Photography by Danny Fulgencio
— As told by John Griswold
I’m not sure if our relationship qualifies as “love,” but anyone who walks the lake in the morning has had a greeting from Joe Chatham. If you don’t know Joe, he’s the one on the bicycle that heartily greeted you as you were out for a morning walk. Joe circles the lake about five times a morning, depending on what his competitive plans are for the year. As he passes by walkers, runners and other cyclists, he shouts “Good morning” or “Good day, don’t let it get away.” If you aren’t lost in contemplation or conversation, you will hear him coming; he has a bright, cheerful greeting for everyone he passes, and in his multiple laps of the lake, that’s a lot of folks.
Somewhere back in time I heard that there were three kinds of love in the Latin language. one being that of one friend to another. For me, this would apply to Joe Chatham. Whether I’m afoot walking my dog, or doing my daily loops of the lake, that greeting from Joe is like when the sun breaks through the clouds, even if just for a moment. You have to “love” Joe and his cheeriness.
Click here to read more love stories from our neighborhood.
