Greensboro Daily Photo

Linville Chapel ORMA

 

The above photo was taken  yesterday on Highway 150 at  Linville  Chapel on the campus of Oak Ridge Military Academy (ORMA). The  photo is wavy  because it was taken through  the car  windshield,  reflecting  how  everything looked with the cold rain.

The  chapel is not very large, but is so  charming and would be a perfect place for a young cadet  to go to work through  difficult times and to nurture spiritual needs. Above the door,  there is a  sign  that reads, "REMEMBER THY CREATOR IN THE DAYS OF THY YOUTH." To  the right of the doors  is a brass plaque that explains the  chapel was  renovated in 1991 by  R.N. "Buster" and Edna  Linville  in honor of Bishop Kenneth Goodson  and wife  Martha. Bishop Goodson  had his first  Methodist appointment in  this church in 1935. ORMA dates  to 1852, and with  he  heavy columns and the texture of the brick,  the chapel  looks like it could be  from the same time  period as the other early buildings. The stained  glass  windows  are still  lovely and would look even  nicer  from  inside the chapel on a sunny day!

Here is a photo of when  we  featured  Linville Chapel about  three years ago. Happy Sunday!

DM Pulley

If you have a dynamic,  independent  bookstore in  you community, you will never be  at a loss for things to do.  Last night,  D.M.  Pulley  spoke at  Scuppernong Books  on  Elm Street  downtown. Primarily, she  was in house discussing her  latest  novel, No  One's Home; however, she gave a fantastic presentation  balancing  what led her to  the mystery/thriller  genre, how the  genre is typically constructed,  and the plots of  each  of her books.

Pulley spoke of how her training to become  a structural  engineer scaffolded her understanding of how buildings have secrets  and  that you can dissect them,  not unlike how doctors perform autopsies.  She mentioned that  analyzing old layers of paint may reveal spattered  blood-  evidence of  a  crime, evidence of fire damage, and other interesting facts about the building.  It is so  wonderful that we have these events,  free and open  to the public.  

Stop by  Scuppernong  books tonight  when Holly George-Warren,  a  North Carolina native, discusses her  biography about Janis Joplin at  7:00 pm.  Live music  will be provided. Hope to see you there!

Thomas Gourmet Foods and Yummy Sauces

Thomas  Gourmet Foods is located at 4500  Green  Point  Drive  on  West Market  Street, near Gallimore Dairy Road. They  were established in 1971,  known for  making one special  sauce. This original  flavor enhances  flavor  when used on  just about any  savory food. Now, Thomas  boasts having  over 20  sauces.

Mr.  and Mrs.  Thomas married in the mid-1930s and went on  to  have  six  sons, requiring a  considerable amount of food to  be cooked daily in  the Thomas  household. Next time you are looking for sauces, consider trying  one from Thomas, the ultimate in keeping your purchases local.  Keep  your eye  out  for  one of these  beautifully-decorated trucks out on the road! Happy Friday; happy exploring. Please enjoy your weekend  and  start thinking about how  you can serve and give back on  Monday,  for the Martin  Luther  King, Jr.  holiday.

The Greensboro Rotary Carousel Is Almost Ready!

Yesterday, Fox News  shared some fabulous  photos  of  the Rotary Carousel at the Greensboro Science  Center  (see,  here). Their  segment  prompted us to run out and check  on  the progress.  The venue is  stunning with so much thought behind  it. The 56  wooden  and handmade  animals evoke a mash-up  of  Doctor Dolittle, Greensboro's Universities, the endangered species list, the Greensboro Science Center,  and  a whole lot of vision  and generosity on the part of the Greensboro  Rotary Organization. It is so beautiful;  one photo cannot begin to  do  it justice.

The  carousel  is expected to  open  in a few  weeks. It is reported to  have  cost $3  million  dollars, part of the  cost is  attributed to the fact that it is encased  in  a  climate-controlled  glass  structure  that can be  opened when weather permits.  It is the kind of place  where you will probably notice more details every time you visit. Wouldn't is be fun if they had a punch card  and you could keep track  of every animal you had ridden. Are you the kind of person  who would want to ride all 56? 

Sunset Over I-40

Last night's sunset wasn't particularly spectacular; however, from this vantage point  over I-40 it looked  mesmerizing. The photo was taken at the edge of the parking  lot of the Antique Marketplace on  Burnt Poplar Road. As you can see,  Burnt Poplar isn't a particularly busy road,  yet nothing  separates it from  I-40 but  a  single line of  concrete barriers. You  can sit there and  watch  the sun set to the west as commuters scurry  home.

When you are not actually in the  frenzy of rush hour traffic, watching it can be somewhat soothing.  While the billboards are hard  to read, the golden arches  loom large, as  if watching over  the  steady stream of commuters. We think we'll sit here for while  looking at  this  photo, the twilight zone.

Jakob's Ferry Stragglers

This  past weekend was a really  great one for live,  acoustic music in  the Greensboro  area.  The  above photo features Jakob's Ferry Stragglers an  Appalachian bluegrass band that hails from Morgantown, West  Virginia and beyond. This past Saturday night, they played at Little Brother Brewing on  Elm  Street.

How nice to see the traditional  music genres  thriving in the area and appreciated  by the younger generation. The band played two very generous sets with  a short  intermission. Here some  of their music, here. It is hard to  believe that such  good  music  can  be hears  around  Greensboro  for free. A  good time was had by all,  and all were carded,  even  the patrons in their 70s!

Hellebores: Blooming Flowers of Winter!

One  plant  you can always count on to bloom in winter is  the hellebore. While  they  are often called a Lenten  rose, because  they are  usually blooming during Lent, they are not a rose.  Hellebores are in the buttercup family, and they grow  well in Greensboro; especially in well-drained soil, winter sun, and shade or semi-shade in the summer. In a bed under deciduous trees is perfect.

Two of the best sources for hellebores in  Greensboro are from Janice Nicholson or  from a friend  who  has them as they  can be prolific to  the point of being invasive. Janice  has  a hellebore  nursery at her home, Gethsemane Gardens, selling to local  nurseries and  at the Greensboro  Curb Market on Yanceyville.*  In addition to being easy to grow, and  blooming in  the  dark days of winter,  deer do not like them! Imagine plants that do not attract  the many deer of Guilford  County.  

Hopefully, you enjoyed  yesterday's  70  degree temperature, blue skies, and warm sunshine as much  as the above  hellebore!

*  reference and more in  formation, here.

Buddha Guilford College

Guilford College is an  institution of higher education  in Greensboro founded by  Quakers in 1837. It also played an  instrumental role in the Underground Railroad (especially in the mid 1800's), helping slaves  find their way to freedom. The Guilford College campus is lovely and it  backs up to  a wooded area. There  are also  several private residences  on  the grounds where families with  links to  the college  and Quakerism  reside.  

One lovely residence has a few  Buddhas  on their property. The above photo is one of their  Buddha statues, on the stump  of a tree that had to  be  cut down. Buddhism sees trees  as worthy of recognition and protection. Even though  this tree had  to  be cut down, there are several on  the property thriving  under the good care  of the residents.  If you look closely, you can  see  antlers on  the side  of the bust. A deer left them not too  far from  the Buddha  and the  owners felt it fitting to  attach  them to  the side.  Perhaps the gesture is a nod  to the indigenous cultures once in the area. There is so  much history on the college's 340 acres! Happy Sunday!