Greensboro Daily Photo

Along Battleground Avenue

Battleground Avenue starts all the way downtown at Greene Street and continues all the way north to Old Battleground where it becomes Highway 220. Each section has a special character and the northern end of the road has shown tremendous growth over the past few years. It is definitely the north/west pulse of the city.

The above photo shows the intersection at Cornwallis Drive and Lawndale Avenue. This is the area between Kirkwood and Old Irving Park. You can see the Battleground Avenue sign clearly displayed in the middle of the intersection. It is always nice when streets are clearly marked. The trees really enhance the intersection, contrasting nicely with the metal bars of the railway.

Tanger Center, Elm Street Side

 

Blink and the Tanger Center for the Performing Arts is up, at least great progress has been made. The above photo features the Elm Street side of the building, which has this magical feature where the reflection off of the building across the street almost looks like an ancient script. They could project some interesting projects, movies, sayings, etc. onto the side of the building.

This 85 million dollar 3,000 seat facility is scheduled to open in the spring. Do you have your tickets? Season ticket sales have been brisk. This will be a wonderful facility for Greensboro. Somebody appears to be interested as their Facebook page already has over 6,000 "likes" and the building isn't even complete. Stop by 300 North Elm Street and check out the progress, or check back here and we'll post more photos as progress is made.

Hamilton Lakes

Hamilton Lakes, a quiet suburb of Greensboro, was founded as a town in 1920. The lake in the photo is part of the community and open only to community members. While the town was annexed by the City of Greensboro in 1957, the lake and recreational amenities remain private through private contributions and neighborhood association dues.

As you can see from the photo, Hamilton Lakes is very family oriented. There are two miles of trails, two lakes, a stream  and many other recreational opportunities. When Greensboro businessman A.M. Scales began developing the 1,600 acres for residences, it was known for its architectural momentum. With all of the home renovation happening, especially on Henderson Drive, it appears that momentum is continuing. However, at the heart of it all, is keeping the sense of strong community and opportunities to enjoy nature, regardless of architectural style or the sizes of homes.

Summers & Church in NC

In North Carolina during the summer, many residents take vacations to the beach or the mountains, or both. Attendance at just about everything is unpredictable with all the summer plans. Churches almost always have a week of Vacation Bible School, some kind of big meal event, and many hold revivals. Today, the last Sunday in July, is a strong reminder that summer is winding down. 

Collins Grove Church, located at 5210 Collins Grove Church Road, is having day one of their annual revival, to begin this afternoon at 4pm. Then, the revival will continue for three days this upcoming week. Revivals are a time of great faith renewal and a time for students to reconnect with their congregation before starting back to school. College students, especially, get lots of words of encouragement. Collins Grove is ready for all of the above, They have the lawn well manicured, flowers out front to greet members, and everything is beautiful in anticipation of this big week. On August 10th, they will host a fish fry and car & truck show. Collins Grove is one of many examples of just how active faith communities are in Greensboro. If you are looking for a faith community, there are plenty to choose from. 

2412 Sherwood Drive

The above house was the last one on the Lindley Park Walking Tour, hosted by Preservation Greensboro this past Wednesday. It was one of the smaller homes, but it holds faithful to the original requirement of the neighborhood for houses be set back from the street. Built after World War II, when Greensboro, like many cities in the United States, was experiencing a housing boom.

The facade of the house features Japanese influences, evoking the sense of a Japanese tea house. During the tour, a woman ran up to the door and knocked. We soon learned that her friend lived there. The friend didn't appear to be home. But then again, what would you do if someone knocked on your door and there were fifty people outside? If only we'd practiced a song, we could have started singing. It was a lovely evening and a fantastic tour. By the end of it, this group of people- united with the singular interest of getting to know more about our great city- just might have been willing to burst out in song. Happy Saturday!

Preservation Greensboro: Tour of Lindley Park

Preservation Greensboro offers free walking tours of historic neighborhoods in Greensboro. The above photo features the starting point for the tour of Lindley Park. On these tours, a docent gives a brief introduction to the history of the neighborhood, sharing its significance, lore, and most interesting points, and then commences to walking and talking. Homes with historical and or architectural significance are pointed out.

The Wednesday night tour drew almost fifty people, most of whom were not from Lindley Park. Many participants had been on one of the tours before. Standing on the bench on the right was Rebecca who did an excellent job of bringing the history of Lindley Park to life for the group. Learn more about Preservation Greensboro and their upcoming neighborhood tour schedule, here.

Recycling Glass

Sadly, as of July 1st, the City of Greensboro no longer accepts glass in the residential recycling containers. However, they have established drop off sites for bottles and jars at various points throughout Greensboro. The above photo features the bins in at the edge of the parking lot at the Kathleen Clay Edwards Family Branch Library. As long as you have a vehicle, the process is super simple. You just drive up and place your bottles in the bin. The biggest challenge is dropping the glass in the bottom of an empty bin without breaking it!

By far, the bins are filled with wine bottles and beer bottles, mixed in with a few jelly jars. Let's just say, Greensboro residents consume a lot of wine and beer. Of course it wouldn't be cost effective for wineries in France or California to refill wine bottles, but surely, breweries in Greensboro could have a deposit/recycling system that would keep beer bottles out of the rubbish bins. Growlers could have paper labels and uniform sizes so they could be returned anywhere. Come on Greensboro, we can figure this out. In the meantime, if you have a neighbor who has transportation issues, please offer to take their bottles and jars to a designated recycling spot.

Mr. Rogers would approve of this idea!

And Rain Brings Frogs

Well, it rained and rained in Greensboro over the last day and a half, but there is not more rain predicted this week. It is amazing how quickly temperatures cooled with the rain. From mid-90s to mid 60s, a drop of thirty degrees.

Today's tree frog photo is a little blurry, but it is the best we could do when this frog hopped on the back door during this last rainstorm. Those sucker-like, sticky pads on its feet make resting on glass super easy. With the lights on inside, there must have been bugs around to attract the frog. There are over thirty different kinds of frogs in North Carolina. If you want to see better photos, see our 2017 photo, here; and the 2018 one, here. We hope to make a frog photo an annual event. But you know how nature is; unpredictable!

The Beautiful Westerwood Neighborhood

Today's photo features the westernmost entrance to the Westerwood neighborhood. The charming brick bungalow-style home with the generous front porch is perched at the corner of Westover Terrace and Fairmont Street, just up from Lake Daniel Park. Of course it is the people who make Greensboro beautiful, but it is also the people who make the urban landscapes and their homes beautiful.

The photo shows how green and healthy the plants in this yard are. What is a little harder to see from this distance is the fact that there is a hummingbird feeder that gets plenty of visits from the tiny birds. Also, to the right of the sidewalk is an urban garden full of edibles and wildflowers. This yard is beautiful and all of the plantings, trees, hedges, etc. help keep the need for manicured grass to a minimum. To be sure, this yard and home make a very inviting introduction to the Westerwood neighborhood.

MUSEP Jazz Evening at Guilford College

MUSEP has been providing free summer music concerts around Greensboro for forty years. Yesterday's concert was held at Guilford College. Due to the heat, attendance was down. However, those who attended were well protected by all the mature trees on the campus. The Piedmont Triad Jazz Orchestra played two sets of great music for the crowd.

Next Sunday's concert will be at Country Park from 6:00 p.m. - 8:15 p.m. The lineup includes "Low Key" a Classic Rock to Pop group and "Sam Frazier and the Side Effects " with their Songwriter/Americana Sound. If you are in town, like music, and can arrange transportation, this is a must-attend event.

Sir Charles- Grateful, Loves Jesus

Every Saturday morning, Sir Charles Shepperd Jr. can be found, with his wife Carmen, at the Greensboro Curb Market on Yanceyville selling the sauces he perfected. From sweet and mild to spicy and kicking, there is a sauce for everyone. Originally from St. Louis, Missouri, Charles settled in Greensboro after moving around in the mid-west pursuing a career in sports. He loves interacting with customers and is very open about the life events that lead him to Greensboro and how his relationship with God deepened. 

In 2013, Charles had a heart attack and his heart stopped beating for 45 minutes. Carmen found him unresponsive on their bedroom floor. She called 911 and they coached her through trying to revive him until they could get there to take over. Charles tells of seeing bright lights and feeling like his life had ended before he was revived. That experience deepened his faith and he wears his feeling on his chest and on his head: Grateful and Heart Jesus. Churches and other faith based spaces are only as strong as the people who inhabit them and, while the farmers' market is not a church, people like Sir Charles and Queen Carmen bring joy to so many people. And yes, the sauces are delicious. You can try them as they are generous with samples, smiles, and encouraging words. Happy Sunday!

Penguins at the Science Center

Splish Splash! The penguins are jumping for joy because the Greensboro Science is Celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.  Even if you missed the celebration last night, you should go today and enjoy this Greensboro resource that has been getting better and better since opening in 1957. It has been accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums  and is a member of the American Alliance of Museums. If you join, you will get lots of free and reduced price entries to other science centers and museums throughout the United States.

Head to the iconic space on North Lawndale and learn more about these African penguins. They are an endangered species and are so cute. They will entertain you for hours. They may even convince you to participate in the next Tuxedo Trot. 100% of the profits from the event go to help with conservation of African penguins!

Full Moon Fun!

Did you happen to see the full moon on Tuesday evening? The July full moon is known as the Thunder Moon. In the above photo, the moon was rising over the little pond on Tory Hill Drive. You can see the reflection of a floodlight in the very center of the photo and the full moon at the top center and the reflection of the moon at the bottom. Greensboro looks so dramatic under the moon glow.

Get Outdoors sponsored a full-moon paddle on July 17th.  If you missed it, they will host another one during the next full moon on August 15th at a local city lake. They will even provide glow sticks. These outdoor, group adventures are so much fun and great exercise. Hope to see you there from 8:00- 10:30 p.m., paddling by the light of the moon!

Watching Bumble Bees in Greensboro Gardens

We're pretty sure this is a bumblebee. There are almost two dozen species of bumblebees in the eastern United States and it was if half of them were in our Greensboro yard this week. The one in this photo was extremely large and spent several minutes feasting on the flower of a hosta plant. Its bottom half was so large is hard to believe that it was able to fly. The bumblebee is often referred to as the apex pollinator. If you move slowly they let you get close to them and pay very little attention to you.

There were several other species of bees buzzing nearby, enjoying the flowers on the mint plants. The hot days this past week have caused the mint to start to seed; not the best for the taste of the mint leaves, but fabulous for the needs of pollinators. Our yard is pesticide free and we plant lots of edibles which attract pollinators.  Interacting with nature is so much fun in the backyards of Greensboro.  What have you seen in your yard this summer?

Keith Monroe

This smiling man is Keith Monroe, standing among a few of his favorite books. Originally from Berea, Ohio, Keith has lived in Greensboro since his graduate school days. He obtained a Ph.D. in English from UNCG, fell in love with a woman from Greensboro, married, and decided to stay. Keith, who has a great sense of humor, refers to Greensboro as the Sargasso Sea, a place you enter and never leave. He and his family have built a great life here. He loves the small-town feel of Greensboro and his Sunset Hills neighborhood. He even enjoys the Christmas season with all of the decorating and the "Running of the Balls" event through the neighborhood.

Keith is retired from a career in journalism. He wrote editorials for the Winston-Salem Journal and was editor of the editorial page at the Virginian-Pilot. Since retirement, Keith stays busy reading, writing, eating good food, traveling with his wife, and exploring museums.  He is a member of an all-male book club and maintains a blog,  He especially loves reading about current events and politics, and editorializing about them. Keith's editorials can be found on his blog, Podunk Pundit, In true retirement fashion, he is his own boss, sets his own deadlines, and loves going to work. The commute is short; upstairs in his home, precisely where this photo was taken.

 

Smith Street Diner

The Smith Street Diner boasts serving breakfast all day long, eight days a week. The locally-owned diner opened in 2005,  serving fabulous, homemade food. It is getting harder and harder to find a good, fresh breakfast, but not on Smith Street. They are known for their giant biscuits and fresh orange juice. It takes six whole oranges to make one glass of juice; it takes someone with a mighty appetite to finish one of those plate-sized biscuits..

As you can see from the above photo, the counter is a very popular place, especially on weekends. Seating capacity is sixty five, and they don't take reservations. The restaurant actually modeled its business after Robinson's Restaurant, giving the current residents of Greensboro a chance to enjoy the great food, service, and location that Mr. Robinson kept hopping for over two decades. 

International Civil Rights Museum

The International Civil Rights Museum, located at 134 South Elm Street, was founded in 2010.   The first Woolworth opened in 1879, and the Greensboro Woolworth in 1929. The Greensboro sit-ins took place there in 1960, when four NCA&T college students weren't going to take no for an answer with respect to their being able to order from the lunch counter. 

In the above photo, the museum looks quiet and empty. However, during special events, the building is packed. It gets over 70,000 visitors annually. Greensboro played an important role in the Civil Rights movement in the 1960's. It is important that this history be remembered. If you have never visited the museum, you owe it to yourself to do so.  Happy Monday!

New Garden Friends Meeting

The New Garden Friends, also known as Quakers, hosted a booth at Fun Fourth on South Elm Street in downtown Greensboro. They dubbed it, "The New Garden Peace Booth." Passers-by were asked to write a response to the query, "What do you do to promote peace?". They were to write responses on post-it notes that got added to the inflatable peace sign.

Some of their favorite responses, shared on their website, were: "always be kind and never give up", "respect the worth and dignity of all", and "be willing to listen and care first". How would you respond? The Quaker community has been going strong in Greensboro since 1754. If you want to learn more about this welcoming religion, see their website, here.  

Christman-Cascade Building

What was once the Cascade Saloon at 408 South Elm Street is now owned by and has been redeveloped by the Christman Company. They have completely renovated the interior and left the exterior in its original form. The building dates to around 1895, around the same time the Christman Company was established. 

If you like history and preservation stories, follow this link to Christman's website and read all of the details. There is even a 16 minute documentary (here). This preservation of Greensboro's heritage is an example of what happens when the City, Preservation Greensboro, and private enterprise collaborate.

The above photo was taken on July 4th, hence the red, white, and blue balloons. The police on bicycles just happened to be patrolling the beat.

Oh, Playgrounds!

Over the past several years, Greensboro has been getting more public space, including play spaces. LeBauer Park is one example. There is so much to do there: Fountains, ping pong, climbing spaces, and more. Gateway Gardens is another public space that families adore.

The above photo is one of the playground spaces at the Greensboro Arboretum, on the West Market Street side of the park. The equipment is plastic with no sharp edges and the mulch bed is thick. This playground is part of the 17 acre space that you can use for walking and picnicking. It is open daily and is free! If you like parks, try it out this weekend.

Fly GSO!

GSO is the three letter code for the Piedmont Triad International Airport. No other airport in the world uses this same airport identifier. So, when you are stuck in traffic or in a parking lot and see a car with a vanity plate reading, "IFLYGSO", you know that they fly in and out of the Piedmont Triad International Airport. What is not known is whether or not the person is a flight attendant, pilot, corporate person? Wonder what inspired them to spend the extra money to share this message. At any rate, this is what is considered to be a good vanity license plate; as it is easy to figure out. Wonder if there is an "IFLYGSO2"!

If you are in the car traveling this weekend, consider encouraging other people in the car to find interesting license plate messages, or ones from as many U.S. states as possible. This was such a popular activity, before cell phones took over our lives. Happy Thursday.

Color Maze on the Lazy Days of Summer

The Greensboro Science Center just keeps getting better and better. With every renovation and tax dollar spent, they add features that help connect the community to science, flora, and fauna. They have permanent and temporary exhibits for people of all ages. the above photo features the color maze, an exhibit that combines the science of light and color. By the time you leave the exhibit, you have a better understanding of issues like color blindness and bioluminescence. The exhibit is included with the price of general admission. If you join, you will always have something to do, especially in the summer. Light up a friend's day and arrange to meet them under the lightbulb! (Did you notice the color of the dots is in rainbow order)?

Mayflower Street

Summer is the time for roadwork. In addition to new construction, like the widening of Horse Pen Creek Road, and continued work on the urban loop, many neighborhood streets are being repaired. The above photo was taken on Mayflower Street in Greensboro, just off Spring Garden Street. The week, Sunset Hills streets are getting paved.

Allow extra time to travel and obey the signs to stop or go slow. If you are looking to perform a random act of kindness, even words of thanks and encouragement would appreciated by just about anybody working outdoors. Have a great Tuesday and, if you find yourself waiting en route,  imagine how wonderful it will be to have smooth streets to drive on.

Sunrise on Lake Higgins

Yesterday, the weather in Greensboro went through many stages. First, the morning started with a warm sunrise. The above photo was taken at Lake Higgins, just as the day was filling in with color and the sun was peeking out over the water. Deer were milling around, fish were striking at insects on water's edge, dragonflies were snacking on bugs; the lake was teeming with life.

By afternoon, the skies opened and the rain came down, drenching the yards and streets. By night, the crescent moon was surrounded in a swirl of clouds. As you start your Monday, try to take a little time to appreciate nature. Gardens are growing and flowers are in full bloom. We need to protect our green space and keep the green in Greensboro. Invite a friend to take a walk while we have these long days of light. Whatever you decide to do, have a great week.

Weddings on Elm Street

In the above photo, Rev. Liz Grimes is officiating a wedding on Elm Street on the Fourth of July. Mike and Gina are exchanging their vows as their witnesses look on. Nine couples had the opportunity to get married. Altar Ego, a division of Sharpe Pursuits, put on the event in conjunction with other sponsors.

Rev. Jac Grimes, Liz' husband, also performed ceremonies that day. Liz and Jac were the perfect couple to officiate the ceremonies. They have been happily married for years, and are firm believers in the inherent worth and dignity of all. In 2011, they formed a company, All Faiths Wedding Officiants of the Triad  and have performed over 600 beautiful, custom ceremonies over the last eight years. To add to the specialness of the weddings on the Fourth, the very spot where the marriages were performed is precisely where Greensboro splits from north/south to east/west. Everything about the day was special.

 

Greensboro Roller Derby

The above photo features Greensboro Roller Derby members promoting their organization during the Fun Fourth Festival. When you see women skating up and down Elm Street on skates with four wheels, chances are very likely that they are affiliated with Roller Derby. This non-profit organization is committed to promoting fun and fitness on skates.

The Greensboro chapter of this organization was founded in 2010. Join now and you can be part of the 10-year celebration. You may want to watch a match or two before joining. If you love to skate and are interested in learning more, consider joining their boot camp and information session on Wednesday, July 17th. The event will be held at 208 West Fairfield Road, High Point.There are over 1,200 leagues worldwide. So, if you join, you will be part of a large network of women who like match-ups on a track! 

Fun Fourth, Greensboro 2019

Fun Fourth in downtown Greensboro was, indeed, fun! The above photo, taken in the 200 block of South Elm Street shows people walking past the cool-water mister in front of Jimmy John's. Fun Fourth has been a Greensboro tradition for forty-five years. Yesterday, streets were lined with activities for young and old alike. Many of the brick and mortar businesses were closed since there were so many food and shopping options in the streets. Happy 243rd birthday, America. Happy 211th birthday, Greensboro.

If you peek to the right, beyond the group walking towards the camera, you can see the building of the old Ellis-Stone Department Store- long gone, but not forgotten. Greensboro and Elm Street have changed a lot over the last two centuries. However, one thing hasn't changed, the great spirit of the people living here. The Fourth may be over, but hopefully friends and families will be able to carry the celebration into the weekend.

Happy Fourth of July 2019

The Fun Fourth Festival has been going strong in Greensboro for forty-five years. Last night the town kicked off the celebration with a free block party, and with fireworks at the baseball stadium. The above photo was taken on the Eugene Street side of the stadium, one of many fabulous vantage points for viewing the fireworks. With all of the new construction in the area, the fireworks were very close to apartments, as well as the new Hyatt. As you can see from the photo, Eugene street was blocked off and several people gathered right at the street.

Today will be equally fun with the Freedom Run that starts at 7:30 am and the Fun Fourth Festival downtown,  billed as the largest July 4th event in North Carolina. This year, activities are divided into "pods" with pods for play, history, music, food, and more. At the pod on the corner of Elm and Market Streets, wedding ceremonies are being held. The downtown parks and history museum have events throughout the day (check the above link). From 1pm-8pm, Greensboro will seem like a giant playground, all to celebrate the USA. Let's spend the day enjoying each other and imparting random as well as not-so-random acts of kindness, and the holiday truly will be fun!

Proximity Hotel, So Green in So Many Ways!

Last night, the Proximity Hotel on Green Valley Road looked so beautiful as the sun was setting and clouds hovered behind it. Between Benjamin Parkway and the hotel is a large lot. The grass is mowed, trees surround it, and there is a small stand of trees in the middle of the lot. Groundhogs frolicked, running around the trees before darting off to the perimeter of the property.

The 147-room hotel opened in 2007 and the U.S. Green Building Council awarded it platinum certification. If you notice, the top of the Proximity you can see nine solar panels. Actually, the hotel has 100! There are so many green and sustainable practices that the hotel has been billed as the greenest hotel in the United States, without sacrificing comfort. If you are interested, read the Wiki article to learn more about the hotel's great features (here). 

It will be interesting to see what becomes of this lot to the west of the hotel. It would make a fabulous park! And, the groundhogs endorse that suggestion.

Hutchens Barber and Styling Shop

Mr. Gilbert Hutchens has been cutting hair for at least five decades. His shop is located on Clifton Road at Merritt Drive. Over the decades, the surrounding neighborhood has changed significantly. Property that was once a cotton mill is now covered with student housing. Just down the road, a tiny house community has recently been constructed. All of these new neighbors need haircuts and Hutchens' shop is just the place to get a shave and a haircut.

Mr. Hutchens has been cutting hair since back in the day when the term was "barber." First, patrons had their barbers; then, for decades, people wanted to go to "stylists" as opposed to barbers. Now, with beards, and shaved heads, and straight-razor cuts trending, Hutchens is precisely the place with all of the knowledge to shave with a straight razor, trim facial hair, and cut your hair any way you want. While the exterior of Hutchens Barber and Styling Shop looks humble, step inside and you will experience expertise at work! Before we know it, flat tops may be trending in Greensboro!

Blue Swallowtail Butterfly

This blue swallowtail butterfly was found in the parking lot of the Lake Higgins Marina. They are usually found in forests and there is a nature trail right beside the marina. The underneath part, the part visible when they are perched on a flower is black with orange spots. If you are able to spend time outside, observing nature, you will find many great living things, like butterflies. 

Today is the first of the month, so for the worldwide, City Daily Photo community, the theme is the color blue. Blue is for the blue swallowtail, whose habitat covers much of North America, especially where the pipevine plant is found. Happy Monday, happy getting outside to enjoy nature!