Greensboro Daily Photo

Coble Farm on West Friendly Avenue

Locals will recognize this farm on West Friendly Avenue, just past Guilford College Road. The snow really evokes yesteryear. This is an image of what Friendly used to look like-- before townhouses, apartment complexes and Friends' Home West sprang up. All around this property are modern buildings; however, this barn and silo are reminders of all the farms that used to be in the area. If you are interested in rural farm land & related NC links, here is an interesting link. Guilford County is the third largest of North Carolina's 100 counties and, until the last few years, seemed considerably rural (as evidenced by all of the roads ending in _______ Dairy Road [Gallimore Dairy Road, Carlson Dairy Road, Thacker Dairy Road, Williams Dairy Road, etc.]) . To learn more about preserving open space in Guilford County, this is the link for you! 

This Skywatch Friday post is our last photo for 2010. As you count down to New Year's Eve, please remember to be safe. Likely, the GDP family will be seated in the living room watching the ball drop from Times Square in NYC as we plan our year-in-review post for January 1st. All of the City Daily Photo sites are encouraged to post their best photo of 2010 tomorrow. Stop back and see what we selected!

Time for the Movies

This is a great week to go to the movies with family and friends. Brassfield Cinema, located at the corner of Battleground and New Garden Road, is one of the most reasonably-priced places to view a new release. Prices range from $3.75- $6.25. True Grit, Little Fockers, The Tourist, Gulliver's Travels anyone? Out of ten movies, surely something will be of interest. 

Just before we snapped this photograph, about a dozen young folks exited, buttoning up coats and smiling. Something good must be playing.

X is for Exit

The Corner, at 344 Tate Street, has been a Greensboro institution since the Snavely family opened it in 1950. Ever the place for a quick chicken salad sandwich at lunch, a Hallmark card, a flower, a quirky gift, after sixty years, the landmark business is closing.  Recently, a faithful reader of Greensboro Daily Photo commented on our Tate Street Coffee House post. Emily's words sum up Greensboro's relationship with Hugh, and now son Grant Snavely, and this wonderful business.

"Tate St. is an important street to me. ....... And then there is Grant at The Corner. He is a jolly guy who delights in his store's offerings. The Corner Store has always sold nice pens, cards, funky junk, Mattise posters and anything any college student or Summer Music Camp Camper could want. I bought a venus flytrap there for my boyfriend in about 1982. I bought George Bush / Dick Cheney "National Embarrassmints" mints there before a trip abroad. My son bought see through playing cards, a whistling pickle and an Alfred Einstein action figure there. My daughter bought a funny mask that is merely a smile. When I got my hair cut on Saturday, I noticed The Corner had a huge 50% off sign. Hope it doesn't mean the shop is closing. :( It can never close!"

Yes, Emily, The Corner is closing. In the left-hand corner, you can see the former music building of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. Once UNCG's new music building opened on the opposite end of campus, much of the faithful clientele just didn't drop by and business declined. Perhaps with the bad economy, people just didn't need rubber chickens, cacti, and whoopee cushions any more. For sure, all will miss that personal interaction from a man who could find every bit of inventory faster that a student could sing, "do re mi." On ABC Wednesday, X is for Exit-- a Greensboro institution.

Our State Bird

It is easy to see why the redbird or cardinal is North Carolina's state bird. The males are pure majestic elegance with their red plumage, black mask, and yellow beak. These seed-eating birds have strong bills and will stick around through the winter if they have a reliable food source. If you are snowed (should we say iced) in and want to learn more about cardinals, start here. By the way, do you know how many US States claim the cardinal as their state bird?

The answer is the same as the number of days in a week and the states are: Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia. A little interesting trivia is that these states all form an unbroken line from Illinois to North Carolina. I'll bet Greensboro is not the only site posting a redbird for Ruby Tuesday.

Mixed Blessing

Well, as it turns out, a White Christmas, for many, was a mixed blessing. Travelers were stranded all up and down the east coast. Atlanta saw a White Christmas for the first time since the 1880's.  Greensboro has several inches of snow on the ground and the roads are still icy. At least schools are out and children are warm and safe at home with their families. We hope you are making the most of the inclement weather. We're ready get out and take some photos.

For New Year's Day each of the city daily photo group of 1,200 + cities worldwide is supposed to post their best photo of 2010. We have a photo in mind but are always open to the suggestion of our readers. We're about to start our third year of Greensboro Daily Photo and look forward to another year of getting to know our city and readers even better!

Guilford Park Presbyterian

On this Sunday, the day after Christmas, Guilford Park Presbyterian Church represents beauty in the simplicity of the season. Stark, bare branches of the giant oak, standing majestically at the edge of the church lot, represent strength. The manicured evergreens, along the perimeter of the church, provide a sign of life in our bleakest, grayest season. The lights glowing in the entrance indicate that someone is home and, likely, you are welcome. There is room for you here. Located on the edge of Kirkwood and Old Irving Park, Guilford Park Presbyterian has been a community resource since 1947.

We feature this for our weekly religious series. A few of you saw it last week when the photo mistakenly published for a few hours.

We Wish You A Merry Christmas

Here we see a singing quartet at First Friday in Downtown Greensboro on December 3rd. What a great way to ring in the holiday with people singing carols. The first known Christmas carols date to fourth century Rome and the tradition has many interesting facets (read more here). Caroling quartets with their a capella, vocal harmonies, bring the holiday season alive. We wish we knew the name of this festive, costumed  group singing on South Elm Street. They were fabulous.

Merry Christmas Greensboro. The best Christmas present for us would be to let us know what we can post for you in the upcoming year.

Merry Night-Before Christmas

From the spiritual to commercial, lay to secular, Greensboro has been blessed with many festive events this December. Here is a scene from the recent Craftsman's Classic Arts and Crafts Fair at the Coliseum on High Point Road. The scene represents the spirit of the holiday-- fellowship with family and friends. It looks as if all of these people are sitting waiting to listen to the classic poem, "A Visit from St. Nicholas," more commonly known by its first line, " 'Twas the Night Before Christmas."

Christmas is a time to gather with family and friends and to reflect on the goodness of life. For Christians, it is one of the holiest of holidays and a time to remember the birth of Christ. For those who celebrate Christmas, we at Greensboro Daily Photo hope for you that the holiday is everything that you want it to be! Happy Christmas Eve.

Honk If You Love Trolleys

In this photo, we see the trolleys at Friendly Center, parked near Tex and Shirley's Restaurant, getting ready to start the day transporting shoppers from Point A to Point B. Every year, before Christmas, the open-sided trollies drop people off and pick them up at designated spots at no cost to shoppers. What a fun childhood memory to ride with grandma and grandpa while parents are busy shopping. We like to ride the loop, hop off to drop off a donation in the Salvation Army bucket and stop for a cup of hot coffee or chocolate-- even if we don't need to buy gifts! 

'W' is for Watkins House

A once-neglected hill behind Bennett College on East Lee Street, is the newly-constructed Watkins House. Part of Bennett College's 2009 Capital Improvements Project, the Nellouise Watkins Faculty House is named for its benefactor and made possible by her $300,000 financial contribution. Wakins taught in the Mathematics and Computer Science Department for over thirty years. See a photo of her with President Julianne Malveaux here. 

Bennett college is a four-year liberal arts college for women with approximately 600 undergraduates. It was founded in 1873 as a school to educate newly emancipated slaves and, in 1926, it became a women's college. It has been encouraging to see the college garner the attention of famous Americans like Oprah Winfrey and Maya Angelou in recent years and to see the campus get a much-needed facelift. We offer this shot for ABC Wednesday with "W" for Watkins in honor of not only the building but also the still-living, vibrant philanthropist who make this building possible. Greensboro has a long tradition of educating women. UNCG was a college for women until it became co-ed in 1968. So, while for ABC Wednesday, our contribution is "W" for Watkins, it could also be "W" for women!

Waiting for Christmas

After bringing you a jail scene yesterday, for today we decided to switch to something more festive! First Friday for December is long gone; however, this photo captures the spirit of the holiday and a tender moment for people in Center City Park in downtown Greensboro. Bands were playing, people were snuggled together enjoying the moment. The couple in the front, right corner were dressed in festive garb from head to toe. We don't have a lot to say today other than we hope you are enjoying the spirit of the holiday season. Even if you still have lots of shopping to do, try to find time for friends, loved ones, and spirituality. 

Guilford County Jail 2010

Here is the view of the new Guilford County Jail from the parking lot of the downtown YMCA at Washington Street. Construction is ahead of schedule. As you can see (here), we've been in the business of jail building since November 9, 2009. See another photo here.  In preparing this post, we were shocked that a data base of all current inmates is available here. The 1,000 bed facility is needed to address overcrowding of the current facility. The cost is almost 85 million dollars. Here is an article in the News & Record from about a year ago. Let's work together as a community to see what we can do to reduce crime and to help people find a way to choose other paths in life.

Brandt Oaks Baptist Church

Here we see the side view of Brandt Oaks Baptist Church on Lake Brandt Road, just behind the Greensboro Day School. The manger was empty at the time of this photograph; however, tonight and tomorrow night (December 19th and 20th), it will become a living nativity. From 6:30- 8:30, church members will get in character to recreate the scene from the Bethlehem of two centuries ago.  The church encourages people who drive by to bring non-perishable foods for Urban Ministry. Yet another opportunity to help, almost effortlessly. 

Brandt Oaks Baptist does, indeed, have large oak trees on their property. One, just out of view in this photo has a giant yellow ribbon with a "PRAY FOR PEACE" message. Each week, we offer at least one religious post (here).

The Weather Outside Is Frightful...

... but reading GDP is delightful! With the lights turned way down low, Tate Street Coffee does glow, glow, glow.

In this photo, take last week, UNCG students are inside Tate Street Coffee House finishing up the fall semester. Just about everybody had a laptop open typing a paper. The two women directly in front of our table were decked out in red and green and seemed happy to be in from the cold. Recently, we featured Tate Street and gave a little background on their 18 year history (here). Follow the link to see an exterior view. Nothing beats a busy coffee shop on a cold winter night. 

With over 1,000 City Daily Photo blogs, we spend a lot of time reading the posts of our fellow bloggers. This photo of long and skinny Tate Street reminds us of a recent diner shot on Long Island Daily Photo (scroll past the Menorah and look here). We're not really sure how the weather will play out in Greensboro this weekend; however, we do know that the mirror in the upper right side of this photo qualifies today's post for Weekend Reflection.

Blue Christmas

Chirp, chirp. These birds on a wire at the corner of East Lee Street and South Elm have their eye on the pulse of South Greensboro, a part of the city that does not always sparkle. From their vantage point, they see people in need at Urban Ministries, The Salvation Army, Weaver House,  homeless camps, Grace Church and beyond. Actually, great things are happening to make our city aware of issues related to homelessness and to empower the homeless to have better lives. Partners Ending Homelessness is one such initiative. It isn't too late to help someone others in need... financially or emotionally. Every little effort makes a difference. From donating cans of food to toiletries to making financial contributions to donating unneeded clothing to volunteering time, you have many options for helping at all price points. And, if you yourself are in need, lonely, or worried about celebrating a holiday alone, go volunteer or go eat at a soup kitchen. You won't be turned away. Like the birds on this wire, life is better with fellowship.

Skywatch Friday where the blogging community comes together to share a skyview from our respective cities. The meme is the wire where we all come to park our fingers for a few minutes each Friday-- alone but together.

Santa Spotted on Lawndale

This scene at the corner of Lawndale and Cornwalis Drive-- between Kirkwood and Irving Park neighborhoods-- shows a house with holiday spirit. Inflatables greet you from all directions. Santa Grande is looking toward downtown Greensboro. The polar bear and el pequeño Santa, on the left, are in front of one of Greensboro's famous Lustron homes (see, also, here and here). Our city seems very decorated for the season. In addition to the ubiquitous inflatables, the light balls of Sunset Hills have spread to many neighborhoods across  the city. 

Well, the region is anticipating inclement weather. Last night, most Greensboro-ians went to the grocery store and were huddled at home staying out of the 24 degree weather, checking the weather updates; that is except for families with teen daughters. They were out enjoying the Justin Bieber concert! Facebook updates from cell phones were rolling in by the minute ("We're here! He's great! We love you Justin Bieber."). As for us, we were at corporate headquarters trying to figure out what photos to bring your way, in the event we're iced in! Let's hope those four-story tall oak trees (like the one between Santa and Grinch) weather the storm!

V is for Volvo Trucks North America

Volvo Trucks North America is located at 7900 National Service Road, out by the Famers' Market, just off Sandy Ridge Road/ I-40/ and Highway 68. The above view of corporate headquarters is seen on the southwest side of I-40 not too far from the Piedmont Triad International Airport. The Swedish company Volvo has been building trucks since 1928. In 1981, "A.B. Volvo purchased some assets of White Motor Corp. to form Volvo White Truck Corp., based in Greensboro, NC" (reference here). We're not sure when the above building was built; however, 1981 is the earliest reference we see for Volvo in Greensboro, NC. The building in the photo is the Corporate Headquarters where administrative and support-functions are handled for Volvo Trucks in North America. 

This is our contribution to ABC Wednesday and "V" is for "Volvo." In Swedish (and Latin), "volvo" means "I roll" likely related to the smoothness and efficiency of the ball bearings, NOT that the Volvos are inclined to roll!

Tate Street Coffee House

Having opened in 1993, Tate Street Coffee House (TSCH) is 18 years old. While other coffee houses have come and gone on Tate Street, TSCH has thrived and continues to be one of the main anchor businesses on this street, just east of UNCG. Over the years, the menu has expanded to include light sandwiches and they now take credit cards.

Last night was perfect for stopping by for a cup of hot tea. The inside is decorated with colored lights for Christmas and students from nearby UNCG and Greensboro College were hanging out finishing research and writing papers. This time of year, just about every other table has a college student glued to a laptop hugging a hot cup of caffeine. While requently, TSCH features live music, mid-week during finals crunch time is not exactly the time to offer entertainment.

Although their names are not featured on the Facebook page for TSCH, as far as we can tell, Matt and Ann Russ are still the owners. We used to get by for coffee a lot and remember Matt greeting his regulars and having their 'usual' ready when the customer got to the front of the line. We hope he is still at it because it feels great greeted and served efficiently. The coffee shop is also very involved in Tate Streets visual and performance arts festivals each fall and spring (see here and here). See another scene of Tate Street and TSCH here. Here's to another 18 + years to TSCH. They have been a good neighbor!

U is for Urban Greensboro

Today for ABC Wednesday, we feature "U" is for "Urban Greensboro."

With an estimated population of 260,083, Greensboro is the third largest city in North Carolina. In 1808, we were known as Greensborough, a town planned around a central courthouse square. Greensborough was developed so that the Guilford County courts could be located closer to the county's geographical center. Since our pragmatic start two hundred years ago, if you consider our extended Piedmont Triad community,  the Greensboro/High Point/Winston-Salem area, we are than a million people strong. The above sign still stands today at the corner of Elm and Washington Streets. Someone feeling a little urban pride, PLEASE replace that "2"!

Other "U's" for Greensboro include the United Way, universities (University of North Carolina Greensboro, NC A&T University), the Undercurrent Restaurant, & Urban Loop. Can you think of any more?

Hanukkah 2010

Well Hanukkah 2010 is winding down and we want to make sure we show you the menorah in our local temple. On Sunday, we featured the front side of Temple Emanuel. Today, you see the back,  with the larger than life menorah! Made of copper pipe and light bulb covers, the menorah is a new addition to the temple. While it looks rather utilitarian by day, it is magical by night when the lights are glowing and it is reflecting in the temple's windows. The scene becomes a real festival of lights. The menorah, an ancient symbol of Judaism, is also a symbol of Israel today. We are struck by the symmetry and the way the menorah mimics the shape of temple behind it.

If you want a little Hanukkah fun, read about Mitsyahu's Hasidic Reggae Hanukkah song. What a blend of cultures, truly the way of the 21st century. This is a must listen to song if you haven't heard it before. What a treat it would be if the song were piped through the copper branches of this menorah 24 hours a day! Listen here! This man is brilliant to realize that the Jewish community is ready for some Hanukkah songs in a new genre! Happy Hanukkah!

Fire Station Number 5

Saturday, December 4th, Greensboro saw its first snow. The day started out with snowbirds (buntings) pecking around and, sure enough, by early afternoon, big flakes came our way. Since the snow came mid-day on a Saturday, people were already out driving around. Usually, with the slightest hint of snow, we Southerners run to the store for bread and milk and retreat to the TV screen!

City-wide, firefighters were on high alert as car accidents and house fires are not uncommon in times of inclement weather. Here we see Fire Station #5, located at the corner of Wendover Avenue and Westover Terrace. To celebrate the first snow, somebody at the station made this life-sized snowman. This first snowfall was the perfect texture for making snowmen and snowballs. While the snowman in the photo doesn't have a corncob pipe, a button nose, or two eyes make out of coal, he DOES have buttons, eyes, ears, and a mouth all made out of Chips-Ahoy cookies!

Temple Emanuel

Temple Emanuel, located at the corner of Hobbs and Jefferson, is a dynamic place every day of the week; however, this is especially true on Saturdays. Here we see people coming and going from Shabbat services yesterday. Additionally, the foyer was full of teenagers preparing to attend their friend's bar mitzvah. In warmer months, the fountain in the foreground is a joyful attraction for children who love to run around the perimeter.

Greensboro's dynamic Jewish community dates back to the 1890's and the burgeoning Jewish community of the early 20th century founded the Temple Emanuel congregation in 1907. Its first services were humbly held above a grocery store on South Elm Street in Downtown Greensboro. Over the next century, our Jewish community grew, built new facilities, and diverged into conservative and reformed congregations (more here). The Jefferson Road campus of Temple Emanuel, a reformed congregation, opened its doors in 2002 and currently has close to 600 families as members. Rabbi Fred Guttman has led the congregation since 1995. At 5:00 pm today, Temple Emanuel will host a festive Chanukah (Festival of Lights) Party.

If you are interested in learning more about the temple's history, their 2007 Centennial Book, entitled "Temple Emanuel Greensboro: One Hundred Years of a Unique Jewish Experience in the South" is a great place to start. To see other religious photos taken and published on Greensboro Daily Photo, over the last two years, look here.

Festival of LIghts

Greensboro was aglow last night with families out celebrating First Friday and the Festival of Lights. Thousands of people came out to listen to music, shop, skate, perform, and spend time with family and friends. Here we see children enjoying the fake snow piped through Center City Park while parents and grandparents scrambled to take pictures of their little ones. 

Today will be another day packed with family fun in Greensboro. If you get up early enough, you can land a good spot along the parade route (Greene to Market to Church Streets). The Girl Scouts will set up Candlefest in the Arboretum and many businesses will have open houses today. Let us know how you spent the day. Regardless of what you do, save some time for family and friends.

Adelaide's Vintage Home & Garden

Adelaide's Vintage Home & Garden, located at 1938 Spring Garden Street, is an absolute must for creative, vintage shoppers. Adelaide's shop is best described as 'anthropologie meets anthropology.' Like the retailer Anthropologie, "renowned for its creative window displays" and for staging, "unimagined environments" (see Wiki), Adelaide's shop is a visual feast. While Adelaide is busy decorating windows, repurposing objects, and organizing groupings in the store, co-worker Antonio is busy painting furniture in color combinations that would make Matisse proud. Artist and collector, Antonio is also a brilliant social scientist, known to share insightful comments with browsers. You'll pick up something in the store and he'll tell you about the socio-cultural context that produced it! Together, Adelaide and Antonio will make your visit memorable; both are genuinely nice people.

This Saturday (12/4) will be a great day to visit as Adelaide's is having a holiday open house. In addition to having their regular treasures, starting at about 1:00 pm, several artists will set up and light refreshments will be served with festive music. Do stop by. It's beginning to feel a lot like December!

The early evening sky, reflected in the window above, is our contribution to Skywatch Friday!

Phone Home

Pay phones are quickly becoming a thing of the past-- recent, ancient history. In the era before cell phones, these public phones were found in every high traffic area. Pay phones have an interesting history, "In 1889, the first public coin telephone was invented by William Gray and installed at a bank in Hartford, Connecticut. The invention quickly caught on and by 1902, there were 81,000 pay phones in the United States" (reference here). Pay phone stations, where a person mediated the call, predated the stand-alone phones and the phone booths. Wonder how many pay phones are in the US and in Greensboro today? London has always been famous for its phone booths..... As we enter this holiday season, we encourage to pick up a phone and call those people who have touched your life.

If you are in Greensboro? Can you guess the location of this phone? Click here to see if you are right! When you click through the location will make perfect sense.

'T' is for Time-- on Elm Street

This is a scene on Elm Street, just north of Friendly Avenue. As evidenced by the time on the clock, it is 5:20pm, the point at which day is ending and night is taking over. Today is theme day for the City Daily Photo community and the theme is TIME-- open to interpretation by the thousand plus members worldwide. We took a literal, here-and-now approach to time and photographed the Rolex clock in front of the Chamber of Commerce. The clock was installed by Carlyle & Company. The high-end jewelry company was founded in Greensboro in 1922 by the Cohen family. While the company survived the stock market crash of 1929, it did not weather the recent economic storm. Sadly, after 87 years in business, Carlysle and Company closed its doors last year. The clock remains a relic of its retail history. The clock ticks and the traffic moves down the road, leading us towards whatever the future brings in Greensboro and beyond.....

Conveniently, "T" is for "time, traffic and tick tock" on ABC Wednesday and, for Watery Wednesdaynature provided us with water too! Other, more Greensboro-related "T's" that we'll feature in the future include: Tanger Outlet, Ten Thousand Villages, Tannenbaum Park, and Triad Stage. As for the wonderful City Daily Photo Community:  Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Fordham's CLEANERS

Fordham's CLEANERS is located at 1900 Spring Garden Street, a couple of miles west of the campus of the University of North Carolina Greensboro. Fordham is a well-known name in Greensboro. Fordham's Drug Store was open on South Elm Street for over 100 years. We're not sure if the Fordham of the cleaners is related to Dr. Fordham who worked at the drug store. We do know that the cleaners was established in 1948 and that people have been trusting them with their dry cleaning for over sixty years! We love this photo because it shows a group of UNCG students walking to campus to play a soccer on Saturday afternoon. We're going to try to get by to learn a little more about the history of the cleaners. In the meantime, if you know something, do post a comment!

In the meantime, this is our contribution to Ruby Tuesday.

Robert Seven's Emerge-N-See Vehicle

One of the most creative things seen at the Craftsmen's Christmas Classic this weekend was this vehicle prominently parked outside. Dubbed the Emerge-N-See Vehicle by owner/artist Robert Seven, this Ford E-350 captivated attendees young and old alike. As we approached this mobile work of art, a girl about eight-years-old immediately started talking about Seven's artwork. "You should see his booth inside. He has necklaces made out of beads and old paintbrushes. And he puts eyeballs on everything. It's kind of creepy. Did you see the license place? It spells AAIIEEE [eye]!"  Passers-by were so engaged in the details of this truck that is painted from head to tire. If you enlarge the photo, you can see the electro lux vacuum cleaners and baby doll heads near the top of Mr. Seven's truck.

According to his website, Seven's first job was in the cotton mills of North Carolina and, after getting laid off twice in a row, he decided to assemble art from silver ware. From that, his artwork has evolved to necklaces made out of corks and jar lids with polymer clay inserts, clock parts, and just about anything else that can come apart. From this article, we learned that folk-artist Seven is also a musician and that, he has, indeed, been fighting to remain financially solvent. We hope he did well at the Craftsmen's Classic. He sure did generate conversation about art. From before we started looking at this vehicle until the time we left, a photography major from Appalachian State University was in the process of taking hundreds of photos. She was especially captivated by its texture.

We haven't had many visitors from Mellow Yellow Monday lately, but we'll try generating interest with this contribution!

Westover Church

Westover Church is a non-denominational Christian church located at 505 Muirs Chapel Road. Westover Church began in 1948 as the Independent Presbyterian Church, Inc. of Greensboro, NC. Two hundred and seven people attended the first service. According to their website, original services were held at the Masonic temple and in 1950, the congregation had their own building on Westover Terrace. In the 1950's the Reverend Billy Graham led a six week crusade here and the church experienced considerable growth. By 1994, they had outgrown their original building and relocated to Muirs Chapel Road between Market Street and Friendly Avenue. The church expanded again in 2006 and, in the building above, has a sanctuary that accommodates close to 3,000 people. The church has never been affiliated with the Presbyterian church but models its style of governance after the Presbyterian church. Central to the mission of Westover Church is supporting missionaries around the world and at present, they give one and a half million dollars to this cause.

View Greensboro Daily Photo's other Sacred Sunday photos here.

Jefferson Standard

The Jefferson Standard Building in downtown Greensboro has been the anchor skyscraper for our city since 1923. It is 18 floors and 233 feet tall. The building was designed by New York architect Charles C. Hartmann at the request of Julian Price, company president at the time. This photo only captures a small part of the tile and granite façade, a building that has been added on to in recent years. The photo does show the reflection of the buildings across the street-- just perfect for Weekend Reflection. 

Recently, we talked to a retiree who worked here for 23 years. He said that  when Will Rogers came to celebrate the opening of the Jefferson Standard Building, he commented that it was the only building in the southeast where you could stand on the 18th floor and spit tobacco in a cornfield. We don't have that comment substantiated; however, we do know that no longer is the building surrounded by cornfields! The company was named after Thomas Jefferson and, with mergers, has changed names many times. Presently, it is Lincoln Financial Group. Great information about the building's changes, the insurance companies within, and the architecture can be found here and here. The building serves as a backdrop of many photos!

Black Friday in Greensboro

Today is Black Friday. Shopping for Christmas has officially begun, for some as early as three or four am! Specials and bargains abound. The term 'Black Friday' is said to have come into usage in 1966 in Philadelphia and spread to the population at large by 1975. The Merry Christmas snowman in the photo above was spotted in the window of the Saltbox, a fine State Street store for folk art, Colonial lighting, hand poured candles, and more. The Saltbox was established in 1974, about the time the term 'Black Friday' became nationally known, at least with meaning the day retailers began making a profit-- or being in the black.

If you look closely, you can see a Skywatch Friday blue sky peeking through in the upper corners of this window shot. The sky was mostly blocked out by the sleeve of my blazer blocking the glare. Hey Frosty, watch out for doorbusters! The shopping madness has begun! Day-after-Thanksgiving shopping could be another fun activity for the family-- or not!

"S" is for Skating in Downtown Greensboro

As of last week, we've got our own little Rockefeller Center, or so it seems with a 40x85' skating rink in downtown Greensboro! This photo was taken Saturday afternoon when young and old alike were out having a blast on our temporary rink. The ice rink is set up between Cafe Europa, The Cultural Arts Center, and the amphitheater in Festival Park on Davie Street.  Having opened November 17th, it is the kick off event for Greensboro's Downtown in December and Piedmont Winterfest 2010. The rink will remain in place until January 22nd. If, like us, you are not in Paris or NYC for winter break, please make an effort to visit downtown Greensboro in December. Between First Friday (12/3), the rink, the shops,the performances, the restaurants, etc., the city has made a real effort to provide fun, family friendly activities for December.

Today is ABC Wednesday and "S" is for SKATING, with or without SNOW!!!!

AMF All-Star Lanes

This week on Greensboro Daily Photo, we're trying to feature ways to spend time around town. If you want something to do over Thanksgiving with your family, consider good old-fashioned bowling. Bowling is a family-friendly activity and a great way to get a little exercise. AMF lanes is conveniently located at the corner of Holden Road and Spring Garden Street. The muffled sound of pins scattering upon impace with the bowling ball is a memory from early childhood. Strikes, spares, split, gutter balls..... make these expression part of your familysj' vocabulary.

In the background, you will notice Adam's Hair Studio. When it was built, it was a florist shop called "The Flower Pot." It is Greensboro's one example of novelty architecture and was the second ever post on Greensboro Daily Photo (featured here) almost two years ago! This is our contribution to Ruby Tuesday were everything has a little red.

Entrance to a Garden

This piece of public sculpture "Entrance to a Garden" was installed in front of Wrangler/VF Jeanswear Building on Elm Street in Downtown Greensboro. We finally went to visit this piece of artwork, made by Dennis Oppenheim and installed by the Public Art Endowment. The piece is 16 feet tall, 10 feet wide, and 8 feet deep. It is constructed of a metal mesh and is lighted at night. To us, it looks like a men's blazer and dress shirt with a necktie. As we researched the structure for this post, we learned that it is supposed to be a shirt so, indeed, it is representational art. A fashion related piece is certainly appropriate for our denim company, as is the denim and corduroy outfit of the woman admiring this piece of public art. Oppenheimer's work was selected by a committee through the Public Art Endowment. This year, Nancy Doll, Director of UNCG's Weatherspoon Art Museum chaired the committee that selected it from multiple entries under consideration.

"Entrance to a Garden" is a fun piece of sculpture as it is tactile and children can run through it! The brick and glass Wrangler/VF Jeanswear Building is partially visible on the right behind the tree with yellow leaves.

 

God's Place of Worship and Deliverance

God's Place of Worship and Deliverance is located on Guilford College Road near I-40.We stopped by last Sunday for a photo shoot. The parking lot was full during worship hour. On the outside, the building is no-frills and the parking lot is gravel. They seem to be building their facility in a fiscally sound way. We're not sure what religion the "place" is affiliated with; however, based on the roadside marquee, we conclude the religion is Bible based. The following quote is posted, "When God tells you something, will you hear him?"  1Kings13  We hope you're enjoying the weekend. This is our Sacred Sunday shot.

An Apple A Night

The Apple Computer Store in Friendly Center is a fabulous place to hang out, not only by day, but also by night! Here we were last weekend, at closing time, and low and behold if we didn't land another "Guy Noir" shot. We love NPR's "A Prairie Home Companion" and every time we see someone or something intriguing, we dub the shot, a 'Guy Noir' shot. Here was our last one. Lone, anonymous person...pensive... clutched to car, smoking, nicely dressed...could be a detective on a case= 'Guy Noir' shot. As darkness prevails, we see a tiny reflection on the left side of the car in the background. We're hoping that qualifies the photo for Weekend Reflection.

In the meantime, there is so much to do in our corner of North Carolina this weekend. We want to visit Charlie Tefft's pottery show for sure. We might want to make one last visit to the Renaissance Festival or visit the craft show at the Wesley Memorial United Methodist Church in High Point (8-3 today--it is a BIG one). We could go to the Carolina NC State Game (IF we had tickets). We could go to a Carolina Panthers game (IF we had tickets).  Our weekend started on a high note with running into half a dozen people we know during dinner at the Village Tavern last night. Let us know what else is going on and we'll try to get out for a photo. We still haven't decided on a religious institution to feature this Sunday. (Feel free to put in a good word for yours)! In the meantime, wonder what will be happening under the glowing Macintosh Apple tonight!

Randall Jarrell

We close the week in the Guilford College area with a cemetery shot of Randall Jarrell's grave. Randall Jarrell was "an American poet, literary critic, children's author, essayist, and novelist" (Wikipedia). Jarrell (1914-1965) was born in Tennessee and graduated from Vanderbilt.  Jarrell, who served in the U.S. Army during World War II, used his first-hand experience to write about the moral dilemmas and fears of young soldiers. After the war, he came to Greensboro to teach at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro or, as it was called during Jarrell's tenure, Woman's College of the University of North Carolina.

The cemetery is located adjacent to New Garden Friends Meeting. As you leave the Quaker Meeting House and walk due west, Randall Jarrell is buried between his wife and mother-in-law.  The inscription on his gravestone is, "Randall Jarrell, poet, teacher, beloved husband, 1914-1965" (commas added here)-- with a crescent moon and two stars. His wife's gravestone reads, "Mary von Schrader Jarrell, Joyful Christian, Wife and Mother, Grandmother, and Great Grandmother, Stanford University, Writer, 1914"-- with the same crescent moon and two stars. If you are interested in learning more about Jarrell, a good place to start is this piece written by his wife.

This is our contribution to Skywatch Friday.

Stop back tomorrow for another installment in our Guy Noir Weekend Reflection series!

Friends Homes Inc. Rocks!

This is a photo of one of the units for senior citizens at Friends Homes at Guilford. The retirement community, established in 1975,  bills itself as a place that offers "an independent lifestyle with abundant amenities and freedom from the burden of upkeep." It is a not-for-profit community founded by the North Carolina Yearly Meeting of the Society of Friends (Quakers) and operates using Quaker principles. People who live there seem very happy with the sense of community, the amenities, and the close proximity to all of the performances, lectures, and events available across the street at Guilford College. 

The above photo was a contender for yesterday's ABC Wednesday "R"  because "R" is for Rocks. Note to the right, the tenants in this unit have a floor-to-ceiling shelf of rocks just outside their patio door. Imagine downsizing, getting rid of a house full of valuable furniture and memories and keeping your rock collection. Now, that would be an interesting person to have as a neighbor-- proof positive that your individuality can ring loud and clear in a retirement apartment. .....This rock was from our first date. This rock is from the first house we lived in. This rock is from our vacation in Nepal. These rocks are from the properties of each of our four children. Oh the stories our rocks could tell..................

R is for RELIGION

Clap, clap, pray, and thank God. According to Men's Health Magazine, Greensboro has earned the designation as the second holiest city in the USA! We are second only to Colorado Springs!  Charlotte, Durham, and Raleigh are also in the top 15, making North Carolina the HOLIEST of states! (read more here &  here). While some question the research methodology or what is actually being measured (here), undeniably, Greensboro is BIG on volunteerism, generosity, and spirituality. We at Greensboro Daily Photo know from having photographed religion in Greensboro for two years worth of Sundays that religion is extremely important in our community. 

Above, is a photo of Hey Nunnie Nunnie, a comedy act currently on stage at the Renaissance Festival in Huntersville. We thought the clapping nuns would be appropriate for our 2nd place designation. This is the last weekend of the Carolina Renaissance Festival so run, don't walk to see this fabulous comedy duo. Oh, and if you ever make it to Greensboro, you will, indeed, see a religious organization on just about every corner. (Please note, this is not meant to be disrespectful; just a way to combine two NC happenings).

For ABC Wednesday, "R" is for RELIGION-- Greensboro style! 

Charlie Tefft Pottery

Accomplished local potter and Guilford College instructor Charlie Tefft makes functional art pottery that is inspired by the world around him. As seen in the photo above, most of his glazes are neutral, brown and blue. In the foreground is the brown and white wren pitcher. His pieces range from traditional to modern with an Asian feel. (See more on his website here. Keep up with him on Facebook here). To be sure, all of Charlie's work is extraordinary and reasonably priced. We caught up with Charlie at a recent pottery event at Yanceyville Farmers' Market. Charlie has also been very involved in the Ultimate (Frisbee) community. Artist, teacher, athlete, all around nice guy-- Greensboro is lucky to have people like Charile living here.

On November 20th and 21st, Charlie will have a pottery show and sale in his studio at 6303 Thornblade Court from 1-5 pm. Mark your calendar and head out to visit. It will be a great place to find a gift.

We share Charlie's pottery with our not only our local but also our international friends at the Ruby Tuesday meme.