Greensboro Daily Photo

Richard Ritter's Glass @ Green Hill

Richard Ritter, a North Carolinian originally from Michigan, has been a glass artist since 1968. Here we see two of his fabulous pieces on display at the Green Hill Center for North Carolina Art, where his glass will be on display until May 9th (link). The pieces in the photo are part of his floral core series. They remind us of pearls emerging from oysters with a touch of Italian cane glass. If you appreciate glass art, this exhibit is a must-see. Green Hill even has a video set up so that you can learn more about Ritter's creative process.

Thanks to Skywatch Friday, we snapped the above photo from this angle, ever mindful to show a slice of the sky-- and to situate the photo in Greensboro! The building in the background is downtown on Elm Street.

 

"O" is for Odd Fellows of GSO

The Independent Order of Odd Fellows' building is located at 311 Battleground Avenue in Downtown Greensboro. The JP Building serves as a backdrop to the Odd Fellows' facility.  Odd Fellows get their name from 17th century England when it was "odd" for people to organize for the sake to give to others in need. According to their website, the Odd Fellows practice friendship, love, and truth.

 

Dog Walk in Price Park on Saturday

If this sweet, obedient dog could talk, he would tell you to come to the dog walk at Price Park in Greensboro this Saturday (Registration Fee [$15], Check in 8-8:30; Prizes 9:30). Get up early, walk your dog on the nature trail, and have a chance to win some GREAT prizes. Local Girl Scout Troop 40172 has worked hard to make this event special for canines and their humans. 

From individual doggie water bowls, to T-shirts, to well marked trails and prizes, no detail has been missed. The trail begins in the parking lot of Kathleen Clay Edwards Branch Library off of Hobbs Road. The event will help the Guilford County Animal Shelter and their Foster Care Program. The following veterinarians' groups have supported this event financially: 

    --Gate City Animal Hospital, 

    --Greensboro Veterinary Hospital, 

    --Guilford-Jamestown Veterinary Hospital, 

    --Happy Tails Emergency Veterinary Clinic, 

    --Lawndale Veterinary Hospital,

    --West Market Veterinary Hospital

For our friends at ABC Wednesday , O is for Obedient!

 

Neese's Country Sausage Since 1917

Neese's Country Sausage opened in Guilford County in 1917. For nearly a century now, Greensboro, High Point and surrounding areas have been enjoying Neese's always-fresh pork products. Their clean, efficient pork processing plant is located behind the farmhouse at 1452 Alamance Church Road in southeastern Guilford County. This family-owned business delivers to supermarkets every day. Lately, The Neeses have taken to hunting down and restoring vintage delivery vehicles-- some of which were previously owned by the family. Additionally, for 50 years, they have had a booth at the State Fair in Raleigh-- a great place to sample items like liver pudding and c-loaf before investing in a pack. North Carolinians who eat Neese's sausage have been supporting the buy-local movement long before it was a movement! Look for the square pack in your grocery store today!

The two red flags on the mailboxes give us the green flag to post on Ruby Tuesday!

 

Boston's House of Jazz & Blues

For Mellow Yellow Monday, we're starting the week off with Boston's House of Jazz & Blues. Don't be fooled by the name. This venue for great music is located here in Greensboro, North Carolina. The family name of the proprietor is Boston! Sorry Massachusetts but the Boston Family is here. From West Virginia to New York to North Carolina, the Bostons have been involved in the music and business worlds since the early 1900's. See family photos and read about the Boston Family (link here) and we're sure you'll want to head out and hear their music!

We stumbled on this view when we were driving by the Newbridge Park Baseball Stadium as House of Jazz is a stone's throw from the stadium, at the corner of Edgeworth and Smith Streets.

 

First Church of Christ, Scientist

First Church of Christ, Scientist is located at 105 Arden Place just off Market Street. Christian Scientists follow the Bible and the textbook Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures by Mary Baker Eddy. This religion began in 1866 in Boston, MA, home of the Mother Church. The Christian Scientists have been meeting in Greensboro since 1908 and, finally, in 1966 built and began meeting in the church above. As with most Churches of Christ, Scientist, they have a reading room for reflection, education, and spiritual growth. 

We have been posting spiritual and religions photos and text for almost a year and a half and, so far, have had no shortage of material to choose from. Take a tour of the year in review, here.

 

Reflecting on Greensboro's Past and Present

Go Greensboro Grasshoppers, so says John Klopp at his State Farm Insurance Office in downtown Greensboro. This reflection represents the view out John's window. The window reflects the most recognizable building downtown-- the JP building. From the parking lot, you can see Newbridge Park Stadium.

Since we're posting this for our friends at Weekend Reflection, we decided to take this opportunity to reflect and be thankful for the week. We're sharing David Hoggard's post on Greensboro's 1926 World War Memorial Stadium, that, to some, has outlived its usefulness . Hoggard quotes Edwin Jeffress (then part owner of one of the local newspapers and Greensboro's mayor in 1926 at the stadium's dedication). The inspirational words explain the name, World War Memorial Stadium.

"And so the stadium has been built by children's and widows' and wives' and rich men's wealth. It is here for the use of the coming generations; the soldier boys said they wanted no hollow granite, no useless monument to decorate our street corners, even no statuary or brass to remind us of those who have passed along after doing life's full duty, but they wanted something that would be useful; that would help develop mind and body; that would in this way be a perpetual memorial to those who have passed..., that those of us who follow should use our best efforts to make ourselves physically fit to answer any emergency... and when the call to duty comes, answer with a clear, strong voice, 'We are ready to do our bit.'

Thank you David for sharing the quote. This would be a good quote for public school children to memorize.

 

Water Flight

This public work of art is a water element on Elm Street. It was designed by local sculptor Eric Beerbower. The sculpture was constructed in the space between two brick buildings across the street from the the International Civil Rights Museum-- which almost didn't get to open because of water flowing underneath the building. This sculpture may have something to do with diverting that water. Water-flight, also known as Steward of Wishes, has recently been painted vibrant blue. Previously it was more terra cotta and neutral!

We've been saving this photo for Skywatch Friday because we love the way the sculpture resembles a butterfly flapping her wings in the sky. With many works of public art on his resume, Eric Beerbower is one of Greensboro's well-known, contemporary artists.

 

Zeto Wine and Cheese Shop

For readers 21 and over, a block away from the Newbridge Park Stadium is ZETO Wine and Cheese Shop. Here we see a peek through the front window. In addition to being a full-service wine and cheese shop, the store was the first in North Carolina to have a Vino-matic wine tasting machines. Like a library or credit card, you can sample 1/2 ounce of one wine and, with the swipe of a card, move on to sample an ounce of another kind-- with all bottles turned upside down and cooled to the optimum temperature for the given wine. A friend of ours pointed out the fact that the business is owned by two women. Since one of the proprietors is Greek, the name of the shop is a Greek toast, Zeto-- "Live, long live!"

 

...In with the New.... Newbridge Bank Park

Yesterday, we featured War Memorial Stadium, Greensboro's premiere stadium for 79 years. However, since 2005, Newbridge Bank Park has been Greensboro's destination for baseball. The new stadium has contributed significantly to the rebirth of downtown. From baseball games to fireworks displays to scout camp outs to evenings on the playground just inside the gate, Newbridge Bank Park is fun, fun, fun. 

Take me out to the ball game in the new ballpark; but, find a way to keep our vintage gem, War Memorial. To follow up with questions yesterday, World War Memorial Stadium was so named because it was dedicated on the eighth anniversary of Armistice Day (November 11, 1926). See more pictures here.

For the ABC Wednesday crowd, N is for Newbridge and NEW ball park!

 

War Memorial Stadium

War Memorial Stadium, originally designed for football and with a capacity  of 7,500, opened in 1926. Formerly, the Greensboro Bats played minor league baseball here. Spring 2005, the new baseball stadium downtown replaced War Memorial and the Greensboro Grasshoppers replaced the Bats. This change did not come without controversy and opposition. While most Greensboro residents concede that the new stadium was a good economic choice for our city, considerable debate has taken place about the future of the pre-World War II stadium above. Perhaps War Memorial's most ardent supporter and articulate advocate has been local resident David Hoggard. We highly recommend his latest blog entry on the issue. This stadium has so much character from wooden bleachers to little stand-alone ticket huts.  We wanted to photograph this beauty, located at 510 Yanceyville Street, while it is still unchanged. At least it will be immortalized in the movie Leatherheads.

Thanks to the touch of read on the flags, we're sending this out to Ruby Tuesday.

 

Tutu on Elm

This past weekend was wonderfully busy on Elm Street. People of all ages were strolling up and down, shopping, and enjoying Center City Park. Here we see a family that had attended the ballet presentation of the girl in the yellow tutu. The Cultural Arts Center held a children's ballet performance. Perhaps she performed there. If you notice the man leading the group is carrying flowers for her. The little boy in green, in front of the man on the left, kept turning around and sneaking glances at the little ballerina. So sweet. 

This is our contribution to Mellow Yellow Monday. Monday does have a way of starting the week with a sunny mood!

 

Virgin Mary Statue

This Virgin Mary statue stands at the northeast corner of Our Lady of Grace Church on West Market Street. This Mary statue has had quite an adventure. The original piece was broken in 2001 when a tree limb fell during a storm. Mary was replaced by a gray fiberglass statue that was stolen. In 2007, this colorful statue was purchased and she has remained securely in place ever since. While not seen in the photo, benches surround the statue, making it possible to sit, reflect, and pray. At the base, several plaques are present, one of which says, "O Mary, Mother of the living to you we entrust the cause of life." On the day we visited (during the Lenten season) candles, a pot of flowers, and a few pieces of silver (coins) were left at her feet. 

The mature dogwood tree behind the statue had a fair amount of blossoms. This year, most dogwoods in Greensboro had patches of blossoms and patches without blossoms. Some attribute this situation to a late cold snap. Regardless, the dogwood is a nice backdrop to the statue.

 

delicious...delicious....delicious

Not just your ordinary cake can be had at ... delicious... bakery on Battleground near the corner of Pisgah Church. As we enter wedding cake season, this bakery is creating some incredible and tasty designs. Additionally, they have cupcakes that look almost too beautiful to eat. We like to stop in, get a cup of coffee and cinnamon roll and sit back admire all the baked goods. Today, we sampled a fruit smoothie. Yummy.

So far it is a beautiful weekend in Greensboro. As soon as we finish this coffee, we think we're heading to the nearby greenway for a bike ride. This photo is being shared with the Weekend Reflection gang. You'll be looking at that TALL cake or that interesting poster in the window, advertising the upcoming activity dining for friends, and the Weekend Reflection gang will be looking at the reflection of the sky and truck! Something for everyone. Simply DELICIOUS..... no matter what!

 

Decaying Contrails

Condensation trails, shortened to contrails, are artificial clouds of condensed water vapor made by aircraft engine exhaust. In Greensboro, frequently, contrails are seen in the western end of the county around the airport. We took this photo earlier in the week between 6-7 pm when air traffic seems to be at its peak. Atmospheric conditions determine the amount of time a vapor trail persists and when they begin to dissipate (as in the photo above), they are said to be decaying. These contrails arc over the spring sky adding texture to the view. Perhaps they are actually vapor from the collective sigh of relief of taxpayers who met the April 15th deadline.

The opposite of a contrail is a distrail-- when the moisture gets absorbed from a cloud. If you are still reading this post, likely you are interested in these phenomena and should read more here! We are sharing this photo with our Skywatch Friday friends.

 

Lady Banks Roses

Lady Banks Rose is a species rose from China, having been in cultivation since the late 1700's. While roses can be temperamental and hard to grow, the Lady Banks has many outstanding attributes: disease resistant and draught tolerant, long lived, fast growing, and thornless to name a few. This sprawling, ambling rose loves a sturdy fence, as seen in the photo above. The rose is named after the wife of Sir Joseph Banks, once head of the Royal Horticultural Society of Great Britain. 

We decided to post a photo of this Sunset Hills beauty TODAY since, just west of this mature Lady Banks Rose, at The Greek Orthodox Church, the Herb Society of America is hosting their annual plant sale. Last year, we featured the event here (capturing a faithful reader-- or two).  We are entering the season of plant sales and we urge you to plant now so that later in the summer you can harvest the fruits of your labor. As an additional point about the Lady Banks rose, the largest rose in the world is a Lady Banks Rose in Tombstone Arizona. It is known as the Shady Lady, covers 8,000 square feet, and has been thriving since 1855! Plant a Lady Banks today for your great, great, great, great grandchildren!!!

 

Revolution Cotton Mills

Built in 1899 for the Cones and the Sternbergers, Revolution Cotton Mills grew to be the world's largest flannel mill by the 1930's. At one time, this mill was a thriving part of the nearly 2-million-square-toot Cone Mill Complex. If you want vintage photos and more on the captivating history, visit here.  Sadly, in 1982, the mill closed only to sit dormant for over twenty years. In 2003, the building entered a phase of being repurposed with mixed purpose businesses. Efforts have been made to keep costs down for entrepreneurs who open businesses here. 

There are fancier, already renovated views on the property. However, we like the memories of the southwest corner which still sports the original signage. The redesigned, modern event and meeting space of this facility is breathtaking. We'll feature the fancier parts at another time. For now, we share this with ABC Wednesday since "M" is for "mill."

 

Azaleas on Deep Green Drive

Forgive us while we indulge a little more in the flora around us; however, spring is such a delightful time in Greensboro. Every day, new blossoms appear and foliage seemingly changes color before our eyes. Sunday afternoon, we were at a friend's house on Deep Green Drive (off Westridge) and finally understood where the street gets its name. Look at the color and texture of these leaves-- deep green. At 7 pm, the setting sun was peeking through the shrubs, highlighting the azaleas. Azaleas are a tiny relative of the genus rhododendron. While, as seen above, azaleas are in full splendor this week, dogwoods have been short on blooms this year. 

This photo is for you and our friends at Ruby Tuesday.

 

Trestle over Chapman St.

A trestle is a supporting frame/bridge. Here we see the train trestle over Chapman Street, near High Point Road and the Coliseum. Greensboro still has many trestles from the 20th century and has been a great hub of train traffic since the 1800's.

This photo shows the series of blue supporting frames which are known as "bents." Often, trestles and bents were made of timber with the thought that, once built, the train could get transport the material to make a more permanent support-- especially stone or fill-dirt to support the track. Eventually, steel and concrete became the material of choice. Roller coaster tracks are engineered with a design similar to trestles. Since the long loads are distributed across a large portion of the track, it can withstand a lot of stress. We were walking in this area the day this photo was taken and were reminded that trains are loud and you can feel the movement when you are this close.

We thought this coal car was especially appropriate for our Mellow Yellow Monday photo as we remember the 29 West Virginias who lost their lives to bring us "rock energy."
 

Lawndale Baptist at Night

By day, Lawndale Baptist Church, established in 1956,  is a giant, imposing brick church on Lawndale Drive. With two recent building campaigns, the church has grown and grown. It is one of those churches with buildings from multiple decades; a full service church with activities literally every hour of the day. From sermons to basketball teams, Lawndale Baptist has activities for all age groups.  

Lawndale Baptist looks hauntingly serene by night. Can you imagine driving home late at night and happening upon this view? As we drove by, we came to a screeching halt, pulling into the parking lot to take this photo. This is our contribution to Monochrome Weekend a place where nobody misses life beyond the grayscale. Thanks to all of you yesterday who posted positive comments about our canine friend Bijou and for those of you who responded privately about the dog walk the girl scouts are hosting.

 

Tails to Trails Dog Walk

 Girl Scout Troop 40172 is hosting "Tail to Trails" May 1 at Price Park in Greensboro as part of a Silver Award project. The event, near Kathleen Clay Edwards Library and Jefferson Elementary School, benefits the Guilford County Animal Shelter. Dog owners may bring their leashed dogs, walk the trails at Price Park, and support a worthy cause.  In addition to walking you dog, you can learn more about foster care for dogs and cats that aren't ready for adoption. These girl scouts have worked hard on this service-learning event and could really use our support!

Check in for the event on Saturday, May 1st is from 8 to 8:30 a.m. Prize drawings will be at 9:30 a.m. Cost is $13 before April 15 and $15 after April 15. Walkers should bring donations such as food, treats, toys, blankets and pillows for the shelter. The first 100 participants will receive a "Tails to Trails" T-shirt, doggy goodie bag and doggy bandana.  For information, to register, or to offer a donation, contact the troop leader: Mary Ann Wettach, (336) 547-8522 or [email protected].  

We're sharing this irresistible photo of Greensboro Pomeranian Bijou with our friends at camera critters.  Fortunately Bijou knows nothing about animal foster care; however, we bet she's giving a four-paws endorsement for this event!

 

April Showers... Bring May Flowers

This is what Greensboro looked like yesterday. As we exited Bryan Blvd., waiting at the red light on New Garden Road, this was our view.The eastbound car appeared to be swimming in wet asphalt. The sky and the street are the same color. As desolate as the intersection appears, it is actually a very busy intersection in a populated area of town. The curved roof on the horizon belongs to St. Paul's Catholic Church. The view reminds us that the northwest end of Guilford County is actually hilly. 

This composition is similar to a sunny day photo we took out near the Piedmont Triad International Airport. We do hope that the rainy weather yesterday means that May flowers are just around the corner and offer this for our international buddies at Sky Watch Friday.

 

Redbud Trees

One of the first trees to wake up in the spring in North Carolina is Cercis Canadensis. The eastern redbud is a small tree native to North America. It has been around since Biblical times. As seen in the photo above, the purple/pink (not red) blossoms (not buds) appear all over the tree, including the trunk. From the first bud to the greening of the heart-shaped leaves, to the seed pods in the fall, this tree is one showy plant. For the grand finale, foliage turns bright yellow before falling. It prefers soil that drains well. 

We don't have the references that we did yesterday; however, we did find an old tale about the Red Bud Tree. It is just one screen long and worth reading!

 

Our Very, Very... RED CLAY

Most of us living in the Piedmont Region of North Carolina are all too familiar with red clay soil. In some cases, it serves us well. Since the late 18th century, local potters have been using red clay for earthenware pottery. Red clay is closer to the surface, but less sturdy, than its gray clay cousin. (explained here). Clay soil is famous for holding water, as in the puddle above! Additionally, its finely textured particles are packed with rich organic and inorganic materials. The down side is that clay doesn't drain very well and needs to be amended for planting. Fortunately, some plants like pyracantha, grape vines, and hosta actually thrive in red clay (explained here). Piedmont parents will tell you that if a child slips in red clay wearing white pants, you can just about forget getting the stain out! Red clay is such a staple in NC, we even have a band called The RED CLAY Ramblers! Enjoy this string band music their website! 

We're sharing this photo/puddle with our friends at Watery Wednesday!

 

LUV COCO in NC

An immaculately dressed person was seen getting out of a car with this license plate-- near the Irving Park neighborhood in Greensboro. Somehow we think the reference was to Coco Chanel and not one of Julia Child's cooking ingredients. For our international readers, in the USA, car owners can pay extra and purchase what we call "vanity tags" saying anything that fits on the plate-- about 7-8 letters or less-- as long as the message is not obscene or does not defame anyone. The licensing agency even checks to make sure the references are appropriate in other languages!

Mr. GDP maintains that vanity plates are only worth their extra cost if the average person can figure out the meaning within about 20 seconds. If people are still wondering what you are trying to say when the light turns green, you've not invested your money well! Do you have a favorite vanity tag? We liked LUV COCO because it fit the owner's style. We featured this one last year. Would you pay the extra money for one? What would it say? What is a creative one that you've seen recently?

Hope our Ruby Tuesday Crowd LUVs COCO today! Now that the Duke University Basketball Team won the NCAA Championship last night, likely, we'll see even more LUV DUKE, GO DUKE, DUKE #1 vanity tags!!!

 

The Bunny Has Left the Building

Saturday was a big day for bunnies at Natty Greene's Pub and Brewing Company on Elm Street. It was as if a convention of bunnies congregated on the second floor of this downtown eatery. Here we see one of the bunnies leaving the Great Hop Out. Can you see her bunny ears and gloves? Well, there were about 50 more of her lapine friends upstairs still celebrating Easter when this bunny headed out. Some were dressed from head to tail! They arrived when all TV screens were tuned in to the Final Four Duke/West Virginia Basketball Game. A few bunnies witnessed Duke's victory; many were not interested in the human custom of watching sporting events! 

Here's to another great Mellow Yellow Monday. Don't forget to watch Duke vs. Butler tonight!

 

Христос воскрес!.... Christ is risen!

Calculating the date for Easter in the Western Christian and Eastern Orthodox churches has an interesting history. 2010 finds Passover and Easter for all Christians coinciding. Passover began at sundown on Monday, March 29th and continues through tomorrow. Orthodox Christians and Western Christians celebrate Easter today, April 4th. Orthodoxy is said to be the first Christian religion and it has remained unchanged for 2,000 years. Today Orthodox Christians worldwide will have their food baskets blessed, they will cross themselves and verbalize that "Christ is risen."  

This is a photo of the iconostasis at Holy Cross Orthodox Church at 645 Greensboro Road in HIgh Point. The bilingual Russian/English title today is misleading as Holy Cross conducts services in English and invites Orthodox Christians of all ethnicities to attend. Holy Cross began with a meeting on September 14, 2005, services began shortly thereafter. The physical Church became a reality in its current location, a building behind a Presbyterian Church in High Point, on December 24, 2006. 

 

Here Comes Peter Cottontail

Here comes Peter Cottontail, hopping down the bunny trail. Hippety hoppety, Easter's on its way! Tomorrow we go inside a church to show the religious side of Easter so today, we're sharing the lighter side of the holiday. Here we see Flopsy and Jane, the creations of local doll artist Kim I. McEntee. (We've featured one of Kim's dolls before). We love their expressive faces and all the details like Flopsy's felted cheeks and Jane's flowered hat, hand-crocheted by Kim's mom. We made the sequined egg vintage pottery basket arrangements and placed them in our entrance hallway. Changing these vignettes helps inspire us as we head out and showcase Greensboro for you. Today, this is a little slice of life around our house!

To our dear friends at Weekend Reflection, we hope you notice the mirror in the background and the reflective shine on those Easter eggs. Oh, and then there are Flopsy's eyes......

 

GOOD Friday or Good FRIDAY

Whether you celebrate Good FRIDAY or just want to have a GOOD Friday, here's a soft and muted view on a quiet road in Northwest Guilford County. As winter lets go and Greensboro transitions to spring, likely, this is the last photo we will see with bare trees and brown grass. This photo reinforces the purpose for evergreens-- especially these conical beauties! 

If you are leaving town for the weekend, be safe. If you are coming to town, welcome. If you live here, enjoy. For all with a few minutes to spare, enjoy the some of the 300+ Skywatch photos from around the world.

 

got Graffiti?

Likely, graffiti is the most polarizing of all art forms. There are those who LOVE it and those who HATE it. This krylon piece is found on the railroad tracks just off South Elm Street. Last time we posted a photo where this word was barely visible, we had over 50 visitors from a graffiti blog! Here's hoping their search engines find us today. Graffiti, graffiti, graffiti!!!

We picked this photo as it fits with our loosely-organized theme of "Easter" this week. The red VIVI above reminds us of the Bibles that type what Jesus said in red letters. Also, "Vivi" being the root word for "live/lived" in the Romance languages, is appropriate for the Easter season. Finally, the theme day for the 1,000+ City Daily Photo blogs, and the theme is RED:

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants