REMEMBER YOUR DEATH...G a r l a n d M . T A Y L O R

S C H O O L O F T H E A R T I N S T I T U T E O F C H I C A G O

M a y 1 2 , 2 0 0 7

A N I N S T A L L A T I O N

TUESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2006THE OUTSET

HE YELLED TOwARD THE kITCHEN, “BABY, HAvE YOU EvER GOOGLED YOURSELF?” GARLAND DID, AND DISCOvERED THAT THERE wERE THESE OTHER GARLANDS wITH wHOM HE SHARED vIRTUAL SpACE. “NO I HAvEN’T!” MICHELLE, HIS wIFE, SHOUTED. THE FIRST GARLAND HE FOUND wAS A CpA FROM OREGON. HE wAS THE GARLAND THAT BEAT THE REST OF THE GARLANDS TO THE pUNCH wHEN HE REGISTERED THE DOMAIN NAME GARLANDTAYLOR.COM. SADLY, IN NEw MExICO LAST YEAR, THE SECOND GARLAND HAD BEEN MURDERED. HE wAS 74 YEARS OLD.

GARLAND FELT SADNESS, OR BETTER STILL, HE FELT CONNECTED TO THESE pEOpLE.

THE THIRD GARLAND HEADED A CHAIN OF RESTAURANTS IN THE SOUTH. GARLAND GOOGLED SOME MORE. THEN, HE HIT pAY DIRT wITH ANYwHO.COM IN ILLINOIS. GARLAND FOUND ANOTHER GARLAND TAYLOR wHO LIvED LESS THAN FOUR MILES SOUTH. HE DIDN’T STOp THERE. HE ANYwHO’ED FROM THE TOp DOwN. GARLAND SEARCHED FOR GARLANDS ON A STATE-BY-STATE BASIS. IN ALASkA AND ALABAMA, NONE. THREE IN ARkANSAS. IN ARIzONA, NONE. BUT THEN HE FOUND A GARLAND TAYLOR IN CALIFORNIA. HE wENT ON AND ON. TwO HOURS LATER HE GARNERED MORE GARLAND TAYLORS THAN HE’D EvER IMAGINED.

HE YELLED BACk TOwARD THE kITCHEN, “BABY, DO YOU HAvE ANY IDEA HOw MANY GARLAND TAYLORS LIvE IN THE U.S.?” THAT wAS wHEN GARLAND GOT THE IDEA TO GET ALL OF THE GARLAND TAYLORS. HE wOULD MAkE AN INSTALLATION pIECE OUT OF THEM, HE THOUGHT. HE’D SEND THE GARLANDS DISpOSABLE CAMERAS AND ASk THAT THEY TAkE pICTURES OF THEMSELvES IN FRONT OF THEIR HOMES, OR BEFORE LANDMARkS, OR wITH THEIR FAMILIES.

wEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2006SOME QUESTIONS

• HOw MANY GARLAND TAYLORS ARE OUT THERE?

• COULD I CONTACT AND THEN kEEp IN TOUCH wITH THE pEOpLE wITH wHOM I SHARE MY NAME?

• wHAT IF I DROvE TO MEET ALL OF THE GARLAND TAYLORS?

• wHAT IS THE DEFINITION OF NAMESAkE?

• I wONDER wHERE THIS NAME CAME FROM. HOw MY DAD ENDED Up wITH THE NAME?

pROJECT GOALS

• SEND LETTERS TO THE GARLAND TAYLORS IN THE U.S. AND ExpLAIN TO THEM MY DESIRE TO CREATE A COLLABORATIvE wORk OF ART BETwEEN US.

• SEND THOSE INTERESTED SINGLE USE CAMERAS TO TAkE SELF-pORTRAITS OF THEMSELvES, AND RETURN TO ME FOR pROCESSING. wE’D BE AN ARTIST COLLECTIvE.

• pERHApS I COULD pLAN A TRIp – AN ODYSSEY–TO vISIT ALL OF THE GARLANDS AND TO pULL CASTS OF EACH OF THEIR FACES. I’LL USE THE CASTS TO MAkE A SCULpTURE, A RELIEF IN wHICH OUR FACES wERE COMBINED.

• wHY? wHY wOULD ANYONE BE INTERESTED IN A pROJECT LIkE THIS? I’D BE SkEpTICAL IF ANY OF THEM TRIED TO CONTACT ME.

MONDAY, MARCH 13, 2006NEw TITLE

I pRESENTED MY pROJECT IN CLASS TODAY. I TALkED ABOUT BEING ON THE ROAD THIS SUMMER. I TALkED ABOUT TAkING MY FIELD GUIDES ALONG-THE GUIDE TO BIRDS, TO BUTTERFLIES, TO TREES, AND TO MUSHROOMS. I TALkED ABOUT HIJACkING THE FIELD GUIDE FORMAT. ON TwO OCCASIONS, DURING TODAY’S TALk, CONCERNS FOR MY SAFETY AROUSE. FOLkS wONDERED IF I’D BECOME THE vIC-TIM OF SOME HATE CRIME. UNTIL THEN I HADN’T GIvEN THOUGHT TO MY SAFETY wITH REGARD TO HATE CRIMES. I DID, HOwEvER, wONDER HOw MANY OF THE GARLANDS wERE BLACk AND HOw MANY wERE wHITE. MY GUESS IS HALF BLACk & HALF wHITE. I ALSO BROUGHT TO CLASS A pROTOTYpE OF A SELF-pORTRAIT MADE OF wELDED STEEL. IT IS A MASk-LIkE OBJECT wITH A GUN-BLUE pATINA STRAppED TO A STACk OF BOOkS AND BLOCk OF wOOD. I ExpLAINED MY pLAN TO CREATE wELDED STEEL MASkS FROM MOLDS I’D TAkE OF THE FACES OF ALL THE GARLAND TAYLOR’S I’D MET.

wEDNESDAY, MARCH 22, 2006SELF-pORTRAITURE

THE wORkING TITLE IS NOw “A FIELD GUIDE TO GARLAND TAYLOR”

I FOUND SOME BOOkS ON SELF-pORTRAITURE TODAY ON ACCOUNT OF THE GARLAND pROJECT TAkING SHApE LIkE A SELF-pORTRAIT, OR BETTER STILL, A COLLABORATIvE SELF-pORTRAIT. THESE OTHER GARLANDS, I CAN MAkE EACH OF THEM A pART OF MY SELF-pORTRAIT BY COMBINING SCULp-TURE wITH vIDEO. THE SCULpTURE wILL STAND AS THE SELF-pORTRAIT wHILE THE vIDEO, CLIpS OF GARLAND TAYLOR CONvERSATIONS SYMBOLISE MEM-ORY. I wANT TO DOCUMENT THE GARLAND TAYLORS.

I wANT TO DOCUMENT US GETTING TO kNOw ONE AN-OTHER AND THE GARLANDS GETTING A GLIMpSE OF THE LIvES OF OTHER GARLANDS. I MIGHT EvEN ABOUT MYSELF IN THE pROCESS. THIS FIELD GUIDE IS MORE AkIN TO MEMOIR. I’M USE vIDEO TO LOOk BACkwARDS. AND AS FOR THE vIDEO, I CAN LOOp A MONTAGE OF CLIpS AND pRESENT THEM IN TwO SEpARATE LOOpS pLACED IN THE SOCkETS OF THE EYES OF THE MASk-LIkE BUST –– ON A TINY vIDEO IpOD. I’D BE A STEEL STRUCTURE HOLDING A pORTABLE wELDER IN ONE HAND AND THE wELD-ING GUN IN THE OTHER. THE vIEwER wOULD COME TO THE pIECE AS IF SEEING ME IN THE ACT OF BE-COMING MYSELF/BECOMING A FATHER. FROM THE IpOD IN MY EYES wOULD STREAM IMAGES, OR RATH-ER, A MOvING vERSION OF MY MEMORIES AND MY DREAMS. THRU THIS IpOD AND vIDEO I CAN RECOLLECT THIS JOURNEY AND ILLUSTRATE MY STRUGGLE TO FIND GARLAND TAYLORS. FOR THE SCULpTURE I’LL CAST THE GARLAND TAYLOR’S FACES AND MAkE A METAL wREATH OF GARLAND. I ExpECT OUR FACIAL FEATURES TO BLEND INTO GARLAND-NESS.

ON SECOND THOUGHT, MAYBE NOT. I kNOw NOTHING ABOUT THESE GARLAND TAYLORS AND THEY kNOw NOTHING ABOUT ME. THEY MIGHT TURN OUT TO BE A BUNCH OF ASS HOLES. BESIDES, THERE’S NO wAY THESE GARLANDS ARE GOING TO LET A COM-pLETE STRANGER GOOp vASELINE ON THEIR FAC-ES, STICk STRAwS IN THEIR NOSTRILS, AND COv-ER THEIR HEADS AND NECkS wITH pLASTER wHILE THEY STRUGGLE TO BREATHE FOR THIRTY-MINUTES OR MORE. pERHApS A CUp OF COFFEE AND A SIMpLE SNAp-SHOT wILL SUFFICE.

SATURDAY, MARCH 25, 2006GARLAND LETTER

FINISHED THE FIRST DRAFT OF THE LETTER I pLAN TO SEND TO THE GARLANDS.

SUNDAY, ApRIL 1, 2006LETTER TO THE GARLANDS

DEAR MR. TAYLOR,

MY NAME IS ALSO GARLAND. MY FULL NAME IS GARLAND MARTIN TAYLOR JR. AND I AM FROM CHICAGO, IL. I AM AN ARTIST AND A STUDENT AT THE SCHOOL OF THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO. I’M wRITING YOU BECAUSE THERE ARE MORE THAN FORTY-FOUR OTHER pEOpLE NAMED GARLAND TAY-LOR LIvING IN CANADA AND THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. I FIND THAT FASCINATING, SO FASCINATING THAT I AM COMpELLED TO MAkE A wORk OF ART OF IT, OR RATHER, TO MAkE A wORk OF ART OUT OF US.

YOU SEE, AS AN ART GRADUATE STUDENT, ONE OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR GRADUATION IS TO COM-pLETE A FINAL pROJECT IN THE FORM OF EITHER A wORk OF ART, OR AN ESSAY. I’vE CHOSEN TO COM-BINE THE wORk OF ART wITH THE ESSAY. SO, THIS SUMMER, BETwEEN JUNE 1ST AND SEpTEMBER 1ST, 2006, I pLAN TO pAY A vISIT wITH YOU AND ALL OF THE REST OF THE GARLAND TAYLORS AND SpEAk BRIEFLY ABOUT OUR LIvES. AT SOME pOINT DURING THIS vISIT I wANT TO TAkE A pHOTOGRApH OF THE TwO OF US STANDING BEFORE A LANDMARk OF YOUR CHOOSING. IN THE FALL SEMESTER I’LL pROCESS THE pHOTOGRApHS THAT wILL ACCOMpANY AN ESSAY THAT CHRONICLES BOTH, MY TRIp AND LIFE FROM THE pERSpECTIvES OF ALL OF THE NORTH AMERICAN GARLAND TAYLORS. I INvITE, AND SINCERELY HOpE THAT YOU wILL BE A pART OF THIS CREATIvE UNDERTAkING. THE GARLAND pROJECT, wE’LL CALL IT. LET’S SCHEDULE A DAY AND A TIME AT wHICH wE CAN MEET. TO pARTICIpATE, JUST MAIL ME THE ENCLOSED SELF-ADDRESSED, STAMpED ENvELOpE. OR YOU CAN CALLOR E-MAIL ME AT (773) 750-3946 OR GTAYLOR@ARTIC.EDU.

THE GARLAND pROJECTFREQUENTLY ASkED QUESTIONS:

Q1: IF I AGREE TO MEET YOU, wHERE AND wHEN wOULD THAT MEETING TAkE pLACE?A1: AT A COFFEE SHOp, A RESTAURANT, A pARk OR ANY pLACE AND TIME MOST CONvENIENT AND COMFORTABLE FOR YOU.

Q2: wILL YOU ASk ME QUESTIONS REGARDING ANY OF MY pERSONAL ASSETS OR FINANCES?A2: ABSOLUTELY NOT. AND BESIDES, YOU ARE NOT REQUIRED TO ANSwER ANY QUESTION THAT YOU DON’T FEEL COMFORTABLE wITH.

Q3: CAN I MEET wITH YOU wITHOUT HAvING MY pHOTOGRApH TAkEN? A3: CERTAINLY.

Q4: wILL THESE pHOTOGRApHS BE ON pUBLIC DISpLAY?A4: YES. MY pROJECT wILL BE ON DISpLAY AT THE MAYCS 2007 GRADUATE ExHIBITION HOSTED BY THE SCHOOL OF THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO. I’LL BE SURE TO SEND EvERYONE INvITATIONS TO THE ExHIBITION OpENING. ALSO, I’LL HAvE COpIES MADE OF THE FINISHED pRODUCT (THE pHOTOS AND THE ESSAY) AND SEND THESE TO THOSE OF YOU wHO THAT wERE UNABLE TO ATTEND THE OpENING RECEpTION.

THANk YOU!

BEST wISHES,

GARLAND MARTIN TAYLOR JR.STUDENT, MASTER OF ARTS IN vISUAL & CRITICAL STUDIES

Q5: wHERE CAN I SEE IMAGES OF YOUR ART?

A5: I CAN SEND YOU IMAGES OF MY MOST RECENT wORk vIA E-MAIL OR I CAN pRINT HARD COpIES OF THE IMAGES AND MAIL IT TO YOU IF YOU wISH. ALSO, HERE IS A wEB LINk TO TwO IM-AGES OF A pIECE I COMpLETED FOR THE 2005 UNDERGRADUATE ExHI BITION: HTTp://www.ARTIC.EDU/SAIC/NEw/ExHIBIT/ ARTwORk//DISpLAYIMAGE.pHp?ALBUM=2&pOS=4

GARLAND MARTIN TAYLOR JR.

TUESDAY, 11TH ApRIL 2006 GARLAND SENT HALF OF THE LETTERS OUT, AS MANY AS HE HAD STAMpS LYING ROUND THEIR HOUSE. wITH THE FIRST BATCH GARLAND ALSO SENT ONE TO HIMSELF. HE DID SO TO GAUGE wHEN, Ap-pROxIMATELY, THE GARLANDS wOULD RECEIvE THEIR LETTERS.

THURSDAY, 13TH ApRIL 2006

THE LETTER I wROTE TO MYSELF ARRIvED.

FRIDAY, 14TH ApRIL 2006

I MAILED MORE LETTERS TODAY. NOTHING IN THE MAILBOx FROM THE GARLANDS.

TUESDAY, 18TH ApRIL 2006FIRST RESpONDERS

I GOT THE FIRST REpLY TO THE INITIAL BATCH OF 16 LETTERS I SENT OUT LAST wEEk. I AL-MOST OvERLOOkED THE LETTER AT FIRST. IT wAS SO SMALL AND THIN COMpARED TO THE DAILY DOSE OF JUNk MAIL AND pOSTCARDS. ONE pOSTCARD LET ME kNOw THAT I CAN USE IT AT ANY UTRECHT STORE, ONLINE OR BRICkS-AND-MORTAR, TO SAvE “20% ON pAINTS, EASELS, BRUSHES CANvAS, pORT-FOLIOS AND THE LIkE. ON ANOTHER ONE I’M TOLD I CAN “ENJOY MORE THAN 155+ CHANNELS” OF DIRECT Tv FOR $29.99 FOR THE FIRST THREE MONTHS. ALL I HAD TO DO, AC-CORDING TO THE pOSTCARD, wAS CALL SkY DIRECT AT THEIR TOLL FREE NUMBER, “THALAMUS ESpANOLA,” AND SAY THE wORD “SkYDEAL” TO RECEIvE A SpECIAL BONUS. ON THE FLIp SIDE OF THE DIRECT Tv OFFER wAS, I DON’T kNOw wHAT TO CALL IT, AN AD, OF SORTS, pUT OUT BY THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR MISSING AND ExpLOITED CHILDREN. THE TOp LEFT CORNER, wRITTEN IN BOLDFACE, READ “HAvE YOU SEEN US?” BELOw THIS wERE TwO THUMBNAIL BLACk AND wHITE pHO-TOGRApHS. ON THE LEFT wAS A TwELvE-YEAR-OLD GIRL NAMED REBECCA BRAUN FROM TEMpE, ARIzO-NA. THE pHOTO OF REBECCA wAS A 12-YEAR AGE-pROGRESSION. RARELY HAD I pAID ANY MIND MAILERS LIkE THAT.

ON THAT DAY THE MIDDLE-AGED MAN wITH THE RE-CEDED HAIRLINE AND GLASSES ARRESTED MY ATTENTION. OUT OF THE CORNERS OF HIS EYES THE MAN LOOkED TOwARD THE pHOTO OF THE MISSING GIRL. IT wAS CREEpY, YET MY FIRST REACTION wAS TO THROw IT AND THE REST OF THE JUNk MAIL INTO THE RECYCLING BIN.

NExT, I NOTICED THE LARGE CApITOL T ON THE LEFT SIDE OF A GLOSSY, BABY BLUE MAILING LABEL. THE “T” STOOD FOR TAYLOR, DORIS TAYLOR FROM INDIANA. I’D FORGOTTEN THAT I SENT ALONG TINY ENvELOpES THAT I SELF-ADDRESSED. THAT I DIDN’T IMMEDIATELY RECOGNIzE MY OwN HANDwRITING IS wHY THAT LETTER ALMOST ENDED Up IN THE RECYCLE BIN. I RAN BACk UpSTAIRS TO OUR ApARTMENT. I HAD THAT HAppY FEEL-ING THAT COMES ALONG wITH GETTING MAIL – REAL MAIL. LIkE A LETTER FROM A LONG LOST FRIEND. I TRIED TO CALL MICHELLE AT wORk TO TELL HER THE GOOD NEwS BUT SHE DIDN’T OpEN HER pHONE. DORIS’S wAS THE FIRST RESpONDENT OUT OF THE FIFTY-TwO LETTERS I SENT OUT.

BACk IN OUR ApARTMENT I SpRAwLED OUT ON THE BED AND MADE TwO ATTEMpTS TO CONTACT MICHELLE. I TRIED wORk THEN AGAIN ON HER CELL. NO ANSwER. I THOUGHT ABOUT wAITING THREE AND A HALF MORE HOURS UNTIL SHE GOT HOME BUT I COULDN’T. I wENT AND GOT A LETTER OpENER. (ACTUALLY, IT wAS A FILET kNIFE FROM MY FISHING TACkLE BOx BECAUSE I DON’T OwN A LETTER OpENER. MY FATHER USED TO HAvE A LET-TER OpENER wITH A HANDLE MADE FROM THREE pENNIES ENCASES IN ACRYLIC BUT I HAvE NO IDEA wHERE IT IS.) THE ENvELOpE wAS SO LIGHT. I REMEMBER wONDERING wHETHER ANYTHING wAS IN IT AT ALL? I DID SAY IN THE LETTER TO THE GAR-LANDS, “TO pARTICIpATE, JUST MAIL ME THE EN-CLOSED SELF-ADDRESSED, STAMpED ENvELOpE.” BEFORE I OpENED IT I HELD IT Up TO THE LIGHT THERE wAS A LETTER IN IT.

wEDNESDAY, 19TH ApRIL 2006, 3:30 p.M...NO wORD:

NOTHING ARRIvED TODAY IN THE MAIL FOR GARLAND FROM THE GARLANDS. THERE wERE FOUR LETTERS DOwN THERE, AND EvERYTHING wAS ADDRESSED TO MICHELLE.

HE LEFT IT ALL IN THE MAILBOx.

THURSDAY, 20TH ApRIL 2006GARLAND OF OREGON’S

RESpONSE TO CALL FOR GARLAND’S

Ok - wHAT’S Up GARLAND? DID YOUR DAD REAL-LY NAME YOU GARLAND JR.? THAT’S UNBELIEv-ABLE, BASED ON wHAT I wENT THRU IN GRADE [SIC] SCHOOL wITH MY NAME. I UNDERSTAND THAT IT IS pOpULAR IN THE SOUTH.

I DO ART TOO, BUT FEED THE kIDS wITH MY CpA pRACTICE IN pORTLAND, OR. GOT YOUR LETTER ABOUT AN ART pROJECT, BUT NOT SO SURE ABOUT THAT. LAST TIME I wAS CONTACTED BY A GAR-LAND TAYLOR wAS BY A GUY IN HIS 60’S HERE IN TOwN... THEN HE DIED... AND NOw EvERY TIME I GO TO GET A LOAN - THEY SAY I AM DEAD. FUN STUFF. LOTS OF TIME AS THE SOCIAL SECURITY OFFICE TRYING TO pROvE I AM ALIvE - MUST BE DUE TO MY CHOSEN CAREER, HA.

SEE SOME OF MY ART AT www.GARLANDTAYLOR.COM/ART.HTML. I LOOkED AT YOUR pICS AT THE UNI-vERSITY wEB SITE - pRETTY NEAT STUFF. MY kIDS ARE NOT NAMED GARLAND, BY THE wAY... LIFE’S TOUGH ENUF. [SIC]

GOOD LUCk TO YOU wITH YOUR ART. NOTHING SELLS HERE IN pDx, I SOLD AT A SATURDAY MARkET & SOME GALLERIES, BUT vERY TOUGH...

GAR

GARLAND OF vIRGINIA’S RESpONSE TO CALL FOR GARLAND’S

GARLAND,

I’M wRITING TO LET YOU kNOw THAT I’M INTERESTED IN pARTICIpATING IN “THE GARLAND pROJECT.” I REALIzE THAT YOU wILL BE DOING LOTS OF TRAvELING, SO LET ME kNOw THE TIMES THAT wORk BEST FOR YOU AND I’LL DO MY BEST TO BE ACCOMMODATING. BY THE wAY, THERE’S A SLIGHT CHANCE THAT I wILL BE IN CHICAGO FOR A TRADE SHOw IN MAY. IN THE EvENT I MAkE IT TO THE “wINDY CITY” I’LL CONTACT YOU. IN THE MEANTIME, GOOD LUCk wITH THE pROJECT. GT

REpLY TO vIRGINIA GARLAND

GARLAND,

THANkS FOR GETTING BACk TO ME SO SOON. I’M GLAD YOU’RE wILLING TO pARTICIpATE. IT’S vERY ExCITING. INCLUDING YOURS, I’vE GOTTEN THREE pOSITIvE RESpONSES IN JUST TwO DAYS; ONE FROM OREGON, AND ANOTHER FROM INDIANA. I’LL BE IN ALExANDRIA, vA IN JULY wITH MY wIFE AND OUR TwO-YEAR-OLD SON vISITING SOME FRIENDS. I’LL LET YOU kNOw THE DATES AS SOON AS I CAN. BY ALL MEANS, wHEN YOU FIRM Up YOUR pLANS FOR A vISIT TO CHICAGO, GIvE ME A CALL OR SHOOT ME E-MAIL. UNTIL THEN…

BEST,GARLAND

REpLY TO OREGON GARLAND

GARLAND,

THANkS FOR GETTING BACk TO ME SO SOON. IT MAkES ME HAppY THAT pEOpLE, OR RATHER, GAR-LANDS ARE RESpONDING. YOURS wAS THE SECOND RESpONSE I’vE GOTTEN TODAY – ONE FROM THE EAST COAST, ONE FROM THE wEST. AS IT TURNS OUT, THE EAST COAST GARLAND wILL BE HERE IN CHICAGO FOR A TRADE SHOw IN MAY.

IT INDEED AppEARS TO BE A pOpULAR NAME IN THE SOUTH. ARE YOU A JUNIOR AS wELL? MY wIFE AND I HAvE A SON NAMED MALCOLM. I DIDN’T CARE TOO MUCH FOR THE JUNIOR THING wHEN I GREw Up. MAYBE DURING THE COURSE OF THIS pROJECT I’LL FIGURE OUT wHO wAS THE FIRST GARLAND IN AMER-ICA?

I CHECkED OUT YOUR wEB SITE. YOU pHOTOGRA-pHY wAS TAkEN FROM A vERY ATTRACTIvE vANTAGE pOINT. DO YOU SHOOT wITH FILM OR DIGITAL? FOR THE GARLAND pROJECT I’LL BE SHOOTING, FOR THE FIRST TIME, wITH A wIDE FORMAT CAMERA AS wELL AS AN OLD CANON F-1.

I UNDERSTAND wHAT YOU MEAN ABOUT THE GAR-LAND MIx-Up. THE SAME THING HAppENED TO ME FIFTEEN YEARS AGO ONLY wITH pARkING TICk-ETS. NONETHELESS, LET ME kNOw IF YOU HAvE A CHANGE OF MIND.

BEST,GAR

MONDAY, 24TH ApRIL 2006, 8:45 A.M. CALIFORNIA GAR’S –

RESpONSE TO CALL FOR GARLAND’S RESpONSE TO CALL

HI GARLAND,I wOULD ENJOY pARTICIpATING IN THIS pROJECT. I HAvE ONLY MET A FEw OTHER GARLANDS. IT’S NOT A COMMON NAME. THE ONLY OTHER GARLAND TAYLOR I kNEw wAS MY FATHER. I AM A JR. ALSO, BUT I DON’T USE THE JR. ANY MORE.pLEASE LET ME kNOw wHEN YOU pLAN TO BE IN THE SAN FRANCISCO AREA AND wE wILL SET A TIME AND pLACE TO MEET. IF YOU HAvEN’T LOOkED IT Up YET, HALF MOON BAY IS ABOUT 25 MI SOUTH OF SAN FRANCISCO.

ALL THE BEST,GAR

TUESDAY, 25TH ApRIL 2006, 17:13:18

wORD FROM BOLA

MY COUSIN BOLA FROM CALIFORNIA SENT ME AN E-MAIL. I HAvEN’T SEEN OR HEARD FROM HER IN YEARS. I CAN’T wAIT TO SEE HER wHEN wE GO TO SFO. MOM ALwAYS SAID SHE wAS MY FATHER’S FA-vORITE COUSIN. I REMEMBER HER AS BARBARA. SHE CHANGED HER NAME TO BOLA SINCE wE LAST SpOkE IN 1989. SHE’S AN ARTIST NOw-A pAINTER. SHE wROTE:

SUBJECT: wOw

GARLAND, I DID GOOGLE. YOUR NAME AppEARED SECOND AND wOw IS ALL I CAN SAY ABOUT YOUR SCULpTURE. I wOULD LIkE TO TOUCH IT.

BOLA

wEDNESDAY, 26 ApRIL 2006 1:50 pM AT HIS DESk

HE pUT A REpLY TO DORIS’S RESpONSE IN THE MAIL TODAY. THERE wAS NO MAIL AS OF YET. YESTERDAY, GARLAND GOT TwO LETTERS MARkED ‘RETURN TO SENDER’. HE ALSO SENT A SIMULTA-NEOUS E-MAIL TO THE GARLAND OF OREGON AND THE CALIFORNIA GARLAND. HE wROTE:

HELLO GAR AND GARLAND,

I’M pLANNING A TRIp TO THE wEST COAST FROM THE 7TH OF JUNE UNTIL THE 12TH. I’LL BE STAY-ING IN BOTH SAN FRANCISCO AND OAkLAND wITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY MEMBERS RESpECTIvELY. I HOpE THIS TIME FRAME wORkS OUT wITH YOUR SCHEDULES SO THAT wE MIGHT HAvE THE CHANCE TO MEET THEN. LET ME kNOw IF THAT wORkS FOR YOU.

SINCERELY,GARLAND

wEDNESDAY, 26 ApRIL 2006

OREGON GARLAND RESpONDED RIGHT AwAY wITH:

“NAA, TOO wEIRD FOR ME.”

FUCk HIM. wHAT, THEN, wAS THE LOGIC BEHIND HIS RESpONSE TO THE GARLAND CALL? IT’S A SHAME. SAN FRANCISCO. IS JUST A SHORT TRIp NORTH FROM THERE.

MY REpLY TO DORIS TAYLOR, THE wIFE OF THE INDIANA GARLAND, TODAY. IT wENT AS FOLLOwS:

DEAR DORIS,

I wANT TO THANk YOU FOR GETTING BACk TO ME SO SOON AND LET YOU kNOw HOw SpECIAL YOUR LETTER IS SO TO ME AND THE GARLAND pROJECT. IT IS SpECIAL TO ME BECAUSE I TOO LOST A GARLAND TAYLOR, MY FATHER, IN 1983. HE, LIkE YOUR HUSBAND, wOULD HAvE ENJOYED THIS pROJECT AS wELL.

AGAIN, DORIS, IT wAS GOOD OF YOU wRITE.

BEST wISHES,GARLAND

p.S. MAY I kEEp YOU UpDATED ON THE pROJECT?

wEDNESDAY, 3RD MAY 2006, 3:28 pMCALL FROM GARLAND OF NEBRASkA

I HAD MY CELL pHONE pLUGGED INTO ITSCHARGER SO wHEN IT RANG AT 3:28 p.M. I HAD TO RUN TO CATCH IT. I DID, AND THE AREA CODE AND NUMBER wAS UNFAMILIAR. THAT pAUSED CAUSED ME TO MISS THE CALL. IT COULD HAvE BEEN SOME FRIENDS OF OURS CALLING FROM wASHING-TON, D.C., I THOUGHT, SO I CALLED THE NUMBER RIGHT BACk AND SAID, “HELLO, THIS IS GARLAND TAYLOR.” THE vOICE ON THE OTHER END OF THE pHONE REpEATED wHAT I HAD JUST SAID. “HEL-LO, THIS IS GARLAND TAYLOR.” “YES,” I SAID, “THIS IS GARLAND TAYLOR.” THEN IT HIT ME, THE GUY ON THE OTHER END OF THE pHONE wAS ALSO GARLAND. IT wAS THE NEBRASkA GARLAND CALL-ING. HE SAID HE THOUGHT THE pROJECT wAS IN-TERESTING AND wAS CALLING TO TELL ME wANTED TO HELp. IT wAS AN AwkwARD CONvERSATION. I FELT UNpREpARED SO I kEpT IT BRIEF. wE MADE A QUICk pLAN TO MEET TwO wEEkS LATER.

THURSDAY, 4TH MAY 2006, 4:56 AMGRANDDADDY DREAM

HE wOkE Up wHEN HE REALIzED IT wAS FREEz-ING COLD IN THEIR BEDROOM. STILL LYING THERE HE REMEMBERED THAT HE LEFT TwO wINDOwS wIDE OpEN IN THE LIvING ROOM. GARLAND GOT Up AND SHUT THEM. ON THE wAY BACk HE NOTICED MALCOLM’S BEDROOM DOOR wAS wIDE OpEN. HE wENT IN, pUT kATE BLANkET OvER HIS SHOULDERS, AND TUCkED THE OTHER END BENEATH HIS FEET.

HE STOOD THERE FOR A MINUTE IN DREAM SHOCk AFTER HAvING DREAMT HE wAS IN CHICAGO’S LOOp AREA RIDING ON A MAkESHIFT SkATEBOARD. THE BOARD wAS ONE OF THE ANTIQUE wOODEN MILL pULLEYS FROM HIS STUDIO STRAppED OvER THE TOp OF A FLAT-DOLLY. AT FIRST IT SEEMED TOO AwkwARD TO RIDE, BUT wHEN HE DID, GARLAND’S FOOT FIT SQUARELY IN THE MIDDLE OF IT. HE wANDERED ABOUT HIS DREAMSCApE AIMLESSLY. HIS CASTERS COASTED OvER THE ASpHALT SMOOTHLY AND SILENTLY. AT TIMES GARLAND HAD TO pUSH, BUT FOR THE MOST pART HE COASTED.

GARLAND CAME ACROSS ANOTHER pERSON, AN OLD FRIEND NAMED REGGIE wHOM HE HADN’T SEEN OR HEARD FROM SINCE HE wAS 13 YEARS OLD. REGGIE STOOD AT THE TOp OF AN OvERpASS pEERING OvER ITS EDGE. GARLAND pULLED OvER ONTO THE SHOULDER AND wAvED TO HIM BUTREGGIE DIDN’T NOTICE HIM. HE’D JUST GOTTEN A BRAND NEw SkATEBOARD. FROM THE SHOUL-DER GARLAND SAw HOw HAppY REGGIE wAS TO HAvE GOTTEN THE NEw ONE. THEN REGGIE TOSSED HIS OLD SkATEBOARD OvER THE OvERpASS. HE TOSSED IT DOwN INTO THE TALL GRASS BELOw HIM.

GARLAND SAw wHERE THE SkATEBOARD LANDED AND MADE A MENTAL NOTE TO GO BACk AND GET IT LATER. HE pUSHED ON. AT THE TOp OF THE NExT HILL HE NOTICED THE ENTRANCE TO A TwO-SIDED MONUMENT MADE ONLY OF wHITE MARBLE STEpS. AT SOME pOINT GARLAND MUST HAvE ASCENDED THIS MONUMENT BECAUSE THE NExT THING HE kNEw, HE wAS ON HIS wAY DOwN IT. wHEN HE REACHED THE BASE OF THE MONUMENT HE NO LONGER HAD HIS SkATEBOARD. INSTEAD, HE HAD A pApER SHOppING-BAG FULL OF CANS OF vIENNA SAUSAGES, zESTA® SALTINE CRACkERS, AND HAwAIIAN pUNCH JUICE DRINk BOxES. GARLAND JOGGED ALONGSIDE A RAILROAD TRACk UNTIL HE REACHED A pIER wHERE HE wALkED ALONGSIDE A CANAL CRAMMED wITH SMALL FISHING BOATS. IT wAS A SALTwATER CANAL. DOwN ON HIS kNEES, GARLAND LOOkED OvER THE EDGE AND SAw CLEAR DOwN TO THE BOTTOM. THIRSTY, HE TRIED TO HAvE A DRINk OF IT, BUT AN ELDERLY wOMAN pRESSED THE ENDS OF HER ALUMINUM wALkER INTO GARLAND’S ACHILLES’ HEELS AND wARNED HIM NOT TO TAkE A DRINk. HE SCREAMED AT THE pAIN, AND IT SOUNDED LIkE A BICYCLE HORN. STILL ON HI kNEES HE LOOkED OUT ONTO THE CANAL AND SAw THE CApTAIN OF ONE OF THOSE SMALL BOATS HOLDING A BICYCLE HORN IN ONE HAND wHILE STEERING HIS BOAT INTO A SLOw AppROACH TOwARD THE SEA wALL wITH THE OTHER. GARLAND STOOD Up ON HIS TwO FEET. RIGHT THEN ANOTHER BOAT CApTAIN DOCkED BEHIND THE FIRST. GARLAND LOOkED DOwN INTO THIS CApTAIN’ BRAND NEw BOAT AND NOTICED ANOTHER pASSENGER REACH OUT AND TIE OFF THE CApTAIN’S BOAT. AS SOON AS THIS pASSENGER DID SO THE BOAT THAT BELONGED TO THE CApTAIN IN FRONT OF HIM CApSIzED. GARLAND JUMpED INTO THE CANAL TO TRY AND SAvE THE FIRST CApTAIN BUT THE wATER wAS TOO COLD, AND THE CApTAIN wAS NOwHERE TO BE FOUND. THE CRYSTAL CLEAR wATER HAD TURNED MURkY. THE OLD LADY pULLED GARLAND

Up OUT OF THE COLD wATER wITH HER wALkER. GARLAND wOkE Up wHEN HE REALIzED IT wAS COLD IN THEIR BEDROOM.

SATURDAY, 06, MAY 2006THE TExAS GARLAND

THURSDAY, 11TH MAY 2006REpLY & pHOTO TO

THE TExAS GARLAND

I HOpE THIS LETTER FINDS YOU wELL. THANkS FOR GETTING BACk TO ME. I AppRECIATE YOUR INTEREST IN MY pROJECT. SO FAR YOU ARE THE FIFTH pERSON wITH wHOM I HAvE pLANS TO MEET. I’M GOING OUT TO CALIFORNIA THE FIRST wEEk IN JUNE TO MEET THE GARLAND OF HALF MOON BAY. NExT wEEk I’LL BE IN NEBRASkA MEETING THE GARLAND OF OMAHA. AT THE END OF JUNE I’M GO-ING TO MEET THE GARLAND OF TAMpA BAY FLORIDA, AND THEN YOU. I’M LOOkING FORwARD TO MEET-ING YOU DOwN IN TExAS. I wENT TO pARTY ONCE IN CUT AND SHOOT. THAT wAS BACk wHEN I wAS IN THE NAvY IN 1988. I ALSO STAYED IN A pLACE CALLED BAY vIEw, TExAS NEAR BROwNSvILLE. I SENT ALONG A pHOTO OF ME TAkEN THE LAST TIME I wAS IN TExAS, wHICH wAS 1999.

I wAS THERE HELpING A GUY CHISEL AND RAISE A COUpLE OF BENTS FOR A TIMBER FRAME BARN. I DID SOME FISHING wHEN I wAS THERE. I CAUGHT A LOT OF BASS OUT OF THE RESACA THAT BORDERED HIS pROpERTY. I ALSO GOT TO DO SOME RED FISH-ING IN THE LAGUNA MADRE.

HOG HUNTING SOUNDS LIkE FUN AND IT SOUNDS CHALLENGING. I’D LIkE TO pLAN A TRIp THERE FOR SOMETIME BETwEEN JULY 27TH AND THE 31ST. HOw DOES THAT wORk OUT FOR YOU? MY wIFE AND I HAvE A FRIEND IN HOUSTON. MORE THAN LIkELY I’LL STAY THERE. LET ME kNOw.

UNTIL THEN…

REGARDS,GARLAND.

THURSDAY, 18TH MAY 2006TRIp TO NEBRASkA

ON HIS wAY TO NEBRASkA, GARLAND CALLED THE GARLAND AND LEFT A MESSAGE ON HIS ANSwERING MACHINE. HE TOLD HIM HE HAD JUST CROSSED THE MISSIS-SIppI RIvER AND THAT HE’D BE STAYING AT THE LA QUINTA INN OFF OF INTERSTATE 680. GAR-LAND TOLD GARLAND TO GIvE HIM A CALL BACk SO THAT THEY COULD TALk ABOUT A pLACE TO MEET. IOwA IS 280 SOME ODD MILES wIDE. GARLAND Ex-pECTED HIM TO CALL HIM ON HIS CELL pHONE THAT EvENING. wHEN GARLAND DIDN’T DO SO, GARLAND wONDERED IF SOMETHING HAD GONE wRONG. HE wON-DERED IF GARLAND HAD DECIDED TO BACk OUT OF MEETING wITH HIM. THAT wOULD HAvE MEANT THAT THIS 470 MILE TRIp wAS IN vAIN.

GARLAND CHECkED INTO THE MOTEL AT 10 p.M. HAvING DRUNk TOO MUCH COFFEE ON THE ROAD HE wAS TIRED BUT NOT SLEEpY. GARLAND BROUGHT A BOTTLE OF RED wINE FROM HOME BUT FORGOT TO BRING THE GLASS OUT OF HIS vAN SO HE HAD HIS wINE FROM STYROFOAM A CUp. HE DRANk THE wHOLE BOTTLE OvER MOTEL pORN.

FRIDAY, 19TH MAY 2006OMAHA

MICHELLE CALLED THIS MORNING AND wOkE ME Up. I SLEpT LIkE A ROCkET––STRAIGHT THROUGH TILL 7:30 OR SO. SHE SAID MALCOLM DIDN’T SLEEp vERY wELL; HE GOT Up AND CAME INTO OUR BED AROUND 3 A.M.. I HAvE A BIT OF A HEADACHE. I GOT DRESSED, wALkED JACkIE-BROwN, AND THEN wENT TO THE MOTEL LOBBY TO GET A BELGIAN wAFFLE. (TOO GOOEY) I GOT MY CAMERAS AND HEADED OUT TO SEE NEBRASkA.

NEBRASkA GARLAND FINALLY CALLED ME IN MY ROOM, NOT MY CELL pHONE, AT 3:30. I THOUGHT THAT wAS STRANGE. I wAS AFRAID HE wAS GOING TO CHANGE HIS MIND ABOUT MEETING ME. IT wASN’T THE CASE. I TOLD HIM I wANTED TO TREAT HIM AND HIS wIFE OUT TO DINNER AT A RESTAURANT OF THEIR CHOOSING. HE SAID HIS wIFE USUALLY GETS HOME AFTER 5 OR 5:30. I TOLD HIM HOw ExCITED I wAS TO BE THERE/MEET HIM. TOLD HIM HE wAS THE FIRST GARLAND I HAD AN INTERvIEw wITH AND THAT I HADN’T wORkED OUT ExACTLY HOw TO FRAME THE pHOTO. NEBRASkA GARLAND TOLD ME ABOUT A UNION pACIFIC TRAIN pARkED AT A wELCOME SIGN AROUND wHERE 10TH MEETS DOUGLAS STREET NEAR THE RIvER. SAID THAT wAS pERFECT. TOLD HIM ABOUT THE THING I HAvE FOR TRAINS–THE THING MY SON HAS TOO. NEBRASkA GARLAND TOLD ME HE’S A RETIRED RAILROAD MAN. I TOLD HIM HOw I SAvED Up MY ALLOwANCES AS A kID AND AMASSED A MODEL TRAIN COLLECTION. I wANTED TO TELL HIM ABOUT HOw MUCH FUN I HAD AS A kID GETTING INTO MISCHIEF ON THE RAILROAD TRACkS IN THE CITY, BUT I FIGURED I’D SAvE THAT FOR TABLE TALk. SAID I’D CALL HIM BACk AFTER 5:30 p.M. SO wE COULD COORDINATE THE MEET.

GARLAND AND LINDA pICkED A STEAk HOUSE TO MEET ME AT FOR DINNER. FROM MALCOLM x’S BIRTHpLACE THE TIMBER LODGE STEAk HOUSE wAS ON THE OppOSITE END OF THE CITY. wE MET THERE 30 MINUTES LATER. THE RESTAURANT wAS ON THE NORTHEAST CORNER OF 144TH AND MApLE, IN FRONT OF A HOME DEpOT. I pULLED INTO THE LOT BEHIND A wHITE BUICk LE SABRE wITH wHAT SEEMED TO BE A FOR SALE SIGN IN THE REAR pASSENGER wINDOw. IT wAS ExACTLY 6:45. MY GUESS wAS THAT IT wAS THE NEBRASkA GARLAND AND HIS wIFE LINDA IN THE BUICk. OMAHA HAD LOT OF BUICkS.

I pULLED INTO A SpACE AT THE FAR END OF THE pARkING LOT. FELT LIkE I wAS ON A STAkEOUT. AT THE STEAk HOUSE. EARLIER, I TOLD THEM TO LOOk OUT FOR A MAN wEARING A HAwAIIAN SHIRT. AS I pULLED MY CAMERA BAG OUT OF THE pASSENGER SEAT OF THE vAN I NOTICED THE COUpLE FROM THE LE SABRE NOTICE ME.

NEBRASkA GARLAND:

• DOESN’T kNOw wHERE OUR NAME CAME FROM • HAS TwO BROTHERS: 1 GALYN, 1 ARLAND

• HIS GREAT GRANDFATHER wAS FROM ENGLAND

• HE IS A RETIRED CpA FROM UNION pACIFIC

• HE HAS A DAUGHTER – SHE TOLD HIM ABOUT THE TRAIN AT THE CROSSROADS

• HE NEvER LEAvES OMAHA

• HIS wIFE wORE A BIG BUTTON OF A TEENAGE GIRL

. ORDERED SwEET-TEA AND THE SIRLOIN STEAk– SAME AS HIS wIFE.

LINDA AND I HIT IT OFF pRETTY wELL. SHE TOLD ME THE TEENAGER SHE wORE wAS HER NIECE, JESSICA. I SHOwED THEM pICTURES OF MICHELLE AND MALCOLM, THEN I HANDED LINDA A COpY OF THE pROpOSAL FOR THE GARLAND pROJECT. wHILE NEBRASkA GARLAND AND I SpOkE, LINDA LOOkED OvER THE THESIS pROpOSAL. SHE LAUGHED OUT LOUD A COUpLE OF TIMES. LINDA wAS vERY OUTSpOkEN. MOST OF THE CONvERSATION wAS BETwEEN ME AND HER, EvEN AS SHE DILIGENTLY IN-SpECTED EACH pAGE OF THE pROpOSAL. wHEN SHE FINISHED, GARLAND BREEzED THROUGH IT. I FIGURED HIM AS A MAN OF FEw wORDS. THE SERvER BROUGHT OUR STEAkS.

I DON’T REMEMBER wHETHER LINDA BROUGHT IT Up FIRST, OR, IF THEIR CONvERSATION ABOUT HER NIECE, JESSICA, BEGAN AFTER GARLAND pOINTED OUT THE pAGE IN HIS GARLAND pROJECT pROpOSAL, THE ONE wHERE HE MADE A MONTAGE OF JUNk MAIL, MISSING pERSONS MAILERS AND RETURN-TO-SENDER LETTERS FROM MISpLACED GARLAND TAYLORS.

SEE, ONE DAY HE GATHERED ALL OF THE LETTERS TO THE GARLANDS THAT wERE RETURNED TO HIM DUE TO INCORRECT MAILING ADDRESSES. HE ADDED TO THIS COLLAGE OF LETTERS A MAILER HE SAvED, ONE OF THOSE BLUE AND wHITE pOST CARDS wITH pICTURES OF MISSING pERSONS, USUALLY ONE CHILD AND ONE ADULT. GARLAND HAD GOTTEN THEM IN THE MAIL BEFORE, BUT HARDLY GIvEN THEM MUCH THOUGHT. HE USUALLY TOSSED THEM INTO THE RECYCLING BIN wITH THE REST OF HIS JUNk MAIL. THIS pARTICULAR pOSTCARD GARLAND DECIDED TO kEEp.

ABOUT HALFwAY THROUGH HIS STEAk GARLAND ASkED LINDA AND GARLAND, “wHO’S THE GIRL ON THE BUTTON?” SHE TOLD HIM HER NAME wAS JESSICA O’GRADY, GARLAND’S NIECE, AND THAT SHE HAD BEEN MISSING SINCE MAY 10TH. GARLAND pAUSED, STARRING AT THE BUTTON. THE YOUNG, SMILING FACE ON LINDA’S LApEL wAS FAMILIAR TO HIM. GARLAND REALIzED HE’D SEEN HER pICTURE ALL OvER THE NEwS NETwORk SINCE MY ARRIvAL IN OMAHA. IN FACT, SHE wAS ONE OF THREE GIRLS MISSING IN THE AREA. HOw DOES ONE RESpOND TO SOMETHING LIkE THAT? THE pICTURE ON THE BUTTON, THEIR MEETING, THE URGENCY THAT LOOMED ABOvE THAT BOOTH. GARLAND COULDN’T UNDERSTAND wHY THE NEBRASkA GARLAND CAME OUT TO MEET HIM wITH ALL HE AND HIS FAMILY wERE GOING THROUGH.

“HOw COULD THEY ENJOY THEIR TIME wITH ME?” GARLAND ASkED HIMSELF. IT BECAME CLEAR TO HIM THAT JESSICA wAS THE REASON wHY THEIR MEETING SEEMED SO AwkwARD. GARLAND wONDERED IF THEY wOULD HAvE SAID SOMETHING JESSICA’S DISAppEARANCE HAD HE NOT ASkED. THAT wAS HUGE NEwS. MORE IMpORTANT THAN HIS LITTLE SCHOOL pROJECT.

YES, BUT, HERE IS wHEN GARLANDS MEMORY GOT A LITTLE FUzzY. HE wAS OvERCOME BY A BIT OF A pANIC ATTACk. HE wONDERED wHAT HE wOULD HAvE THOUGHT HAD THE SHOE BEEN ON THE OTHER FOOT – IF HIS NIECE HAD GONE MISSING AND SOON THEREAFTER HE GOT A LETTER LIkE THE ONE HE SENT NEBRASkA GARLAND ...

NEBRASkA GARLAND AND LINDA

pARANOID, GARLAND THOUGHT NEBRASkA GARLAND AND LINDA wERE UNDER THE IMpRESSION THAT HE HAD SOMETHING TO wITH THE DISAppEARANCE OF THEIR NIECE. GARLAND FIGURED THAT THAT wAS wHY THEY CAME OUT TO MEET HIM. HE wAS UNDER SURvEILLANCE. THE CUSTOMERS IN THE BOOTH BEHIND NEBRASkA GARLAND wEREN’T CUSTOMERS. AS FAR AS GARLAND wAS CONCERNED THEY wERE FBI AGENTS. LINDA wASN’T INTERESTED IN THE pROpOSAL FOR THIS pROJECT, SHE LOOkED FORANSwERS AS TO THE wHEREABOUTS OF HER NIECE. LINDA AND THE NEBRASkA GARLAND THOUGHT GARLAND wAS THERE TO DELIvER A RANSOM NOTE OR SOMETHING TO THAT EFFECT. MAYBE ONE OR BOTH OF THEM wORE A wIRE. GARLAND FELT LIkE A SUSpECT– A pERSON OF INTEREST. HE ORDERED ANOTHER GLASS OF wINE wHILE LINDA AND NEBRASkA GARLAND GOT REFILLS ON THEIR ICED TEA.

THEN THAT wAS IT. DINNER wAS OvER AND GARLAND INSISTED ON pAYING THE TAB. HE FIGURED DOING SO wOULD pROvE TO THE UNDERCOvER AGENTS THAT HE wAS wHO HE SAID HE wAS–NOT A kIDNAppER.

IN ALL OF THE ExCITEMENT, GARLAND ALMOST FORGOT TO TAkE A pICTURE wITH NEBRASkA GARLAND. LINDA wAS EAGER TO GET A SHOT OF THE TwO OF THEM. IT HADN’T GOTTEN DARk YET. GARLAND SET HIS CAMERA Up ON THE TRIpOD AND TOOk A SHOT OF THE TwO OF THEM. LINDA TOOk ONE OF THE TwO GARLANDS TOO.

ON HIS wAY BACk TO HIS MOTEL, GARLAND BY THEIR STOppED THEIR BUICk AND ASkED IF THEY HAD ANOTHER ONE OF JESSICA’S MISSING pERSON FLYERS. NEBRASkA GARLAND GOT OUT AND GAvE GARLAND THE ONE HE HAD TApED TO THE REAR wINDOw OF HIS CAR. HOw DISAppOINTED THEY MUST HAvE BEEN.

GARLAND OF RICHMOND pHONED AT 7:46 p.M. HE’LL BE HERE IN CHICAGO ATTENDING THE RES-TAURANT CONvENTION AT MCCORMICk pLACE. wE HAvE pLANS TO MEET ON MONDAY MORNING AT THE COFFEE SHOp IN THE LOBBY OF THE HOTEL MO-NACO. GARLAND TOLD ME HE IS THE OLDEST OF THREE SIBLINGS; HE’S 44. HIS YOUNGER SIS-TER IS A SCULpTOR IN NEw YORk STATE, A pLACE CALLED ELMYRA, AND SHE IS MARRIED TO A pRINT MAkER. THEY BOTH TEACH AT A COLLEGE THERE. “THEY LIvE LIkE GYpSIES,” HE SAID. “I HOpE SOMETHING wORkS OUT FOR THEM.” GARLAND SOUNDED THOROUGH AND BUSINESS-LIkE.

SUNDAY, 21ST MAY 2006RETURN TO CHICAGO FROM OMAHA

MONDAY, 22ND MAY 2006THE vIRGINIA GARLAND

I ARRIvED AT THE HOTEL MONACO @ 08:55 FOR A 9-9:30 MEETING wITH THE GARLAND OF RICHMOND. IT wAS A CROwDED LOBBY. I SAT ON THE pURpLE vELvET SOFA wITH zEBRA SkIN, pEACH CHECkERED, AND TAN AND AvOCADO COLORED pOLkA DOT pILLOwS. EvERY OTHER CHAIR wAS OCCUpIED; THE wOMAN IN THE wING-BACkED CHAIR COMpLAINED ABOUT THE SOUND OF CAR ALARMS THAT kEpT HER AwAkE ALL NIGHT. THERE wAS A LOUNGE CHAIR, A FIREpLACE, AND A kNOCk OFF OF A GREEk STATUE. THERE wAS A SECURITY GUARD wHO wHISkED AwAY THE FREE COFFEE STATIONED NExT TO THE RECEpTIONIST, REpLACING IT wITH STACkS OF COMpLIMENTARY NEwSpApERS – USA TODAY, THE TRIBUNE AND CRAIN’S. GARLAND AND I AGREED TO MEET AT NINE A.M. I wAS GIvING HIM UNTIL NINE-FIFTEEN wHEN, AT NINE-TwELvE, I RECEIvED HIS CALL. GARLAND SAID HE HAD TO GO BACk Up TO HIS ROOM TO GET MY NUMBER. HE HAD wAITING FOR ME IN THE RESTAURANT ADJACENT TO THE MONACO: THE SOUTH wATER kITCHEN.

wE ExCHANGED LIFE STORIES. I GAvE HIM THE RUNDOwN OF MY LIFE FROM MY NAvY DAYS IN 1988 TO MY START-Up MARRIAGE AND SUBSEQUENT DIvORCE IN 1997, Up TO MY MARRIAGE wITH MICHELLE, AND THE BIRTH OF OUR SON, MALCOLM. HE TOLD ME ABOUT HIS TRAvELS ALL OvER THE wORLD, TRAvEL THAT BEGAN wHEN HE wAS A COLLEGE STUDENT.

GARLAND CHECkED HIS wATCH MORE FREQUENTLY NOw. HE HAD TO CATCH A FLIGHT BACk HOME. I wANT TO SAY wE HAD A GREAT CONvERSATION. IT wAS A LESS INTENSE THAN MY TALk IN NEBRASkA. GARLAND GAvE ME A BALL CAp wITH HIS RESTAU-RANT LOGO ON IT. I NEED A “GARLAND pROJECT“ SOUvENIR.

wEDNESDAY, 24TH MAY 2006GARLAND OF LOUISIANA –

RESpONSE TO INITIAL LETTER

MARY ANN TAYLOR SENT AN E-MAIL. SHE SAID HER HUSBAND, THE GARLAND OF LOUISIANA, ASkED HER TO DO SO. I REpLIED TO MARY ANN THIS EvENING. I TOLD HER I REALIzED THAT IT wAS SHORT NOTICE BUT wONDERED IF SHE AND GARLAND wERE ABLE TO MEET wITH ME ON THE 2ND OR 3RD OF JUNE? I SAID I’D DRIvE DOwN THERE AND BACk BEFORE I HEADED OUT TO CALIFORNIA ON THE 7TH OF JUNE. wE’LL SEE wHAT SHE HAS TO SAY. THE LOUISIANA GAR-LAND LIvES ABOUT 830 MILES SOUTH OF CHICA-GO AND 30 MILES EAST OF BATON ROUGE–44 FEET ABOvE SEA LEvEL.

THURSDAY, 25TH MAYOFF FOR LOUISIANA

wELL, IT’S OFF TO LOUISIANA. MARY ANN RE-SpONDED TO THE MESSAGE I SENT REQUESTING A GARLAND MEETING ON SATURDAY THE 3RD OF JUNE. SHE wONDERED IF OUR MEETING wAS GOING TO TAkE Up MUCH TIME. SHE SAID THAT SHE AND GAR-LAND wERE IN THE MIDDLE OF pREpARING FOR THE GRAND OpENING OF A NEw BUSINESS THAT FOLLOw-ING MONDAY, JUNE 5TH. I REpLIED, TELLING HER THAT ABOUT AN HOUR wAS ALL THE TIME I NEED-ED FOR THE INTERvIEw. IT’S TOO BAD THEY wERE SO BUSY. wHAT I REALLY wANTED TO DO wAS GO FISHING. THERE ARE SO MANY LAkES AND RIvERS DOwN THERE. LIkE THE AMITE RIvER THAT CUT BETwEEN LIvINGSTON AND ASCENSION pARISH, OR LAkE pONTCHARTRAIN.

BRIAN, MY BROTHER

MY LITTLE BROTHER THINkS ITS CRAzY FOR ME TO NOT HAvE DISCLOSED THE FACT THAT I’M A BLACk MAN TO THE LOUISIANA GARLAND AND HIS wIFE BEFORE GOING DOwN THERE. HIS FEAR IS THAT MOM AND I STAND THE CHANCE OF BECOMING THE vICTIMS OF A HATE CRIME. HE YELLED AT ME AND HUNG Up THE pHONE.

ALSO, I’M AFRAID THAT THE TExAS GARLAND HAS BACkED OUT OF THE pROJECT. IT’S BEEN OvER TwO wEEkS SINCE I RESpONDED TO HIS LETTER AND pHOTOGRApH. I SENT HIM THE SAME, A LETTER AND A pHOTO. I TRIED TO MATCH THE MACHISMO BUT MAYBE IT wAS TOO MUCH FOR HIM. I DIDN’T wANT HIM TO THINk I wAS JUST ANOTHER CITY SLICkER wITH NO CONNECTION TO THE OUTDOORS.

FRIDAY, 2ND JUNE 2006OFF TO BATON ROUGE

ON OUR wAY OUT OF NEw ORLEANS I TOOk pICTURES OF A FLOOD DAMAGED FORD GALAxIE 500 A “DO NOT TOw” SIGN UNDERNEATH THE wINDSHIELD wIpER IN THE DRIvEwAY OF A RAvAGED HOUSE.

SATURDAY, 3RD JUNE 2006THE LOUISIANA GARLAND

GARLAND AND HIS MOTHER, NEDRA, pULLED INTO THE TINY LOUISIANA TOwN, pOpULATION 2000, AT A QUARTER pAST ONE THAT AFTERNOON. THEY wERE ABOUT FORTY-FIvE MINUTES AHEAD OF SCHEDULE. THEIR pOSITION; N: 30.459419˚ BY w: 090.74773˚ AT 25 FEET ABOvE SEA LEvEL. THEY wAITED IN THE pARkING LOT OF A STRIp MALL wITH A JONES MARkET, A CURvES, AND A TIGER TANNING SALON. IT wAS THE NEwEST SHOppING CENTER IN TOwN. NEDRA TOLD HIM, AT ABOUT 1:10, GAR-LAND, I’LL BET YOU THAT’S THE pERSON YOU’RE LOOkING FOR. SHE wAS RIGHT; THE MIDDLE-AGED wOMAN wEARING A BLUE SLEEvELESS BLOUSE wAS THE LOUISIANA GARLAND’S wIFE, MARY ANN. SHE OwNED THE CURvES AND GARLAND wAS ABOUT TO OpEN A DRY CLEANING SERvICE TwO DOORS DOwN. THEY SMALL TALkED FOR ABOUT FIFTEEN MINUTES AS MARY ANN ANSwERED QUESTIONS FROM A pO-TENTIALLY NEw CURvES CLUB MEMBER. GARLAND ASkED GARLAND IF HE FISHED. “OH YES” HE RE-pLIED. “I FISH RIGHT OvER THERE IN LAkE pON-TCHARTRAIN MOSTLY.” GARLAND RUSHED TO TAkE THE pICTURE OF HIS MOTHER, GARLAND, AND LINDA INSIDE THE CURvES BEFORE THEY HEADED DOwN THE STREET TO EAT pIT BARBECUE.

wAYNE’S REAL pIT BBQ

wAYNE’S wAS MARY ANN’S IDEA. SHE wORRIED THAT NEDRA, HAvING NEvER SEEN NOR EATEN IT, wOULDN’T CARE FOR CRAwFISH. THE BBQ wAS AMAzING. NOT LIkE THE CITY vERSION. THE SMOkE FLAvOR wENT wAY DEEpER THAN THE SAUCE. MOM LOvED IT. wE ORDERED A FAMILY pACk THAT CAME wITH BEEF BRISkET, BARBECUED CHICkEN, HAND-MADE pORk AND DEER SAUSAGE, GREEN BEANS, OkRA, CORN BREAD, AND SwEET-TEA.

THERE wAS SILENCE AT THEIR TABLE. EvERY-ONE SEEMED TO ENJOY IT ALL. THE OwNER OF THE JOINT SAT TwO TABLES AwAY FROM THEM. HE AND LOUISIANA GARLAND wENT wAY BACk.

MARY ANN AND LOUISIANA GARLAND kNEw EvERY-ONE wHO CAME INTO THE JOINT. GARLAND FELT FAMOUS. LOUISIANA GARLAND TOLD EvERYONE HE CAME IN CONTACT wITH THAT GARLAND wAS “AN ARTIST FROM CHICAGO wORkING ON AN ART pIECE ABOUT ALL OF THE GARLAND TAYLORS IN THE wORLD.” “THERE ARE FORTY OF US!” LOUISIANA GARLAND ExCLAIMED.

THEY LEFT wAYNE’S AFTER ABOUT AN HOUR THEN HEADED OUT TO MARY ANN AND LOUISIANA GAR-LAND’S HOUSE. FIRST THE STOppED TO GET THE CRAwFISH. LOUISIANA GARLAND TOLD GARLAND TIGER SEAFOOD’S CRAwFISH wAS THE SECOND BEST AROUND. IT wAS FAMILY RUN.

UN SURpRISINGLY, MARY ANN wAS RIGHT, NEDRA DIDN’T QUITE GET INTO THE CRAwFISH. GARLAND BROUGHT Up FISHING AGAIN SO LOUISIANA GARLAND TOLD HIM pEOpLE AROUND THOSE pARTS CALLED HIM YELLOw CAT. YELLOw CAT GAvE GARLAND A GLIMpSE OF THE kIND OF FISHING HE wAS INTO AND TOLD HIM HE DONS A SNORkEL AND FINS, SwIMS DOwN TO THE BOTTOM OF LAkE pONTCHARTRAIN AND wRESTLES LARGE CATFISH OUT OF THE wATER. YELLOw CAT pULLED OUT A COUpLE OF ALBUMS FULL OF pICTURES OF HIM AND HIS CONQUERED FISH. YELLOw CAT ALSO HUNTED, TRAppED, AND HOSTED HUGE CRAwFISH BOILS. wALkING AROUND YELLOw CAT’S pROpERTY, GARLAND REACHED OUT AND GRABBED HOLD OF A vINE. “THAT’S pOISON OAk!” YELLOw CAT SAID, CALMLY. LUCkILY GARLAND wASN’T AFFECTED BY IT. HE wENT INTO THE HOUSE AND wASHED HIS HANDS wHERE HIS MOM AND MARY ANN wERE. NEDRA FOUND A GARLAND® BRAND COFFEE CAN SIMILAR TO THE ONE GARLAND FOUND IN TExAS THREE OR FOUR YEARS AGO. GARLAND pROppED IT Up ON THE pICNIC BENCH AND TOOk A pICTURE OF IT.

THEY TOOk THE BOILED SHRIMp, CORN ON THE COB, NEw pOTATOES, AND CRAwFISH TO GO AND ATE IT OUT AT THE LOUISIANA GARLAND’S HOUSE.

TUESDAY, 6TH JUNE, 2006CALIFORNIA GARLAND

OFF TO CALIFORNIA TOMORROw–OUR vERY FIRST FAMILY TRIp vIA AIRpLANE. MALCOLM IS SO Ex-CITED HE SCREACHES. wE’LL HOOk Up wITH MY pATERNAL AUNT MAxINE AND SOME COUSINS wHILE wE’RE THERE. I wISH MY RELATIONSHIp wITH MY FATHER’S SIDE OF THE FAMILY wAS NOT SO DIS-TANT. IF I DIDN’T MAkE THE EFFORT TO kEEp IN TOUCH wITH THEM...

NEDRA (MOM) GARLAND’S MEMORABILIA

THURSDAY, 8TH JUNEGARLAND OF CALIFORNIA

THERE’S NOTHING LIkE FLYING ALL THE wAY OUT TO SUNNY CALIFORNIA, DONNING A FLEECE HOODIE, AND BASkING IN THE FINEST wEST COAST FOG. I pICTURED THIS pLACE AS SUNNY AND wARM, BUT IT wAS A COLD AND CLOUDY SIxTY-EIGHT DEGREES IN pACIFICA, CALIFORNIA. wE wERE pARkED OUTSIDE OF THE COFFEE SHOp GARLAND CHOSE AS OUR MEETING pLACE. IT’S AT N 37.46630 BY 122.42870˚ AND 42 FT. ABOvE SEA LEvEL. wE ARRIvED ABOUT TwENTY MINUTES EARLY SO, SINCE MALCOLM HADN’T AwOkEN FROM HIS NAp, MICHELLE AND I TOOk A 15 MINUTE CAT NAp IN THE CAR. THE MOMENT SOMEONE pULLED Up ON A HARLEY DAvIDSON MOTORCYCLE THE THREE OF US wOkE Up. MICHELLE SAID I SNORED. FIFTEEN MINUTES FELT LIkE AND HOUR. MICHELLE GOT MALCOLM, I GOT THE BACkpACk OUT OF THE TRUNk AND wE wENT INTO THE HALF MOON BAY COFFEE COMpANY. MICHELLE wAS RIGHT; THE CALIFORNIA GARLAND wAS THE GUY THAT RODE IN ON THE HERITAGE SOFTAIL–RED pEARL OvER BLACk pEARL pAINT.

GARLAND ACkNOwLEDGED US RIGHT AwAY; HE LOOkED ME IN THE EYES, pOINTED TO ME wITH HIS LEFT HAND FROM THE HIp. I HADN’T EvEN CROSSED THE THRESHOLD COMpLETELY. YET, HE SEEMED TO RECOGNIzED ME. I HELD THE DOOR OpEN FOR MICHELLE AND MALCOLM. THEN I wALkED Up TO THE GUY AND SAID, “GARLAND TAYLOR?” “GARLAND TAYLOR,” HE REpLIED, HIS pOINTING HAND SwITCHED TO AN ExTENDED RIGHT HAND FOR AN OLD FASHIONED HANDSHAkE. IT wAS A CONFIDENT HANDSHAkE, NOT TIMID LIkE wITH NEBRASkA, NOR wAS IT OvER-COMpENSATED LIkE wITH vIRGINIA, BUT FIRM AND CONFIDENT LIkE YELLOw CAT’S HANDSHAkE. I INTRODUCED GAR TO MICHELLE AND MALCOLM.

GARLAND wAS IN THE MIDDLE OF ORDERING HIS SOY DECAF LATTE FROM THE wOMAN BEHIND THE COF-FEE BAR. SHE LOOkED AT ME AND SAID “HELLO GARLAND TAYLOR” GARLAND HAD OBvIOUSLY TOLD HER THAT I wAS COMING TO MEET HIM. I ORDERED A CUp OF TEA. THE SERvER SUGGESTED I MIx THE GREEN TEA wITH DARJEELING.

NEARLY FORTY-FIvE MINUTES HAD pASSED AND I’D FORGOTTEN ABOUT MY STEEpING TEA. IT wAS THE STRONGEST CUp OF TEA I HAD EvER DRUNk. IT LASTED OUR ENTIRE MEETING. wHAT ALSO LOOMED HEAvILY OvER THE AIR OF THIS MEETING wERE TwO QUESTIONS I kEpT ASkING MYSELF, “HOw DID GAR-LAND kNOw THAT I wAS GARLAND, AND wHY, UNLIkE THE OTHER GARLANDS, wAS HE NOT SURpRISED THAT I wAS A BLACk MAN?”

ONE OF THE THINGS THAT STOOD OUT IN THE MEET-ING wAS THE FACT THAT GARLAND HINTED AT HAvING ISSUES wITH HIS FATHER AS wELL. GAR SAID HIS FATHER wAS MEAN. HE SAID HIS FATHER BOUGHT A 260 ACRE FARM AND MADE HIS CHILDREN wORk IT EvERY OTHER wEEkEND AS wELL AS ON SUMMER vACATIONS. GAR BLAMED HIS FATHER FOR ROBBING HIM OF HIS CHILDHOOD. THE GARLAND OF vIRGINIA HAD A SIMILAR GRIEvANCE wITH HIS FATHER.

SUNDAY, JULY 1, 2006MEET THE FLORIDA GARLAND

THE FLORIDA GARLAND pICkED J. ALExANDER’S RESTAURANT AS A MEETING pLACE. I wAS EARLY; IT wAS ABOUT 11:30. I wAITED OUTSIDE ON THE pATIO AND I COULD SEE EvERY CAR THAT ENTERED THE MALL pARkING LOT. HAD A BLOODY MARY. I wAS JUST AS NERvOUS AS I wAS BEFORE MEETING THE OTHER GARLANDS.

FOR THE SECOND TIME THIS TRIp I’D THOUGHT ABOUT DAD AND HOw HE USED TO MAkE ME NER-vOUS. ESpECIALLY wHEN HE’D ARRIvED HOME FROM wORk. I DON’T REMEMBER BEING HAppY wHEN HE CAME HOME; I wAS AFRAID MORE THAN ANYTHING ELSE. AFRAID OF GETTING A SpANkING, OR GET-TING YELLED AT FOR SOMETHING I’D DONE wRONG. HE wAS ALwAYS SO ANGRY, MY FATHER. MY BROTH-ER AND I USED TO GO RUN AND HIDE SOMEwHERE IN THE BACk OF THE HOUSE wHEN wE HEARD HIS kEY OpENING THE DOOR. THE INDICATION THAT IT wAS SAFE TO COME OUT OF HIDING wAS THE SOUND HIS kEYS MADE wHEN HE TOSSED THEM ON THE pIANO. IF HE HADN’T YELLED BY THEN, ALL wAS GOOD.

THE FLORIDA GARLAND, AkA BUTCH, CALLED MY CELL pHONE wHEN HE ARRIvED. I wALkED Up TO THE pODIUM wHERE BUTCH STOOD wITH HIS wIFE AND TwO CHILDREN. wE INTRODUCED OURSELvES, “GARLAND?” I ASkED. “HEY GARLAND”, GARLAND SAID. wE wERE THEN SEATED AT A ROUND TABLE AT wHICH BUTCH AND I SAT NExT TO EACH OTHER. HIS kIDS wERE SO CUTE. SEEING HIS SON MADE ME MISS MALCOLM AND MICHELLE. I’D BEEN GONE FOR FOUR DAYS. (I’vE NEvER UNDERSTOOD HOw MY FATHER wAS ABLE TO SpEND SO MUCH TIME AwAY FROM HIS FAMILY.) THE wAITER CAME AND wE OR-DERED ICED TEA. I ASkED HOw HE FELT wHEN HE GOT THE

LETTER AND HE SAID THAT GRACE, HIS wIFE, GAvE HIM THE LETTER AND SAID, “HEY GARLAND, YOU GOT A LETTER FROM YOURSELF.” BUTCH SAID HE SCANNED THE LETTER AND SENT IT TO SOME OF HIS FAMILY MEMBERS, ALL OF wHOM THOUGHT IT wAS A GOOD IDEA FOR HIM TO MEET wITH ME. BUTCH OR-DERED HALIBUT. I TOLD HIM ABOUT MY IDEA TO BRING ALL OF THE GARLAND TAYLORS IN AMERICA TOGETHER FOR A BIG FISHING TRIp. BUTCH wASN’T INTERESTED IN GOING FISHING. HE SAID THIS wAS THE FIRST TIME HE’D EvER EATEN HALIBUT. ALSO SAID HE wAS NOT MUCH OF FISHERMAN. NOT LIkE THE LOUISIANA GARLAND wHO wRESTLES CATFISH IN LAkE pONTCHARTRAIN. I ORDERED THE SHRIMp pO’BOY. IT wAS A FAR CRY FROM THE pO’BOYS MOM AND I HAD IN NEw ORLEANS. I zONED OUT OF THE CONvERSATION wONDERING wHAT THIS FLORIDA vERSION OF THE SANDwICH wAS GOING TO TASTE LIkE. THERE IS SOMETHING ABOUT THE TExTURE OF THE BREAD IN NEw ORLEANS THAT HAS NOT BEEN DUpLICATED ANYwHERE ELSE I’vE ORDERED THE SAME SANDwICH. wE SMALL-TALkED, AND BUTCH’S DAUGHTER ILLUSTRATED OUR CONvERSA-TION ON THE pApER TABLECLOTH. IT wAS AN EASY MEETING. BUTCH pICkED Up THE TAB. IT wAS AN EASY MEETING, AND A GREAT MEAL. IT TOOk ABOUT TwO HOURS; ABOUT THE SAME AMOUNT OF TIME AS THE OTHER GARLAND MEETINGS. I kNEw wE’D NEvER SEE EACH OTHER AGAIN. OUTSIDE, I pUT THE CAMERA ON A TRIpOD AND TOOk SOME pICTURES. THEN BUTCH AND I SAID OUR GOOD-BYES.

THE SHALLOw FLATS OF THE GULF OF MExICO

SUNDAY, JULY 2ND 2006HOMOSASSA FLORIDA

HE wENT TROUT FISHING wITH A GUIDE BY THE NAME OF CApTAIN BRUCE wILLIAMS FROM HOMO-SASSA, FLORIDA. THAT FISHING wAS SOMETHING GARLAND NEvER GOT TO DO wITH HIS FATHER wAS wHY, FROM THE MOMENT HE STEppED ON THE BOAT, BRUCE wAS HIS HONORARY GARLAND TAYLOR THAT DAY. HE pOINTED TOwARD THE MARINA AND REMI-NISCED ABOUT HOw wHAT USED TO BE THERE wAS THE HOUSE HE GREw Up IN–HIS MOTHER’S HOUSE. HONORARY GARLAND pOINTED OUT HISTORIC LAND-MARkS ALL THE wAY Up AND AROUND THE wIND-ING BAYOU TO THE FLATS. HE AND HIS FAMILY LIvED AROUND THOSE pARTS FOR GENERATIONS. GARLAND HIRED HONORARY GARLAND TO HELp HIM CATCH REDFISH, BUT THE REDFISH wEREN’T IN SEASON. HURRICANE kATRINA CAUSED THE SHRIMp AND CRABS USUALLY FOUND IN THE GRASS AND SEAwEEDS OF THE SHALLOw GULF wATERS HAD GONE OUT TO SEA, TAkING wITH THEM THE REDFISH THAT THRIvED ON THEM. SO THEY FISHED FOR TROUT INSTEAD. HE THOUGHT IT STRANGE, THE HONORARY GARLAND, GARLANDS REQUEST TO CATCH GARFISH.

CApTAIN BRUCE wILLIAMS, A. k. A THE HONORARY GARLAND TAYLOR

FRIDAY, JULY 14TH 2006 10:11 pM EDGEMONT, ARkANSAS

THE BULLFROGS wENT 1, 2, 3, 4, - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5… “wHAT’S THAT NOISE pApA,” MALCOLM ASkED. 1, 2, 3, 4, - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5…. I ExpLAINED TO MALCOLM HOw OUR TRAILER wAS COMpLETELY SURROUNDED BY BULLFROGS CROAkING, COUNTING; 1, 2, 3, 4, - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5… HE FELL ASLEEp TO THAT SOUND. I HEARD, BEHIND THAT RHYTHM, A MUCH MORE DELI-CATE SOUND – CRICkETS COUNTING AT ALMOST THE SAME TEMpO. THE AIR CONDITIONER CYCLED ON AND IT FRIGHTENED THE GOOSEFLESH OUT OF ME, AND MALCOLM. HE FELL RIGHT BACk TO SLEEp. HE DIDN’T HEAR THAT SOMETHING THAT CRAwLED ON THE TOp OF THE TRAILER. MALCOLM AND I wERE IN THE FOOTHILLS OF THE OzARkS AT AN Rv AND CAB-IN RESORT THAT OvERLOOkED A LAkE. HE DID SO wELL IN THE vAN ON OUR 13 HOUR SOJOURN FROM THE CITY TO THIS pLACE.

SATURDAY, JULY 15TH 2006EDGEMONT, ARkANSAS

MALCOLM GOT TO GO ON OUR FIRST FISHING TRIp. wE CAUGHT NO FISH. wE SET THE LEFTOvER MIN-NOwS FREE, AND TOSSED THE wORMS OUT INTO THE wOODS INSTEAD. wE pLAYED wITH pEBBLES; wE wATCHED THE wORMS; wE ATE OUR LUNCH, AND THEN wE HEAD BACk TO THE TRAILER FOR NApS.

SUNDAY, JULY 16TH 2006GARLAND SpRINGS, ARkANSAS

THE ARkANSAS GARLAND STOOD ME Up SO MALCOLM AND I DROvE OUT TO FIND THIS pLACE ON THE MAp NAMED GARLAND SpRINGS. NONE OF LOCALS I’vE ASkED kNEw ABOUT wHAT wAS SUppOSED TO BE A NATURAL SpRING.

MONDAY, 31ST JULY 2006

GARLAND CALLED THE vIRGINIA GARLAND THIS AFTERNOON BUT HIS CALL DIDN’T CONNECT. HE HEARD THE pARTY ON THE RECEIvING END OpEN THEIR pHONE, THERE wAS A RUSTLING SOUND, THEN NOTHING. THE CONNECTION wAS DEAD. HE TRIED AGAIN AND HIS pHONE wENT RIGHT TO vIR-GINIA GARLAND’S vOICE MAIL. GARLAND HUNG Up THE pHONE. HE GOT THE HINT. vIRGINIA GARLAND DIDN’T RESpOND TO THE E-MAIL HE SENT HIM A wEEk AGO. THE STORY wAS THE SAME wITH THE NEBRASkA GARLAND. GARLAND CALLED HIM TOO SHORTLY AFTER HIS TRIp wITH FOLLOw-Up QUES-TIONS. HE LEFT A MESSAGE ON NEBRASkA GAR-LAND’S ANSwERING MACHINE BUT HE NEvER GOT BACk TO GARLAND.

wE FOLLOwED MAp QUEST’S DIRECTIONS TO THE LETTER BUT FOUND NO GARLAND SpRINGS. ALL wE FOUND wAS A TwO-MILE LONG ROAD BY THE SAME NAME, THANkS TO AN OLD MAN IN A pICk-Up TRUCk. STANDING IN THE MIDDLE OF GARLAND SpRINGS ROAD, I TOOk HIS pICTURE.

GARLAND SpRINGS ROAD, GARLAND SpRINGS, ARkANSAS

MONDAY, 31ST JULY 2006

I CALLED THE GARLAND OF vIRGINIA THIS AFTER-NOON. MY CALL DIDN’T CONNECT. I HEARD THE pARTY ON THE RECEIvING END OpEN THEIR pHONE, THERE wAS A RUSTLING SOUND THAT wAS IMMEDI-ATELY FOLLOwED BY DEADNESS. THE CONNECTION wAS DEAD. I TRIED AGAIN AND HIS pHONE wENT RIGHT TO vOICE MAIL. I HUNG Up THE pHONE. I GOT THE HINT. HE DIDN’T RESpOND TO THE E-MAIL I SENT HIM A wEEk AGO.

DECEMBER 11, 06E-MAIL FROM CALIFORNIA GARLAND

HI GARLAND,

HERE’S ANOTHER LITTLE TIDBIT FOR YOUR pROJ-ECT IF IT’S STILL IN pROGRESS. SO HOw IS IT GO-ING?

GAR

JANUARY 11TH 2007REpLY TO GARLAND CALIFORNIA

HI GAR,

SORRY FOR THE DELAY. GOOD TO HEAR FROM YOU AND I’M GLAD ALL IS wELL. THANkS FOR THE CLIppINGS. NICE HOLE IN ONE. wHAT ARE THE CHANCES OF HITTING ANOTHER ONE? YES, THE pROJECT IS IN FULL SwING. IT wILL BE COMpLETED IN ABOUT THREE MONTHS I THOUGHT I’D HAvE AN ExACT DATE OF THE ExHIBITION THREE OR FOUR wEEkS AGO BUT OUR CLASS IS STILL wORk-ING OUT DETAILS wITH THE ADMINISTRATION. IT wILL BE SOMETIME IN THE MIDDLE OF MAY. DO YOU THINk YOU’LL BE ABLE TO MAkE IT TO CHICAGO? THAT wOULD BE COOL. I REGRET NOT MEETING YOUR MOTHER IN vIRGINIA. I CANCELLED MY RICHMOND TRIp. THE GARLAND OF RICHMOND, HAvING MET ME ONCE IN CHICAGO, DE-CIDED NOT TO RETURN MY TELEpHONE AND E-MAIL REQUESTS FOR ANOTHER MEETING. I wAS pRETTY MUCH ExHAUSTED BY THEN, HAvING DRIvEN A TO-TAL OF 11,500 MILES BETwEEN JUNE AND AUGUST AND HAvING NOT FOUND wHAT I wAS LOOkING FOR.

REMIND ME IF I SENT YOU A COpY OF THE pHOTO wE TOOk TOGETHER AT THE COFFEE HOUSE, IF NOT I’LL SEND YOU ONE.

pEACE,GARLAND

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 20, 2007

I’M NOT SURpRISED THAT I’vE GOTTEN NO wORD FROM THE CALIFORNIA GARLAND. THE TONE OF HIS E-MAIL GOT ME THINkING THAT HE wAS INTERESTED IN THE TwO OF US kEEpING IN TOUCH.

AppARENTLY NOT. IN THE BEGINNING, I FANTA-SIzED ABOUT kEEpING IN TOUCH wITH THE GAR-LANDS (AT LEAST ONE OF THEM). THAT wAS JUST MY IMAGINATION AT wORk. IT’S TOO BAD. OUT OF ALL OF THE GARLANDS I MET LAST SUMMER, HE SEEMED LIkE THE ONE wITH wHOM I HAD THE MOST IN COMMON.

wEDNESDAY, MARCH 28, 2007

GARLAND GOT AN EMAIL MESSAGE FROM MARY ANN, THE LOUISIANA GARLAND’S wIFE. SHE SAID, SIM-pLY, HI AND ASkED “HOw’S THE pROJECT GOING?” SIGNED MARY ANN.

.

ACkNOwLEDGEMENTSA. MOTLEY STUDENT FUNDCOLLEAGUES @ MAvCS GARLAND’S AND FAMILY

MICHELLE & MALCOLM GLOvER & FAMILY

MISALE FAMILYp. JACkSONM . LAv INL. pALMERS. ALATALOp. RIvERSk. MORRIS

MY MOMDAD