Greensboro Daily Photo

Recycle Styrofoam In Greensboro Now!

How wonderful. It is finally possible to recycle styrofoam in Greensboro. The above photo features the foam container bins conveniently located at 1310 West Gate City Boulevard, behind Tiny House Community Development, Inc. There is a narrow driveway to the right of the Tiny House building. However, it is also possible to enter to the left of the Tiny House building, just to the right of the Sprinkle Service Station. The above photo helps with the orientation. If you notice, the bins are back by the railroad tracks. As a matter of fact, a train was passing when the photo was taken. Also, the UNCG water tower can be seen in the background. Just behind the bins is a model, tiny home!

If you want more details, here is a two minute YouTube video that will give you more information about this foam recycling program. Really interesting products are made from the recycled foam that gets broken down and extruded as a product that looks like a toothpaste. . The funding partners for the project are Emerging Ecology, Environmental Stewardship Greensboro, Greensboro Beautiful, Inc., and Tiny House Community Development. So, if you purchase something like an exercise bike, it will arrive packed in at least 8 jumbo pieces of clean, styrofoam that will not biodegrade if thrown in a landfill. Please recycle your foam and offer to take your neighbor's foam to the bins if they are having trouble getting out. Also, if you haven't been to this part of town lately, you might be surprised just how much the area has grown. Have a great weekend. See you back here in the morning!

 

Watch the short, informative Youtube video here.

People of Greensboro: Kate Baird

Today's featured person is Kate Baird. Kate is the office manager at Presbyterian Church of the Covenant (PCoC). The photo was taken in the sanctuary. Seventeen years ago, Kate relocated to Greensboro from a corporate position in Washington, D.C. Prior to moving here, for years, Kate had been making frequent visits to Greensboro to visit friends. She found the slower pace of life and Greensboro's short commutes appealing.  She has been working at PCoC for six years now. When asked where she is originally from, it is hard for Kate to say definitively. She self identifies as an Air Force brat, having lived in Paraguay, Iran, and many places in between, while her dad served as an embassy attaché. 

Kate attended the University of Maryland, where she studied radio, television, and film. Training in broadcasting comes through in talking to Kate as she has precise diction and no noticeable accent. Her voice is modulated and very pleasant to listen to. She is the perfect person to field phone calls. When asked what she likes about Greensboro, her chosen home, Kate quickly mentioned the opportunities to hear great live music, from the symphony to folk. She is really looking forward to the opening of the Tanger Center for the Performing Arts. She absolutely loves the "5 by O. Henry" plays at the Greensboro History Museum.  Another pastime is sampling Greensboro's many restaurants. Kate's childhood, with frequent moves, taught her to adapt quickly when moving somewhere new, or taking a new job. Kate long adapted to Greensboro and to her position at PCoC, and is quite happy to call Greensboro home. Besides, in her heart, home is where the cats are; and she has three!

Bus #1 Reminds Us: Mask Up!

The bus in the photo above is leaving Greene Street, has looped around the Holliday Circle roundabout, and is heading to Spring Garden Street in downtown Greensboro. Notice the "MASK UP!" reminder on bus number 1. The drivers work hard to keep riders, and themselves, safe.

Of course, the tall building in the background is the Lincoln Financial Group building. While the name of the building changes as the occupants change, this skyscraper remains one of the most recognizable landmarks in Greensboro. Actually, it is two buildings. The whiter building to the right in older Jefferson Standard building. It was built in 1922. The grayer one with the green roof and the time/temperature sign is the more recent building, initially Jefferson-Pilot and, as of 2006, Lincoln Financial Group.  At 233 feet, the building is still the tallest in Greensboro.

As for the bus, if you are interested in using this community transportation resource, here is a link to the routes.

When taking the photo, we didn't think there were any people in the photo. On closer inspection, we noticed two people. Do you see the couple?

Guilford College Lake

The Guilford College Lake dates to the 1950s when a creek that runs through campus was dammed to create the above water feature. Originally, there was a pier on the lake and it was used for swimming and boating. For college students, the lake was a real destination. Over the years it has suffered from build up of sledge and the pier, boats, and swimmers are long gone.* However, the beautiful lake still serves as an appealing campus attraction. Couples hang out there, the Class of 2012 & the Community Senate built a bonfire pit by the lake. There is playground equipment, and perhaps best of all is the flora and fauna it attracts. 

There is at least one cypress tree with "knees" poking out of the water. The above tree appears to be a cypress and the scene is reminiscent of a swamp in Charleston or Savannah. Perhaps the tree is a bald cypress and it has dropped its leaves. We'll check back in the spring to see if it greens out. Equally exciting is the male muscovy duck who lives on the pond. The muscovy duck is one of the oldest domesticated fowl species. The male of the species is the largest duck in North America.**  Hopefully there are more of these ducks. However, the day we were there, we only saw one. Beautiful views like the one above make walking and hiking so worthwhile. See you on the trails...  and who knows where else!

See this article we used for more information about the lake.

** reference and more information about muscovy ducks.

Underground Railroad in Guilford Woods

Yesterday was a beautiful, glorious day in Greensboro. With the temperature reaching 50 degrees and the sun out, it was a perfect day to take a hike. The above photo is on a nature path in Guilford Woods at Guilford College. In the 1800s, the woods was known New Garden Woods. The woods are a 240-acre, biodiverse area of land. The large tree in the center of the photo is a tulip poplar that dates before 1800; present during the operation of the Underground Railroad in Guilford County (1819- 1852).*  Also, the tree pre-dates Greensboro's founding (1808). The tree is 148 feet tall and 63.9 feet in circumference.** The peaceful seating area in front of it was provided by the Tannenbaum-Sternberger Foundation, Inc. in 2017. If you want to see the tree, it is about a .3 mile walk in from the road. But, be careful to find a legal place to park if you drive to the Guilford College Campus. Also, the terrain is very natural and uneven. You might want to take your favorite walking stick. Also note, there is a donation box near the sign at the entrance to the path. If you want to donate to a good cause, these publicly-accessible, natural spaces are treasures.

This week, we will feature a couple more photos from the walk in Guilford Woods. It was the first time we'd had a chance to explore this area and actually walked from behind the athletic facility, where it is OK to park on the weekends, through the woods, and ended up on Friendly Avenue. It is pretty easy to walk with confidence with the sun low to the horizon on these winter days. Plus, it is easier to remain oriented when there are no leaves on the trees. As a very last resort, the online directions available through our cell phones can help us find our way out. We hope you have a peaceful place to walk, whether your are in Greensboro or beyond! Happy Monday! 

• reference and more information here.
• ** see here if you are interested in learning the location of all the mighty trees in Guilford County.

Westover Church

 

Some of you may remember when Westover Church was smaller and located on Westover Terrace, across from Grimsley High School. The congregation actually dates back to 1948 with about 200 attending services at the Masonic temple, and the Westover Terrace church was built in 1950. Westover Church relocated to Muir's Chapel Road in 1994 and in 2006, the church was expanded with a worship center that seats 3,000. The above photo features one side of this expanded, mega-church. 

Pastor Don Miller has been there since 1991 and can be credited for helping make the church the success it is today. This non-denominational, mega-church is both local and international.  Westover Church is Evangelical and Christ-centered and, while they do a lot in Greensboro, they also have global ministries and international programs and outreach.They work intentionally to ensure staff and worship teams are diverse. The community pastor is a native speaker of Spanish. They have programs to feed the homeless, to help battle racial disparity, and to help everyone who attends the church feel like they are part of the church community, and not just one of thousands. They have programs serving families in the apartment complexes surrounding the church. Many of these families are immigrants, struggling to begin their lives in a new country and learning to speak a new language, and Westover Church feels like their lifeline. 

When we stopped by yesterday, all was silent, except for people out for daily walks who cut through the empty parking lot. Today, will be busier as there will be in-person worship at 10:30, with an option to attend services remotely through You Tube and Facebook.

In 2010, we featured Westover Church on Greensboro Daily Photo.

The Snowy Day

Yesterday, in Greensboro, as the sun was setting, the snowflakes started sticking. The above photo shows the intersection on West Market Street, where it intersects with Friendly Avenue. Temperatures hovered in the low 30s. For a few hours after dark, it started raining melting the snow that was sticking. Then about 10pm, it started getting colder again. GCS schools were 100% remote today over concern of the impending inclement weather. It did arrive, albeit a little later than anticipated.

Usually, when the first snow comes, regardless of how short-lived, people rush out to get sleds. A good place to look is at any hardware store. If you are downtown, last time we checked, Hudson's Hill (527 South Elm Street) had them. Do you have a favorite place to sled ride in Greensboro? We often see children on the hill at Brittish Woods, near the pond at Battleground Avenue. In the event there is enough snow for sled riding, here is a 2015 News & Record article about some other good places to go sledding in the area.*  If there is a snow day and you can't get out, consider listening to this classic from 1962, written and illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats, 

 

*Terrific Sledding.

 

Hamburger Square: What a Great Backdrop

Hamburger Square, at the end of the 300 block of South Elm Street, is where many community events take place. There have always been businesses here, especially sandwich shops. In the time of WWII, soldiers gathered here to travel by train. Currently Natty Greene's, Just Be, and Little Brother Brewing surround the square. The Southeast corner, just below the railroad tracks, doesn't have a business; it has some green space. The above photo is of Natty Greene's in December.

In January of 2019, an article in the News & Record stated that The Christman Company, located nearby in the former Cascade Saloon, donated $50,000 to help rejuvenate this area* It looks like at least some of the work has been done. To be sure the overpass got painted. Next time we're downtown, we'll look more closely to note changes. In addition to sprucing up the area, one of the goals is to make it more pedestrian friendly. Today is Friday; weather permitting, it could be a day to explore the Hamburger Square area.

One of the perks of taking lots of photos of Greensboro is that we have plenty to choose from for Zoom backdrops. We are currently using the above photo and the "zoomer" (person), is nestled snugly in the middle with the blue sky overhead and the lights in the background. Doing something silly, like trying to find a good Zoom background adds a little levity to the day. We've even had a request for a photo with trains as a Greensboro-themed background. Well see if we can take one this weekend for our science-teacher friend. Enjoy your weekend!

• read the article, here. 
• more information about Hamburger square from the 1940's, here.