are with Helen.

In Memoriam ~ The Garland family and the City of Gloucester welcome everyone to a celebration of the life of Joe Garland, Gloucester’s historian, writer, and civic-proponent who died August 30th at age 88. The all-volunteer event will take place on October 1, 2011, at 1 p.m. in the center of town at 65 Rogers Street, the harbor-front property formerly known as I4-C2.