Greensboro Daily Photo

A is for AIDS

In this week's parade, the Challenged by HIV/AIDS Ministry marched along Martin Luther King, Jr. Drive making people aware of the fact that people who are HIV positive in Greensboro can find a warm and inviting community to not only help them work through issues related to the disease, but also to live a full and productive life once diagnosed. The ministry educates, trains, supports, loves, and ministers to people affected and/or infected by the disease. Additionally, they offer over a dozen opportunities for service and community involvement. In an nutshell, they teach people HOW 2 LIVE POSITIVE. The group meets in Greensboro and in Kernersville (info here). Higher Ground, the Triad Health Project and Winter Walk for Aids (info here) are other interfaith ways to get involved and to find support. 

As for GDP, we're starting another ABC Wednesday Round. Previously, we've featured A-Z streets of Greensboro. For the last series, we shared A-Z people of Greensboro. This round, we're not so sure we can commit to a theme. Themes require EXTENSIVE preplanning, as opposed to random photos one stumbles upon while walking through life. Having said that, if we can loosely translate "causes" to mean anything worthy of caring about, we might try A-Z causes. For A, we could have featured adoption, (public) art, animals, alumni associations. A-Z Causes?......!

At any rate, Aids awareness, support, community involvement, and quality of life are causes worthy of featuring. So, drumroll, for ABC Wednesday, Round Ten, Week #1, A is for AIDS. (Go here for GDP's previous posts and HERE to see what others around the blogosphere are posting). This week, there are some FABULOUS entries for the letter "A" from angels to aviation; however, at least for the first 65 entries, we are the only blog to pick "AIDS" (or to commit to a theme)-- all the more reason to do so. 

Fall Bike Ride

This past Sunday was a perfect day for a bike ride. Here we see a group of cyclists en route, calling a fellow cyclist who was lagging behind-- ahh technology. We met up with these cyclists on the part of the greenway trail that parallels Benjamin Boulevard, between Friendly Center and Grimsley High School.

If you are interested in cycling and want to find like-minded people, the Velo Club of Greensboro is an active, social cycliing club.  It was established 36 years ago, in 1975 and continues to add meetings and events. In addition to their weekly Sunday rides, the local club is gearing up for three big events this fall/winter: 1) The Tanglewood Park Festival of Bikes on November 18th; 2) the 15th annual Polar Bear Ride on January 1st; and  3) the big Cyclocross Race at Bur-Mil Park on January 22nd. The Polar Bear Ride would be a great way to bring in the new year that would be perfect for those of us who vow to move more and eat less.

Whether you join a group or do something on your own, travel on Greensboro's Greenway or on paths uncharted, we suggest you head outdoors and take advantage of these fleeting good-weather days.

 

 

Southern Railway Car in Gibsonville

Returning from Burlington yesterday, we drove through downtown Gibsonville, a community of approximately 6,000 people located in the easternmost part of Guilford County. Named in honor of Joseph Gibson, Gibsonville was incorporated in 1871; however, the Gibsonville  Post Office opened sixteen years earlier in 1855. Founding fathers laid the boundaries of the town in both Guilford and Alamance Counties, which has been quite a challenge with respect to governance. In 1971, 100 years after its incorporation, Melvin O. Wyrick published a History of Gibsonville, excerpts of which city officials have posted (here).

Southern Railway can trace its roots, and the beginning of its many iterations, to the 1830's. The bright red, vintage Southern Railway car, parked downtown, is an iconic memory of Gibsonville's booming rail history. It is located beside the tracks that parallel to E. Railroad Avenue, across from the former Cone Mills Minneola Textile Mill. Gibsonville saw extensive rail traffic in the late 19th and early 20th centuries with the flurry of commerce surrounding the textile mill.

A little bit of downtown Gibsonville is peeking out on the left of the photo.  If you want to see more of the historic community and experience Gibsonville's southern charm, visit their annual Christmas parade-- to be held at 2pm on Saturday December 10th. We're placing an order for snow flurries to accompany the parade!

 

Labor Day Day Weekend-- Got Plans?

Labor Day Weekend is upon us! This Castle of Horror Clown, last seen scooting through Market Street at the Fourth of July Parade, is hoping that you have a little time to clown around this weekend. While much of the world celebrates Labor/International Workers' Day on May 1st, in the US, we celebrate the holiday the first Monday of September. Traditionally, this is the last hurrah of summer vacations, after which academics become the focus for students. Drivers beware, I-40 through Greensboro will be bumper to bumper today and Monday... Just sayin'.......

We're sharing this photo with Skywatch Friday crowd, hopefully some people are out there visiting blogs and not all away on vacation. We'll be staying in town, trying to find great things to photographs, but we will try to find some time to don wild clothing and clown around. Let us know how you are spending your weekend.

 

Center City Resource Team

If any wrong-doings happened in downtown Greensboro last night, it was not because we lacked police patrolling the area. In the above photo, six policemen on bicycles, who are part of the Center City Resource Team, were congregating in the city parking lot between Design Archives and Bin 33 Restaurant. Two minutes earlier, they had been riding up Elm Street in formation.  Additionally several members of the foot patrol were in Center City Park around its closing time.

With over 20,000 people in the community having  the right to carry a concealed weapon (or with a permit in process) and additional people who have guns illegally, these policemen risk their lives with each turn of a bike pedal. They do so much for our community and make a genuine effort to build rapport with the people who frequent their beat. Property owners in the downtown area pay an assessment to get extra services ranging from additional police to getting hanging baskets watered and having extra garbage pick up. So, if you are downtown, don't assume there is a problem, just because you see a mini-brigade of police.

Rice Toyota

When Garson Rice, Sr. opened Rice Toyota in Greensboro in 1965, it was one of the first Toyota dealerships in the USA; the first in the South. At the time, 2630 Battleground Avenue seemed more remotely located as Battleground was not as commercial and built up in the 1960's. Today, the Rice Toyota Dealership has grown and extends on both sides of the street. It is not unusual to see salesmen and managers traversing the multiple-lane highway to get to the offices (or McDonald's) on the other side. Knock on wood, those smiling guys in polo shirts and slacks seem to have mastered crossing the street safely.

In the photo above, a Rice Toyota customer and Prius owner, is sporting a badge of pride-- a vanity plate. As the Greensboro owner informs us, this Prius gets 49 miles per gallon of gas.  The owner has reduced her carbon footprint and is providing a subtle reminder that we all need to be getting 40, 50, or more, miles to the gallon of gas. We first test drove a Prius at Rice Toyota. Perhaps it is time to see what we can negotiate with Mr. Rice, Junior, who works tirelessly to continue the legacy built by his dad. In three years, the age of the dealership will equal the MPG.

Day 180

Today, June 10th, is the 180th day of school which means that school is over for the summer in Guilford County (NC). Hopefully, teachers have inspired students to love learning; students have put their best foot forward and made every effort to excel; and parents have been there to support their children and their children's teachers every step of the way. Let us hope that this year was great for all and that next year will be even better. One sure thing about teaching and learning is that the summer gives us all time to renew dreams and to refuel for a fresh start. May your summer be everything you are dreaming it will be-- and more. Don't forget to read!

This photo was taken as busses exited Lincoln Street onto Lee Street on the campus of Dudley High School and the Academy at Lincoln. This is a busy intersection with many students walking to school. Crossing guards work diligently keeping students safe (even those who think they're too old to be helped across the street). Here is a virtual wave goodbye and a warm embrace for our Skywatch Friday friends who will be looking at that slice of sky in the background.

Train over High Point Road

Here we are near Jamestown and the GTCC campus near Ragsdale High School. If you are headed to High Point, you are on High Point Road. If you are headed to Greensboro, you are on Greensboro Road. As you approach downtown Greensboro, the name of the road changes to Lee Street. At any rate, you see the walls on both sides of the road are covered with graffiti and the train cars passing by overhead are full of graffiti. Sometimes the spray painted words are social messages; other times, they reflect the name of the "Krylon artist" or a friend who had a fatal car accident in the given area.

Greensboro has been a big railway hub since the 1800's. The access to railways to ship goods-- from raw materials to finished products-- in and out of Greensboro brought us our textile mills. In 2010, we were 3rd in volume of the 16 Amtrak stations in North Carolina. On average, Amtrak serves almost 300 passengers a day out of Greensboro. If you came to this post in search of information about railways, you will be happy to know that Greensboro has an active chapter of the National Railway Historical Society. Here's to our dear friends at Ruby Tuesday who love photo with red in them. Click through if you love red!

Winds of Change

"The wind of change is blowing through this continent." This quote is associated with the 1960 speech made by British Prime Minister Harold Macmillian in reference to Britain's intent to grant independence to their territories in Africa. Today, we evoke the quote in reference to the recent tornadoes and damaging winds worldwide.  In the South, Alabama and North Carolina were hit especially hard. Before that, Japan experienced the tsunami and earthquake. It will be a long time before these communities recover. The world is interconnected in this Internet age, and, as Thomas Friedman will be quick to tell you, adversity in one corner of the world affects communities near and far.

As the winds come and go, Greensboro's skies have gone from blue to gray, from filled with cumulonimbus clouds to zero visibility. Here, we share a few of the international flags flying over Uniworld Auto Sales at the corner of Patterson Avenue and Holden Road. Japan's unfurled, red-dot flag stands between the British, French, Italian, and North Carolina flags  to remind us of our interconnectedness.

If you have a chance, visit some of our international friends at Skywatch Friday or the City Daily Photo Community where you can continent-surf without leaving your desktop in Greensboro.

O is for Olive Street

It is ABC Wednesday and "O" is for Olive Street,  located in historic Fisher Park just east of Elm Street. The residential part of Olive Street stretches between Wendover Avenue and Isabel Street and has 22 homes. North of Wendover, near Moses Cone Hospital, Olive Street has mostly medical offices.

The houses on Olive Street and the surrounding cross streets exude the enthusiasm of the individual residents. For example, many of the Fisher Park families are wild about gardening, with azaleas and irises everywhere. The family in the above home is passionate about the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Not only do they fly a Tarheel flag, their Mercedes-Benz is painted Carolina blue! We North Carolinians take our university loyalty very seriously as exemplified by this Fisher Park family. 

Fisher Park is one of Greensboro's early 20th century neighborhoods. We've featured it several times over the last three years. See one of the neighborhood's most famous homes, here. The First Presbyterian Church is another great Fisher Park landmark. Finally, to view A-N of The Greensboro ABC Street Project visit here. Stop back next week for "P" and feel free to make suggestions for P-Z! 

 

 

N is for Neal Street

Beep, beep! Hello dear readers, it's  ABC Wednesday and, as you know, we're going through the alphabet with a Greensboro street a week. Today, we're offering "N" for Neal Street. Neal Street is located in the Glenwood neighborhood; it starts at Oak Street and continues a half a mile north to Lee Street. Neal Street is typical of Glenwood neighborhood: smaller, fairly well-maintained homes on a quiet street with a mix of both owner-occupied and rental properties. Notice the vintage Ford Thunderbird, parked on the street. As you look down to the end of the street, you can see new student housing for UNCG. 

One cannot mention Neal Street without recognizing the Salvation Army Boy's Club located at 840 Neal. The large, red brick facility, while not visible in the photo, has been in the current location since 1957. However, the Salvation Army has been helping children in Greensboro since the 1930's. See their facebook page here.

Greensboro has 43 streets that start with the letter "N." View A-M streets here.

St. Patrick's Charity Classic

This past Saturday, the Rothar Tugas St. Patrick's Cycling Classic charity bike ride departed from cycles de ORO (1410 Mill Street) at 10:00 am. Proceeds were donated to the Down Syndrome Network of Greater Greensboro. Novice, intermediate, and expert rides were available at 29, 42, and 61 miles respectively. A good time was had by all. The weather was perfect: warm, breezy and sunny but not too hot on what was the last day of winter. At the end of the ride, the Ancient Order of Hibernians served Irish stew and riders had a chance to win a $100 cash raffle, prized, and even a trip to Ireland. In the above photo, the man in blue, cycles de ORO owner Dale Brown, is heading out to announce the grand send-off.

Let's hope that a generous amount of money was raised for the Down Syndrome Network. Greensboro, its school system, and the Down Syndrome Network are known for fabulous efforts to serve the needs of this special population.  The money will be well spent. If you missed this ride, don't worry, Greensboro cyclists and bicycle shops are always sponsoring rides for worthy causes.

Honk if you Love Guards

Happy Monday!

Whether you are more interested in guards on basketball teams or on battlefields, both drove out of town yesterday. If you are a Carolina fan, you are saying, "Wait until next year." If you are are a Duke fan or a reenacter on the British side or the American side of the Battle of Guilford Courthouse, you are thinking about next year saying, "Same thing; different year." 

As for the owner of this North Carolina vanity plate, 1FTGUARD, he is celebrating being a fan of reenactments 365 days a year. He is a  foot guard which makes him part of a senior infantry regimen. Foot guards can be distinguished by the spacing and arrangement of the buttons on their tunic. The oldest regiment of continuously serving foot guards are the Coldstream Guards and they have been serving since the 1650's.

We don't know about you but as for us, it seemed like February would never end and that March is almost over!

Noble Academy on Horse Pen Creek

Beep, beep, move over... out with the old, in with the new,. Noble Academy is GROWING and on the move. Formerly known as Guilford Academy, Noble Academy is located on Horse Pen Creek Road, near the Spears YMCA. On February 8th the school broke ground for their new building. The 20th-century, cabin-like building above is being moved off of the property to make way for the new 21st-century facility. We imagine they're planning to move the above structure in the night when there isn't much traffic.

The private, K-12 school caters to students who have learning differences. At Noble, students learn in classrooms with a small teacher student ratio (1:8) with a traditional curriculum, methodology and strategies that accommodate students with learning differences. As their website reports, Nobles' teachers are experts in their content area who are experienced in working with students with ADD/LD. They've been dreaming of this expansion for nearly a decade and business is booming.

This is just one of many changes in store for Horse Pen Creek Road. Have you driven there lately? 

Sunday Drive

Well, the Vatican has the Popemobile and Greensboro has this Toyota Camry with a giant "JESUS CHRIST" decal on both sides and scripture on the rear window and front bumper. "Repent your sins B4 it's 2 late, Ezekiel, 3:18-19" is what's on both bumpers. It takes a person who is confident in his/her message to wear this giant bumper sticker 24/7. We saw the car at the Target parking lot on Lawndale near the former Sears warehouse.

Let us know if you are out for a Sunday drive and see this vehicle or if you know who drives it. This is our religious contribution for this weekend. We make a commitment to provide our readers with something spiritual at least once a week. Look here for previous posts. Gotta enter this is Robert's (Athens Daily Photo)--  Sunday Psalms Challenge,8.

PSALM 8:  O LORD, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth, You whose splendor is placed above the heavens!

Greene Street Parking Deck

The 70th anniversary of the Weatherspoon Art Museum has inspired us to share more art today. This ceramic car is part of a collection of vehicles across the ages found on the Green Street Parking Deck in downtown Greensboro. The project was commissioned by the Cemala Foundation and executed by Burnsville artist Ron Fondaw. Cemala was founded in 1986 by Martha and Ceasar Cone II. The Cone family has maintained a commitment to supporting the arts in Greensboro for more than a century. The artist of the above project,  Ron Fondaw, originally from Kentucky, has developed an international reputation for curating, home designing and creating visual arts, the latter of which includes over fifty public art projects.

As you walk around the Greene Street Parking Deck, you see: a steam locomotive, a trolley, a tractor trailer, cars, and a HondaJet. The timeline of glazed, ceramic vehicles emphasizes the interface between the evolution of modes of transportation and the growth of Greensboro. If you are local, you will notice the large, colorful, lighted wheels on the side of the garage. They are part of the same installation. We'll try to bring you more photos from this parking deck. Given the length of the deck and the fact that it is six levels tall, it is virtually impossible to capture in one photo.

Readership of GDP has really increased lately. Thank you for visiting and please share the link with friends and family. We are also on Facebook and Twitter.

PUNK ROCK

Vanity tags are a reflection of one's personality and this driver must like music. Spotted on Cornwallis Drive more than once is the PUNK ROCK mobile. If you have a vanity tag, what is it and why? If you don't but were offered one for free, what would have put on it? What are some interesting vanity plates that you've seen? Here's one we featured last spring.

With a hint of reflection on this bumper, we're uploading this photo on James' Weekend Reflection. Besides, we're doing another kind of "reflecting" on vanity tags!

IHOP; He Bikes; We all Go for Pancakes

Greensboro has three International House of Pancake (IHOP) Restaurants. This one is located at 1430 Westover Terrace at the corner of Green Valley Road and Battleground Avenue, making the restaurant a virtual peninsula surrounded by busy roads and a railroad track. IHOP opened in 1958 in California and has expanded to 1,500 restaurants in all 50 US States and beyond. It is known for breakfast foods and was originally going to be called IHOE (International House of Eggs), a name that did NOT prove popular (Wiki)! Rumor has it, IHOP workers are inside gearing up for the March 1st National Pancake Day when they will offer a short stack of pancakes to customers for free in the hopes that donations will be left for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals and other local charities. Mark your calendars for the event.

Today's photo in the fourth in our Guy Noir Series. These photos offer a little intrigue and could possibly serve as inspiration for a short story. What does the guy on the bike see? Why is he stopped? What is he waiting for. What if the person taking the photo were a private detective? Just what kind of international intrigue can you think up about the scene? We'll pose those questions to our friends at Weekend Reflection. Yes, Monsieur Noir noticed the reflection of a vehicle in the front window and door of the always-open restaurant..... See more of our original Guy Noir series here, here and here.

Near the Airport and I-40

Beep, beep! This California Sidecar truck on the left, licensed in Virginia, could be hauling trikes, side cars, accessories or after-market trike conversions. Recently, it was spotted near the airport and I-40, on Galimore Dairy Road, adding some great color to the winter landscape. Likely, it was refueling as this area is a popular spot for trucks to purchase fuel. To the right, you see the sign for Marathon fuel as well as Kinder Morgan. Kinder Morgan is a private company that stores and transports petroleum products, CO2 and natural gas. According to their website, the company has approximately 37,000 miles of pipeline and 180 terminals in North America. Here we see a Greensboro terminal. Kinder Morgan is an interesting company as they don't actually own fuel but transport it for others. Also, the CEO is paid $1 a year with the rest of his income tied to what he earns for shareholders.

Even though this side of town has an industrial look, one can still find great scenes to photograph, including Skywatch Friday shots (see here & here too). Over the last two years, Skywatch Friday has been one of GDP's most popular features. It is uplifting to monitor the sky above one's city. If you want a quick scroll through all GDP's sky photos go here. We've spent a lot of time counting clouds and chasing rainbows around town!

 

Honk If You Love Trolleys

In this photo, we see the trolleys at Friendly Center, parked near Tex and Shirley's Restaurant, getting ready to start the day transporting shoppers from Point A to Point B. Every year, before Christmas, the open-sided trollies drop people off and pick them up at designated spots at no cost to shoppers. What a fun childhood memory to ride with grandma and grandpa while parents are busy shopping. We like to ride the loop, hop off to drop off a donation in the Salvation Army bucket and stop for a cup of hot coffee or chocolate-- even if we don't need to buy gifts! 

V is for Volvo Trucks North America

Volvo Trucks North America is located at 7900 National Service Road, out by the Famers' Market, just off Sandy Ridge Road/ I-40/ and Highway 68. The above view of corporate headquarters is seen on the southwest side of I-40 not too far from the Piedmont Triad International Airport. The Swedish company Volvo has been building trucks since 1928. In 1981, "A.B. Volvo purchased some assets of White Motor Corp. to form Volvo White Truck Corp., based in Greensboro, NC" (reference here). We're not sure when the above building was built; however, 1981 is the earliest reference we see for Volvo in Greensboro, NC. The building in the photo is the Corporate Headquarters where administrative and support-functions are handled for Volvo Trucks in North America. 

This is our contribution to ABC Wednesday and "V" is for "Volvo." In Swedish (and Latin), "volvo" means "I roll" likely related to the smoothness and efficiency of the ball bearings, NOT that the Volvos are inclined to roll!

Robert Seven's Emerge-N-See Vehicle

One of the most creative things seen at the Craftsmen's Christmas Classic this weekend was this vehicle prominently parked outside. Dubbed the Emerge-N-See Vehicle by owner/artist Robert Seven, this Ford E-350 captivated attendees young and old alike. As we approached this mobile work of art, a girl about eight-years-old immediately started talking about Seven's artwork. "You should see his booth inside. He has necklaces made out of beads and old paintbrushes. And he puts eyeballs on everything. It's kind of creepy. Did you see the license place? It spells AAIIEEE [eye]!"  Passers-by were so engaged in the details of this truck that is painted from head to tire. If you enlarge the photo, you can see the electro lux vacuum cleaners and baby doll heads near the top of Mr. Seven's truck.

According to his website, Seven's first job was in the cotton mills of North Carolina and, after getting laid off twice in a row, he decided to assemble art from silver ware. From that, his artwork has evolved to necklaces made out of corks and jar lids with polymer clay inserts, clock parts, and just about anything else that can come apart. From this article, we learned that folk-artist Seven is also a musician and that, he has, indeed, been fighting to remain financially solvent. We hope he did well at the Craftsmen's Classic. He sure did generate conversation about art. From before we started looking at this vehicle until the time we left, a photography major from Appalachian State University was in the process of taking hundreds of photos. She was especially captivated by its texture.

We haven't had many visitors from Mellow Yellow Monday lately, but we'll try generating interest with this contribution!

Obama Mobile

This may not be Cadillac One; however, Greensboro has its very own Obama Mobile!! "Don't hate, appreciate"  seems very appropriate in this early-voting time of tension! What if we all took that slogan to heart, Democrats and Republicans alike? As you can tell from the signs around town, election time is near! Tuesday, November 2nd is the general election this year. Don't let it sneak up on you. Do your homework and know the candidates (and don't just "know" what they or their opponents tell you).

We've been saving this photo to use since the Summer Solstice Festival in the arboretum and are using it long after the autumnal equinox! We'd love to talk to the patriotic driver to learn his/her reason for painting this slogan on the van. By the way, we're featuring the letter "O" all week! So far, it has been Orrell Design and Obama-mobile. Stop back often.

This RED, white and blue is one for Ruby Tuesday.

Feelin' Groovy on Southside

The Southside of Greensboro has experienced a healthy dose of regentrefication and has its very own Wikipedia entry (here). Southside is located conveniently within walking distance to downtown Greensboro. Southside has won many awards, including the Sierra Club's designation of one of the top 12 new developments of 2005. While not visible here, the neighborhood also has several Victorian homes from the late 19th and early 20th centuries-- some are grand! If you enjoy architecture, notice the New Orleans-style ironwork balconies built in the mixed-style neighborhood.

Today we feature a street scene of some interesting vehicles. As we were walking along Martin Luther King Drive in the urban neighborhood, we saw the groovy watermelon van with a vintage, lemon-colored VW beetle parked behind it.  On the other side of the street, you see a modern, conservative car. The vehicles in Southside are as diverse as the residents!  We're tossing this post in the ring with the other Mellow Yellow Monday entries.

Maestro

Every once in a while, we like to feature vanity tags, those license plates where drivers wear their heart on their bumper. We noticed MAESTRO and wanted to get to the bottom of the Maestro-bug-mobile. As it turns out, the car belongs to the owner of Maestro Barbershop (Hair Studio) in Kernersville. The vanity tag is not for vanity but in remembrance of the original 'maestro,' a hair stylist in Belgrade. According to the website, Belgrade's maestro valued customers and always expressed his appreciation for their support. Maestro (of Belgrade) passed away in 1998 but he is remembered as the mentor of a barber/stylist, not far from the Guilford County line, who now calls North Carolina home. Maestro of NC has a great slide show of his friend. Today, we salute North Carolina's MAESTRO and, if you follow all of his slide shows, may see people you recognize. 

This photo kicks off the week with Mellow Yellow Monday.

 

West Lee St. Tire & Automotive: Vintage Chevrolet

Here we see a mid-1950's vintage Chevrolet parked at West Lee Street Tire & Automotive. Even better, we're standing in the parking lot of Beef Burger  being totally transported back to mid-20th century America! Bet the owners of this car enjoy driving around town because it commands attention. If the folks at the Vintage Chevrolet Club of America don't know about this canary yellow beauty, they need to! If you are a vintage Chevrolet fan, you will appreciate this Chevy video advertisement from 1950. Watch it (here) and you will be convinced that Chevrolet's are the best vehicles in America! If a 1950's voice exists, this announcer has it! If the service at Lee Street Tire and Automotive is anything like this video, we're wheeling it today!

This section of West Lee Street still has so much character and is a photographer's dream. It is near the Army Navy Surplus Store, the Carolina Tattoo Company, and the Little Sprinkle Gas Station. Today, we're posting this photo over at Mellow Yellow Monday so that the world can enjoy this bit of nostalgia.

 

B -- Boating on Belews Lake

We've featured boating on Belews Lake before. However, with the hot weather we've been having in Greensboro lately, a photo of a nearby lake was long overdue. Belews Lake was created in 1973 by Duke Energy for the purpose of providing water to cool their coal-fired power plant. At one time the water was contaminated by selenium. However the fish consumption advisory was lifted ten years ago and the lake is no longer considered dangerous. 

The black circle on the edge of the photo is from a lens cover to protect from sun flare got. It got in the way!  We like the effect if the boat appearing to exit a tunnel. Our goal is to post a picture every week on ABC Wednesday and "B" is for Belews and boating! Hey, this works for Watery Wednesday, too!

 

 

Midway Diner

The Midway Diner is located in Sedalia half way between Greensboro and Burlington on East Wendover (US 70). This photo makes the wooden rail car, built at the turn of the PREVIOUS century, look like it is in a secluded, wooded setting. In actuality, the defunct diner is a stone's throw from the bustling Rock Creek Dairy Road and Stoney Creek Crossing. This architecturally significant wooden rail car has been sitting in the present location since 1937 and, in its diner days, attracted customers from all over. They served hot dogs, pimento cheese sandwiches and other diner fare. It is rumored that Elvis Presley dined here. Greensboro's cultural historian Jim Schlosser featured a great article about the diner in the News and Record this past March.

We're sharing this with Ruby Tuesday where photos with at least a touch of red get shared with the world. (The diner looks redder in real life).

 

1960 Catalina with NC Plates

With its snazzy grille, sleek shape, and V8 engine, the 1960 Pontiac Catalina was a beauty then and now. The aqua Catalina in the above photo was spotted in Greensboro a couple of weeks ago. We stopped by the Red Collection Consignment Furniture Store at the corner of Patterson Street and South Holden Road and this car stood out like a turquoise nugget in a sea of gravel. It had a classic car license plate and, the funny part was in the back windshield on the driver's side-- an of-the-same-vintage Gumby and Pokey were perched waving to onlookers. If you squint, you can see Gumby in all of his glory.

We're sharing this photo with the Weekend Reflection folks. From the bumper to the hub caps to the hood to the windshield, this vehicle is one big, mobile reflection!

 

School's Out for the Summer 2010

Well, it is time for our annual "School's Out for the Summer" photo. Today is the last day for students in the Guilford County Schools. If you've been in a school at the end of the school year, you know it is a special time for students and teachers to celebrate their accomplishments and hard work, to clean classrooms, cull items, say good-byes and organize for the next year. Closure and fresh beginnings are a good thing. Ideally, summer is time for families to reconnect. Teachers have a time to rejuvenate and gather fresh ideas. Students have time to mature and learn in an unschooled way (a link worth viewing). If you have children who are home for the summer, we hope you make the most of your time together.

The busses in the photo above belong to the Greensboro Day School on Lake Brandt Road. They are parked in front of a church because the Day School purchased the church to use for special events. Even though Day School students have already finished the school year, we liked the dormant appearance of the busses. Bus lots countywide will look like this..........tonight.

Call us "old school," but we love the idea of the traditional 10-month school calendar! 

 

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.

 

Showfety's & the Red Lowrider

Showfety's , located at 116 E. Market Street and established in 1928, is a Greensboro institution. They sell uniforms and accessories. If you need a medical or chef uniform or just want to see a store that has the look and commitment to service, known in previous decades, Showfety's is the place to visit. Please stop in and let Showfety's know that you are glad they are there! Even better, support them with a purchase. We love all of our new businesses in downtown Greensboro; however, we adore those businesses that stayed put and never fled to the suburbs during the great flight in the 1970's - 1990's. A lot of nostalgia is packed into this small, one-story building!

The bright red, lowrider truck that just happened to drive by while we were on our photo shoot is icing on the cake and our license to participate in 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!

 

Trestle over Chapman St.

A trestle is a supporting frame/bridge. Here we see the train trestle over Chapman Street, near High Point Road and the Coliseum. Greensboro still has many trestles from the 20th century and has been a great hub of train traffic since the 1800's.

This photo shows the series of blue supporting frames which are known as "bents." Often, trestles and bents were made of timber with the thought that, once built, the train could get transport the material to make a more permanent support-- especially stone or fill-dirt to support the track. Eventually, steel and concrete became the material of choice. Roller coaster tracks are engineered with a design similar to trestles. Since the long loads are distributed across a large portion of the track, it can withstand a lot of stress. We were walking in this area the day this photo was taken and were reminded that trains are loud and you can feel the movement when you are this close.

We thought this coal car was especially appropriate for our Mellow Yellow Monday photo as we remember the 29 West Virginias who lost their lives to bring us "rock energy."
 

LUV COCO in NC

An immaculately dressed person was seen getting out of a car with this license plate-- near the Irving Park neighborhood in Greensboro. Somehow we think the reference was to Coco Chanel and not one of Julia Child's cooking ingredients. For our international readers, in the USA, car owners can pay extra and purchase what we call "vanity tags" saying anything that fits on the plate-- about 7-8 letters or less-- as long as the message is not obscene or does not defame anyone. The licensing agency even checks to make sure the references are appropriate in other languages!

Mr. GDP maintains that vanity plates are only worth their extra cost if the average person can figure out the meaning within about 20 seconds. If people are still wondering what you are trying to say when the light turns green, you've not invested your money well! Do you have a favorite vanity tag? We liked LUV COCO because it fit the owner's style. We featured this one last year. Would you pay the extra money for one? What would it say? What is a creative one that you've seen recently?

Hope our Ruby Tuesday Crowd LUVs COCO today! Now that the Duke University Basketball Team won the NCAA Championship last night, likely, we'll see even more LUV DUKE, GO DUKE, DUKE #1 vanity tags!!!

 

Cycling on Church Street

This photo was taken at the corner of Church Street and Friendly Avenue, in front of the Central Branch of the Greensboro Library. Rows and rows of cyclists were out for a ride this past Sunday afternoon. Fortunately we had our camera out; because,now you see them, now you don't!

Sunday is the perfect time to ride in downtown Greensboro-- minimal cars on the road and usually a cultural event or two in full swing. The city is in the process of expanding its greenway and our system of trails will be even more inviting. Greensboro has a cycling club open to people of all ability and skill levels. Greensboro Velo sponsors rides, races, fundraisers, community service and social events. Members are always working hard to expand and enhance trails. The Rites of Spring ride will be held April 10th! Go for it!

We're excited to share this photo with the Ruby Tuesday crowd. No shortage of red here!

 

FedEx Greensboro

Varooom...... FedEx Greensboro is a reality. Here is a photo of the New FedEx Mid-Atlantic Air Hub, operating at our Piedmont Triad International Airport. With the capacity to sort up to 24,000 packages an hour, it is the company's fifth major U.S. Cargo hub. So, even if you haven't visited Greensboro, NC, maybe your packages have!

We wanted to share this grey-albeit-sky for Sky Watch Friday today since the new 9,000 ft. runway, built as part of the deal for Federal Express selecting Greensboro for its southeast sorting hub, quietly opened on Wednesday, January 27th, 2010.

 

Go Page Pirates

Continuing on the back to school theme: If you are local to Greensboro you know that one of our biggest high school rivalries, dating back to the days of the Greensboro City Schools, is between Page and Grimsley High Schools. Here we see an SUV supporting the Page Pirates. The side of the car had a picture of the Grimsley mascot (a Whirlie) X-ed out and the numbers of two athletes.

 Page High School, located at 201 Alma Pinnix Drive, opened its doors in 1958. The school is named after Walter Page Hines, a North Carolina journalist, ambassador to Great Britain. The street is named after Alma Pinnix who, according to their website, planted most of the flowers and shrubs lining the campus. Page High School has always prided itself in its academic rigor and in February of 2008, it earned the designation International Baccalaureate World School.

We aren't trying to show favoritism to Page; however, today is Ruby Tuesday and Whirlie blue just doesn't qualify! If you attend/ed Page and want to tell us why it is so great, leave a comment! Kind words only please!
 

T is for Trucks & Transportation

For the rest of the week, we will be featuring Wendover Avenue. As important as this highway is to the city, we admit that it has been neglected on our GDP blog! 

In the early 1950's Wendover Avenue didn't exist. Residents of Eastern Greensboro used Bessemer Avenue to come to town. Folks in the western end of the county took sleepy, country roads (like Sapp Road) home. In 1956-1957 construction began and, quickly, Wendover Avenue cut through neighborhoods and corner stores to make way for travel to into town. Suddenly, children at 1st - 12th grade Bessemer School had to cross Wendover to get home. Today, Wendover stretches from one end of the county to the other and is an ocean of retail. Most Greensboro residents don't remember a time when Wendover Avenue wasn't developed.

Today, as your drive away from town on Wendover, Carmax (featured above) starts the several mile stretch of new and used vehicles available for sale. However, Wendover hasn't been completely engulfed by retail, big-box stores. Stop back by Greensboro Daily Photo the rest of the week and you'll see some other faces of West Wendover. We are sharing this photo with the rest of the world via ABC Wednesday; the featured letter is "T." "T" is for "truck" and "transportation."

 

Whoo Hoo Truck

We like to feature vehicles unique to Greensboro. Well, the Whoo-Hoo mobile is about as unique as it gets. Greensboro artist Leanne Pizio has decorated this truck to resemble her pottery. Likely, if you see the Whoo-hoo-mobile loaded up with boxes, Leanne is en route to a show. Stop Leanne right then and there and buy something. We've featured her before (but not this great vehicle) and here is her website. We love local talent and great vehicles; this post has both. If you are a "vehicle person" click here and take a quick scroll!

Let us know if there is a "must see" vehicle in YOUR neighborhood. We've always got our camera with us. Smile. If you're reading this, you survived another Friday the 13th! Stop by tomorrow for Sacred Sunday. Which house of worship will we feature next?