Greensboro Daily Photo

Have a Seat

Garbage day can be an embarrassment, especially to teenagers on toilet disposal day. Here we see a home off of Lawndale Drive that had three toilets replaced. It looks really strange to be driving home at night and to see white porcelain toilets glowing by streetlight on the side of the road. Maybe these toilets are being replaced for water efficient ones. Toilet #1 on the left looks like it fought back when being removed!

The City of Greensboro hauls away just about anything that is put to the curb by dawn on garbage day. Likely, used toilet removal is high on a sanitation worker's list of least favorite tasks-- especially when the tanks have not been removed. We offer this up for Alieni's monochrome meme. Usually, we LOVE lots of color in our photos. However, today's photo has more journalistic appeal when presented in black and white.

 

Eternal Life Baptist Church

Eternal Life Baptist Church characterizes the traditional churches of the rural south-- a small white building, gravel parking lot, gnarly, mature trees, and lots of spirit. It is located on a sleepy part of Church Street where stand-alone buildings are on the brink of being replaced by franchises and apartment complexes. Also, in our local newspaper, The News and Record, Nancy McLaughlin wrote an article about the struggles of these small churches as, increasingly, they have to compete with the big box churches. Read the article, In Walmart world, churchgoers want options, here.

According to the marquee, the pastor for Eternal Life Church is P.T. Noble. Other than their Sunday services, they hold Bible Study on Thursday evenings. This church is just across the street from the home we affectionately call the world's smallest house. Finally, since we have so many new readers now, if you're here for Sacred Sunday and you want to see what we've featured over the last year, look here.

 

Area Modern Home & Lighting

Area Modern Home and Lighting is a showroom in downtown Greensboro on Elm Street. Since 2000, they have been showing and producing furniture locally. Owner and designer Mark Hewett trained in the United Kingdom and has worked on several continents. His store sits directly across the street from the former Fordham's Pharmacy and just north of Coe's Grocery. Area Modern showcases the best of 21st century Greensboro, Fordham's dates to 1898 and closed about the time Area Modern opened. Coe's is about a century old and, as best we can tell, is still going strong. Thankfully, Downtown Greensboro is an interesting mixture of businesses. Through GDP, we're learning so much about our city. We'll have to visit Area Modern when we look for a new couch this spring!

We're looking at our city in a whole new way now that we've been participating in weekend reflections.

 

Holliday's Hardware House

The corner of Spring Garden Street and Holliday Drive is awfully quiet these days. Gone are the Red Wing Shoes, the shoe polish in every color imaginable, the key cutting machine, the aluminum tubs, the sleds, and the red wagons. Oh yes, since 1956 sleds and red wagons lined the sidewalk. Radio flyers in every size; traditional and round sleds. Even more absent are the great conversations and personal service by the Crum/Holliday family. Truly, Holliday's Hardware House was the "Cheers" Bar of home repair. All that is left of the once thriving mom-and-pop hardware store is the signage, including the family's name on the dead-end street marker.

The good news is that, by early March, Adelaide's Corner Cottage, currently located just east of UNCG, will slide down Spring Garden Street and relocate here. Adelaide is one of the nicest proprietors you will ever meet, in her less-than-a-year in business, she has amassed a wealth of loyal customers. Adelaide has an eye for the artsy, cottage-y, chic collectibles and manages to sell them at a reasonable price. If you have to lose one family business, it is nice to know that it is being replaced by another.

We're sharing this shot of the wire, sign, and cloud-filled sky with the Sky Watch Friday Crowd!  

 

Buffalo Soldiers

Here we see several members of the North Carolina Buffalo Soldiers Motorcycle Club-- Greensboro. Proudly, they stood in attendance at the opening of the International Civil Rights Museum. According to the organization's website, the club formed "to have some of the finest military and civilian personnel represent and teach each other about the legacy of the Buffalo Soldiers from the 9th and 10th Cavalry." Created in 1866, the first Buffalo Soldiers were a group of 5,000 ex-slaves, Freeman, and Civil War Veterans. As part of the desegregation of the US military, President Truman ended the all black regiments of the Buffalo Soldiers in 1948. Today, the motorcycle club keeps the legacy alive. 

The members who attended the February 2nd event were elated to participate and were lucky enough to receive a commemorative program.

 

With Mayo Please

This sculpture, known as "Mayo" by Robert Costelloe has been an icon on the corner of Friendly Avenue and Hobbs Road since the days of Burlington Industries. In 2005, when Burlington Industries' building was imploded to make way for the expanded shopping center, the sculpture was placed in front of Fleming's Restaurant where it stands today. Mayo was designed by Costelloe at the North Carolina School of the arts.

Wonder if the name is somehow related to the former business, Mayo Yarns? 

 

(Bull)dog Day Afternoon

Sunday afternoon, people were out walking, enjoying the break in the weather. These dogs, their owners, and curious bystanders were all talking in front of Friendly Pets at Friendly Center. Bulldogs are gentle people lovers who enjoy daily walks and lots of human interaction. We had to chuckle at this picture because the dogs really did visit with each other. Lots of sniffing. However, by the time of this photo, they looked as if they were saying, "OK! Enough! Can we go now? Why do our people always have to stand around and talk?"

Thanks to that bright red leash, we're skidding into Ruby Tuesday , where people celebrate the color red.

 

324 South Elm

Here we see a new five-story building under construction at 324 South Elm Street. The property was an empty lot for several years. We are happy to see new construction downtown; perhaps it is an indication that the local economy is improving. Some of the names on the construction site signage include: Lindbrook Development Services, Landmark Builders, Triad Design Group, Bradley & Ball Architects, ESC LLP Carolinas. We can't wait to see finished building and to learn more about it! 

 

...this is the steeple.....

This is the church and this is the steeple.... at Centenary United Methodist Church on Friendly Avenue. On Wednesday, February 10th, winds over 50 mph ripped through our town and huffed and puffed and tried to blow (among other things) this church down. Fortunately, the church is made of brick and all that toppled was the 25 foot fiberglass steeple. The steeple has been in place since the 1980's when it replaced a smaller one. 

This is our Sacred Sunday shot, when we take time to reflect and be thankful that Greensboro made it through the wind storm. The photo is grainy because we took it at night with minimal ambient lighting. It reminds us of an x-ray. We're sharing this with the Monochrome Weekend crowd to let the world see the teetering steeple.

 

South Elm Pottery & Gallery

With these hands, Jim Gutesll works his magic. From the window of South Elm Street Pottery & Gallery, we snapped this view of Jim mentoring a young girl into the art of throwing a vessel. His, the master's hands ever so steady and confident; hers, eager, yet tentative, this is apprenticeship at its best. Jim is sometimes known as the Godfather of pottery in Greensboro for founding the Triad Area Spring  Pottery Festival at the Yanceyville Farmers' Market. Jim works relentlessly to make people aware of the wonderful North Carolina pottery available "North of Seagrove."

If you can brave the snow this weekend, walk by by Jim's studio on South Elm Street, just south of the railroad tracks, and watch a great potter at work. Even better, stop in and buy LOCAL! Taking this photo through the window, for Weekly Reflections, was more fun than watching TV-- any day! Here's to you Jim!

 

Not in Kansas

Here is a view of a light pole at the corner of Yanceyville and Cypress Streets. On Wednesday, winds of over 50 miles per hour ripped through Greensboro and left a trail of items askew and teetering. We snapped this photo the day after when all was calm, the skies were blue & the air still, but brisk. Owners of the cozy green house above are lucky that the mature tree in their yard did not topple with the relentless, persistent winds. 

Students in nearby Aycock Middle School reported that the historic school, built in 1923, sounded as if the walls were whistling. Floorboards and doors were creaking. Debris was tap, tap, tapping on the schoolhouse windows. Knowing that all are safe, we are happy that students could experience such an interesting weather event. If they ever have a writing prompt that starts with.... "it was a cold and windy winter day"........ they'll be set!

We're posting the scene on  Sky Watch Friday where you can view skies and weather events from Greensboro to Siberia and back!

 

Leon's Style Salons

Nothing beats a good hair stylist. Here we see Robin working her magic at Leon's Style Salon on Friendly Avenue. Leon's has several salons throughout Greensboro, including a beauty school. Not only do they give great cuts at a great price, they are committed to showing original contemporary works of art. Artwork at the local salons features local artists from photographers to sculptors. The round mirrors add such drama to this salon with all of the original artwork on the wall. 

 

Security Van Lines

Security Van Lines Moving and Storage is a great piece of nostalgia. The old brick building backs up to the railroad tracks that cut through the center of Greensboro. Decades ago, Greensboro's prefix for phone numbers was BR. As you approach the building, the phone number appears to be BR 7-4766.  In the center, you can see a small burst of graffiti. Fortunately, our town in not inundated with the cryptic, highly-stylized writing. 

Also evident as you walk near the tracks are small piles of clothing when people changed into something different and abandoned their old outfit. Finally a beer bottle here and cigarette butt there remind us that we'd best not hanging around after sunset. By the way, these are the same tracks where the pigeon stood a couple of days ago.

 

Greensboro Legend: Curly Neal

Last week, as serendipity would have it, we were at a grocery store on Battleground Avenue stocking up on food in preparation for the impending snow storm. We were waiting at customer service behind a man and began talking to him. One of the store's cleaning crew members came up asking for an autograph and calling the man Mr. Curly. Suddenly we knew, bald head, big smile, crescent eyebrows, warm-up suit, 60ish gentleman........ Curly Neal..... Harlem Globetrotters.

Curly Neal, Harlem Globetrotters' Legend, was born in Greensboro, North Carolina on May 19th, 1942. He attended Dudley High School. The now-retired #22 Fred "Curly" Neal was the feature ball handler of the Harlem Globetrotters. We are not sure if Mr. Neal lives in Greensboro now; however, the employees at the grocery store were talking to him like they saw him regularly. Since we didn't have our camera with us, for today's photo, we took a photo of the autographed promo card Mr. Neal gave us. 

While Mr. Neal is retired, you can to the Globetrotter's website to see when they will perform at an arena near you. The current-generation of Globetrotters is amazing too! Thanks to the red warm-up suit, we're adding this post to  Ruby Tuesday, sharing the news with the world that Fred "Curly"  Neal is from GREENSBORO, NORTH CAROLINA!!!!

 

got PIGEONS?

Walking downtown the other day, we spotted a feral pigeon hunting for food on the railroad tracks. Greensboro doesn't seem to have a pigeon problem and, in true pigeon character, those that are around seem to live downtown. If you love pigeons, chances are you know that the National Pigeon Association just held their national conference in Salt Lake City, Utah at the end of January! Seeing how fancy some of the specialty breeds are, our little old park pigeon would not garner much interest! Did you know that pigeons drink by suction and so, ideally, their water source should be at least an inch deep. Also, while pigeons are grain eaters, the feral/park pigeons have learned to eat just about anything humans toss out.

Pigeons and doves constitute the same bird family: Columbidae. Many people use the term interchangeably. However, North Carolina has a great tradition of dove hunting but not pigeon hunting-- at least not for food! Finally, the main differences is not in the birds but in the word origin.  "Dove" comes to English via German, "Taube," and "pigeon" comes from French, "pigeon."

 

Chick-fil-A

Those of you who come for Sacred Sunday are in the right place. Every Sunday, we publish a photo intended to cause viewers to reflect on their spirituality. Chick-fil-A is featured today because all 1,480 stores are closed on Sunday so that workers can respect the Sabbath and be home with their families. One might think that one day a week of lost revenue would hurt the company; however, Chick-fil-A is in its 42nd consecutive year of positive sales growth. Still a privately-owned family business, Chick-fil-A is planning 78 new locations and renovations on 86 existing stores. The owners, the Cathys of Georgia, are devout Christians and express this devotion not only at home and in press releases but also every Sunday at every store.

The store in this photo (taken yesterday) is at the corner of Battleground Avenue and New Garden Road. 

 

Girl Scout Cookie Time 2010

Hurray!!! Finally!!!!!! Barring inclement weather, Girl Scouts cookies will be arriving in the Triad today. Word has it they will be selling cookies at the Harris Teeter on N. Elm Street, where this photo was taken (last year). Let us see, thin mints, shortbread, caramel deLites, peanut butter sandwiches, peanut butter patties, lemonades, cinnamon rounds, thanks-a-lot. Oh those memories of childhood. 

Alice always said, "nothing beats staying up watching the Olympics and eating Girl Scout cookies." She also said that her scout troop leader was second only to her mother in guiding and mentoring her in her youth. A teacher friend of ours said that teacher appreciation week is not the same without a box of thanks-a-lots.  So much goodness is tied up in the purchase of a box of Girl Scout cookies, Boy Scout popcorn, Kiwanis Club pancakes. Put on your rain galoshes and find a civic organization to support today!

Visit our friends over at Newton Daily Photo if you like visual reflections!

 

Snow and Fog: Time to Reflect

This is a view in northwest Guilford County, a couple of mornings ago just before the sun rose. It has been an emotional week for us at Greensboro Daily Photo. With the opening of the International Civil Rights Center and Museum in downtown Greensboro we got help document and share a fabulous moment in time. 

However, yesterday, our dear friend Alice Moore, frequent commenter on Greensboro Daily Photo, slipped into eternal sleep. Alice was a lifelong resident of East Greensboro, a photographer, historian, and Francophile. Alice provided us with much food for thought not only about Greensboro, but about life in general. She will be sorely missed as will her comments on this blog. This photo with its breathy, nebulous aura reminds us of her absence. If you could see souls dissipating, surely, this is what they would look like.

We're posting this photo on Sky Watch Friday and, if you follow our link, you can see hundreds of sky views from around the world...... somewhere, out there, is a warm, sunny day.

 
 

The Many Faces of Greensboro

People are sitting in the Barnes & Noble Cafe reading, grading papers, and having great conversations during a day of sloshy, lingering snow. We are featuring this post today to celebrate the self portraits of the many young students prominently displayed above. The faces, on thin sheets of foil, reflect the diversity of students in the Guilford County Schools. Our art teachers work very hard to get their students' work displayed in the community. Often, these exhibitions are hung in conjunction with school book nights at the bookstore. Could one of these faces be a future leader? Yesterday, we featured an art piece of four of Greensboro's finest students from 1960. Today, we feature 60 youthful faces of 2010.

Great art, the aroma of new books, and the taste of fresh coffee. Simply heaven!
 

Sit-in Art: A Cup of Freedom

Charles Jenkins, a security officer at the Guilford County Courthouse drew a sketch that would become this bronze work of art, named by Jenkins, "A Cup of Freedom." In Jenkins' sculpture, the cup rim is the lunch counter with the Greensboro Four seated (McCain, McNeil, Richmond, and Blair, Jr.). The coffee cup may be small is size (under 20 inches square as per the requirements of the project) but it is LARGE in symbolism. This stunning bronze artwork is prominently featured on the southeast corner of the International Civil Rights Museum and Center at the corner of February 1 Place and Elm Street. You can either enjoy this piece as a prelude to your museum visit or afterwords once understanding the Sit-in Movement more fully. We suggest both.

"C" is for "cup" on ABC Wednesday!!!
 

Jesse Jackson & Franklin McCain Together in Greensboro

In this photo, the Reverend Jesse Jackson and Dr. Franklin E. McCain enjoy a few minutes of one-on-one time after the 50th Sit-in Anniversary Breakfast sponsored by N.C. A&T. They are about to take the stage for the ribbon cutting ceremony of the opening of the International Civil Rights Museum & Center. Reverend Jackson's prayer was dynamic as was Dr. McCain's short speech. From National Public Radio to the New York Times, media coverage about the museum's opening has been national. However, we were shocked to learn that out of the Greensboro Four, David Richmond, Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeil, and Ezell Blair, Jr. (now Khazan), as of February 1st 2010, only the latter has an individual biography listed on Wikipedia. Hopefully, someone in our new museum will be inspired to add entries for the other three Civil Rights visionaries.

 

50th Anniversary of the Sit-In Movement

By the time you see this post, these seats will have been filled, and the International Civil Rights Center & Museum will be open. The museum has been 15 years in the making and is a realized dream of, among others,  North Carolinians Earl Jones and Skip Alston. If you haven't been following the story, the museum was built in the Woolworth building where, on February 1st, 1960, four 17-year-old NC A&T freshmen entered Woolworth and were denied service at the "whites only" lunch counter. This event sparked a series of sit-ins in throughout the southeast. The original lunch counter is one of many exhibits on site that bring back memories of racial segregation. Young Americans today cannot believe that people were denied service based on the color of their skin. 

We all need to be thankful for the determination of David Richmond, Franklin McCain, Jibreel Khazan (born Ezell Blair, Jr.), and Joseph McNeil. As America becomes increasingly diverse in the 21st century, we need to respect the inherent worth and dignity of each other. The opening of this museum is a step in the right direction. This photo was taken on the stage where McCain is scheduled to speak at the event today. Khazan and McNeil will not speak but will be on stage. Mr Richmond died twenty years ago. If you want to read more, we suggest Ed Cone's blog as well as this article from the New York Times.

 

First Lutheran Church of Greensboro

We took this Sacred Sunday shot of the First Lutheran Church before the the big snowstorm hit Greensboro on Friday. When the leaves are on the trees, the church is almost invisible-- even though it is in a prime location at Friendly Avenue near Holden Road. This view, taken across the street on Friendly Avenue shows the dramatic roofline. The church is dynamic, inviting, and busy every hour from morning into the evening, hosting everything from Girl Scout meetings to 12 step programs to prayer circles. 

Unlike Ebenezer Lutheran with its full history online, the history of the First Lutheran Church is not available on their website. Even more confusing is that First Lutheran doesn't appear to be the FIRST Lutheran Church built in Greensboro. One would assume that when a church calls itself First Baptist, First Presbyterian, First Lutheran that it is, chronologically, the FIRST of the denomination built in a given town. If anyone knows the date First Lutheran was built, please let us know. Since the snowstorm has immobilized the city, we probably won't get by to investigate firsthand!!!! 

 

International Civil Rights Museum Opening in Forty-Eight Hours

Two more days and the International Civil Rights Center & Museum will open. Greensboro, North Carolina is bursting with pride at the thought of this museum becoming a reality. We have waited for it to open for a long time. As stated on their website, "the International Civil Rights Center & Museum is an archival center, collecting museum and teaching facility devoted to the international struggle for civil and human rights. The museum celebrates the nonviolent protests of the 1960 Greensboro sit-ins that served as a catalyst in the civil rights movement."

If you ever come to Greensboro, this is a must-see museum. We're sharing this photo with Weekend Reflections in the hopes of bringing more people into our town and this new resource. Festivities centered around the grand opening are many. From Girl Scouts to local political leaders the ribbon cutting at 8am will be well attended.

 

FedEx Greensboro

Varooom...... FedEx Greensboro is a reality. Here is a photo of the New FedEx Mid-Atlantic Air Hub, operating at our Piedmont Triad International Airport. With the capacity to sort up to 24,000 packages an hour, it is the company's fifth major U.S. Cargo hub. So, even if you haven't visited Greensboro, NC, maybe your packages have!

We wanted to share this grey-albeit-sky for Sky Watch Friday today since the new 9,000 ft. runway, built as part of the deal for Federal Express selecting Greensboro for its southeast sorting hub, quietly opened on Wednesday, January 27th, 2010.

 

Burn, Burn, Burn....

Burn, burn, burn! The other week, when we drove  past this GIANT flaming torch, we set about trying to figure out its purpose. The best we can tell, the torch is burn off from one of the oil pipelines on West Market Street. Colonial, Magellan, and Plantation Pipeline Companies (and perhaps others) are located located near this burning flame. If our research is correct, these torches are a safety measure. They ignite when the pipeline has a leak that might pollute streams or cause other problems locally. The pipeline contents igniter and fuel burning flames are the lesser of the two evils: uncontrolled pollution vs. controlled pollution. Here is our less-controversial pipeline picture  from last year. 

Finally, this post will be shared with ABC Wednesday. "B" is for burn, burn, burn. 

 

Round House on Walker Ave.

Living in the round gives new meaning to the expression, "I feel like I'm running around in circles." Seriously though, people have been living in round abodes for thousands of years. Those who sell round homes will tell you they are quite durable, wind resistant, and functional and, in many ways, better than traditional, square homes. This one, without many windows, resembles the cloth and felt yurts of the Mongolian steppes.  If there is ever an open-house at this residence at 2416 Walker Avenue, we'll be first in line. We'd love to see how they slice the pie! 

We've featured the round building on Holden here and Greensboro's Lustron homes, here and here. If you have an interesting home in your neighborhood, please let us know. We love to explore the different ways that Greensboro residents live.

 

WRANGLER

For today, Monday, the beginning of the work week, we feature the Wrangler Building on Elm Street. Wrangler, and parent company VF Corporation, are headquartered in Greensboro. The Wrangler name, known for authentic western jeans, was introduced to the consumer in 1947; however, the company's seed was planted in 1897 when Mr. CC Hudson relocated to Greensboro. Mr. Hudson arrived from Tennessee, seeking his fortune in our emerging textile town. His first job here was sewing buttons on overalls, earning 25 cents a day. 

In 1904, Hudson opened Hudson Overall Company above Coe Brothers Grocery on Elm Street. The company expanded and became Blue Bell Overall Company. Big Ben Manufacturing Company purchased Blue Bell in 1926. The merged companies remained in Greensboro. Blue Bell continued to merge, acquire and grow; eventually evolving into Wrangler. A great timeline with photos of this important piece of history is provided on Wrangler's website, here. Hopefully, Greensboro social studies teachers share this timeline with their students. For over a century, the textile industry has been an important part of our city's history and Wrangler has been a part of Greensboro's history since the 1940's.

 

Gran Poder

Just down from Fanta City-- yesterday's GDP post-- at 4516 West Market Street, you will find the store "La Vaca Ramona." This grocery store caters to the large Hispanic population in Greensboro. For today's Sacred Sunday, we are featuring a few of the prayer candles sold at La Vaca Ramona. Here, we see various depictions of Christ and, to the left, San Juan Diego. In Mexican Catholicism, San Juan Diego was a Mexican who had a Marian apparition in 1531. Recently, in 2002, San Juan Diego became the first indigenous American saint to be canonized by the Catholic Church. In a different (unseen) shelf at La Vaca Ramona, you will find the religious candles with women on them (e.g., The Virgin Mary, Our Lady of Guadaloupe, Santa Barbara). 

For Greensboro's Hispanic Catholics, many of whom are thousands of miles from home, $1.69 must seem like a small price to pay for the comfort and culturally relevant tradition of lighting a prayer candle. 

 

Sky over Elm Street

We're heading uptown on Elm Street this weekend to enjoy our thriving downtown. This photo reminds us that the terrain in Greensboro is a little bit hilly. In 1808, Greensboro was selected as the county seat because it is geographic center of Guilford County. However, the city's website says the area is so low, ducks were actually swimming where they were going to start building the town!

The car in the road in the middle of our photo is about to drive down and over the railroad tracks that cut through the city. The track is not fun to cross, nor are the trains fun to wait for, but we must keep in mind that the railroad has been transporting goods to and from Greensboro since before the Civil War. The railroad brought us Cone Mills, denim, and, among other things, the US Army's Overseas Replacement Depot in the 1940's. (More on that later......).

If you just stopped by for Sky Watch Friday, WELCOME!

Art at Harper's Restaurant

Harper's Restaurant in Friendly Center is part of a chain of 10 restaurants all located in the Carolinas. They describe themselves as "polished casual." Has Harper's coined a term or have you heard it before? The diners in the photo above do, indeed, look polished casual! As feasible, Harper's uses regional food and monitors their carbon footprint. In short, the food is great and their recycling efforts encouraging.

We decided to feature this photo today because the artwork at Harper's reminds us so much of Haitian art. Haitian artists love to paint bright, bold "slice of life" scenes. Since 1974, Bill Bollendorf at his Pittsburgh Galerie Macondo has been selling Haitian art, dealing directly with artists in Haiti. Since 1977, Boris and Ruth Kravitz have been going to Haiti to bring great art to the world via their Haitian Art Company in Key West. Peruse both online galleries and you will get an idea of the scenes that will be painted depicting the horrors of The Earthquake of 2010. It is just a matter of time. Haitian artists will tell quite a story with canvas!

 

Guilford College Co-ed

This photo was taken on Sunday afternoon around 12:45 pm along the Friendly Avenue entrance of Guilford College. If we had to guess, we would say that this co-ed, dressed in her Sunday best, was walking home from church. If she is a Quaker, she was walking home from "meeting."

The Quakers first came to the area in 1750, naming their settlement New Garden. The land was described as "this majestic wilderness." By 1837, they opened a co-educational New Garden Boarding School. As explained on the Guilford College website, the campus was even a station on the Underground Railroad. In the 1800's, the school evolved into Guilford College-- the fourth oldest degree-granting institution in North Carolina. Guilford College is designated a National Historic District by the U.S. Department of the Interior. Students can't help but feel that they are part of something special.

Except for the asphalt road, this foggy, wet, winter scene could have been a photo from a hundred years ago. We will share it on Watery Wednesday.

 

Bank of North Carolina & Hardin's Florist Supply

Bank of North Carolina is a great name for a bank. In 1991, the bank opened with significant financial backing of five men: Groome Fulton, Bob Burleson, Lenny Peters, Lloyd Higgins, and Carl Hoffman. Here we see one of the sixteen branches, specifically, the one on Elm Street in Downtown Greensboro. Our State bird is a cardinal so the logo is befitting for a bank named for the State. We got tickled when the Hardin's Wholesale Florist Supply truck pulled up, creating a sort of flower garden for the cardinal to admire!

Hardin's Wholesale Florist Supply is another homegrown North Carolina business. Hardin's is a third generation North Carolina business that traces its roots to 1934 when Myrtle Hardin began making flower arrangements out of flowers grown in her yard. By 1940, the Hardins opened a retail shop and, over the years, the business has grown to a state-of-the-art 100,000 square foot headquarters in Liberty, NC with an inventory of over 14,000 items. We wonder if the florist was delivering flowers to the bank or making a deposit! We'll never know. However, we do know that both businesses are great examples of what North Carolinians can do when we put our minds to it!

We're sharing this one with Ruby Tuesday.

 

I Have a Dream

Martin Luther King had a dream and today is the holiday set aside to remember his dream. Regardless of ethnicity or belief system, we owe it to ourselves to reflect on Dr. King's message.For the first time ever, we are publishing the same photo twice. As we looked through our photographs, we simply could not find another one more appropriate than this one to feature on the Martin Luther King Holiday. Besides, we have so many new readers with whom we would like to share this photo.

The bust, made by Wilbur Lee Map in 1994, is located on the southeast corner of South Elm Street and Martin Luther King Drive. The plaque on the statue reads, "Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was scheduled to speak at AME Zion Church in Greensboro (a few blocks from here) on April 4, 1968. He canceled his visit to remain in Memphis where he was assassinated on that day." As we watched this 55 second video clip of Dr. King's final speech, we are struck by how exacting this bust captures his facial features in his final hour of life.

Finally, Seattle Daily Photo has a great tribute to MLK today! 

 

Wells Memorial Church of God in Christ

Wells Memorial Church of God in Christ is located across the street from Bennett College and just west of North Carolina A&T University, between East Market and Lee Streets. To help you orient to the location, notice the round  "Aggieland" smokestack on A&T's campus in the background.  Wells Memorial does not have a website so we can't tell you much about it other than it is a beautiful facility. Notice the angular facade is filled with chunks of colored glass that glow beautifully when seen from the inside. The church has at least three activity vans so we're guessing that fellowship and outreach are important parts of the church's mission.

On another note, today, on Sacred Sunday, we are trying to decide how to spend the Martin Luther King, Jr.  holiday tomorrow. If you, too, are looking, may we recommend this extensive database of activities, searchable by state. Secondly, we are re-watching Dr. King's historic "I have a dream" speech. Over eight million people have viewed the speech here.  Regardless of ethnicity, we can all benefit from remembering Dr. Kings words, especially the following, "I have a dream that one day...... the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood." What can we do to enhance the table of brotherhood? Finally, if you follow this link, you can see the church where Dr. King was to speak on 4/4/68 but cancelled his visit to stay in Memphis where he was shot that very day.

 

iPod, You Pod, We All Pod

The Apple Computer Store at Friendly Center is quite the destination. People of all ages love to hang out here. For teens, no trip to Friendly Center is complete without going to the Apple Store, taking your picture, and showing your Facebook world who is hanging out with whom. Since February 2009, we in Greensboro no longer need to drive to Southpoint Mall in Durham to buy, try out, and learn about 21st century technology.

Technology has the power to bring us together and to pull us apart. Here's to our knowing when to use these rainbow gizmos and when to  communicate the old fashioned way-- by knocking on doors for a good dose of person-to-person. Today, we're sharing this photo with the Weekend Reflection Group.

Purple Haze

To quote Jimi Hendrix in his 1967 song 'Purple Haze', " 'scuse me while I kiss the sky." Some days Greensboro's sky is so beautiful we could just kiss it and publish the photo straight from the camera. Other days, it is so dull, we have to play around in iPhoto to enhance the visual appeal. Today's psychedelic sky is reminiscent of the black light posters so popular with the Hendrix crowd. 

Greensboro of the 1960's is remembered for its involvement in the Civil Rights Movement-- from sit-ins to economic marches to protests and sermons. However, with seven institutions of higher education between here and High Point (UNCG, NC A&T, Guilford College, Greensboro College, Bennett College, High Point University, and GTCC), it is highly likely that some folks were listening to Jimi Hendrix songs and knew the lyrics to Purple Haze by heart! Here's to then, now, and everyone in between!

The photo was taken at a local golf course. The silhouetted sunset is reflected in one of the water features and is shared with the world on  Skywatch Friday.

 

International Civil Rights Center & Museum

Greensboro is realizing a dream. The opening of the International Civil Rights Center & Museum is a mere three weeks away. For over a decade, we've been walking past the former Woolworth Five and Dime at 301 North Elm Street lamenting the fact that this historic place looked like all the other abandoned, boarded up, urban buildings. Not for long. When we walked by today, cameramen were inside taping a preview for the public. Hopefully, the planners have set a realistic goal as the space is renovated but empty. February 1, 2010 is the 50th anniversary of the Sit-Ins that "(l)aunched the national drive for integrated lunch counters (History marker J79)."  

Follow the above link and watch the February One Trailer, a 1 minute 43 second trailer of the February 1 documentary. To date, the fanfare seems to have remained rather local. Hopefully, the center & museum will receive the international recognition that it deserves. James Weldon Johnson had it right, "Lift every voice and sing, 'Til earth and heaven ring, Ring with the harmonies of Liberty.......

 

Carlson Farms Lake

This vista is from a vantage point on Tory Hill Drive, Near Carlson Dairy Road. As you can see Carlson Farms Lake is still somewhat frozen and the Bermuda grass on the golf course is brown, brown, brown on this quiet, winter day. 

The silo and hidden barn across the lake are leftover from the pre-golf course days when this property was a working dairy farm. Now these rolling hills are part of the Greensboro Country Club's Farm Course. During cold weather when golfers have retreated indoors, one can sit on the banks of the small lake and imagine the time when cows would meander down to the watering hole for a drink and back up the hill for food. While on this photo shoot, we did see a herd of deer, an Eastern bluebird, and a big yellow tabby cat hiding in the leafless bushes. Peaceful-- for now.........

View Watery Wednesday here.

 

Little Red Mill House

This little house near Spring Garden and Merritt Drive, likely, was a mill house. Recently, Pamona Cotton Mill, within view of this little red house at 3707 Melvin Place, was torn down after 110 years. For nearly a century, people worked the mill and walked to nearby homes like this one. Back in the day, people gathered on porches and shared stories about working in the mills. Barbara Presnell captures these years in her poem, "Piece Work." We like the snipet Steve Summerford, Assistant Director Greensboro Public Library, shares on a News & Record webpage:

Ten years he's worked that same machine,

and not one time complained........

He gardens on the lot beside his doublewide.

Corn, tomatoes, beans. His wife works nights

at the nursing home, changing diapers, giving baths.

Some days she comes home crying, another one gone,

and another.

-- from "Velma and Bud on First Break at the Mill"

It takes a confident person to paint one's little house red. Do you think maybe Bud surprised Velma and painted it her favorite color...... just because? Bud, Velma, and the mill have moved on. The little red house on Melvin Place remains. 

Here's to sharing with you guys over at Ruby Tuesday.