Greensboro Daily Photo

Summer Baseball Fun...

Although the calendar summer is a few days off, the season is well underway with local K-12 students. The above photo features a baseball game on the McBane field Guilford College campus. While the Guilford Quakers practice and play on this field, they must also rent it out to local teams, possibly AAU. AAU baseball is very popular in Greensboro, as is the sport in general. From the Greensboro Grasshoppers to the littlest league, we've got parents and fans out cheering their teams on. The photo captures the intensity of the faceoff between pitcher and batter. Everyone was focused.

This summer, pack your folding chairs, head to one of our city's many baseball fields, and chances are you'll enjoy some baseball playing. Nothing says summer fun like a warm evening of watching baseball. The Greensboro Grasshoppers will be in town from June 24th-30th this month. Consider taking in a Grasshopper game (see schedule here). By the way, they supply comfortable chairs!

Got deer?

Urban and suburban deer have become a problem up and down the east coast. Many communities, including some in North Carolina, allow (restricted) hunting of deer within the city limits. The one above  just looked at us as if to say that humans would have to move first.  Deer have become accustomed to human habitats and, when they forage, they can strip shrubs down to the bark. These herbivores also love fruit, acorns, and nuts. For the last several years, they have eaten the flowers out of our lilies, right before they bloom. 

Do you have deer in your neighborhood? Fed up? Antartica and Austrailia don't have deer. Deer are an example of the delicate balance between man and nature.  As long as you continue to live in Greensboro, likely you'll have to contend with the critters. Happy Monday, dear readers.

Heavenly Sculpture Garden

For this Sunday's spiritual reflection, we take you to Greensboro's Cone Health Cancer Center again. The center's commitment to art is impressive. The diagnosis of any serious illness it physical, emotional, and spiritual.  Art can help lead patients and families to thoughts beyond the immediate situation. The above, rooftop sculpture garden, seen through many of the cancer center's windows, features an array of metal butterflies in motion and a stationery field of flowers. The metal flowers are always in bloom and the butterflies are always in their most glorious, flighted stage.

We hope you are enjoying your Sunday and that you have or know a father to celebrate. Here's to pausing to be thankful for what our fathers have given us- the earthly as well as the heavenly one.

Ghandi

Did you know there was a statue of Mahatma Ghandi in Guilford County. The statue of Ghandi is located, down the road from Greensboro, on the campus of High Point University. The main street through campus is lined with statues of many famous people on benches. Ghandi led India to independence from British rule. It is hard to believe he was born in 1869, a little after the civil war in the USA. He died in 1948, shortly after the end of World War II. His life spanned a very interesting time in world history and Ghandi played a significant part. How interesting to have a statue in our community. If you have not seen these bronze sculptures, it is worth a drive to High Point to see these works of art. If you have young children, seeing these sculptures of famous people is a fabulous way to teach history.

Benjamin Branch Library

As you make your summer plans in Greensboro, don't forget to factor the public library into the equation. We've said it before and we'll reiterate, Greensboro has a fabulous public library system. On their website, the Greensboro library reminds us that they have a 100 year history of service and innovation. There are branch libraries throughout the city and they have media resources, offer programs for adults and children alike, provide meeting space for public events, feature great artwork, and, above all, help foster a lifelong love of learning and reading in the community at large.

The other day, when we were returning books and DVDs to the Benjamin Branch at Price Park, it was wonderful seeing families playing on the grounds outside, people enjoying picnic lunches, and, inside, adults and children reading together. Every computer was in use and just about every corner had someone sitting quietly enjoying the reading materials. We don't know if you can tell from the above photo, but almost every parking space was full. The Greensboro libraries are the most dynamic, quiet space you will find. Hope to see you there soon!

Gateway Gardens

Yesterday's photo was of the visitor center at Gateway Gardens on East Lee Street. Today, we wanted to show you a view of a completed section of the property. With the rainy spring, everything from the oak leaf hydrangea to the hosta to the wildflowers are thriving. The two orange stick-like structures in the middle of the photo are a giant plaster sculpture. To their left is the watermelon seat. There is so much to explore in this public space. With the 64 million dollar Research Park, a joint UNCG/NCA&T venture, just across the street, this little section of Greensboro has been transformed (see this view of the area). As residents and visitors alike come in to Greensboro from I-40 east, they will see a fabulous, multi-use, public space. If teryou are local and have not seen Gateway Gardens and the Visitor Center and Research Park, by all means, find time to schedule it in. 

 

V is for Visitor Center and Volunteers

Greensboro is so lucky. Greensboro Beautiful and the City of Greensboro are building a visitor center at Gateway Gardens on East Lee Street at the entrance to Barber Park. The venue is situated on eleven acres and will cost approximately 8 million dollars. The visitor center, photographed above, will be LEED certified. It sounds like the more funding they receive, the "greener" they can make the facility. It will be surrounded by 1) a wedding & rose garden; 2) a Japanese garden; 3) a white oak forest; and 4) will include the above facility where lots of learning, sharing, and celebrating can take place. 

Greensboro Beautiful is an organization with many volunteers who work to keep Greensboro's public gardens beautiful and scheduled with events.* Please support this worthwhile organization in any way you can. At the very least, give a big thank you to the volunteers manning events when you see them.

Today is ABC Wednesday and we're almost through the alphabet.  For this round of ABC Wednesday, we've committed to the theme of going green. V is for visitor center and volunteer.See A-U GO GREEN Greensboro posts here. 

*The Tanger Family Bicentennial Garden, The Greensboro Arboretum, The Bog Garden at Benjamin Park and Gateway Gardens are all Greensboro Beautiful projects. If you want a copy of Greensboro Beautiful's newsletter, the SEED, go here. Who knows, you just may become their next VOLUNTEER (or VISITOR)!

Monday Mornings

Have you ever driven around Greensboro on a Monday morning? Monday is definitely a day of work and making and keeping appointments. In the course of about two hours yesterday morning, we saw yard workers everywhere, city trash collection taking place, and auto mechanics working on vehicles. Breakfast conversations centered around needing to get more pool chemicals, people going to the doctor to check on aches and pains, people needing to pack for vacation, and someon was heading to the post office to mail payments.

In the above photo, we see two workers trimming grass on Paisley Street-  near Greene and Smith Streets. Sow N Grow, a local lawncare business, seems to keep the whole block mowed. They were working efficiently and doing a great job. Hopefully, they finished before the big downpour arrived yesterday. On Monday, the humidity was high and the rains were intense. At least Greensboro didn't have damaging winds. Hopefully, the rains didn't pound the hydrangeas in the above photo. They were lovely. To make the most of these rainy days, consider driving around town and appreciate how green Greensboro is these days.