Greensboro Daily Photo

Snow is Lingering and Getting Cleared

While it didn't snow yesterday, workers were busy clearing it up in parking lots and on streets. The above pile of snow was one of many in the shopping center on Lawndale Avenue. As you can see, it got warm enough yesterday for the parking lot to melt; however, after sunset, the temperature quickly dropped to freezing and by sunrise had dropped to 23°F. The main roads have been cleared, but the side streets are still bad. Efforts will be made to get the streets cleared today. Also, garbage pick up is pushed back by another day as efforts continue to clear the streets. Forecasters are predicting that we could get some more snow on Friday.

The North Carolina Department of Transportation clears snow "based on connectivity, traffic volume, trucking routes, and importance to hospitals."* They do not remove snow from driveways or sidewalks. Homeowners are expected to address these issues in front of their houses. In the meantime, small children are all out making snowmen and getting in the first sled rides of the season. Do you have a special sled riding spot in your neighborhood? Happy Tuesday and if you must go out, please try to stay on main roads and go in the middle of the day when roads are warmest.

*reference and additional information, here. The top priority is interstates and four lane divided highways. 

Happy MLK Day... First Snow 2022 Yesterday

Well, it happened. We got our first snow of 2022 on January 16th. The snow started about 6:30 am and an accumulation of snow and ice continued throughout the day. People sent rumors that Jim Cantore from the Weather Channel was headed to Greensboro. To our knowledge, he was only in Asheville. The snow and ice continued into the evening. Today is predicted to be sunny. According to Accuweather, 71% of Greensboro received 1-3" of snow with 1% receiving 6" and 1% receiving less than 1%. In the early hours of the morning, the snow was really light and fluffy; as the sleet and ice came, the snow got wetter and heavier. During the day, temperatures hovered in the 20s and actually warmed into the 30s after dark. 

We heard from so many people in Greensboro who spent much of Saturday cooking up a storm... or, that is, in anticipation of a storm. The above photo was taken in northwest Greensboro as we were out on a morning walk. It is alway fun to get out and romp in the snow; less so, of course if it is work related. Speaking of work, we are one of those holdout families who receives home delivery of the Greensboro News & Record. Our Sunday paper yesterday was double bagged and actually delivered to our doorstep. We love supporting the community paper and are grateful the delivery drivers are willing to brave the elements. Thank you to everyone who is working through the storm.

Martin Luther King, Jr. Day is intended to be a day of service. It looks like this year, the MLK Day of Service through the Volunteer Center at the North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State's Student Center will host this event, open to the public, next Sunday, January 23rd from 3-5pm (see HERE).

Happy Monday and stay safe regardless of what you decide to do.

St Andrew's Episcopal Church Online Today

Last night, we drove past St. Andrew's Episcopal Church on West Market Street and all was quiet. On Saturday mornings, they host a farmers market in their parking lot. But by Saturday evening the building and environs are silent. As with many churches today, there will also be silence tomorrow morning. In anticipation of the snowstorm and a dangerous wintry mix, they will join the National Cathedral's livestream at 11:00 am. See here: https://www.youtube.com/embed/J3JkGBho6WA.   How amazing this internet world can be... that is, as long as you have power or your cell phone is charged, you can go to church with the National Cathedral with Greensboro friends who attend St. Andrew's Episcopal in Greensboro!

St. Andrew's is such a dynamic. They are currently selling some very great soup for a fundraiser (see HERE). As for our personal favorite, we're torn between the tomato bisque and the empty bowl donation! The money raised will help the Safi family from Afghanistan. What creative fundraisers does your religious organization have going on right now? Soup sounds pretty yummy right now. Stay warm! See that tree to the left? Well, it is a hickory tree and the squirrels have left plenty of hickory nuts, which would be yummy in soup or banana bread! Someone needs to use them.

Happy Sunday!

Snow, What are your Storm Foods?

Do you think by this time tomrrow we will have snow? Yesterday, everyone in line at the Walmart Supercenter on West Elmsley Street south of Greensboro thought so. When we went in the store about 4pm, the self-checkout line was backed up almost to the back of the store. Fortunately, the line moved rather quickly. Most people were just picking up a few items. We were behind a worker who was buying something to drink and a snack, either after work or during break. We wish we'd thought to buy it for him and thank him for being there. Workers were filling shelves about as fast as customers were emptying them. If you notice the worker's vest, above the Wal mart sun, it says "6 bottles recycled to make this vest." In front of the employee, was a woman who bought a large pack of corn tortillas and three gallons of milk. We all have our "go to" comfort storm foods. What are yours.

The Elmsley Wal mart Supercenter is one of the newest in the Greensboro area. It is large, clean and (normally) well stocked. Sometimes you can find random things there that other stores don't carry- like 25 pound bags of rabbit pellets. It is located between South Elm-Eugene Street and Randleman Road and driving out the back exit to Randleman Road, we took Florida Street to Josephine Boyd to Spring Garden and made it to Reconsidered Goods- almost at West Market Street- to drop off a donation in a little over 15 minutes. One of the perks of knowing Greensboro well it getting from Point A to Point B and avoiding the busiest streets. 

Happy Saturday! Hopefully, we won't need to hunker down!

Jefferson Standard Life Insurance Company

It is the beginning of a three day weekend for many, a weekend that may end with a little snow. Today, however, it is the beginning of a beautiful Friday and we're sharing a sunny view of the Jefferson Standard Life Insurance Company- the Elm Street side. Do you see the name carved above the windows, the name that has changed many times over the years? We still tag the building as the "JP Building" because when we started Greensboro Daily Photo, the name of the company was Jefferson Pilot. Today, it is Lincoln Financial Group.

The building is a 374 foot skyscraper which, when built, in 1922, was the tallest building between Washington, D.C. and Atlanta, GA!  Julian Price, president of Jefferson Standard Life Insurance Company had it built and hired an architect from New York City, Charles C. Hartmann to design it. Thanks to Mr. Hartmann's design and Mr. Price's willingness to fund the use of high quality materials like terra cotta and granite, the building stands today as an icon of Neo-Gothic/Neo-Classical/Art Deco style. If you are out walking around this weekend, have a look at all of the details. Take a few selfies in front of it. We'd love to see them. The "up" orientation of the photo reminds us all to look up and stay on the sunny side of life.

Happy Friday!

The Loose Cannons

It has been a minute since we took this photo. Actually, it was last fall at Golden Antiques on North Highway 220. The above group is known as the Loose Cannons and it was lovely to listen to them while shopping. Formerly, the group was known as Tuesday Tunes; this was their first performance under their new name. The group is part of The Early Music Society which is a non-profit group dedicated to playing music from the Medieval, Renaissance, and Baroque eras. They use early music instruments like recorders, percussion, and string instruments. Notice these talented musicians have made special masks to be as COVID safe as possible!

According to the Facebook page of the Triad Early Music Society, they are part of the American Recorder Society, which is based in Charlotte, NC. You can see many sizes of recorders in the above photo. Members have performed at St. Andrew's Episcopal Church. It was enjoyable not only to listen to this group, but also to learn about them. There are so many interesting opportunities in Greensboro and stumbling upon this group led to learning about their affiliate groups. From the Loose Cannons to the Tuesday Tunes to the Early Music Society to the American Recorder Society, that is quite a rabbit hole of musical adventure; a journey all brought about by getting out and exploring our community- something we try to do regularly. 

Happy Thursday, a great day to start planning the weekend. Don't forget Monday is Martin Luther King, Jr Day.

Publix Distribution Center

Sometimes, on weekends, we like to drive from Greensboro to Kernersville, Burlington, Reidsville, Asheboro, High Point, or Pleasant Garden to see how the roads into and out of Greensboro are changing. Last weekend's venture took us to Burlington Road,- which is also U.S. 70, and East Wendover. We were shocked to see the above change, between Mt. Hope Road and Knox Road. What was formerly a small golf course (possibly nine hole), is now being transformed into the Publix Distribution Center near McLeansville. The center is 940,000 square feet on 338.69 acres. This industrial complex is scheduled to open in 2022.* This part of Guilford County is quickly becoming a place for trucks to get consumer goods and food from Point A to Point B. The $400 million investment should bring at least 1,000 jobs - not including the other jobs created as a result of having more people and commerce in the eastern end of Guilford County. Salaries will average between &42,000 and &44,ooo.**

It is fun to watch the progress. Now is a nice time to go have a look, especially on the weekend, as traffic is not yet excessive. On Sunday, it was as if the sky was pointing to the distribution center. Look at that arc of clouds. The photo doesn't do the site justice as the facility stretches as far as the eye can see. This is a case when a drone view would be best. Next time you need to drive somewhere east of Greensboro, consider taking the "back road" and seeing how much the area has changed.

Happy Wednesday!

 

• reference.
• ** reference.

Urban View

This is a view of West McGee Street, the 100 block. Longshanks Billiards is the business these young pedestrians are about to walk past. By the way, the cute dog on the left is painted onto the wall. (These are the details you notice when urban walking and photographing). The neon sign at the top of the photo advertises Ritchey's Bar and Restaurant. The clothing of the walkers and the small tree to the right, with no sign of foliage, are proof positive that it is winter. The grayness of the photo adds to the cold weather ambience. Winter- while relatively mild in Greensboro-  has an air of beauty in its own right. The gray buildings and sidewalk also give the photo an urban,  big city feel.

The above photo was taken mid-afternoon on a Saturday when all was quiet on McGee Street in Downtown Greensboro. However, a few hours later this side street will be lively and filled with people. McCoul's Public House, Little Brother's, Longshanks, and Ritchey's will be hopping, enough so that people just may be inspired to walk across the street to Legacy Irons Tattoo Company and indulge themselves with a tattoo, that is if they can get an appointment. They seem pretty busy. Today's photo reminds us a little of an Edward Hopper painting. We would love to see this photo turned into a painting... or a short story. That little doggie looks like he could belong to Greensboro's most famous short story writer,  O.Henry.

If you are interesting in urban walking, try out the downtown parts of the greenway. Or, try this site, "GPS my city". We haven't tried it personally, we love the serendipity of seeing where we end up; however, this site is a way to be more organized about your downtown touring.

Happy Tuesday!