Greensboro Daily Photo

Captive Audience..... on the Road

Driving back from Washington, D.C. this weekend, as we were approaching Greensboro, we saw this truck on the road: "best coffee on the Interstate", Pilot travel centers. On the side, the truck's tank had written, "flammable". Somehow, we don't think the liquid inside was coffee. This was a brilliant piece of advertisement from which one cannot escape. Seeing the coffee-bean shaped sign made us want to stop for coffee. However,  the closest Pilot (Flying J) travel center to Greensboro is in Mebane and we had already passed it. We settled for getting back to town 15 minutes earlier and brewing coffee at home.

Seeing this photo and looking at photos from this time last year,  we notice spring is a little later in arriving this year. Perhaps it is for the best as we don't want any beautiful blossoms to get damaged. If you want to learn about trees that will be blooming soon, look here. Do you have any in your yard? Something a little farther away from home is this 1:32 video about early blooms of spring in the Chicago Botanic Garden. At any rate, as we look at the dull, almost colorless, photo above, we can hardly contain ourselves, anticipating another beautiful spring in Greensboro. Spring, hurry up! Please!

 

I LOVE NC

Vanity tags, like bumper stickers and slogans on t-shirts, get at the core of who we are. Deep in the heart of North Carolina is a driver who LOVES Texas. Perhaps we should have followed the shopper into Pier One at Friendly Center* to ask why one would purchase a vanity tag proclaiming love for another state. Do you think there is someone driving around in Texas with a license plate that reads, I LUV NC? To be sure, there is an interesting story here.

As you drive around on the roads this holiday, don't forget to play the license game. There is nothing better for entertaining children in an educational way while on the road. Then again, that was the last generation. This generation has text messaging, internet access, and great movies in the car. Still, if you see a fun license tag, especially one in Greensboro, point it out to the people in the car with you and let us know here! Stop back tomorrow for our ABC Neighborhood post. And, by the way, WE LUV NC (in North Carolina). Think that tag is taken?

*This photo was taken last winter which is why you see snow on the bumper.

 

Remembering Little Marissa Nicole Shelton

Thanksgiving week, Americans log more road miles, traveling to be with loved ones, than any other week of the year. If you are among those traveling, please remember to drive defensively and responsibly. The above photo is a reminder of the grief one suffers with the unexpected traffic death of a loved one.*

The pink floral cross is located on Highway 29 north between Cone Boulevard and Hicone Road. Marissa Nicole Shelton, an eight year old girl who lived nearby, was struck and killed on her bicycle in a hit and run accident an July 21st, 2011. Her grieving family maintains the memorial. The little sign of Santa says "Santa, please stop here." We hope that the family's Christian faith community has been helping them get through these very difficult first few holidays without Marissa. Since today is Sunday, we like to share something religious, spiritual, or a message that helps us reflect on the beauty of life before us. Here's to a safe, happy and healthy Thanksgiving for us all. As we say in the South, "Have a blessed day."

*As of this week, the roadside memorial was still standing. If you are interested, read more about roadside memorials here. Some people say the markers are a remembrance and remind us all to be safe. Others say they are unsafe and distracting. What is your perspective on this tradition?

Delta Airlines @ PTI in GSO

Here we see a McDonnell-Douglas 88, the last variant of the MD-80 series. This Delta Airlines plane is parked at Lindley Field in Greensboro (GSO). Likely, this 155 seater is headed to Atlanta, Delta's main hub. Since Northwest Airlines and Delta merged, we see a lot more of the latter in Greensboro and the "old redtails" have been repainted. US Air transports the most people to and from Greensboro and Delta is second in passengers carried.

In the background, on the top right, you can see TIMCO Aviation Services peeking out from behind the jetway. They have a 600,000 square foot aircraft maintenance facility in Greensboro. TIMCO, established in 1990, is headquartered in Greensboro. Along with TIMCO and FedEx, DELTA, USAirways and all of the other carriers provide great resources for Greensboro. 

This photo reminds us of Delta's old advertising campaign. "We love to fly and it shows." 

JESUS Bumper Sticker

We were behind this truck recently at a stop light.*  The entire time, we were thinking: 1) the driver attends UNC; 2) she drives a Ford truck; 3) she is a Christian; 4) she is from Minnesota (license plate cropped out of photo); 5) she must be a good driver because the truck has no sign of a bump or scratch- no easy task in a college town. That yellow lettering stuck with us for a while: Are you following JESUS this close? We even found ourselves talking to the bumper sticker, "wait..... we're not that close to your truck." Later that day, back in town on Battleground Avenue, we saw a Volvo with a vanity plate advertising a local community: OAKRIDGE.

The back of a vehicle makes a very effective place to advertise/proselytize. What does the back of your vehicle say about you? You know people are watching!  Since we photograph something related to religion every Sunday, this bumper sticker is having an even greater impact than the truck-driving, Carolina gal (from Minnesota) ever imagined.

Summer is a fun time to look for bumperstickers and vanity tags, especially if you are on vacation and have restless children in the car.

 

* (OK, we cheated a little and slipped out of Guilford County for an afternoon).

 

Fourth of July Week....What? Leave Greensboro?

Yes, it is true, Greensboroians are spoiled. We are in the middle of everything. We have great vacation spots in the mountains and wonderful vacation opportunities at the beach. From mountains to ocean, we traverse our highways headed to our favorite destinations. Most of this travel takes us on either I-40 or I-85. Many of our residents are leaving town this weekend for big Fourth of July vacations.

Many of us who stay in town will kick off the Fourth of July on the evening of July 3rd at the Grasshoppers baseball game and fireworks at the stadium. On July the Fourth, we will go to the parade downtown and spend the day at the Fun Fourth celebration. Then, later in the afternoon, we will head out for family fun at the parade in the  Kirkwood neighborhood. We will cap off the day with a game of cornhole at the Coliseum and enjoy the concert at the White Oak Ampitheater awaiting the city's fireworks display. This is the second year that the fireworks will be at the Coliseum.

Fun Fourth has been a Greensboro tradition since 1975 (37 years). The Kirkwood parade has been going on since 1948 (64 years). Greensboro has so much tradition on the Fourth of July. As a matter of fact, there is so much to do, we simply can't bring ourselves to leave.

Burlington Road at Whitsett

One of our favorite weekend activities is to drive along Burlington Road (Highway 70 out East Wendover). Practically every house and piece of undeveloped land has a for sale sign, including a tobacco field we featured last fall (here). This weekend, we stopped at Whitsett, a small town east of Greensboro in the eastern end of Guilford County. July 2009 data reveal that the population of Whitsett is 735. We're betting the town of 2.8 square miles has grown in population since then. Whitsett was named for UNC history professor, Dr. William Thorton Whitsett, PhD (1866-1934), who founded Whitsett Academy in Alamance County, N.C.

At one time, the above Whitsett property was a splendid farm property. Today, it is waiting for that special person to turn it into a dollar store or a cul-de-sac. The transformation is happening before our eyes. In the case of the above barn, nature has beat the bulldozer to it. You really owe yourself a drive to Burlington to see everything that is for sale and under construction. In addition to seeing the changes, you can read highway signs and search church cornerstones and enjoy a little history sleuthing. With smart phones and iPads, you can research while you are walking, looking, and photographing. If you go, let us know what you find.

 

NC Carnivorous Plants & U Haul

We've finally found a U Haul that advertises North Carolina. The "Venture Across America" series by U Haul is brilliant-- combining fun facts and great graphic design with an otherwise boring Point A to Point B venture. The top statement reads "Carnivores of the green swamp preserve." At the bottom, it reads, "Did you know.... The endangered Venus Fly Trap and Pitcher Plant feed on small insects for survival. How does this reversal in the food chain work? Learn more about carnivorous plants...."

Carnivorous plants have adapted to eat insects because their host soil is thin and poor in nutrients. Due to plant poachers, carnivorous plants are threatened worldwide. Carnivorous plants don't grow in Greensboro; in our state, they only grow within a 60 mile radius of Wilmington.This costal city is a great habitat for carnivorous plants (see many examples here). North Carolina children love to study them, especially in the North Carolina social studies years (4th and 8th grade).

By the way, this U Haul is available for rent at Quality Food Mart at the corner of Battleground and North Elam. Have a great weekend and try to spend a few minutes looking at other Skywatch Friday posts! If you want some carnivorous plant fun, watch the 1960 or 1986 version of the movie, Little Shop of Horrors.

 

Elm Street's Muggle Express

Since we're muggles and not wizards, we're depending on the Elsewhere Living Museum's Muggle Express to get us from Point A to Point B on Elm Street. We caught the bicycle at Elsewhere Collaborative at 606 3/4 South Elm Street and pedaled (collaboratively) to Center City Park. Along the way, we captured some fun snaps of our beautiful city. Here we see the blue-gray Jefferson Standard/Pilot/Lincoln Financial building on the horizon, situating the photo in downtown Greensboro.

People worldwide are busy seeing the the movie, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2. Even though we're not wizards, we can imagine where we could find horcruxes* while strolling along Elm Street. See, even if you can't get away for a vacation, you can do great things with your imagination/stay-cation in Greensboro! Next chance you get, stop by Elsewhere and ask conductor Stephanie about the next departure of the Muggle Express! It would be great if Greensboro had an Elm Street trolley to shuttle us around town, especially during special events! Beep, beep!  Next stop..... Hogwarts!

*horcruxes: objects in which Valdemort (antagonist in Harry Potter) stashes pieces of his soul.

X is for Ten Miles

Today is ABC Wednesday and, as you may know, for this series, we've been featuring streets. Well, what to do? There is not even one street in Greensboro that begins with the letter "X." Many of you were kind enough to suggest that we feature a major crossroad of two Greensboro streets. That was our intent, when, serendipitously, we stumbled upon this street-related  X at the Greensboro Historical Museum. In the above photo, you see a stone marker with an X carved in it. The brass plaque below the X reads, "Last stagecoach marker in Guilford County. Formerly located at Sedalia, the "X" indicated that Greensboro was 10 miles away. Such markers were common on the main roads prior to 1860."

So, for ABC Wednesday, X, Roman numeral 10, marks the spot. This stagecoach marker and X in the road was located very near this diner in the eastern end of the county, 80 miles west of yesterday's post.

View our previous, ABC Wednesday ( A-W) posts here. Two more weeks until we think of a new theme for Round 9 of ABC Wednesday.

Homeward Bound

This photo was taken at the Southern Railway Station in downtown Greensboro at 236 East Washington Street. The scene evokes the lyrics of Simon and Garfunkel's song, "Homeward Bound," at least some of them.

"I'm sittin' in the railway station got a ticket for my destination.....Homeward bound, I wish I was homeward bound, home where my thought's escaping..."  

Without the one night stands or guitar in hand, this family did, indeed, look homeward bound, waiting patiently for either the train or the bus late one morning. This railway station is a photographer's dream. Here is a color photo we posted in July. Here is an exterior view of the train station which has been a Greensboro landmark since 1927! If we had one wish for the station, it would be to see it utilized more; not only for getting from Point A to Point B and for visiting the great coffee shop and information center, but also for having local events. How about a quick day trip to Raleigh? Let's do it! We can depart Greensboro at 9:11 am and get to Raleigh by 10:48 am!!!

This month's theme for the City Daily Photo is public transportation. At Greensboro Daily Photo, we're saluting our city's great railroading history and the reason we are nicknamed the Gate City. 

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Last Hurrah of Summer

Labor Day, celebrated the first Monday in September, has been a federal holiday since 1894. In the USA, Labor Day weekend is the last big vacation weekend of summer. For many, the holiday helps with the transition from the lazy days of summer to the busy school days of September. Our holiday is not usually as much about workers and trade and labor unions as is the May 1st celebration held in much of the world. Many people from Greensboro head to the beach; however, with Hurricane Earl threatening the coast, this weekend might be spent closer to home. The mountains around Asheville are an option this weekend. We think we'll stay in town and use some of our tomatoes to have our own little Tomatina Festival like they do in Spain, where people literally immerse themselves in tons and tons of ripe tomatoes. What are you doing?

Hope somebody in Spain posted about La Tomatina for Skywatch Friday! 

 

220 NORTH-- Battleground Avenue

Recently, a passenger in our car commented about a new sign in Irving Park where Lawndale, Battleground, and Westover Terrace converge. Do you notice anything different about this sign? Well, if you are a typography aficionado, you will notice the font right away. Traditionally, the Federal Highway Administrations fonts have been sans-serif (see here). The US Federal Government and Pentagon have been in the business of highway fonts since the early 1940's. Lately, serifs, or the "semi-structural details on the ends of some of the strokes that make up letters and symbols" have been creeping into road signs. Historically, consensus has been that plainer fonts are easier to read, especially when zooming down the highway. Personally, we did find the "new and improved" font in the sign above a little harder to read. How about you? 

There are lots of websites where you can identify fonts, if you like the "name that font" game. When we went to identafont, the font above looks like impressum. If you're loving this font talk, likely you've seen the 2007 movie, entitled, HELVETICA.

 

Ready to Serve

These busses, parked at Grimsley High School, are cleaned, serviced, and ready to transport the students of Guilford County Schools in less than 24 hours! Our hats are off to those bus drivers who work so diligently to keep children safe. Grimsley High School is about to start its 111th year of teaching students. When Grimsley first opened students mostly walked to school. Now, if they aren't driving themselves to school, many of them take Thomas Built busses, built in our very own HIgh Point, NC.

Please allow time for school traffic when commuting and always, always, wait until the children are safe and the red stop sign is no longer out!

 

Inside J. Douglas Gaylon Depot

If you are in Greensboro and have never gone inside the J. Douglas Gaylon Depot, we suggest putting it on your "to visit" list. It was built in 1927 as the replacement facility for Greensboro's train terminal on Elm Street. The mural behind the clock depicts the Southern Railway network in the 1920's, in the era when the facility was built. Today it is known as a "multi-modal transportation facility" because not only trains but also busses-- local, regional, and national-- provide transportation here. With good reason, it is billed as one of Greensboro's treasured places. The extensive 32 million dollar restoration project took over four years to complete. Wouldn't it be wonderful if every child in Greensboro would have the opportunity to take a train ride to and from this depot?

In case you can't visit in person: To the left, just beyond the viewfinder, are what must be the original benches for passengers to wait. Down the hallway from the clock and mural are the platforms train platforms. To the right are the ticket counters. Just beyond the view on the right is the new Carolina Blues Coffee Shop. While on site for our photo shoot, we just had to go and treat ourselves to a bagel and coffee. The atmosphere is so inviting. The staff is friendly, the coffee is good, and the shop fills a much needed void in the depot. Previously, the only beverages available were the vending machines. Now, travelers and visitors alike can head on in for a cup of coffee and chat with locals. Also on site is an information center. 

We're sharing this with our Weekend Reflection friends. The marble floor is clean and shiny, we could see our reflection in it.

 

Southern Railway Station

Greensboro's Southern Railway Station, located at 236 East Washington Street, has been a local landmark since 1927. In 1978, it was donated to the City of Greensboro and, in 2005, reopened as the J. Douglas Galyon Depot. Today, the depot serves as both a rail and bus station. The main waiting room of the passenger station has a mural showing the Southern Railway network in the early years. This building is a brilliant example of the efforts of historic preservation in our city. It is a safe, clean facility that looks as solid as a bank vault. GDP has featured the railway system before as it has played such an important role in the history of Greensboro. Our nickname is the Gate City because so much commerce in the state passed through Greensboro on the trains.

This is our contribution for Skywatch Friday, where hundreds of people show the sky above their city on a weekly basis.

 

Memorial Day Weekend

Many people leave town for Memorial Day Weekend. In Greensboro, we can get to the beach in less than 4 hours and oh does Greensboro love to head to the beach. Heading to the mountains is another option. Some say North Carolina has it all-- from the mountains to the seashore.  If you drive away from the city, we remind you to be careful on the roads. This rear view mirror look at downtown Greensboro is one side of the Marriott, also seen in this photo . Even the Grasshoppers baseball team will be out of town this weekend.

This is our Skywatch Friday photo.

 

Reuce, Reuse, Recycle

Reduce, reuse, recycle, likely, is the motto of this local, energy-efficient, rest stop that uses sustainable practices. Located about an hour south of Greensboro in Randolph County on I-73, we are proclaiming it THE destination rest stop of North Carolina. They are making every effort to be green. For example, over 4,000 wildflowers are planted on the roof of the museum/travel-information area of the facility. This planting harnesses the sun's energy for something more productive than heating roof tiles! We're pretty sure that it is a LEED certified site. Not to worry, there is a facility on the northbound as well as the southbound sides of the highway!

If you want to see a more colorful photo, view yesterday's photo of pottery inside the museum on-site. The umbrellas at the bottom of the cascading water show a few of community organizations answering questions about their communities. We're sharing this photo with Watery Wednesday and ABC Wednesday (R is for Reduce, Reuse, Recycle). Happy blogging, ya'll.

 

Ben L. Owen III Pottery

In the foreground, the iconic red pottery vessels were made by Ben L. Owen, III. The Owen Family is famous for this Chinese red glaze. The pottery in the background comes from Bulldog Studio, equally famous for its interesting glazes. Both pottery studios are located in the Seagrove Area about an hour south of Greensboro. If you ever have a chance to visit these potteries, the day trip is well worth your time. 

En route to the potteries, we were speechless when we stopped at this new rest stop in Randolph County. The rest stop,  with its sustainable energy design, is a work of art. Not only does it house a pottery museum, the green, energy-efficient rest stop uses all of the sustainable practices in today's market. In the current photo, you can see how the use of natural light enhances the building and exhibits maximally. The I-73/74 rest stop is  a worthy day trip destination on its own! Stop back tomorrow and we'll share another picture of the facility.

Of course we're using this photo for Ruby Tuesday!

 

Segway into the Work Week

Here we see a police officer on one of two Segway Personal Transporters owned by the City of Greensboro. According to Wikipedia, a Segway is, "a two-wheeled, self-balancing electric vehicle invented by Dean Kamen. It is produced by Segway, Inc. of New Hampshire, USA." The Segway was unveiled in 2001 and is designed to mimic humans walking. It balances upright; when the rider leans forward, the vehicle rolls forward. Learn more about them here or here. The two officers using the Segways this weekend at the Day of the Children Festival in Center City Park seemed adept at maneuvering them. 

As language lovers, we want to tell you that the homophone "segue" in Italian and Portuguese means "follows" or "a smooth transition." That line down the road is leading us straight to Mellow Yellow Monday!

 

Security Van Lines

Security Van Lines Moving and Storage is a great piece of nostalgia. The old brick building backs up to the railroad tracks that cut through the center of Greensboro. Decades ago, Greensboro's prefix for phone numbers was BR. As you approach the building, the phone number appears to be BR 7-4766.  In the center, you can see a small burst of graffiti. Fortunately, our town in not inundated with the cryptic, highly-stylized writing. 

Also evident as you walk near the tracks are small piles of clothing when people changed into something different and abandoned their old outfit. Finally a beer bottle here and cigarette butt there remind us that we'd best not hanging around after sunset. By the way, these are the same tracks where the pigeon stood a couple of days ago.

 

Holden Road in the Rain

Last week, we were driving from the southwestern to northwestern end of Guilford County. The rain was relentless; Haz-mat was cleaning up a spill on I-85.  This is the view from the passenger's seat as we made our ride home on Holden Road.We were all tired and wondering if we would make it home safely. Greensboro was a rainy and muddy mess. 

If you have a teenagers learning to drive, show them this picture and tell them this is the reason you take your drivers' education class seriously. This is one of many reasons why you CAN'T drive under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

Here is our contribution to Watery Wednesday!

Sunset on I-40

This past weekend, we drove from New Bern westward to Greensboro. As the sun set, it created breathtaking views through the windshield glass. Mostly the sunset was spectacular on the south side of the interstate, making it hard to photograph. However, on this stretch, the view was also spectacular in front of us. Since Mr. GDP was driving, I was able to cheat a little bit and use the tint of the windshield glass to add the blue filter at the top. To us, the sunset was a real gift and on this Sky Watch Friday, we have decided to share it with you. 

Airstream Campers in NC

This weekend, we found ourselves at Out-of-Doors Mart photographing AIRSTREAM Campers. Here you see a few of the brushed aluminum beauties against a rainy North Carolina sky and brilliant orange maple leaves. According to their website, Out-of-Doors Mart has been selling and servicing Airstreams for 40 years-- longer than any other dealer in the world! 

Many people who own Airstreams become members of the Wally Bynum Caravan Club. Wally Bynum is the man who developed the prototype for today's Airstream. These campers hold their value well and attract a lot of attention whenever they pull in somewhere. On the road travel with a camper becomes quite an addiction for some. Groups like the Airstream clubs and caravans provide an instant, mobile, social network! For a little history on the Airstream, go here or here.

You can see by the wet ground that we were dodging rainstorms and are sharing this photo with our Watery Wednesday friends! If anyone has a great Airstream story, please share!

North Carolina Railroad in Greensboro

This eastward view of the railroad tracks over South Elm Street looks like a scene out of a classic movie. No signs of modernity and fully expecting Clint Eastwood to walk across the tracks any minute!

Near this part of the tracks is an historic marker (J-102) with the following inscription: "North Carolina Railroad _._ Opened interior of N.C. The groundbreaking took place nearby, July 11, 1851. First president, John Motley Morehead." According to the North Carolina Railroad Company's historic timeline, for the grounbreaking ceremony, Senator Calvin Graves lifted the first shovel of dirt. Quickly, Greensboro became known as the Gate City, the great crossroads between Goldsboro and Charolotte.

Labor Day-- Transition to Fall

Happy Labor Day!. Today, we have one last hurrah with family and friends, our white shoes get put away, community pools are open for one last day, and children ponder school resuming tomorrow.  Perhaps more than anything else, Labor Day reminds us that fall is upon us. We hope you are having a restful Labor Day. 

In the photo above, we see a young man sitting in Greensboro's Piedmont Triad International Airport waiting for his flight. We don't know if he was leaving home or returning; however, he captures that pensive look of moving on, just as Labor Day captures the transition from summer to fall. 

This is our contribution to Monochrome Weekly.

Singing in the I-40 Rain!

Here is a photo of iconic, green, made-in-the-USA road signs, taken on I-40 just west of Greensboro during a summer rain.  Since reading Ampersand 7's 4/11/09 blog entry on typography, we have been noticing fonts, including fonts on road signs. The signs above are an example of the FHWA Series fonts, informally known as Highway Gothic.  Can you believe that Highway Gothic was developed by the Public Roads Administration over 60 years ago, during World War II.

Regarding local driving, we are finally getting used to Greensboro's new highway, the I-40 bypass-- or not. If you are local, you know the controversy about signage and whether to encourage traffic to go through Greensboro or around the city. We find ourselves asking, Are we on I-40 or the I-40 bypass? Business 40? Was I-40 relocated? Or, is this I-840? I-73? Painter Boulevard? The Greensboro Urban Loop?....... And now you, dear reader, are thinking, not only do I have to figure out the interstate's name, Greensboro Daily Photo wants me to figure out which font NCDOT is using!! 

We thought this would be good Skywatch Friday humor because just about everyone who has been to Greensboro has I-40 stories to tell! 

Addendum: On the same day we posted this photo and text, the News&Record had a front page article on mapping for the GPS systems with all of these changes. It was just by chance that our feature ran the same day as theirs!

Good Friday Crosses: 1,842 Clusters of Three

Today is Good Friday and our contribution to the Holy day is this photo of crosses. These crosses are scattered throughout the southeast and most sets have been erected within a day's drive from Greensboro. We thought you might be interested in knowing about them as, likely, you have seen them somewhere in driving to and from our wonderful city!

The Reverend Bernard Coffindaffer of West Virginia began erecting the crosses in 1984. By the time of his death in 1993, 1,842 trios of crosses had been installed in 29 US states and in the Philippines. One hundred and six of them are in North Carolina. Coffindaffer spent over 3 million dollars on this project. Likely, if you live in Greensboro and travel this holiday season, you will see a set of these crosses along the side of the road.

Notice that the center cross is yellow and the other two, blue. Often, they are installed on heavily wooded mountaintops and we always wondered how on earth the Rev. Coffindaffer reached the upper ridges with them. One day, we saw this set near a gas station on US 19 in West Virginia and stopped to get a first hand look and to snap this photo. As you can see, the crosses are beginning to look worn and in need of a coat of paint. We wanted to share them on Skywatch Friday.