Greensboro Daily Photo

Blue Lustron Home on Lawndale Avenue

This blue house on Lawndale is a Lustron home. According to the Lustron Connection, a Lustron is a home with steel and poreclain exterior panels, steel framing, steel interior walls and ceiling. Carl Strandlund founded the Lustron Corporation in a former aircraft plant in Columbus Ohio after World War II. Approximately 2,500 of the homes were produced at a cost of approximately $7,000. They were designed to be maintenance free as well as rodent, fire, rust, and lightening proof!  They were originally sold in blue, blue-green, gray, tan, and yellow, the common colors, and green and pink, the rare colors.

According to the data base of the Lustron Registry, this house at 2302 Lawndale Drive is one of less than 200 blue Lustrons remaining. It is one of two remaining in Greensboro. A gray one is on Delwood Drive, also on the borders of Kirwood and Irving Park neighborhoods. A gray one on Myers Lane was torn down in 2000. At last count, thirty nine remain in North Carolina. 

In our quest to photograph Lustron homes throughout the United States, we are learning that many of them are in poor condition. As original owners moved on to bigger houses, many Lustrons were converted to rental property. Some have had siding placed over the original exterior walls! There are several websites related to these homes covering topics from statistics to testimonials about living in them. Have you seen one? Do you have one in your neighborhood? Do you live in one? Tell us about it today. 

   

Liberty Antiques Festival II

Yesterday, we featured the people and ambience of the Liberty Antiques Festival held twice a year south of Greensboro. Today, we feature more of the wares. The above photo shows the fine pie safes, crocks, baskets, enamelware, pottery, etc. available at the Liberty Antiques Festival. Items of great quality, including American primitives, were readily available. No crafts or reproductions were permitted in this show! We plan to start saving now and returning with a truck this September 25th and 26th!

Liberty Antiques Festival

The Liberty Antiques Festival was held this past weekend about 25 miles south of Greensboro on the Pike Family Farm. On Saturday, as we walked along the grassy rows enjoying the 18th-20th century treasures, it felt like a hot summer day. As you can see in the photo above, most people wore hats or visors and sunglasses. Dogs were panting! The man in the foreground is watching his every step as recent rains created ruts that are now dried and filled with grass, giving the false illusion that the ground was completely level. The diligent festival organizers posted signs encouraging people to "watch your step!"

The Liberty Antiques Festival has gained a great reputation in the southeast. People travel from miles around to enjoy the wares of the 400+ dealers on this 100 acre farm. Organizers run an orderly, friendly event which is, perhaps, the reason it was voted best antiques show in the mid-Atlantic region. If you are like us, you like to get out, be among people, see items first hand, and talk to dealers before buying. At the event, once you worked up an appetite, food stalls offered Dixie BBQ, homemade icecream, and kettle corn. Churches and fire departments were on hand for water breaks. 

If you want to attend in the fall, mark your calendar for September 25th and 26. The bi-annual Liberty Antiques Festival is always held the last Friday and Saturday of April and September. Hope to see you there!

Junior Achievement of Central North Carolina, Inc.

The Office for Junior Achievement of Central North Carolina, Inc., located at 3220 Northline Drive, is our feature for Monochrome Monday.According to their website, the goal of Junior Achievement is to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy. 

In the southern region of the United States, much emphasis is placed on being civic minded. Southerners like giving back to the community as well as acknowledging and documenting acts for the greater good. The Junior Achievement property is no exception. The above property represents an amalgam of community effort. The house, known as the Starmount Farm House, was the home of Blanche and Edward Benjamin. On May 17, 1999, it was dedicated to Junior Achievement by the Starmount Company and the Benjamin Family. The porches were dedicated by H. Michael Weaver in honor of W. Herman Weaver. Finally, the prominently featured triangular sculpture was donated by the Greensboro Kiwanis Foundation. This property has quite a pedigree!! 

Junior Achievement has been a community/business effort to mentor and inspire students since 1916. To learn more about the history of the organization, please read here. 

 

Trinity of Hands

Many rural churches maintain cemeteries with tombstones displaying names of deceased community members. This Sunday's photo for spiritual reflection is a trinity of hands found on a husband/wife double headstone in a church cemetery on Jessup Grove Road. Hidden by the flowers is the saying, "Precious Lord take my hand."  E. Juanita Allred died in 1992 at the young age of 55. Charlie C. Allred died less than a year later, nine days short of his 66th birthday.  Charlie's hand is on the left, Juanita's on the right, and the top hand, emerging from the clouds, represents the hand of God. As seen in this recent photo, sixteen years later, family members still adorn the grave with flowers. 

Yanceyville Curbside Market: The Beekeeper

Saturday Mornings at the Yanceyville Curbside Market (501 Yanceyville Street) are enhanced by the presence of Bill Mullins. Bill, a local expert on beekeeping, sells his honey and baked goods sweetened with honey. Usually, his wife is there to help in their honey-selling side business. Together, the husband and wife team can tell you just about anything you ever wanted to know about keeping bees, harvesting honey, and cooking with it. We always buy a cup of their 50-cent coffee (the best deal in town) while selecting our purchases from the farmers' market. Not just the coffee, but all the Mullins' honey products and baked goods are reasonably priced. Additionally, Bill tells great bee stories. Our personal favorite is that he sees his bees return home with honey all over them from the poplar trees at nearby Guilford College. Imagine knowing your bees so well that you can tell where they have been and what they have been eating. Perhaps Mr. Mullins should consider detective work!

Honey is nature's perfect sweetener, and has been since ancient times. One tablespoon of honey is equivalent to five tablespoons of sugar, and believed to be better for you! Why don't you ask Mr. Mullins why he prefers honey to refined sugar?!

               

Somewhere Over The Rainbow

Tuesday night, about an hour before sunset, we felt like we were in the Land of Oz! Retrieving the mail, we saw this rainbow hovering above our house. Actually, it was a double rainbow. By the time we found the camera, the sky began to darken. At least we caught the rainbow's last hurrah. Every photographer deserves to capture a rainbow at least once. Tuesday was our night!  If you haven't had your chance, we hope it will come your way soon. Some rainbow trivia.........

A rainbow's arc is directly opposite the sun. In a double rainbow, color order is reversed.  To see a rainbow, the angle of light refraction needs to be 42 degrees from the observer's eyes. Iris was the Greek goddess of the rainbow. You can only see a rainbow if the sun is behind you. New York is the US state with the most number of families with the surname "Rainbow."  Finally, if you have three and a half minutes, we encourage you to listen to the now-deceased Hawaiian Israel Kamakawiwo'Ole's version of "Over the Rainbow." The combination of his voice and ukulele playing is heavenly. If our You Tube link doesn't work, please search out the video where he sings; not just the instrumental-tribute.

Herb Society of America-- Plant Sale TODAY!!!!!

The Greensboro Unit of the Herb Society of America is having a plant sale TODAY (7:00 am- 3:00 pm) at the Greek Orthodox Church, located at the corner of Westridge and Friendly Avenue. The fellowship hall is brimming with thousands of containers of fresh, healthy, reasonably-priced herbs.  Eight North Carolina growers supplied plants. Additionally, members contributed plants from their own greenhouses. Proceeds from the sale will fund scholarships for horticulture students at North Carolina A&T University and Sandhills Community College. In the above photo, you will notice the L/M placard. Conveniently, herbs are arranged in alphabetical order. L is for lavender!

Speaking of lavender, on location shooting the above photo, we talked to the society's expert on lavender, learning that lavandula angustifolia is an excellent variety known for its aromatic qualities and culinary uses. We learned that Herb Society members take time to educate people about herbs -- another reason you should attend the sale. Did you know that not all herbs are used for cooking? Herbs are used for either culinary, medicinal, aromatic, religious, or industrial purposes. Finally, kudos to Kathy Schlosser for serving as the 2009 Plant Sale Chair!

African American Atelier's Bilingual Mural

The above bilingual (English/Spanish) mural is a multi-level project painted Summer 2008 by the African American Atelier Community Youth Program. As seen in the pink lettering above, the artist-instructor was Brittain Peck. Peck's work, "All City All Star/ Las Estrellas de la Ciudad,"  is an illustrated, narrative saga of two children whose houses have been crushed by the feet of a robot. Their story is told though dialog clouds in English and Spanish. "Wow! I am sliding up! Wow! Estoy deslizando arriba!" says the skateboarder. "Yucky! The air smells bad. Asqueroso! El aire huele malo."  Fear not, the ending is uplifting mainly due to the upbeat attitude of the children. 

We have several pictures of this fabulous mural to share at a future date.  However, the above picture was chosen because it is a good introduction to the color and complexity of the project. If you come to Greensboro or already live here, you can find the project on the Church Street Parking Deck in the stairwell nearest the Central Branch of the Greensboro Public Library. While many names are associated with the vertical mural, the other one we want to include is Delois Bynum, assistant to Mr. Peck and Atelier staff member.  Chatting with Ms. Bynum is like talking to your wise auntie. She has a gentle way of educating you and making you feel welcome at the same time. 

               

Art Quest

Here we see a picture of the clay corner at Artquest, the hands-on studio located in the Cultural Arts Building on Davie St. Artquest is just one of many facets of the Green Hill Center for North Carolina Art. Artquest is a fabulous studio where people can paint, weave, draw, make a collage, mold clay, and hone visual/spacial skills with twelve art stations designed by North Carolina artists. Additionally, Artquest is a great place to go for a field trip or for a birthday party. If you are looking for summer activities, they have reasonably-priced camps. Artquest is fun for children because it is so interactive and visually stimulating. It is fun for adults because you can dabble in art without being intimidated. It brings out the artist in everyone! Finally, the studio adjoins the Green Hill Gallery so you can saunter through the gallery, seeking inspiration from professional artists, before making a work of art yourself! Take advantage of a great community resource.

               

O.Henry: Extraordinary Short Story Writer from Greensboro

Here we see one small part of the O. Henry Monument at 301 N. Elm Street in downtown Greensboro. O. Henry, pen name of William Sydney Porter, was born in Greensboro, North Carolina on September 11, 1862-- at the time of the Civil War in the United States. O. Henry will always be remembered for his great short stories with clever endings (aka, the O. Henry ending).  This human-sized book, dubbed "O. Henry's Book" by the artist Maria J. Kirby-Smith, was placed at the U.S. Trust Tower Plaza in 1985. In futures posts, we will see more delightful sides of the book as well as a statue of the author himself and his little dog, just a few paces away. In the meantime, if you are curious to learn more about the author or to see a picture of him, please follow the Wikipedia site linked to his name (above).

This must-see,  ensemble/tribute is posted in black and white today as part of the Monochrome Monday theme day. Since the overgrown azalea was removed a few years ago, this view of the monument is actually well suited for black and white.

               

Grove Church on Jessup Grove Road

The Grove Church, located at 4530 Jessup Grove Road, boasts having "some of the best Sundays in town." On the outside, the building is a traditional brick and white Southern church with a cross at the top of the steeple. Across from the church is a cemetery, very common for rural churches. As for the inside, we'll have to investigate that for another week!

We decided to feature the sign instead of the building itself as, church signs are not only an art, but also a tradition. Ethnographer and former Greensboro resident H.L. Goodall wrote the book featured below entitled, "Divine Signs: Connecting Spirit to Community." We'd have to conclude that the Grove's sign is inviting and tempting-- a good temptation to become part of their spiritual community!

               

The News and Record: 200 Market Street

The News and Record is Greensboro's daily newspaper. Can you believe, this is a street view of the main entrance? Their building, on 200 Market Street, is a city-block long with offices on the Market Street side and the daily distribution and truck dispatch area along Davie Street. Heralding one's arrival at the public entrance to the boxy, "no frills" News and Record building is the above array of newspaper boxes. This visual marker, the only thing colorful on the block,  is seen long before one finds the modest signage confirming the building's occupant. 

We are dating ourselves by admitting that around our house, receiving the News and Record is a ritual, anticipated and appreciated daily. On our street, we expect the paper to be delivered by 6am. When it is not, as was the rare case recently, we panic! "How will we drink our coffee without newspaper? How can we start our day? What if there is something about our community that we need to know? What if there is a breaking story about our workplace?"  In recent years, the paper has changed-- dramatically. Bending to retrieve the skinny, skinny, diminutive Monday and Tuesday editions, we wonder how much longer we will be able to indulge in this daily pleasure. By Wednesday, ads start fattening up the News and Record and Thursday's edition is a paper of substance as it contains "Go Triad." The Friday edition is respectable; Saturday is paultry. The Sunday edition is the highlight of the week: Adds, circulars, Parade magazine, news, comics, puzzles, the Life section, a community pull-out; on Sunday-- truly a something-for-everybody event. Anna Quindlen wrote a book, "How Reading Changed My Life." Someone should write a book, "How Newspapers Connect Us to Our Community." 

Regarding the newspaper boxes in the photo above, the artist in us wants to use a can of white spray paint and a giant stencil set to add one massive letter per box. N-E-W-S-A-N-D-R-E-C-O-R-D. Now that would be some creative, low-cost advertising! Finally, we wonder what the local paper will look like a year from now? Five years from now?

Cultural Arts Center: Graduated Roof and Cloudless Sky Above

Greensboro's Cultural Center at Festival Park located at 200 N. Davie Street has it all! As noted on the Downtown Greensboro website, "Within the Greensboro Cultural Arts Center are the following: The African American Atelier, The Center for Visual Artists, Green Hill Center for NC Art/ArtQuest and Gift Shop, and the Guilford Native American Art Gallery and Gift Shop." Additionally the Community Theater of Greensboro, the Greensboro Children's Theater, and a host of other organizations have offices there. Finally, you can be sure to find some music or art organization performing and hosting exhibits throughout the building. The Cultural Center is a community space we need to use and help fund. We decided to use it for Skywatch Friday because we love to showcase Greensboro's buildings. The redbud trees in the foreground look beautiful in combination with the green on the roof. Since the brick is approaching orange, it is ALMOST as if this were a celebration of secondary colors!

If you are not from around here, hopefully, you will appreciate the beauty of the building. If you are local and use this building, likely, you are on a first name basis with Mary, Rosina, Steven, and Mitchell (to name a few of the dedicated folks with offices in this building).  If you are looking for something to do this weekend, stop by the Cultural Center, take in an exhibit, and get a schedule of upcoming events. Happy Friday. We hope you enjoy this little slice of the cloudless blue sky.

Cone Mills Building near the Revolution Cotton Mill

Yesterday, we posted a sign about the Cone Brothers. Today, we post this little hut that must have been some sort of guard house on the property of Cone Mills. It is located on Yanceyville Street,  just up the hill from Revolution Mill. We will feature the repurposed Revolution Mill Studios in a future post as it is a spectacular venue featuring everything from offices to on site housing and recreation. However, we also like to document these little snippets of history before they get razed to the ground. Also, we were in search of signage, public displays of the Cone Mills sign, as well as signs with "Greensboro, NC." 

If you know about this little hut, please post a comment and share your  memories.

The Cone Brothers of Greensboro

The surname Cone is well known in Greensboro, North Carolina, and throughout the South. As seen in the above historic marker, the Cone Family name in Greensboro was originally associated with the textile business. Their first mill, Proximity, was so named because it was located in close proximity to cotton, gins, warehouses, and the railroad. With the American textile industry moving overseas, the Cone name in Greensboro is more likely associated with Moses Cone Hospital, Cone Boulevard, and local journalist Ed Cone. Likely, the positive influence of the Cone Brothers will be remembered for a long time!

If you notice the Wendover Medical Center building in the background, in reality, it is not leaning. In photographing the listing historical marker, we decided to photograph the sign straight at the expense of the building! The keepers of the historical markers need to right the listing J-96!

               

Breedlove Radiator Service Inc.

Breedlove Radiator Service Inc, located at 610 Percy St., is just right around the corner from our robin's egg blue Mustang post. As the sign states, Breedlove Radiator has been in business since 1943. In an online testimonial to the fine quality of work at this shop, a vintage Triumph owner states, "When I first walked into Breedlove, right in front of the counter were a STACK of freshly rebuilt Ferrari radiators. That is when I knew I was in the right place........ I couldn't be happier with the work." 

These family owned businesses have work ethic and commitment to service that is getting harder and harder to find and we need to support them. Light-heartedly, the same customer states: "It is a small family run place, so if the flu is going through the place, work can fall behind schedule." 

As with the Triumph owner, we'll take quality work and personable service over fast service, just about any day! 

               

Vintage Mustang in the Aycock Historic District

Easter is over but we just can't quite let go! Don't you think if the Easter Bunny drove a car it would be this robin's egg blue Mustang? People who live in historic neighborhoods often take their dedication to preservation seriously. Vintage house, vintage car. Vintage clothing? Gardening? Organic? Bet there is a Burpee Seed Catalog waiting in the mailbox. This photo was taken in the Aycock Historic District, near Yanceyville St. Our blog viewers seem to love the vintage car shots that we post and Greensboro has some great ones! 

               

Easter Sunday: Christ's Blessing

Happy Easter! Today, we present this ecclesiastical window, Christ's Blessing, which was installed in the First Presbyterian Church of Greensboro circa 1903. According to the sign, posted beside the window, "(t)he theme for this beautiful Tiffany-style window comes from the Gospel verse, 'Let the little children come unto me... for such is the kingdom of heaven.' It was sponsored by members of the Scales family in memory of their mother Effie and father Junius, who was a prominent 19th-century Greensboro attorney and state legislator."  Today, the window is housed on the property of the original First Presbyterian Church which is now part of the Greensboro Historical Museum.

             

Easter in College Hill

Eastertime has arrived in the College Hill neighborhood. The bunny flag and the egg wreath on the front door are the icing on the cake of this robin's egg blue house near UNCG and Greensboro College. College Hill has been designated an historic district since 1980. Can't you just imagine an Easter egg hunt on this lawn with grandpa sitting on the porch coaching grandchildren where to find eggs? "Don't forget about that birdbath, Tyler. Don't just look at eye level Alex. Look above!..." 

Yesterday's post showed the serious side of Easter so we thought we'd lighten up a little bit today and offer the magical, Easter Bunny side of the holiday. In America, we love to decorate the inside and outside of our homes. The best way to enjoy springtime in College Hill is to get out and walk or ride your bike.

               

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.

              

Leanne Pizio's Pottery

Leanne Blake Pizio is a local potter whose eclectic work can be seen in the photo above. Leanne sells her wares at most of the local pottery festivals as well as through the internet. This photo was taken on Sunday during the Pottery Festival at the Greensboro Farmers' Curb Market at 501 Yanceyville Street.

Leanne has perfected the sgraffito technique which involves coating pottery and scratching off parts to achieve an intricate design. Additionally, Leanne leaves no surface unadorned. The back side of her work is usually as intricately detailed as the front! Designs on her pottery include dreamy Alice-in-Wonderland like characters, rabbits, crows, owls. Currently, she is smitten with her 100 tall, "wonky" bottle project, two of which are in the upper right hand corner. If you want to learn more about her artistic process as well as how to order her pottery, you can contact her directly through her blog. We have always been impressed at how personable Leanne is with her customers.

   

Got Volkswagen? Good Ole Volks Meeting at Herbie's Place

Every Thursday, from approximately 6-9pm, the Good Ole Volks Volkswagen club members and VW owners gather to share their love of Volkswagens. They meet at Herbie's Place, 3136 Battleground Avenue, first inside for dinner and then outside, as weather permits. On warm summer nights, they can be seen lingering in the parking lot giving on the spot tours of VW engines and interiors. As you can see from the VW Bug mounted in the exterior wall of Herbie's, the VW crowd is welcomed with open arms. During the photo shoot last week, we affectionately called the Bug on the left "Snowball," (for obvious reasons) and the one on the right, "The Blue Virginian" since it had VA plates. 

If you are looking for a place to meet people as passionate about Volkswagens as you are, this informal event is the one for you. However, you might want to visit the Good Ole Volks website first to learn more about the club. You may want to contact someone ahead of time,as you can never be quite sure how many Good Ole Volks will turn up on a given Thursday night.  Who knows, maybe we'll see YOU there tomorrow! As for the post, we're linking to Watery Wednesday theme day because, as you can see, it had just rained and the water made great reflections. We've had lots of rain lately!

               

ALS Walk held on Saturday April 4, 2009

Saturday was a busy day in downtown Greensboro. Children began queueing with their families to be part of the Easter egg drop in the NewBridge Bank Baseball Park in the very early morning.  Additionally, the Walk to Defeat ALS was held, culminating in Center City Park. In the photo above, a volunteer, from the Jim "Catfish" Hunter Chapter of the ALS Association, paints the face of a young boy who, likely, had just finished walking. By mid-day, the park was brimming with people, young and old alike. 

As spring approaches, Greensboro will have no shortage of activities to keep us busy. We challenge the locals to get out and support the myriad causes, teams, organizations and businesses that make an effort to keep our city thriving and entertaining.

               

North Carolina State Flower

The state flower of North Carolina grows on a tree, the dogwood! The locally abundant dogwood blossom, pictured above, was approved by the North Carolina Legislature to be the official state flower on March 15, 1941. It beat out the daisy, goldenrod, flame azalea, pine cone, and Venus flytrap. As of today, in Greensboro, the dogwoods are a few days away from being in peak bloom. Soon, neighborhoods throughout the city will be full of white and pink dogwood blooms. Also on the verge of blooming are the azaleas. If your neighborhood has a spectacular showing of azaleas and dogwoods this week, please tell us about it in the comments below. These two plants are usually found together as they take the same soil conditions, they bloom about the same time, they are different heights and shapes. The park at the First Presbyterian Church on North Elm Street will have dogwoods and azaleas in bloom any day now. 

On another note, we're participating in Monochrome Monday; hence, the black and white!

               

Stained Glass Window at Greek Orthodox Church

The stained glass window is found at the entrance of the Dormition of the Theotokos Greek Orthodox Church at 800 Westridge Road.  Greensboro isn't filled with stained glass like the European cities; however, we do have some beauties like the one above and will feature other examples in upcoming posts.  Today crept up on us and we didn't get back to learn more about the window. If you attend this church and know the history of this window, please share the information in a comment below. From an artistic point of view, we love the way the colors of the window reflect onto the brass name plates on the wooden plaque on the left. The scene appears to be God handing Jesus to Mary (Theotokos).

If your church has stained glass windows and you need replacement pieces or you are a crafter looking for sheets of stained glass, we suggest contacting Blenko Glass Company in nearby West Virginia. Blenko has a fascinating process for hand blowing sheet glass in a process that has not changed for over 100 years. 

              

Rusty Truck and Man(nequin)

Rural humor is something not only appreciated but also expected in the south. Today, we cheated a little bit and headed just west of Guilford County. A stone's throw from Greensboro, Davidson County is full of humorous displays like this one, especially during barbecue festival time. The mannequin in the rusty truck above resides down the road from the Kiwanis Club Kiddie Kamp off Ridge Road. The vehicle sits at the edge of the road guarding the owner's property. At first we were embarrassed to be caught taking a picture of this old truck until we realized the joke was on us as the man inside was not real! 

Doesn't this muscular blond driver look like one of the main characters in a Margaret Maron, Jan Karon, or Lee Smith book? These fabulous North Carolina authors couldn't have envisioned a better leading man! Perhaps he is driving around in pursuit of the Elsewhere Artist Collaborative women featured April 1st on this blog! On the weekends, we like to grab the camera, abandon the GPS system, and just drive. We get some of our best photos that way. Try it! 

               

Flag-like, Striped Sky over Greensboro

The sky over Greensboro on Sunday, March 29th, 2009 was as spectacular as most Fourth of July shows! Near sunset, looking west, was a lifting cloud front and a clear horizon. Overhead, it was as if clouds were a slice of sandwich bread hovering above the city. To the east, the sky was a brilliant sapphire blue. By the time we got to a vista, not polluted by retail stores, the grand finale was the flag-like, striped sky seen above. 

We are thankful for Skywatch Friday for teaching us to be on the lookout for a good view of the sky.We are thankful for nature for providing beauty that outdoes even man's best efforts.  We hadn't planned to participate in Skywatch Friday every week but when nature is this spectacular, it is hard to resist! 

             

Edward R. Murrow

Edward R. Murrow, 1908-1965, according to the plaque at the base of the sculpture was a "pioneer in broadcast journalism and Guilford County native."  Murrow, the son of local Quakers, was known for his on-the-scene reporting from Europe, especially during the blitz of London in World War II. He produced a series of television news reports that contributed to the eventual political downfall of Senator Joseph McCarthy. He was the director of the United States Information Agency under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson.

The above sculpture was made by Ogden Deal and commissioned by Greensboro Chamber of Commerce and Cumberland Development Corporation in 1970. We love this "larger than life" sculpture off of Church Street on the property of the Greensboro Historical Museum and very near the underused Murrow Boulevard.

Wonder what Murrow would say about all the changes in journalism today? Anyone with a computer (and a camera???) calls themself a journalist. Newspaper reading has gone from a sacred, much-anticipated daily ritual in all households to something associated with the older generation. 

Regarding today's photo--from a photographer's perspective:  We love the scale the sculpture balanced with the diminutive appearance of the car lot in the background. At first the wires in the background bothered us. Then, we decided that having communication continually flowing through Mr. Morrow's head was part of the sculptor's intent!

So, in the words of Ed Murrow, repeated nightly by Keith Olbermann as a tribute to his idol, "Good night and good luck!"

Addendum:  After the "Easter Island" comments we went back to view this sculpture of Murrow again. It is not nearly as large as it seems in this picture. The camera lens had a fisheye effect! If you are local, we hope you will go and see it for yourself!

               

Elsewhere Artist Collaborative (City Daily Photo Theme Day: Yellow!!!)

Elsewhere Artist Collaborative, located at 606 and 608 South Elm St. (Greensboro, NC, USA), is the site of today's GDP post, celebrating the City Daily Photo April 2009 theme-- YELLOW. Does this photo yell YELLOW, or what? If you are interested, here is the history behind Elsewhere. 

Joe and Sylvia Gray owned the South Elm Street building and maintained a thrift store inside. The inventory was the result of nearly 60 years of collecting. After Joe died and Sylvia got up in years, she had a sign posted on the door of her thrift shop saying something along the lines of, "call before you come. I may open up at 12:00 noon, and then again, I may not." We always got a chuckle out of her cavalier attitude towards committing to a fixed schedule. By the time of her death in 1997, Sylvia's store was stacked floor to ceiling with over 1,000,000 second-hand treasures. Thrift shoppers looked longingly through the windows at the items they only dreamed of purchasing. Developers looked at the building wondering how they could get her to clear it out. Along came George Scheer.

In 2003, Sylvia's grandson, George Scheer, opened a "museum" and artist collaborative in the location. Since the opening of Elsewhere, none of the million pieces has been for sale. NOTHING is for sale. The items serve as artifacts of a life of collecting and a place for artists to creatively assemble the items into visual feasts. Elsewhere is referred to as a "playhouse for artists." It has quickly developed a following and is gaining international attention, receiving grants, and evolving into a legitimate artists' venue worthy of grants and special events. The above picture was taken in one of the far back corners of the space. Who(m) do you think the mannequins resemble? Are you starting to appreciate the spirit of the collaborative?

Go here to read more about Elsewhere.

Since this is the first day of the month, it is theme day for the city daily photo community. This month's theme is "yellow." Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.