Greensboro Daily Photo

M is for Melvin, Jim Melvin

What better person than Jim Melvin to feature the day after Greensboro's primary election for mayor and city council representatives. Melvin holds the distinction of having been the longest-serving mayor in Greensboro's history (1971-1981). In addition to his elected positions, he has been involved in many ventures that have improved Greensboro: the new baseball stadium, The Elon Law School and Center City Park, to name a few. Melvin, a retired banker, has quite a talent for securing funding. At present, he uses this talent daily as CEO and President of the Joseph M. Bryan Foundation. Here we see a photo of him standing in the boardroom with the spirit of Mr. Bryan ever present in the portrait just beyond the glass. 

Mr. Melvin is one of twenty seven people featured in the book, Greensboro 27, written thirty five years ago (in 1976) by Abe Jones, Jr. We love the opening quote in Melvin's chapter. "I'm about as local as an individual can be." Jones goes on to tell us that Melvin was born in a local hospital and grew up on Asheboro Street and Alamance Church Road. Melvin also says, "(m)y life has been downright unexciting." Well, he may not find his life exciting but he has made Greensboro a lot more exciting for the rest of us! He exudes passion for making Greensboro a better place in everything he does! Today is ABC Wednesday and "M" is for Melvin, E.S. (Jim) Melvin. 

See our previous entries here.

 

VOTE, VOTE, VOTE-- Polls Open Today for Primary Election

Come one, come all, the polls are open for the primary election. Greensboro votes today to see which candidates will earn a spot on the upcoming ballot. Several city council seats available in this municipal election, as is the position for mayor. The above photo shows people en route to vote at the Courthouse on Saturday. Candidate-at-large Marikay Abuzuaiter is the person campaigning on the left. We didn't get the name of the man to the right; however, both seemed personable and sincere. The nice aspect of the municipal elections is that partisanship and the democrat/republican dichotomy is kept to a minimum.

We were one of 1,744 people who voted early this year. If the weather person is correct, Saturday was much nicer weather for voting. However, take the attitude of one NYC post office and tell yourself, "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays [this voter] from the swift completion of [voting] (read more here; loosely derived from Herodotus). Just within the past month, women in Saudia Arabia were given the right to vote. Regardless of whether you are male or female, consider it your civic duty to vote.

To help you make your decision, Greensboro 101 has a list of candidates (here). 

Shall We Dance?

This larger than life statue of Renoir's dancers greets you on Main Street in Graham. The couple is part of an exhibit of J. Seward Johnson's lifelike figures brought to the area by the Alamance County Arts Council.  The exhibit is called Beyond the Frame: Impressionism Revisited. Johnson's three-dimensional interpretation is exacting, right down to facial expressions and the color of fabric. The people are frozen in poses that look as if they have stepped right out of impressionist paintings. For the backs of figures, Johnson had to improvise, allowing him a chance to sneak in a little humor; for example, if you look around back of Oriental Fan (2003), you will notice the woman modeled after Monet's "La Japonaise" (1876) is barefoot! Johnson's cast metal figures are colorized with mixture of automotive paint and wax that holds up well to the elements. Some of the sculptures are featured in rooms inside the museum; others are outside on the grounds. 

The yellow house in the background is the arts council's building. Some of the sculptures are inside so you will want to be sure to visit when the museum is open. The exhibit will be on display until October 31 and it is FREE. Of course donations are greatly appreciated. The 30 minute drive to Graham (Exit 147, Main St.) from Greensboro is well worth your time.

R.I.P. Steve Jobs

This Sunday, in remembrance of Steve Jobs, let us all pause for a few moments of silence ...........

The above photo was taken outside the Apple Store in Friendly Center last night, at closing time. The store provided post it notes and Sharpies; employees and customers wrote messages. A few people brought bouquets. Several people brought fresh apples; many stopped by to take pictures. The notes were touching. One was a heart with a bite out of it. Also memorable is the Apple logo with the bite transformed into a silhouette of Jobs. The genius behind that logo is a 19 year old guy from Hong Kong.

From the aesthetic to the functionality to the transformative nature of the Apple products, Jobs helped transform the way we interact with technology. He taught us that computers are bicycles for the mind. Jobs learned at a very early age that life is short and precious. We're glad to have an Apple Store in Greensboro and equally glad that Jobs is being remembered by patrons. Have a great Sunday dear readers.

The Art Shop

The Art Shop is located in the Pomona Park neighborhood we've been featuring this week on Greensboro Daily Photo. The present location on West Market Street is near where the Boar and Castle Drive In Restaurant used to be and near John Van Lindley's Pomona Nurseries of yesteryear. The Art Shop has been in business since 1899. Perhaps Mr. Lindley himself used this shop!  At 112 years old, The Art Shop has been serving Greensboro families' fine art needs for generations. The art shop has a national reputation for retail excellence.

The above painting in the window is an original; Garnet, painted by figurative artist Richard Johnson. Knowing that this goddess of fruit is hanging in the Pomona neighborhood, the old stomping grounds of one of Greensboro's most famous fruit tree specialists, is so fitting. Garnet, the Pomona of Pomona, has a bountiful harvest of fruit in her hands. Let's hope she finds a new home-- nearby.

We're sharing Garnet with our friends at Weekend Reflections, where a little reflection draws a big applause!

To Pilot Mountain and Beyond

From First Friday downtown to the Fall Festival at Bur-Mil Park on Saturday to Sunday's Italian Festival in Festival Park, Greensboro is packed with things to do this weekend. However, the mountains are also calling. From now until the end of October, it is possible to see peak leaves somewhere in North Carolina. You just have to find the right elevation.

The above photo of the iconic Pilot Mountain, just north of Winston-Salem, was taken last year later in the season. Pilot Mountain is a geological landmark that rises 1,400 above sea level and is the centerpiece of Pilot Mountain State Park. If you like the outdoors, Pilot Mountain is non-stop fun. Nearby Mt. Airy was the inspiration for Sheriff Andy Griffith's TV show about Mayberry. It is a quintessential small North Carolina town of yesteryear with 21st century updates.

Consider making a day trip from Greensboro to the mountains soon as this year is supposed to be good for fall foliage. We hope that you have a wonderful weekend; you are healthy and happy and, at some point, you visit Pilot Mountain, Mt. Airy, and beyond. (We're sharing this post with Skywatch Friday).

Hearty Orange Tree in the Arboretum at Lindley Park

After all the research we did for yesterday's post on John Van Lindley, we're not quite ready to drop the topic. By chance, on Sunday, we were sitting on a bench at the Arboretum in Lindley Park listening to Scotty Walker's band. Looking up, we noticed these spikey/thorny branches above us. Intrigued that some of the branches had leaves and others did not, we leaned over to see what kind of tree we were near. According to the sign, this is a hearty orange tree. How fitting that an orange tree is growing on land that formerly belonged to John Van Lindley who was an expert with fruit trees. The branch of botany that studies and cultivates fruit trees is pomology. Lindley was an expert pomologist. 

Down the road from Lindley Park is the Pomona Park neighborhood of Greensboro where Lindley had Pomona Nurseries and where his business, The Pomona Terra Cotta Works was located. In the same neighborhood, at the end of the 19th century, the Pomona Cotton Mill opened. In 1905, Pomona Baptist Church was built and soon thereafter, the nearby Pomona Cemetery opened.  Since Pomona is the ancient Roman goddess of fruitful abundance, we're thinking Lindley had his hand in getting all of these places named "Pomona."

Today, Pomona Drive has no houses and its surrounding area is gray.... full of businesses and industry. (See here for a photo).  We are especially thankful that Mr. Lindley left so much green space for us to enjoy today. We are thankful that organizations like Greensboro Beautiful and our master gardeners work so hard at planting and keeping things green. For a very long time, we hope to enjoy tranquil vantage points like the one in the photo. We suspect Lindley would be pleased upon seeing this orange tree thriving in a place for all to enjoy.

L is for Lindley, John Van Lindley

John Van Lindley (1838-1919) was a Greensboro Quaker, Civil War soldier, civic-minded horticulturalist and pomologist.  Of English ancestry, Lindley was known as a leader among the "progressive and public-spirited men of the Piedmont. While his financial interests and business successes were many (including owning Pomona Terra Cotta Works), maintaining and working in his nurseries was always Lindley's first love. The Pomona Nurseries alone consisted of 900 acres and 11 greenhouses in Guilford County. Lindley also had a 350 acre nursery in Kernersville. The nationally-involved horticulturalist also owned nurseries in Southern Pines. George A. Grimsley described Mr. Lindley in the following manner: "Withal he is quiet and unassuming, prompt and careful; indeed, he attributes his success in life to his careful attention to every detail of his varied business, and he finds great gratification in the fact that he has been able to promote the progress and welfare of that section of the country in which he lives as well as the State at large." Quote found in In the second volume of the Biographical history of North Carolina by Samuel A'Court Ashe.

Many public areas in Greensboro and Guilford County are located on land donated to the city by the Lindley family and still bear the Lindley name: Lindley Park (which contains Greensboro's Arboretum), Lindley Pool, the Lindley Park neighborhood, PTI's Lindley Field and, the above-photographed Lindley Elementary (established 1928). Today, we celebrate ABC Wednesday's "L" alphabet day with John Van Lindley, who helped keep the "green" in Greensboro. (See A-K here). Read more on Lindley here. We wish we had a photo to post but there isn't even a Wikipedia entry on this man who features so prominently in the history of our community! The one photo we found is in a pdf file in Ashe's book (volume 2).

Signs of Fall: Seed Pods and Boxelder Bugs

In addition to football, another sign of fall is scattering bugs and seed pods. Seed pods burst open to begin their journey across the landscape while bugs scatter to seek refuge from the impending cold. Above, you see boxelder bugs clustered in these pods, in transition from their habitat in male boxelder, maple, and ash trees. These orange and black beetle specimens are hoping for a warm southern or western exposure window in a house to bask in the sun. Only the mature bugs will survive through the winter. For the most part, they are harmless to plants and people-- except for a little orange stain left behind and their appetite for eating seeds. We found these specimens on Fairmont Street during the Westerwood Art and Sole Walk this past weekend. While harmless and non-toxic, if a colony picks your home as the host house, you will know it as where there is one, likely there are hundreds.

Have you taken a nature walk yet this fall-- one where you take time to stop and look on the ground or on the undersides of plants? Greensboro's greenway and miles and miles of trails are a great place to start. Here is a website we like when planning a nature walk with children..... or grown-ups. Phones, headphones, texting?  No thank you. Binoculars, baggies, digital camera, walking stick, yes please! Here is one of our favorite finds from last year. 

Just in........ reader C Bond tells us these are actually milkweed bugs. They look so much like boxelders. Glad to have an entomologist in our readership!

Fall is For Football..... and the Grimsley/Page Game

Fall is the season of football, from high school to college to the pro games, most Americans have vivid memories of attending and watching football in the fall. Football transitions us from hot sunny days, where one gets a stadium sunburn, to chilly days where plaid woolen blankets and hot chocolate are about the only thing keeping spectators in the stands. In Greensboro, this past Friday's fall weather was just perfect for the annual Page/Grimsley game, held at Jamieson Stadium. Page and Grimsley are arch rivals and while in some sports (like ladies' varsity volleyball) Grimsley dominates, for sure, Page dominates in football.

The 54-game rivalry found Page victorious Friday. It was the fifth year in a row for the proud Pirates. Grimsley blue was dominated by Pirate red every step of the way right down to the 49-0 final score (read more here). On both sides of the stadium, the crowd was well behaved and school spirit was mighty strong. Here's to fall football, healthy rivalries, gracious winners, gracious losers and respectful fans. Regardless of which of our 17 high schools with foodball teams* wins at the local level, let's hope that Greensboro is well represented in the state playoffs so we can all cheer for our district. Happy Monday, everyone; happy fall football, aficionados. 

*(Guilford County has so many special programs, we hope our count of 17 is accurate. If not, please let us know and we'll come back in and correct the number).

Interfaith Altar

We stumbled upon this Interfaith Altar at the Art & Sole Walking Tour of Westerwood yesterday, at the home of local artist Kathy Clark. The lovely prints on the wall are a small sample of Kathy's art and her black and white pieces frame the colorful, candlelit display nicely. Kathy assembled the altar in remembrance of souls departed. The photo in the center is of her grandparents. The poster under the star was from the memorial service of local friend Timothy LaFollette who died with ALS about a month ago. The box at the feet of the Statue of Mary are the cremains of her beloved cat. From Hindu's Shiva to the Virgin Mary to the Day of the Dead skeletons, there is something for everyone at this altar. Kathy is keeping the Virgin Mary until its owner gets settled in her home in Los Angeles, at which time, the statue will get wrapped up and sent west to be reunited with its owner. 

Hearing the stories of the artists of Westerwood and seeing their stunning artwork was a great way to spend the day yesterday. Today, we take pause to quietly nurture the spiritual self. We offer this view, serendipitously stumbled upon yesterday, for our Sacred Sunday series. Among other things, we are thankful for the wonderful interaction with the 17 artists, especially Kathy, on yesterday's art tour. Do you have a special corner in your house, a place to remember loved ones, a place to reflect on your belief system? If so, what does it look like? What would it look like?

 

October 1: Mystery Objects at City Daily Photo Sites

Today's first-of-the-month theme for the city daily photo community is "mystery object." Our mystery object was found on Elm Street last week. It is a photo gliceé,  submerged under water in what looks like a gallon pickle jar; reminiscent of what you would see at the house of horrors at a carnival. This entrapped photo has been underwater since July 2009 for the purpose of showing the archival qualities of the gliceé process.

William Heroy is the Greensboro photographer and restoration specialist who has this display in his store front downtown. We originally took the photo for Skywatch Friday as that square of blue hovering at the top is actually a slice of sky. Since Friday is over, but there IS a reflection, we get to double dip (pun intended) and also offer this "mystery object" up for Weekend Reflections. See what we meant when we said the memes can do wonders for keeping your perspective fresh. Had we not been on the lookout for a Skywatch/Weekend Reflection/City Daily Photo themed photo, the above scene would have passed us by. Maybe Mr. Heroy will get a FLOOD of requests for this technique for Halloween.

If you want more of the City Daily Photo theme.... Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Gone Elsewhere?

Memorial Day Weekend is upon us and Greensboro is about as crowded as the front window of ELSEWHERE. Many people have gone to the beach or to the mountains. For sure, lots of our residents are are ELSEWHERE. North Carolina is lucky to have landforms ranging from the beach to the mountains and this weekend represents the kick-off for summer. Students are in school for a couple of more weeks; however, mentally, summer begins for us with this holiday. People who do stay in town, likely, will head to their community pool.

ELSEWHERE, photographed above, is "a living museum designing collaborative futures from old things." Basically, it is the remnants of a thrift shop where nothing has been for sale since proprietor Sylvia Gray died. Her grandson has transformed the space into a living, working museum in the 600 block of South Elm Street, across from the Mellow Mushroom. We love the dynamic nature of the storefront that changes almost weekly. If you read this before 2pm, you might want to stop by their Saturday creative workshop for children of all ages.

We're sharing this with our friends at Weekend Reflections where all the photos have some sort of reflection.

Sunday Drive

Well, the Vatican has the Popemobile and Greensboro has this Toyota Camry with a giant "JESUS CHRIST" decal on both sides and scripture on the rear window and front bumper. "Repent your sins B4 it's 2 late, Ezekiel, 3:18-19" is what's on both bumpers. It takes a person who is confident in his/her message to wear this giant bumper sticker 24/7. We saw the car at the Target parking lot on Lawndale near the former Sears warehouse.

Let us know if you are out for a Sunday drive and see this vehicle or if you know who drives it. This is our religious contribution for this weekend. We make a commitment to provide our readers with something spiritual at least once a week. Look here for previous posts. Gotta enter this is Robert's (Athens Daily Photo)--  Sunday Psalms Challenge,8.

PSALM 8:  O LORD, our Lord, How majestic is Your name in all the earth, You whose splendor is placed above the heavens!