Greensboro Daily Photo

Walking to Town on New Year's Eve Day

Well, 2009 has come and gone. We are walking into town to celebrate New Year's Eve in Downtown Greensboro. That skyline and sapphire blue sky are beckoning. We're on Market Street. We've passed UNCG's new school of music building and the State Employees' Credit Union. We took a photo of the ornamental cabbage and have just finished admiring the Nativity Scene at Greensboro College. What will the New Year in Greensboro bring? What does 2010 have in store for you? What will GDP find to photograph in 2010?  Thank you for a great year. Readership has grown. We look forward to hearing from you in the upcoming months.

Miles to go before we sleep........ Miles to go before we sleep........

 

Lee Street Gas Station

As far as we could tell, this little gas station in UNCG's backyard is without a sign to tell us its name. Likely, it is one of those places that has been in Greensboro for decades. Patrons know its name. The two orange chairs to the right of the fire hydrant look like a cozy place to sit and recount your adventures. 

It is hard to believe that year's end is upon us. We hope you've had a good 2009 and that 2010 will be even better. We've gotta run. Time to find photos to close out the year and ring in the new on Greensboro Daily Photo.

 

Ornamental Cabbage II

This ornamental cabbage is planted at University Square, the dorms (currently) owned by Greensboro College and located across the street from Sunday's nativity scene. Over the past year on our blog, the first ornamental cabbage that we posted last February is one of GDP's most searched pictures! The cabbages are a nice burst of color this time of year. Ornamental cabbage is usually bitter to taste. Through years of assiduous cultivation, color and form have taken priority over flavor! Usually, they are grown from seed and started in July or August. Alternatively, you can find them at your local garden center!

We consider this a ruby center so we're joining in on Ruby Tuesday!

 

World's Smallest House

Childhood is a time for superlatives. Biggest, tiniest, youngest, oldest, strongest, weakest.....

Every time we drive on North Church Street with children under 7, as we approach this house, we drive really slowly and say, "We're about to pass the world's smallest house. Just look how tiny." Wide-eyed children marvel at how the garbage can on the left is half the height of the house, how the front door reaches the roofline. They are convinced that this really IS the world's smallest house. 

This is a part of Church Street that is changing before our eyes. We don't know how long this house will survive before the property is sold and a franchise is constructed here. For now, we'll continue to delight in this tiny, seemingly unencumbered way of living. 

 

Nativity Scene @ Greensboro College

Today, we bring you Sacred Sunday direct from Greensboro College. Greensboro College is a methodist-affiliated, private, co-ed college that was founded in 1838. For over seventy years, they have featured this depiction of the birth of Jesus on the West Market Street edge of campus. In 2007, the creche was vandalized. Fortunately, a new one is in place and, although on the Biblical calendar, technically the wise men have not yet arrived, we wanted to share this scene on Sacred Sunday. This nativity scene looks majestic with the snow around it.

If you are looking for a year-end tax write off, Greensboro College has been struggling with the economic downturn. Please consider dropping a few dollars in their coffer. See details here. This little college attracts the nicest students and has some fabulous faculty members.
 

Gothic Doll Gift

We hope you had a wonderful Christmas. 

Santa brought Mrs. GDP a doll, handmade by local dollmaker, Kim I. McEntee.  This Gothic Doll has a perfectly maudlin purple dress and her hands come in and out of the faux astrakhan muff. We were thrilled to have her come to live with us. She reminds us of Violet Baudelaire from the Series of Unfortunate Events. Greensboro is fortunate to have many wonderful doll makers. We just may start a collection of dolls, stitched to life by local artists!

Today is Boxing Day where people share their gifts with the poor; however, this is one gift that will will remain with us! Today is also St. Stephen's Day and, as we write, our little dollie is reciting the Irish Wren Song traditionally sung on this day. 

 

White Christmas (a Week Early)

Merry Christmas from Greensboro, NC. 

We at Greensboro Daily Photo hope you are with family and loved ones today. Greensboro doesn't usually have snow before Christmas, so Christmas 2009 arrived with great fanfare. This house in Lake Jeanette, with the light in the entrance hallway and wreaths on every window, looks quite inviting. Soon after taking the photo, giant snowflakes covered the bushes and silenced the roads. Today, with a cup of hot chocolate and fresh gingerbread cookies, snowflakes are long forgotten and we are watching wrapping paper stack on the floor around us. We love the gifts but are even more grateful for our beautiful city, our family & friends, our faithful readers and above all, this special holiday. A heartfelt embrace from us to you. 

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Up on the Rooftop

Tonight, Santa won't have any trouble getting up on these rooftops that back up to Horse Pen Creek Road. The weather has been on everyone's mind these days, including ours. In Greensboro, all someone has to do is mention bad weather and we rush to the store to buy bread and mild. However, on this Christmas Eve Day, the weather is cooperating. You should be able to make the most of this one last shopping/travel day. 

If you have a chance over the holidays, introduce your family and friends to Greensboro Daily Photo. If you look at the column on the right, you can peruse our posts over the last several months. 

 

Frosty@Cornwallis

No winter is complete without building a snowman. We've dubbed this snowman the Mayor of Cornwallis, because he stands majestically in Irving Park in the 100 block of Cornwallis Drive. He is what snowmen look like after a few days above 40 degrees. One eye melted off and his scarf is slipping from his neck; however, this Frosty still has an air of dignity about him. We hope you have your chance to build at least one snowman this winter, that is, of course, unless you live in Hawaii or Key West!

Wanted to save this for Skywatch Friday, if this weather keeps up, Frosty will be gone by then!  Since W is for Water and snow is frozen WATER, we've decided to post at Watery Wednesday and ABC Wednesday instead! Besides, if you look hard enough, you can see a bead of sweat above his brow. Drip, drip, drip.........

 

Grandpa & Grandson

It was late afternoon, almost dark, light was working against us. Although fuzzy, this photo captures a tender moment between a Grandpa & Grandson. Grandpa was encouraging a little stomping in a snow pile; stalling so that Santa's helpers could shop for this little guy. If you sit back, squint, and imagine, likely you can imagine yourself in that little red jacket bursting with energy, hanging out with a grandparent, waiting for Santa to arrive. 

Only three more days folks! Whether you are a big box store kind of person or a lover of one of a kind shops, Greensboro has plenty places for last minute Christmas shopping. 

If they'll accept a blurry image, we're offering this one up to the Ruby Tuesday gang!

 

First Day of Winter

Happy First Day of Winter, TODAY, December 21st.

Can you believe we had our first snow before winter this year? The Greensboro family above is delighting in the unseasonably early snow.  This dedicated, attentive Dad seemed to be having as much fun in the big snowflakes as the kids. Wonder if mom was inside getting the hot chocolate ready? 

We recently learned on "Are you smarter than a fifth grader" that, during the holidays, children like spending time with family even more than opening presents! Hopefully all children will build memories as picturesque as the one above during this holiday week! So, STOP and do something with/for a child!

 

Westminster Presbyterian

On this Sacred Sunday, the final one before Christmas, we feature the Lake Brandt Campus of Westminster Presbyterian Church. Worship services here are contemporary. The campus represents an expansion-- given the at-capacity Westminster Presbyterian congregation on Friendly Avenue. As predicted, a snowstorm blew our way on Friday afternoon and we snapped this picture while the flakes were still falling. The scene was almost sepia, even before we converted it for Monochrome Weekend. At one time, the Greensboro Day School owned this property which is located across from the school. Perhaps they still do. We hope you were able to get out and do something spiritual for yourself, regardless of your religion.

 

Merry Chihuahua Christmas

Merry Chihuahua Christmas! Today, we feature Sassy the Chihuahua decked out in her Christmas garb. If you frequent Greensboro's Arts and Crafts festivals, likely, you have met Miss Sassy. She loves dressing up and traveling with her owners who sell wonderful vintage jewelry. We got tickled when we noticed that the fish necklace was as big as Sassy.

The chihuahua is a centuries-old breed originating in Mexico. It was first recognized by the American Kennel Club in 1904. The AKC prefers that chihuahuas, the world's smallest breed, weigh between 2-4 pounds and Sassy is indeed within that range. If you attend a local craft show and see Sassy, please stop for a visit. Her owners are very nice and she loves the attention! Who knows, next time we feature her on GDP, she may be dressed up as a lepechaun, an Easter bunny, Uncle Sam...........

We are delighted to share her with the pet loving world on Camera Critters!!!

 

Life-Sized Nutcrackers

Nutcrackers have been made famous by the Nutcracker Ballet, which was adapted from a story by E.T.A. Hoffman in the 19th Century. This German author brought dolls to life, including the Nutcracker soldier who came alive on Christmas Eve to the delight of young Clara. Tchaikovsky breathed life into the tale with his great music score.

These Nutcrackers, ranging from a few inches to five feet tall,  reside year-round in a storefront on South Elm Street in Greensboro. According to the Russian Nutcracker (front left), on Christmas Eve, precisely at midnight, he will lead his wooden comrades in The Russian Cossack Dance!

Our skies have been a little dull these days, so we're using this little slice of sky in the upper left-hand corner as our Skywatch Friday!

      

US Postal Service @ 610 Pembroke 27408

The post office at Friendly Center in Greensboro is an alcohol-free version of Boston's "Cheers Bar." As we stood in line yesterday, on one of the postally-busiest days of the year, people chatted about the usual-- the details of each other's lives and the Christmas light displays on Ridgeway Avenue. Oh, and the employees are friendly too. As a matter of fact, they learn a great deal about you by your mail. Picking up a 30-day diet plan? Next time you are at 610 Pembroke, you just may be asked, "How's the diet going? If you are returning a J. Crew sweater, don't be surprised if you are asked, "Didn't it fit.. or did you just not like the color?" Or, you might even be reminded that we have a J.Crew Store at Friendly Center now! You can share as much as you want or be as quiet as you wish!

If you need to mail that last minute package and want a jolly adventure, head on over to the post office at Friendly Center. By the way, rumor has it the same service is available at the Groometown/High Point Road branch!

 

Awash with Goodness & Giving

When is the last time you used a laundry mat (or more properly, laundromat)? Would you know where to find one in Greensboro (or in your community)? Imagine getting to the laundry mat if you didn't own a car; arriving and having it be closed!  This laundry mat happens to be on Battleground Avenue in the Big Lots shopping center near Gold's Gym.

If you are fortunate enough to do laundry in the comforts of your home, consider being generous with the less-fortunate this year. Perhaps you can leave a five dollar bill in the custodian's corner of the building with a stickie-note saying, "your next cup of coffee is on me," so that the lucky finder will know the money wasn't lost.

Consider giving a gift to someone who least expects it, to someone new this year. Have an afternoon tea for a family in need. Donate money to the school in your neighborhood--even if you don't have children who attend. Drop an extra tip in a tip jar. Not only is December the season of giving and goodness, it is the countdown for charitable contribution tax write-offs for 2009. If you're strapped for cash, just drop by and spend time with someone who would appreciate your company.

Please stop back by GDP and let us know about your act of giving. Share your ideas! Today, we're posting this photo over at Watery Wednesday!

               

North Carolina Fraser Fir Trees

With all of the rain, 2009 is a great year for Christmas trees. They are plump, green, and healthy. Here we see two men wrapping a live tree and just about to hoist it on the truck. This was taken at Fred & Dot Wagoner Christmas Trees at the New Garden Location. The Wagoners have been selling Christmas trees in Greensboro since 1969. In an article a few years ago, they discuss the fact that people are buying their trees earlier and that they usually clear their lot by about December 20th. So if you still want a live tree, time is of the essence!

We hope to link this photo to Ruby Tuesday. Red is EASY to find this time of year!

            

Greensboro's Littlest Angel

If you read yesterday's post, you'll recognize this little angel as one who is preparing to be photographed with the the Holy Family in the nativity scene at Christ United Methodist Church in Greensboro. This little child seemed to be an angel even without the costume. Childhood is such a magical time and memories like this one, last a lifetime. For those who celebrate it, Christmas is such an easy time to do special things with our little ones. Greensboro is a great city for December activities, secular as well as lay!

This is our contribution to Monochrome Weekend which makes us pause and ponder. Will heaven be monochrome or in color? Oh, and will there be tennis shoes and bobby socks on angels in heaven?

 

Breakfast with Mary and Joseph

Religious institutions worldwide work hard to help children understand their beliefs and traditions. To that end, Christ United Methodist Church in Greensboro hosts Breakfast with Mary and Joseph. Each December, the nativity scene is set up. Family members don costumes and pose for pictures with the Holy Family. Many families use these photos as their Christmas cards. Here we see a few angels and a small shepherd with a very large staff, in between photo sessions! 

At this event, children eat a continental breakfast, listen to the Christmas story, and make religious crafts. No Santa here!... Please notice the Moravian star, representing as the Star of Bethlehem. Breakfast with Mary and Joseph took place yesterday, so, if you are interested, you'll need to plan ahead for next year.  In the meantime, we wish you a Happy Sacred Sunday. If you want to see our other religious photos for the year, follow this link.

 

Green Bean, Again

We don't usually feature an establishment twice in a year; however, this photo of the Green Bean Coffee Shop just stole our hearts. It was taken on First Friday when downtown was alive with strollers and shoppers. We love the way the walls have been repainted. Everything looks so fresh.

 Today is Saturday, and if you are looking for a place to go for a great coffee or chai latte, the Green Bean on Elm Street is a great option in Greensboro. Usually Ann serves us and she is delightful;  oh can Ms. Ann make a fabulous beverage. Tonight, Physics of Meaning plays at 8 pm so, don't stay home alone when you can get out and listen to good music!

 

Twilight Greensboro

Just north of yesterday's geodesic dome, behind The Carousel Grande Movie Theater, we stumbled upon this view of downtown Greensboro-- precisely at the moment before the sun dipped below the horizon. We snapped the shot and drove closer to get a better view and, poof, the sun was gone for the day. Serendipity is a big part of city daily photography. Some days we drive with a mission. Other days, we drive around and, when we least expect it, something catches our eye. On this day, the warm glow of a sparkling Greensboro twilight caught our eye. This is our contribution for Sky Watch Friday!

 

NL Mitchell Water Treatment Plant

Driving to town, as you round the corner, near Lake Daniel, this photographed dome takes you by surprise! To our untrained eyes, this structure at the corner of Battleground Avenue and Bryan Blvd. appears to be a geodesic dome. Buckminster Fuller coined the term "geodesic dome" in 1948-9 while at Black Mountain College, near Asheville, NC. Fuller is attributed to popularizing the structure and naming the dome; however, Walther Bauersfeld actually designed the first one to house a planetarium, just after WWI. Can you believe that this  triangular, lattice-shelled surface predates Art Deco, flappers, Suffrage, the Great Depression, and the Jazz Age!

According to the City of Greensboro's website, the NL Mitchell Water Treatment Plant is 80 years old and in deteriorating and is scheduled to be replaced. The current structure holds three million gallons of treated water, ready for our consumption.Three million gallons is a mighty big fish tank!  Wonder if the new one, slated to hold a mere one million gallons, will have the same appearance!

 

Buffalo's Bar and Grill

Buffalo's Bar and Grill opened in the above location on Battleground Avenue in 1990. Now, this former gas station, repurposed as Buffalo's, is once again empty. Buffalo's Bar and Grill, continues to thrive just down the road on Battleground Avenue: Same food, same menu, same pub-like atmosphere. What is missing in the new location, however, is this brushed aluminum façade and the wrap-around windows. This façade has vintage character and is thoroughly photogenic. At night, it reflects light in an eerie spaceship way. Could that be New Mexican tumbleweed rolling across the foreground?  By day, it shines like a battleship in dry dock. Now, we have to wait and hope someone breathes new life into this building.

 In the meantime, see you at at the new location on Monday for 50-cent wing night. Tuesday is all you can eat wings $11.99; however, we're prefer not to binge and go for the bargain price!

 

Salvation Army Kettle

The Salvation Army.. give to the Salvation Army. The bell rings and the big red kettle reminds us to help those who are less fortunate. My grandmother's first, and maybe ONLY, baby doll was given to her by the Salvation Army; so, the organization holds a special place our family's memories. Last Friday night, the Salvation Army was set up at the intersection of McGee and Elm Streets at Greensboro's kickoff to the 2009 holiday season. Tree lighting, indie arts and craft market, singers, and other performers, people of all ages came out in droves enjoying the festivities. 

With the prominence of the big RED kettle, we just had to select this photo for Ruby Tuesday. A few weeks ago, our photo of the sea of red shoes leading to the Salvation Army Select store led people to our blog in droves. May this photo lead people to the kettle.

 

Moravian Village & Nativity Scenes

Onlookers marvel at the intricate details of the Moravian village and nativity scenes displayed at the First Moravian Church on S. Elam. The village and nativity scene is known in the original German as "putz", meaning to clean or to decorate. Usually, they are  found under Christmas trees in homes of people of the Moravian religion. These scenes usually depict a manger scene and its surroundings in Biblical Bethlehem.

Our local newspaper, The News and Record, featured an interesting story on the elaborate process and longstanding annual tradition of installing this scene on a little stage in our local Moravian church's fellowship hall. We selected this photo for Monochrome Weekly because it could have been taken fifty years ago in black & white; save the woman in a hoodie, the scene hasn't changed much!.

 

Moravian Star

As Monastery Daily Photo reminds us, we are well into the Advent Season. During this spiritual time for Christians, Moravians decorate with their iconic symbol, the Moravian star. The first Moravian star dates to the 1830's at a Moravian school in Niesky Germany. Not always an Advent symbol, the first star had 110 points and, given the beauty and intrigue of this polyhedron, likely, was part of a geometry lesson. Most of the stars today contain 26 points. As an Advent symbol, the Moravian star represents the Star of Bethlehem. 

If you are in the Christmas spirit and want to see Moravian stars in the Piedmont region of North Carolina, first, you can travel to the Moravian Church on S. Elam where this photo was taken. Additionally, you can head about 35-miles west to the historic town of Old Salem where the Moravian Star is the official Christmas decoration. The City of Winston-Salem also decorated with them.  Finally, a 31-foot Moravian star is displayed on the North of Tower Wake Forest's Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem.

To see the First Moravian Church of Greensboro and learn a little more about it, please refer to our  November 15th Sacred Sunday photo. Since that post, we have learned that the original location of the Moravian Church was on East Lee Street, constructed in 1908.

 

Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?

Continuing our adventure on Wendover, this may well be one of our favorite photos on Greensboro Daily Photo; it captures the flavor of Old Greensborough in conflict with New Greensboro. This rooster lives in a little house on Wendover Avenue at the corner of Bridford Parkway, one of Greensboro's busiest retail corridors. Mr. Rooster shares a yard with tethered dogs, dog houses and roaming cats. On a quiet Sunday morning, he and his free range buddies can be heard for miles around, "cock-a-doodle-doo..."

The vehicles in the background are zooming along Wendover and the little brick house is a neighbor of the Sapp Road house (featured Thursday). The white strip on the right is a roof at the shopping center. We have to chuckle because, little does Mr. Rooster realize, he is making a beeline into the parking lot of Greensboro's Spay and Neuter Clinic!   Oh, and why did the rooster cross the road?......

to get away from the camera-crazy Mrs. Greensboro Daily Photo, of course! Some of her best friends behave the same way! Visit Camera Critters to see more animal photos!

 

Another View From Sapp Road

All this week, we are featuring scenes on or near Wendover Avenue, Greensboro's mostly 6-lane east-west expressway. The thoroughfare begins in the east at Burlington Road (US 70) and continues to Eastchester Drive (US 68) in the western end of the county. Here we are just off of Wendover Avenue where rural Sapp Road meets the retail shops of West Wendover and Bridford Parkway. The building in the photo is the Southern end of the Babies R Us Building. 

To appreciate today's Skywatch Friday post, you need to look at yesterday's post and realize that my feet were planted in the same spot when taking both photographs. Yesterday's was (literally and figuratively) a southern view and today's view is pointing north.

 

Sapp Road

With Bridford Parkway and Wendover Avenue as its backyard neighbor and Target, Kohl's, Dick's Sporting Goods, Babies R Us (on and on....) just across the street, this house on Sapp Road is the quintessential image of Western Guilford County in the days before Wendover cut through.

While nearby Wendover is brimming with "FOR SALE 7+- Acres" signs, as of last Sunday morning, these houses on Sapp Road were not for sale. To add to the allusion of a rural ambience, while shooting this photo, roosters were crowing in the background! Oh for the days of old tires painted white and used for flower planters, chickens and roosters roaming, and roads without much traffic. If you listen hard enough, you might hear John Denver singing in the background.

Stop back by for more views of this part of town!

 

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."

 

Sno-White Cleaners

For December's City Daily Photo December theme, Waiting, we feature Sno-White Cleaners, located at 511 S. Elam Avenue. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.

Sno-White Cleaners is a Greensboro institution that has a reputation for being a top-of-the-line dry cleaner. When people mention complicated dry cleaning situations, or needing to clean garments made of costly, fine fabrics, locals quickly comment, "Take it to Sno-White.. it may cost more or be a little bit out of your way, but it's worth WAITING to take your garment there."

According to the Better Business Bureau, the shop opened in February 1959. Thirty four years later, in 1993, Sno-White received a NC OWR Grant to improve its operations and to reduce its emissions into the atmosphere. In the business profile, printed in the grant's final report, it was stated that for the then-newly installed dryers, solvent usage reduction was estimated at 75%. At that time, Lindley Smith was managing the business that had been started by his father, a man who "taught dry cleaning at NC State A & T Univ in Greensboro."

In our world of Greensboro and for the MY WORLD meme, Sno-White (NOT a Disney character) is going strong and, with her touches of red in the window, is also worthy of the Ruby Tuesday meme.