Greensboro Daily Photo

Design Archives West

Greensboro's own Design Archives (DA) has been thriving in Downtown Greensboro for several years. Kit Rodenbough, photographed above, opened the first Design Archives across from Natty Greene's Restaurant after several years of selling her own vintage items. The store represents over 70 vendors with small businesses. Some vendors offer vintage goods; others, handmade items. In many cases DA serves as an incubator and headquarters for businesses that grow in many directions including having an online presence. At DA, you can find anything from hand-poured candles, sauces for food, and North Carolina-themed t-shirts to vintage silk scarves and antique lamps. There is something for everybody.

The DA concept has been so successful that Kit expanded to downtown Winston-Salem- a location we affectionately refer to as Design Archives West. The second store officially opened last week; however, this Saturday, they're having a BIG grand opening with door prizes and specials. Congratulations to Kit and her vendors. For sure, buying local is trending in the Triad!

S is for SciQuarium

The SciQuarium is a relatively new addition to the Greensboro Science Center on Lawndale Drive. It is a place where learning takes place and memories are made. From the minute they walk in, until the minute they leave, people are captivated. The SciQuarium is North Carolina's only inland aquarium. As stated on the center's website, the SciQuarium features "a variety of water-dependent animals including penguins, sharks, otters, eels, stingrays, a rare fishing cat, an anaconda, and fish of all shapes and colors" (reference).

If you have been going to the Science Center since it opened in 1957, likely, you are marveling at the expansion over the years. It is hard to believe that the improvements and additions will continue until 2020. If you are used to the old petting zoo with the pesky goats and small mammals, you will be shocked to see the touch tank and all the other features of the SciQuarium. In the above photo, we can only imagine what the little boy will learn as he and his dad meander along the indoor trail. Today is ABC Wednesday, and for our S.T.E.A.M. Edition, S is for SciQuarium!

Persimmons Galore

Yesterday, we shared information about the Colfax Persimmon Festival; however, we didn't show you any of the dark orange fruit. Above, we're featuring the last of the harvest from the tree in our back yard. It is an Asian persimmon, specifically, a chocolate variety. The name comes from the fact that, on the inside, the flesh is a chocolate color. Our persimmons are about the size of a small lemon and are easy to eat raw- like an apple. Native persimmons are between the size of a nickel and a quarter and have several seeds, making extracting pulp a labor intensive effort.

Yesterday, one of our readers, Jane, mentioned that she ate a persimmon for the first time this year and commented on its sweetness. We hope you will all find a persimmon to try this fall. Even better, we hope you will plant a persimmon tree. Native persimmons are hardy to about zone 5 and Asian persimmons to zone 6. So, to our dear fellow blogger, William Kendall of Ottawa Daily Photo (who said he'd never tried one), unfortunately, you are a little far north to grow these melt-in-your-mouth fruits. You'll just have to visit us in Greensboro and try one!

Seventh Annual Persimmon Festival

This weekend, the Colfax Persimmon Festival was held and the weather was perfect; sunny and cold, just the way persimmons like it. The festival was started in 2008 by Gene Stafford and is held on part of the land that comprised the Stafford family farm. The Revolutionary War-era farm is the perfect setting for the event which pays tribute to a simpler way of life. While there are a few games, some people dressed in period costumes, and military reenactors, people really came to enjoy the persimmons.

Persimmons are an orange, edible fruit that tastes good in baked goods, especially persimmon bread and persimmon pudding. The native variety of persimmon has lots of seeds and is very labor intensive to extract the pulp. Pulp was available for purchase at the festival. The larger, Asian non-astringent variety is easier to eat and to use. However, nothing beats an old-timey 'simmon puddin' to go with Thanksgiving dinner. People came from great distances to celebrate persimmons this past Saturday. If you missed the event, mark your calendars for Saturday, November 7th 2015. 

Grace United Methodist

 

Today, we're featuring the back side of Grace United Methodist Church. The photo was taken from the church parking lot in front of the baseball stadium at Eugene Street. The location of the parking lot has proven to be lucrative real estate for the church. The fees they collect for parking cars during baseball games supports local ministries. The church refers to it as "parking with a purpose."

Grace Church dates back to 1891 at its original location on Lee Street and in this present location (438 West Friendly Avenue at Edgeworth) since 1926. It is a beautiful church with quite an interesting history. Perhaps the most famous person with connections to the church is Charlton Heston. He was married there while stationed in Greensboro during World War II.* As we enter this "cold spell," those beautiful leaves help us remember how special it is to have four distinct seasons. Happy, glorious, November Sunday. 

*read more about the history of the church, here.

 

Happy150 Birthday Claribel Cone

Yesterday, the Weatherspoon Art Museum celebrated the 150th birthday of Claribel Cone with a mini birthday party.  Elaine Gustafson, Curator of Collections, spoke about the art collection bequest to the Weatherspoon by the Cones. Claribel and younger sister Etta had quite an art collection and many of these pieces are now owned by the Weatherspoon. 

The Weatherspoon, located at the corner of Spring Garden and Tate Streets on UNCG's campus, holds many open-to-the-public events like yesterday's birthday party. Great fun was had by all that attended. Thank you, Weatherspoon and staff. And, above all, thank you philanthropists like the Cone sisters who do things for reasons greater than themselves. We didn't get the name of the actress, featured in the above photo, but want to thank her now as she was masterful at staying in character.

Today is Weekend Reflections Day and that floor, so shiny you can see your reflection in it, qualifies us to participate in the meme.

R is for Rainwater

The above photo, while not particularly memorable in itself, features an outstanding example of how the University of North Carolina Greensboro is committed to sustainablility. To the left, you see the south side of the School of Education building. The building, Gold LEED-certified, has multiple features to harvest and filter rainwater and runoff from the rooftop. A bio-retention pond and sand filtration system filters storm water run-off.* The porous rocks and grassy plantings help with water absorption around the building's open space. The building has more than double the open space for LEED certification. The contour of the landscaping accomodates a considerable amount of water.

To help orient yourself in the photo, notice Yum-Yum Better Ice Cream and Hot Dogs peeking through on Spring Garden Street. Hard to believe Yum-Yum is almost 100 years older than this new state-of-the-art education building. Nice to live in a community that honors tradition yet continues to evolve and grow with the times. Today is ABC Wednesday and for GDP's S.T.E.A.M. series, R is for rainwater.

*reference.

Veterans Day 2014

The above photo was taken on the front lawn of the student union at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. While Veterans Day is intended to recognized all who have served, not just those who were killed, the above Field of Honor recognizes the deceased. The flags, placed by a veterans' organization at UNCG, represent the service men and women who were killed, died, or presumed dead as a prisoner of war during Operation Iraqui Freedom and Operation Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan).

Yes, there are plenty of university students who first served the nation and are now studying for their future careers. Happy Veterans Day, to all who served, in Greensboro and beyond. It is nice to celebrate Veterans Day on the actual day of the holiday, November 11th. Unfortunately, the University is in session; however, the public schools are closed. If you have a chance today, thank a vet.

Monday Mural

Oakland Daily Photo, a City Daily Photo blog, started a meme called Monday Mural. People from all over the world share a picture of a mural in their community. One is shared every Monday from Oakland (California). Over the last few years, several murals have been appearing around town so it is high time we share one! Part of this recent colorization of Greensboro is thanks to the Greensboro Mural Project (GMP) an organization founded in 2011.

GMP just held a fundraiser at Westerwood Tavern this weekend. Unfortunately, the event has come and gone; however, if you want to get involved in this project in some way, such as helping paint or making a financial donation, you can find GMP through their Facebook page. The above mural is one of their works in progress at the corner of West Friendly Avenue and Mendenhall Street, a block away from Greensboro College. Next time you drive by, have a look. Also, stop by Monday Mural, where we're sharing this photo with the world! We can't imagine finding a mural a week around Greensboro. However, we said the same about religious institutions and in nearly 6 years of posting something religious on Sunday, we are nowhere near running out of places to photograph. Maybe, if we start looking, it will be true with murals. What is your favorite mural in Greensboro?

Hillcrest Baptist Church

Today is shaping up to be a glorious day in Greensboro. Many residents of our community will be in a place of worship. From Zen Meditation at Scuppernong Books to Hillcrest Baptist Church (featured above) and everything in between, there is a spiritual community for everyone in Greensboro.

Hillcrest Baptist is located on Pisgah Church Road, just before it crosses North Elm Street and becomes Lee's Chapel Road- 3920 Baylor Street is the actual address. The church has simple, but lovely stained glass windows and a traditional, white steeple at the front. Without finding a page online, we don't know when the church was constructed. However, to be sure, it was build back when Pisgah Church Road had a sleepy, country feel to it. Now, the surrounding area is a heavily-traveled transition from Greensboro, "the city" with Greensboro, "the suburbs."

Somehow, we're betting that upon entering the sanctuary at Hillcrest, one experiences a respite from the hustle and bustle of daily living. Have a restful Sunday.

By the Light of the Moon

In Greensboro the November full moon was fabulous this week. The skies were clear and the moon hovered in the Western sky until daybreak. This week's display more than made up for the supermoon and other moon events that got clouded over this year. In the centuries before artificial lighting made it possible to have light 24 hours a day, there was a time when a bright moon made travel possible through the night.

November's full moon is also known as the beaver moon. This week it was so bright that it made the meteor shower hard to view. It is easy to see why North Carolina's old-time fiddle tunes refer to dancing "by the light of the moon." Locally, it was bright this week. Near twilight, prime time for seeing meteriods, we kept running out to check and never did see any. We did, however, have this beautiful moon greeting us. We sure hope you had a chance to see it.

Cruisin' Down Bryan Boulevard

This vintage vehicle cruising down Bryan Boulevard last week was captured on a low-resolution, cell phone camera. The nostalgic feel of the photo evokes memories of yesteryear, a time when life (and vehicles) were less complicated. Can't you just imagine Andy and Barney driving from Surry County to Raleigh in a vehicle like this? How fun it would be, riding along with them. Surely, Andy Griffith would have some diplomatic, words of wisdom about election results- regardless of whether or not his candidates won. Likely, the well-meaning Barney Fife would put his foot in his mouth a few times and Andy would get him back on the right path.

Even if you work this weekend, we hope you have a chance to slow down and appreciate the simpler things in life. From the colors of fall to meaningful conversations with loved ones, seemingly mundane aspects of life can turn out to be the most meaningful. It is good to be mindful of that when you are traveling the same highway for the tenth time in a week, which, for us, would be Bryan Boulevard. Happy weekend, dear readers!

Strange Colocation

Other than in the print media, the above hand-lettered sign was our first sighting of the word "Ebola" in Greensboro. How strange to see "EBOLA CALL 911" on a Mercedes Benz at the Goodwill Store on West Market Street. What on earth was the message the driver of this car was trying to convey? The words "Goodwill Ebola" or "Ebola Goodwill" just don't seem to go together.

Ebola has touched North Carolina. There is a patient being watched at Duke who does not seem to have contacted Ebola. The second American to contact the virus was Nancy Writebol of Charlotte. She fought for her life this summer, but has recovered.* She seems to be doing well now and cautions to avoid letting fear take hold of us. Perhaps we also need to caution treating the subject with humor. Have you heard people mutter "Ebola" when someone coughed? We have. We did not get to talk to the person driving the above vehicle, so we'll never know what they meant by the sign. What is your best guess? Have you seen anything like this sign on a car in your community? Like Ebola itself, we seem to offer more questions than answers. Mere thoughts for Thursday.........

*read more about here here.

Q is for Quagmire

This Greensboro "quagmire" can be found on North Battleground at the next leg of the Urban Loop. The above swampy, wetlands that go from dry to wet, depending on the weather, are being altered so that the road can be built. 

Quagmire can have a slightly muddy definition. In geography, it is a soft boggy area of land; it can also be ( literally or metaphorically) an awkwardly complex or hazardous situation. Let's hope the above is not the latter and to be sure, it is the former. Monitoring the construction process of the Greensboro Urban Loop is interesting. We are trying to document how the road crew will make the land sufficiently solid to support a heavily traveled bypass. Today is ABC Wednesday and for our ABC S.T.E.A.M. Series, "Q" is for "quagmire." Regardless of where you live, we challenge you to use the word "quagmire" today!

Winter is on the Way

Today's view is of Downtown Greensboro, contrasts sharply with the colorful, fall scene in yesterday's post. The above photo was taken near Market Street on the Davie Street side of the Elm Street buildings. It shows a brick building painted white that provides a stark backdrop for the tree in the foreground. This tree has already lost all of its leaves., serving as a strong reminder that winter is on the way. Fall seems to have come and is departing in a jiffy. 

Selfishly, we dread winter because the many gray days and extra hours of darkness make it very challenging to take great photos. Then again, Greensboro is fortunate to have four distinct seasons; each with its own color palate, special weather events, and great activities planned by and for its residents. Regardless of season or weather, may we all find a way to enjoy each and every day.

Giving Thanks

November is the month of giving thanks. Social media is loaded with people who express thanks, daily, from now until Thanksgiving. In Greensboro, fall is an especially beautiful time of the year and we have had some beautiful days this past October. The above photo was taken yesterday from leaves gathered near Bur-Mil Park and placed on a weathered bench. While the iPhone camera exaggerages colors (the bottom leaf was not quite that pink), this is an actual assortment of leaves found in a Greensboro yard. It is hard to top the beauty of nature.

If there are any small children in your life, take them out on a nature hike and have everyone collect items to take back home to inspect. You can identify trees by their leaves, learn how long it takes a tree to start producing acorns, make leaf rubbings with paper and crayons, and so much more. If there aren't small children in your life, treat yourself to a nature hike. The out of doors is a great place to find reasons to give thanks. We give thanks for your starting your week reading Greensboro Daily Photo. Happy Monday, dear readers!

Casa Azul Features Day of the Dead 2014

Yesterday and today, at the Cultural Arts Center on Davie Street, Casa Azul of Greensboro is featuring a fabulous Day of the Dead exhibit. Casa Azul promotes Latin American art and culture in Greensboro through projects, partnerships and fabulous displays like the one featured above. The above altar is about 1/8 of the whole exhibit. We featured this display because it shows so many elements of the holiday: A cross for Christianity, a picture of the deceased loved one, flowers, the loved one's favorite foods, candles, papel picado, and skulls.

The Day of the Dead is a Mexican holiday in which families celebrate the lives of their loved ones who are no longer on earth. While it is always sad for loved ones to be deceased, the Day of Dead is a time to remember them fondly by building an altar and visiting their graves. Casa Azul does so much to promote Latin American art and culture and to educate the local community about our neighbors from Mexico to Argentina and Peru and everywhere in between. Stop down today from 11:00 am-3:00pm to see their fabulous exhibit. In case you don't, we're featuring some more photos below. Finally, you can also see the animated movie "The Book of Life" (currently in theatres) if you are interested in the topic.

 

Buttonfest at Earthfare

With all of the political advertising, bumper stickers, buttons and commercials about the upcoming election on November 4th, it was refreshing to see campaigning of another kind- for eating healthy food. The above apron, worn by a very hardworking Earthfare supermarket employee, shows many of the buttons she has earned for doing good deeds at work. She earned one in our book by being so pleasant as we were checking out.

It has been said that people who come door to door canvasing neighborhoods at electiontime document whether you are flying an American flag; they input what your bumper stickers on your car say; and they record names on signs in your yard. Well, if they came by Ms. Kathryn's house, they'd have to note, "eats healthy." Surely, that doesn't peg one as libreal or conservative; Democrat or Republican!

Happy Saturday, folks. Don't forget to set the clock back an hour. Also, if you have enough energy left post-Halloween, head down to the Cultural Arts Center on Davie Street this evening or tomorrow for the Day of the Dead festivities- Greensboro style.

Happy Halloween on Deep Green

In Greensboro, getting in the Halloween spirit is super easy for those who drive past 3415 Deep Green Drive. The property is located just off Westridge, near Bryan Boulevard. Last night, the owners of the above house were out adding last minute details to the house that will come to life tonight. From sounds, to dry ice, to door greeters, the experience will be almost supernatural. Adding to it all is the moon hovering above. Forgive the blurry photo; we think the photographer got spooked!

By chance, the house next door is for sale. So, if you have this kind of spirit and enthusiasm for holidays, we may have just found the house for you! Imagine having a birds-eye view of everyone coming and going from this yard. Even better, imagine extending the fun by another city lot! Deep Green could be to animated, Halloween yard displays what Sunset Hills is to light-balls in trees at Christmas. Finally, Halloween on a weekend night means people will be out late. Be safe and drive defensively! Beware of witches brew!

CRAFTED! and the Art of the Taco (in Chalk)

Crafted, the Art of the Taco, is a restaurant that was established in 2012. Located downtown on the 200 block of South Elm Street, it has taken the community by storm. Fresh tacos with not so typical ingredients are served up in a tiny place that is barely wide enough for two people to pass side-by-side. While you wait, you can watch the cooks who are right there in the front of the restaurant.

Today, were're featuring the chalkboard advertising CRAFTED  from the street view. Chalk art is a trending career. With their elaborate, seasonal announcements brilliantly displayed in chalk, stores like Whole Foods and Starbucks must have full-time chalk artists. Smaller places like CRAFTED celebrate their offerings in chalk, too. And, at CRAFTED, while you are waiting, there is a chalkboard to try out your artistic talent. Who knows, you just may be the next great chalk artist. Start noticing all the places where you see the Art of the Chalk! Find some good food while you are at it!

P is for Penguins

Greensboro's Natural Science Center is home to a small group of African penguins. At about two feet tall and 5-7 pounds, these flightless birds are on the small side for penguins. To put this into perspective,  the Emperor penguin can be up to 3'7" tall and about 75 pounds (wikipedia). The African penguins at our science center are fun to watch as they dive and plunge for food. When they do so, a stream of air bubbles surfaces behind them. This bird is at risk of extinction. At the beginning of the 20th century, there close to a million and a half African penguins and there are believed to be approximately 55,000 in existence and they could be extinct within 15 years.

Greensboro's own science center is very involved in conservation efforts and this past August, we were lucky enough to have two chicks born in captivity. The Greensboro Science Center is part of the Species Survival Plan (SSP). Spend the afternoon at our Sciquarium and you can learn so much about these great birds and the efforts for helping the species survive. Today is ABC Wednesday and for this S.T.E.A.M. round, P is for penguin!

Fall, Glorious Fall

Fall is so glorious this time of year in Greensboro that it is easy to be thankful, simply, for the weather. In October, the leaves offer every color from cool greens to warm reds and oranges. And, as if to compensate for the lack of blue leaves, we have that blue sky for a backdrop.  Greensboro's leaves are past peak, but holding on as a gift to us. One string of rainy, windy days and they will be gone until spring. 

Snap an October photo while there is still time as November will be a completely different beast. If you aren't in a position to take a photo a day (and believe us, every day comes around pretty often!), consider taking one a month. It would be fun to pick the same day of the month and take a photo of the same tree to see it through its changes. We just might do so with this maple growing behind the Faust Building on UNCG's campus.

It is Pumpkin Time Again

 Pumpkin time is upon us. The above display was seen outside the Harris Teeter on North Battleground at the corner of Old Battleground. While pumpkins are readily available at grocery stores, they are a great fundraising activity for local youth groups. Pumpkins, of all sizes and colors, are everywhere this time of year, even Wal-mart. 

Since this past weekend was the last before Halloween, many pumpkins have already been carved into jack-o-lanterns. If you have carved yours, try to keep it cool and dry so that it will last longer. In Greensboro, many neighborhoods carve pumpkins together. It is a lovely community-buliding activity. Halloween will be on a Friday this year so, if you haven't already, plan your pumpkin and candy purchasing early this week. Since there doesn't appear to be a family Halloween event scheduled in Downtown Greensboro, you might want to consider heading to Burlington (3-6 p.m.)  or Kernersville  (6-8) for their their Halloween events. Kernersville's is their 30th annual trick-or-treat. This sounds like a great program for one of our civic groups to undertake. Whatever you decide to do, you only have four days left for Halloween fun!

St Jude on Wendover

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is a pediatric and research hospital, located in Memphis, Tennessee. The not-for-profit facility was founded by actor Danny Thomas. According to the hospital's website, when Thomas' career began to flourish in the 1950's, he never forgot a pledge he made to St. Jude, the patron saint of the hopeless- to build a facility to help those in need and not able to pay for their health care. Thomas established a place to help children in need, regardless of background or ability to pay. The hospital opened in 1962. 

St. Jude Hospital's efforts must be far-reaching as this billboard stands high over West Wendover Avenue where it intersects with Battleground. The slogan in Spanish acknowledges that the hospital exists because of the children. Since the hospital opened in 1962, the survival rate for the most common form of childhood cancer has risen from 4% to 94%.* While many, many research facilitities contributed to that heartwarming statictic, to be sure, St. Jude's researchers have contributed significantly. As we cruise down Wendover, so close to Brooks Global Elementary and Grimsley High School, and see the sign, it is nice to reflect on what has been done and what we can do personally to help all children be as healthy and happy as possible.

* reference.

 

Caution! Golf Crossing

Beep Beep... time to get in a little more golf crossing before winter rolls in and has the people of Greensboro seemingly hibernating. This photo was taken back in April, when spring was in full force. Now, we are already in autumn and Old Person Winter will soon be nipping at our heels. Those who know Greensboro well will recognize this road as Carlson Dairy where it cuts through the Farm Course belonging to the Greensboro Country Club. What was once a country road is quickly becoming suburban.

If the weather is nice today, you just might want to consider playing golf on one of the many private courses, if you have access.  In Greensboro, there are plenty of public courses, where anyone can practice hitting as few strokes as possible. Golf, a sport for at least the past 500 years,  is one of the few games where less is more! If you are driving along Carlson Dairy, be sure to yield to the carts.

The Biltmore Hotel- Pretty in Red

North Carolina has the Biltmore House, America's largest home, built by the Vanderbilts in the 1890's. Greensboro has The Biltmore Hotel, built in 1903 as office space for the Cone Brothers. Over the years, the 3-storey building has changed hands and purposes. In the 1960's Greensboro's own Otto Zenke decorated the hotel to give it the appearance of an English hunting lodge. The Biltmore tries hard to make the stay memorable for its guests.*

Indeed, the dreamy photo of the Biltmore Hotel on West Washington Street in Downtown Greensboro evokes yesteryear, especially when seen with a vintage red car in the foreground. Sounds like a great place to stay for a night, even for those from Greensboro. We're sharing this with Weekend Reflections where they will be quick to spot the reflection of us taking the photo.

*read about the building's great history and many lives, here.

Keeping It Local

This weekend, Leanne Pizio will be keeping it local by having local artists sell their art at Stealing Crow Farm at 2409 Oak Ridge Road. This event, held every fall and every spring, will feature 20 artists showing and selling art on a lovely pasture in northwest Guilford County. The above art was made by Leanne for shows that she held earlier in the year. However, this weekend, she'll offer equally inspiring pieces.

Leanne will also feature an art hunt where 6 canned goods will buy you the opportunity to hunt for art in a designated area. The canned goods will go to help fill a local food pantry- a win-win situation. If you get a chance, stop by this weekend and get some great art, pottery, and jewelry, created by local artists. Even if you don't buy anything, it is a great chance to meet some extremely creative people. Is it the weekend yet?

O is for Oxygen

Do you ever take adventure walks, looking for curious things to photograph? A world awaits, and not always at eye level. It is interesting to imagine a pipe leading to chilled water. That’s what we uncovered while walking near Tate Street recently. These small green plants discovered the water source, too. Like humans, plants need water and chilled H20 is an added bonus for them, too! The plants, need the water so they can grow and produce oxygen for humans.

Today’s photo evokes as many questions as answers. Why is the water chilled? Why is the cover painted bright orange? How long has this pipe been here? Is it still used? How large will the plants grow? How much oxygen can they produce in their lifetime? We’re sharing this photo with our S.T.E.A.M., ABC Wednesday, friends. As for all of the questions, that is science at its best. Asking the right questions can be as important as finding answers. Today, on ABC Wednesday, O is for Oxygen.... and Orange. Thank you, dear readers, for allowing us to Opine.... once a day, every day.

Youse Guys

Youse guys? Somebody driving around Greensboro in a Honda is not from Greensboro! Since we at Greensboro Daily Photo love language, especially dialectology, we are always interested to see what people come up with for vanity tags. We were thrilled to see the above plate. Youse guys, plural of youse,  is associated with Philadelphia, working class English. It is the equivalent of Greensboro's ya'll. Professor William Labov of the University of Pennsylvania has studied Philladelphia English extensively.* In December, 2013, The New York Times had the "youse guys" quiz that allowed you, with a mere 25 questions, to establish your personal dialect map. In the pre-Internet era, people had to go to graduate school to have access to surveys like that one. Now, it ia a mere click away.

The North Carolina dialect experts, much in the news lately, are Walt Wolfram and Jerry Reaser, who have co-authored "Talkin' Tar Heel." If you like fun, non-fiction about language, that is a good book to read. In the meantime, what could we put on a vanity tag that would say Greensboro as much as "Yous Guys" says Philadelphia?

*read more, here.

Mystery of the Don't Touch Me Chair

The "Don't Touch Me Chair" sits perched on the Market Street end of Tate Street. The chair is located on a lot behind the building that was formerly Greensboro's downtown YMCA. We don't know the meaning or who put it there. Perhaps it is a Greensboro College art project. Their students and faculty are known for creative projects.* Then again, right across the street from this chair is a block of student housing. Possibly, students installed the chair, only to sit back and gather data.

During our investigation, not one person touched the chair. The handwritten, all-caps, sans-serif font looks pretty serious. How about you, would you have touched the Carolina blue "don't touch me" chair? If you were a sanitation worker, would you have the nerve to haul it away? This was a little "Guy Noir" moment for us (See a few of our other NPR-inspired, "Guy Noir" intriguing moments here, here, & here). 

*See Greensboro College's Bamboo Frame Hut, featured last year (here).

College Place UMC

Today's religious post is of the College Place United Methodist Church at the corner of Tate and Spring Garden Streets. It was taken from the back side of the Weatherspoon Art Gallery and shows (partially) the different additions to the church building over the years. Greensboro's churches that don't want to change locations simply add buildings, as congregations grow.

The above church has been serving the College Hill and UNCG communities for decades. They have many community outreach initiatives that firmly anchor them to their current location. One important initiative is maintaining a food bank that is popular with the local college students. The church also provides a home-away-from-home for young Methodists attending UNCG and Greensboro College. Somehow, we think this church will stay put for a very long time.

 

Google Maps

Google maps Street View was out and about in Greensboro yesterday. We caught up with them at the corner of Aycock and Spring Garden Streets and followed them out I-40 eastbound towards Raleigh. If you've ever wondered how your street, house and yard got uploaded to google maps, look at the camera mounted on the top of the above car and you will see.

We're wondering if they were filming us as we were filming them. To be sure, Google had the better camera. From the looks of that lens, they have 360 degrees of capability; whereas, we only have a 180 degree range. The bottom line suggestion is to keep your yard in good order and your garage door down as you never know who is driving by to share your street-view with the world. See you online! Happy Saturday, dear readers!

Oh Butterflies

On these recent fall days, butterflies have been hanging out in Greensboro. In tha above photo, we see a monarch butterfly enjoying the flowers along Tate Street at the easternmost edge of UNCG. Monarch butterfly migration is heaviest in autumn as they head 2,500 miles to Mexico to hibernate in fir trees.

Between Greensboro and High Point, on Clinard Farm Roads is a butterfly farm. The farm's annual release day for the season was this past Saturday. Perhaps the above butterfly previously had been living at All-A-Flutter. Regardless, we sure are glad it chose to hover around our camera. The monarch butterfly population has declined 90%, so if you're looking for something to plant in your yard, a little milkweed might just be the habitat they are seeking. Happy Friday. Happy Skywatch Friday- where everyone shares a slice of the sky from their corner of the earth. 

Inside the Nanoscience Building

Yesterday, we featured the exterior of the Joint School of Nanoscience and Engineering on East Lee Street. Today's view is of the interior lobby. The clean lines and enclosed glass spaces seem fitting for a laboratory and classroom setting. If you look closely, on the far wall, you can see the A&T and UNCG signs, establishing at the onset that the facility is a joint venture. Working collaboratively is a highly valued practice in the 21st century and especially in the sciences. From the smallest nanoparticle to the largest yotta units, and everything in between, there is no exact metric for determining the value of a resource like this to the Greensboro community. 

In the early years of the current century, Greensboro lost over 40,000 jobs in its legacy industries (manufacturing and textiles). With the construction of this facility, located on a 75-acre tract of land, our city is moving some of the economic development into the technology-based economy (reference). If you get a chance, you should schedule a tour of this impressive community resource.

By the way, if you want to brush up on your metric, prefix knowledge, and learn that nano- isn't even the smallest unit of measurement, visit this UNC professor's website- published for all to enjoy.

N is for Nanoscience

Located on East Lee Street, on the former farm of North Carolina A&T University (NC A&T), is the Joint School of Nanoscience and Nanoengineering (JSNN). The building is a collaborative venture between NC A&T and the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG). The 105,000 square ft., state-of-the-art  research facility is used for solving critical problems with nanotechnology. If you are like us and don't have a working definition of nanotechnology on the tip of your tongue: It is the study of extremely small things in science, addressessing dimensions and tolerances of less than 100 nanometers. "Nano" is a prefix meaning one-billionth. Nanotechnology is used manipulating atoms and molecules. So, that is small! 

In a review of their website, we were impressed that JSNN maintains an online archives. If updated over the years, they will have impressive documentation of major events in the building. For example, the first dissertation defence for a Ph.D. in the field of nanoengineering was held on September, 19, 2014. Candidate Dattaji K Shinde defended his dissertation entitled, "Effect of Electrospun Nanofibers on the Interlaminar Strength of Laminated Fiberglass Composite." That will give you an idea of the complexity of the issues addressed and problems solved at JSNN. Greensboro is lucky to have this wonderful facility.

Today is ABC Wednesday and "N" is for "Nanoscience." See our A-M in the S.T.E.A.M. round, here. Stop back tomorrow and we'll take you inside the building.

 

 

Persimmon Time is Guilford County

Nothing says fall in the old, rural North Carolina kitchens like harvesting domestic persimmons and making persimmon pudding. While this old-timey fruit is labor intensive, it is well worth the effort. North Carolina's domestic persimmons have 2-6 watermelon-sized seeds for a fruit that is smaller than a quarter. They have a cap and a stem that need to be removed by hand. The local persimmons are of the astringent variety, which means they taste best after a frost, when they are sufficiently ripe. The above photo features the Asian variety and, while also astringent, amount of pulp per persimmon is much better than the domestic ones. If you want to make a commitment to edible yardening, the persimmon is a great tree to plant. The one above is thriving in Greensboro.

If you want to learn more about persimmons as well as sample persimmon dishes, we have the perfect festival for you. November 1st, just a few miles northwest of Greensboro, in Colfax, the Persimmon Festival will be held. On the historic Stafford farm, there will be an array of arts and crafts, live music, and plenty of persimmon items, from pulp to pudding, available for purchase. Here is an "Our State" article about persimmons in which Gene Stafford, host of the festival, is quoted. Hopefully, with the eat local movement, and with advocates like the Staffords, the persimmon will trend as a culinary treasure.

Flamingo Row on Walker & Kensington

The homeowners at the corner at Walker and Kensington are ready for fall. They have a fabulous front porch for resting a spell, enjoying the cooler evenings.  The backyard is showing their combined love of Halloween and flamingos. As seen below, they bring out the skeleton flamingos and dress others in Halloween costumes. 

While on site for this photo shoot, we had the great opportunity to talk to one of the owners; who was nice, pleasant, and accommodating for our photo shoot. One of the great perks of maintaining Greensboro Daily Photo is meeting so many great community members. Seeing the people and places around town provides an opportunity to learn how others express their creativity. We give the folks at Walker & Kensington an A+ for Halloween creativity. This is one household where, if their front yard got flamingo-ed, we're betting they'd pay to adopt them instead of paying to have them removed!

St. Andrews Episcopal Church

October is fall festival time at Greensboro's churches and people come out in droves to shop, eat, and experience great fellowship. The above photo was taken yesterday at St. Andrews Episcopal Church on West Market Street. Their bazaar was held throughout the church and on the lawn. The ever-popular BBQ line was located just outside the Market Street entrance.

Greensboro's faith communities are known for these intergenerational events, in which the whole community is invited to participate. St. Andrews did a fabulous job yesterday. We overheard volunteers saying this might have been their best year yet and that people have learned arrive early. By the end of the afternoon, even the food offerings were getting low.

Here is a list of upcoming bazaar events, if you are local.

Boating Season Coming to an End

This fishing boat, parked in front of Golden Antiques in Summerfield appears to have been pulled from the water for the season. Even if you have removed your boat from the water, Greensboro Parks and Recreation will be offering fall foliage boat tours, starting October 16th at the Lake Brandt Marina.* You don't have to say goodbye to the water just yet. How wonderful that our city offers such boat rides for only five dollars per person. They also have paddle rentals and outdoor education opportunities.

If you find a way to get out of doors ind interact with nature, your heart will be healthier and your spirits will be lifted. Even if you have to park the boat, like the owners of the above vessel, Greensboro offers plenty of opportunities to commune with nature. Call a few friends and hit the trails, or the lakes. And........ bring your camera. The five year old in us thinks that the fisherman's chair in the front looks like Sully's one-eyed side kick, Mike Wazowski,  in the movie, Monsters, Inc. What do you see when looking at this boat?

* reference and more information, here.

Blacksmithing

The above photo was taken at the Westerwood Art and Sole event this past weekend. This was #10 on the stop at 810 Courtland Street. This young man, Will Sears, was demonstrating his skill as a blacksmith. He loves forging metal and making everything from hooks and spoons to other useful implements. He also makes chain mail garmets. Additionally, loving all trades involving making useful things with heat, he is learning to blow glass.  Perhaps we'll see this young man at Old Salem or on the Renaissance Fair circuit. It is heartwarming to know these pre medieval crafts are being carried into the future.

The bright yellow-orange glow of the above spoon is just the right temperature for forging. It was amazing to see how long and hard he had to work just to shape out a spoon; such patience, determination, and precision. With his commitment to his tasks at hand , likely Will would be a fabulous employee. On the other hand, he is probably perfectly happy working for himself.