Greensboro Daily Photo

Farmers' Market Day

Happy Saturday! It is a great day to head to one of Greensboro's many farmers markets to purchase produce and interest with great people who are very connected to the land and eating local. The above photo was taken at the Sandy Ridge Farmers ' Market out by the interstate. The stand is filled with items from Burton Farms of Davie County NC. If you go to the market, you will find many great options and you will be helping someone who is local. Have a great weekend. For most, this is considered the last weekend of summer. Time to put away bathing suits and white shoes and start bracing yourself for a flood of pumpkin spice flavored foods and beverages-- in town and at the farmers' market as well.

Valerie Nieman

Last night, local author and NC A&T Professor Valerie Nieman spoke at Scuppernong Books downtown about her latest novel, "To the Bones."  Set in West Virginia with action taking place in a coal mining community, the book is described as genre-bending with great storytelling and a strong sense of place. Nieman majored in journalism at West Virginia University. After graduating in 1978, she went on to write for newspapers, first in West Virginia and then in Greensboro. When asked how she made the transition from journalist to teaching at the university level, she explained that serving as an editor actually has a big teaching component as you are helping writers prepare their stories to go to print. 

The event was well-attended and quite a bit of fun. As a nod to a scene in her book, Nieman made peach cobbler for the audience from an old-timey recipe which she shared. In the above photo, Nieman (on the right) is seen with Deonna Kelli Sayed who is membership coordinator for the North Carolina Writers' Network. Sayed added so much to the evening by asking great questions, given her thorough knowledge of the book.

Last MUSEP Concert of the Season

The final MUSEP concert was held at Blandwood Mansion this past Sunday in downtown Greensboro. Holding it there was such a great grand finale, especially with the Food Truck Festival just around the corner. Some people visited the food trucks before the concert and some after the event. You know summer is coming to a screeching halt when the Sunday evening MUSEP music concerts come to an end. The Italian Villa architectural style, built in the late 18th early 19th century, home of Governor Motley (of the same era) would make a great painting! Here are a couple of examples of paintings of Blandwood. (#1 and #2). 

MUSEP just celebrated their 40th anniversary. Let's hope MUSEP remains strong for years to come and that they continue to feature concerts throughout the parks in Greensboro!

Food Truck Festival Street Scene

Today, another #DGSO scene of the August Food Truck Festival, held this past Sunday. Yesterday, we featured founder/organizer Shari Kumiega. Today, we show the Market Street side of the festival, as it was winding down, but when the sky was such a spectacular shade of blue. The yellow truck on the right served soft-serve ice cream. The red truck was 454 Grill, based out of Raleigh. Formerly a SnapOn tool truck, the 454 Grill serves up great food and gets high ratings.

To the left, out of sight, is a row of event tables where people of all walks of life gathered. If you are following the findings about the surprising benefits of talking to strangers (BBC article here), you can imagine how easy it was to strike up conversations with people during this event. People struck up conversations with others waiting in the same line, with others sitting at the same table, and with those who had the same breed of dog. Super popular at Sunday's festival was the Japanese hunting dog, the shiba inu. The next downtown event that will bring together food trucks and people from all walks of life is the North Carolina Folk Festival, September 6-8.

Downtown Greensboro Food Truck Festival

On Sunday, the Food Truck Festival was held in downtown Greensboro. The weather was perfect for spending time going from truck to truck sampling foods to fit all palates; from vegan to gluten free to meat-lover specials and everything in between. The community owes the festival to Shari Kumiega, photographed on the left above.

Shari organized the first festival in 2012. It was held on Spring Garden Street with fifteen food trucks participating. The festival has grown to a twice-yearly event (April and August) with 60 trucks participating. Shari, who moved to the Greensboro area from Massachusetts 9 1/2 years ago, came to Polo Farms to ride and train horses, and to judge horse shows. The Food Truck Festival began as a community building effort that she did almost on a whim. Today, Shari has moved from the farm and has built a business out of organizing food truck festivals throughout the region. Next up are events in Winston-Salem, Danville, and Burlington. Before you know it, it will be time for the April event in downtown Greensboro. If you get a chance, stop at the booth at the corner of Greene and Market Streets, meet Shari, and thank her for starting this wonderful community event. #waytogoShari, #DGSO!

First Day of School

For most of North Carolina, today is the first day of school- Guilford County included! The above photo features Rose Mosquera, a Spanish teacher at Eastern Middle School. Rose holds a master's degree from UNCG and has career status with Guilford County Schools. Her approach to teaching Spanish is to provide lots of comprehensible input to students and get them reading and speaking as soon as possible. If Rose is your teacher (or your child's teacher), you will be in a classroom where you hear Spanish spoken almost all the time and you will find yourself understanding what she is saying. The middle schoolers respond favorably to her style of teaching and, indeed, she gives it her all.

Last Thursday, August 22, all of the world language teachers in the district met at Page High School for staff development and to network with peers. Rose presented two sessions on her approach to teaching and shared information about the materials she uses.  

Here's to a great school year for Rose, and all of the other teachers and students in the district- and everywhere for that matter. 

Stepping Out in Faith With Christ

We first featured FaithStep Ministries Church on GDP in 2012. Seven years later, they are still going strong, and they are still located at 309 West Gate City Boulevard. A Greensboro News & Record article from 15 years ago explains how long-time members form a circle around first-time attendees and let them know that they are now part of their circle of worship. This storefront church attracts people who in many cases are down on their luck. As the article so beautifully explains, "Here, worshippers from the poorest, potentially least hopeful backgrounds find welcoming hands and hearts."* The goal of the church is to minister people in transition. It sounds like Christlike work is being performed at this church. If you ever have an opportunity to help or visit, likely, you will find your involvement fulfilling. Happy Sunday; Happy helping those whose lives are in transition.

*reference and additional information, here.

O. Henry Hotel & Green Valley Grill

The O. Henry Hotel and Green Valley Grill, established in 1998, were both busy last night. The evening air was hot and balmy. The restaurant and bar were full of people out celebrating the weekend. Shortly before 9:00 p.m., the rain fell, and the wind was blowing rather fiercely. Fortunately, at the hotel and restaurant, the power didn't go out. For those only eating, it was a good place to wait out the storm. While all the guests were warm and cozy enjoying the evening, the outdoor areas of the property, including this courtyard, were hauntingly empty during the downpour.

Temperatures dropped to 63 degrees by early this morning and today will be significantly cooler. Enjoy your Saturday, and know that once the sun sets around 8:00 p.m. tonight, it could possibly rain again. When one is able to enjoy the rain from a dry, safe place, the views are hauntingly beautiful. 

Core Life Art

The Core Life Eatery, on Green Valley and Westover Terrace, across from Irving Park Plaza is proving popular with the crowd that loves to eat "bowls", as in green bowls, broth bowls, rice bowls! The clean, efficient, sleek look of Core Life has a very interesting wall on the north side. As you can see from the above photo, a black and white line drawing is being replaced by something pink. As of 7:45 p.m. last night, all that could be seen was the start of adding color to the wall. However, it isn't at all clear what the end product will feature. Stop by today and check out the progress and whether or not they add other colors other than pink.

It is so fun to drive around Greensboro these days and see what is different from the day before. It seems like we've been featuring changes a lot lately. It is simply a fact, that Greensboro is changing before our eyes. The dance studio we featured earlier in the week is gone, as is the Rainbow car wash on Battleground. Speaking of changes, drive a block north from today's photo to Cook Out to purchase a watermelon milkshake, as there are only nine days left to get one this year.

Book Club Book Sets Available from GSO Public Library

Did you know that the Greensboro Public Library System maintains sets of books that local book clubs can borrow? Usually each title has 10-15 books available. One person from the book club checks out the entire set, is responsible for distributing the books to members and getting them returned.* I learned about this program while at the Central Library interviewing Beth Sheffield about the "One City, One Book" kick-off event to be held this Saturday (August 24) at 6:30 p.m. in the Greensboro History Museum. By the way, the library has several sets of Trevor Noah's "Born a Crime" available to loan to local book clubs! 

Beth (photographed on the right) oversees book clubs and programming for adults for the Greensboro Public Library. If there is a literary event happening in the downtown parks, a public library, or the community in general, chances are, you will see Beth there, either facilitating the event or in the audience. Come to the "One City, One Book" kick-off event to hear Osha Gray Davidson talk about his book "Best of Enemies" and race relations in North Carolina. Davidson's session is a way to discuss racism, a theme from Noah's book, within a local context.

*read more about the Book Club program and search titles, here.

(photo credit: Karen Garraputa- who happened to walk by and, serendipitously, is in my bookclub)!

Monday's Storm: View from South Elm Street

 

Monday afternoon brought quite a rain, wind, and hail storm through downtown Greensboro. The above photo features  the 200 block of South Elm street after the storm swept through. A tree branch broke off in front of Crafted. The ginkgo biloba leaves created a carpet of green up and down the block. The female tree dropped her seed pods that smell like stinky fruit. Many of the businesses closed early. Some appeared to be without power. For the 5-6pm time slot, the roads were eerily empty. 

We took this photo after most of the storm had passed. We had sheltered in place in the public library with the car parked safely in the covered parking deck on Church Street. People from all walks of life banded together to wait out the storm. Hopefully nobody was hurt. Storms can be dangerous, but sometimes it is nice to take pause and realize that we humans don't have absolute control over everything in our lives. Something about this street scene is beautiful.

 

One City, One Book

The first of more than eighty events for the One City, One Book initiative is happening this Saturday, August 24th, at 6:30 pm at the Greensboro Historical Museum. The above photo features Beth Sheffield holding a copy of the selection for this year, Trevor Noah's "Born a Crime." Beth is the coordinator of adult programming and book clubs for the Greensboro City Library. As Beth explained, events related to One City, One Book incorporate themes of the book that will be of interest and relevant to people of Greensboro.

The Saturday event, features a visit by Osha Gray Davidson who wrote "Best of Enemies." This book from the 1970's is about the relationship between Ann Atwater, a Civil Rights Activist, and C.P. Ellis, Cyclops of the Ku Klux Klan. The book tells of how the diametrically opposed pair work together to find some common ground and to understand the other's perspective on race. So much of what Davidson writes in his book is relevant today with the binary political divide we are experience in the United States. The Saturday event will also allow time for dialog and questions. Greensboro is so lucky Davidson will be here for the event; and, this is only the first of many events to come- from Zulu dancing to a visit from Carla Hall, soul food cookbook author. Beth says her hope is to get Trevor Noah himself to come discuss "Born a Crime." If you have insight into helping this happen, contact Beth at [email protected]. Follow the Greensboro Public Library on Facebook for events related to the book! See you Saturday!

MUSEP at Latham Park

The Sunday evening music concerts hosted at the city parks, and brought to us by the City of Greensboro have been a fabulous Greensboro tradition for forty years. Last night's music was at Latham Park where the audience was treated to a Beatles tribute by Wonderwall and Funk, by Doby.

Between bands, the UNCG art department rolled out a giant beachball and the under-ten crowd went wild chasing it around. It was so wonderful seeing the above crew have unbridled fun OUTSIDE, while their parents enjoyed talking with friends and sharing snacks. MUSEP does so much to build community and we are lucky to have these concerts. Forty years of great music, every Sunday, all summer long. The final concert is next Sunday at Blandwood Mansion. See you there!

Churches Today

Churches are so much more than just places to go to hear a good sermon and to receive spiritual guidance. Many also have food and clothing pantries, transport members to medical appointments, and more. The above photos shows Covenant Church of High Point as they transported young students to enjoy a visit to the Weatherspoon Art Museum of Greensboro.

Covenant Church is 29 years old and they are one of those churches that do so much for their church community. They have small groups, music ministries, connections to churches in 125 countries, and plenty of programs for people of all ages.  How wonderful that they have their own transportation and take students places in the community like art museums. The Weatherspoon is open from 1-5 pm on Sundays, perfect for going to church, grabbing a bite to eat, and then heading over to enjoy some great art- for free! Happy Sunday.

On the Road Again

If you are heading from Greensboro east to Burlington on East Wendover/Burlington Road/Highway 70, you may see these road signs for the bypass. They have been sitting next to someone's yard, in an area that is becoming increasingly less rural. The signs are not too far from Knox Road and Eastern High School. It will be convenient to zip around the city faster and to alleviate traffic closer to town; however, a new road comes at the cost of losing more green average. These signs appear so much larger when you are actually standing near them.

The road signs remind us that Willie Nelson was supposed to play in Greensboro tonight and he cancelled to to respiratory problems. Somewhere, recuperating, surely Willie is mentally singing "On the Road Again."  Willie, we just can't wait for you to get on the road again, and to hear you making music with your friends. And when you do, please reschedule for Greensboro. Just maybe, we'll have this road ready for you. Happy Saturday, everyone!

 

Greensboro Dance Theater

Greensboro Dance Theatre has left the building on Battleground Avenue, next to the Rainbow Car Wash, near Cone Boulevard. They are still enrolling for fall and classes will begin in September in their new building on Westover Terrace. It is located behind IHOP and Outback Steakhouse. The new building allows the dance studio to expand, update, and not be right on a main highway. We will miss watching the little ones attempting pirouettes while waiting at the red light.

We always wanted to do a photo shoot with this wall and sign in the background. Now it is too late, as you can see the building is being torn down. D&R Watts is in charge of tearing demolition. It will be interesting to see what goes up in its place. In the meantime, let's wish Greensboro Dance Theatre all the best in their new location as the young ballerinas glissade into the new school and dance year.

 

La maison française

Driving around the neighborhoods of Greensboro is so much fun. The above house is located on Robin Hood Drive, in the community between EarthFare and Bryan Boulevard. This house, a typical design for Greensboro in the 1990's, has been dubbed the French House. As you can see, the French flag is prominently displayed. Also, the shutters are painted the same blue as the top stripe on the French flag- identified with Saint Martin. Then their is the white painted second floor, and the bottom red brick represents the red on the stripe, for Saint Denis. 

Surely there is a back story here. Perhaps the owner was born in France, teaches French, or simply a francophile, loving the French language and culture.  first time we see someone out working in the yard, for sure we will stop and ask them. The Robin Hood tale is associated with England, so we're guessing the name of the street does not hold a clue. Our homes say so much about us; some more than others. What does your "maison" say about you?

Hanging Flower Baskets Downtown

Summer is quickly winding down in Greensboro. There are two MUSEP concerts remaining, and traditional public schools start on Monday, August 26th. Downtown still looks beautiful with the hanging baskets of purple flowers on the streetlights. The arms of the lights look as if they were made for the baskets. A 2013 article from the News & Record indicates that the flower basket program been a downtown tradition for over 15 years.

The baskets are environmentally friendly with the selection of drought resistant plants and the use of gray water for watering. There are 245 baskets and they were installed by Downtown Greensboro Incorporated. They are installed in the heart of the business district around Elm Street, McGee Street, S. Greene Street, February One Place, MLK Drive. Barring any unforeseen weather events, they hang from May to October. While the article we've referenced if older, we haven't seen any updated information to say that anything has changed. Regardless, they are super beautiful and well cared for. Have you noticed them?

Reference and read more about the baskets, here.

Pickerel Frog

As gardens are winding down in Greensboro, wildlife seems to be abundant. The above photo features a pickerel frog hiding on a hosa leaf. The Piedmont is a key habitat for the pickerel frog. They have skin secretions that are toxic to many of their predators*; however, they perform a very important service in your garden, eating all of those mosquitoes, gnats, and bothersome flies. If you have them in your garden, it probably means that you have a water source not too far away.

If you don't have frogs near your home, consider hiking around Country Park or on one of the many trails and greenways. Be the first in your group, keep your eyes open, and you will find some interesting flora and fauna!

* reference and additional information.

Garden Spider Time in Greensboro

Have you seen a garden spider near your house yet? Now is the time the black and yellow argiopes are making their webs in Greensboro. The above photo was taken yesterday and the spider didn't seem to mind. The females lay their eggs and usually die by the time of the first frost. The baby spiders are on their own from the minute they are born. However, the mother has created the ideal environment for them because the strong web traps bugs that the baby spiders can feed on.

If you allow your spider to live and her web to remain, you are helping the ecosystem. As for us, there is a slight dilemma given that our spider has settled inside a bed of weeds that we were planning to cut down. At least it is in the back yard out of sight. What do you do when you see a garden spider? They are really, really fun to watch, especially if you have little ones around, and, even better if you have read Charlotte's Web! In case you are interested, HERE is a graphic of Spiders of North Carolina.

Word Church of Greensboro

Word Church of Greensboro is located on Holbrook Street between the Glenwood neighborhood and Gate City Boulevard. The pastor of this non-denominal, Christian church is Ruthine McCain. Services are held at 12:00 noon. So, if you are reading this in the morning, it is not too late to go try out this young church in Greensboro.

We have been publishing Greensboro Daily Photo for ten and a half years, publishing something religious or spiritual in Greensboro every Sunday. So, to discover and share a new church this close to town brings us great joy. Glenwood is a diverse neighborhood with many ethnic groups and diverse income levels. UNCG has student housing on the edge of the neighborhood. Word Church has the potential to help in so many ways in this very special part of town.

If you want to see Pastor McCain's preaching, log on to their Facebook page.

Birds, Bugs, and Beyond

The above photo features Leanne Pizio on the left, the currently-featured artist at Irving Park Art & Frame Shop. The opening of her exhibit, "Birds, Bugs, and Beyond," was held last night. Above, you see the collage pieces she has in the show. The art in the background is also Leanne's. Out of range are the pottery ladybugs and cloth "taxidermy" animals assembled on the wall.  Leanne has a fabulous assortment of two and three dimensional art available at this show.

To the right is Reneé Lauver, owner of Irving Park Art & Frame Shop--  located at 2105 West Cornwallis Drive. While Reneé been at the helm for twelve years, those of you who are local know that this frame shop has been an Irving Park institution for decades. Renee and Katie (not photographed) are experts at helping clients select frames and matting while making sure their clients make the final decision. Reneé hosts many shows featuring local artists, which is truly a community service. Stop by whether you need a frame or want to find a new piece of art. If you want one of Leanne's ladybugs, you'd better hurry, as many are already sold.

Kress Building

The S.H. Kress Building is an iconic building in downtown Greensboro. The Kress Company was a five and dime store that believed in selling inexpensive items in elegant buildings. This building at 212 South Elm Street is, indeed, elegant, especially the rooftop renovation. It is interesting to know that when Kress opened in the 1930s, the air was conditioned by an ice/salt mixture that was pumped through the building during the day. The building also played a significant role in the Civil Rights movement in Greensboro.*

On an otherwise quiet day downtown, earlier in the summer, a man happened to walk by with his dog. The duo adds so much energy and warmth to a photo of what otherwise seems like an empty building downtown. While the building has the space to add retail or residential square footage, don't be fooled, there is a lot happening here. 

 

*see this link for our reference and to learn even more about the history of the building.

 

SPROUTS Has Sprouted in Greensboro

SPROUTS Farmers Market has opened in Greensboro this week. Based out of Arizona, the company opened its first store in 2002. They have more than 300 stores and the above in their fifth in North Carolina. The store is located on Battleground Avenue at Westridge, in the same plaza with Kohl's and Planet Fitness. Yesterday, Sprouts was packed and the parking lot was more crowded than it has been in recent history. Sprouts specializes in fresh produce and organic foods. They are making a commitment to be "Zero Waste" by 2020. A noticeable difference inside the store is the open floor plan. For much of the floor space, you can see across aisles, until you get to the taller isles at the side of the store, back by the frozen foods, which, by the way, are all 20% off at the moment.

The grocery store options in Greensboro will have just about doubled once Trader Joe's and Publix move into the market here. How do you decide where to shop for groceries? Do you use a dedicated grocery store or a big box store? What draws you in? Weekly sales? Earning points for discounts on gas? Organic? Are you loyal to one or do you store hop? Regardless, if you get a chance, stop by SPROUTS this week. The  energy there this week is so positive and the sales are great. Employees have been well trained and they are plentiful. They have brought employees from other states to ensure the opening is smooth. Everything is picture perfect and even shoppers seem happy. Let's hope they can sustain all of this great energy. 

National Night Out

National Night Out is held throughout the United States on the first Tuesday of August. The purpose is for police officers to build community with residents and for neighbors to get to know each other. The initiative started in 1984, which makes this year the 35th year of the event. People sit on their front porches with the lights on, children play outside, and officers stop by to meet and interface with residents. 

The above photo shows the Lindley Park neighborhood as people began to arrive for the gathering in the park-- beside the pool and in front of the recreation center. People of all ages seemed to be enjoying themselves and the rain managed to hold off until later in the evening. Did you have an opportunity to participate in an event? If not, consider spearheading one next year. You never know, you just may start a tradition that will last for decades. And, if it is in front of your house, you won't even have to drive anywhere to enjoy the evening.

Cows on Highway 150

Greensboro is so beautiful this time of year when the skies are blue, clouds are billowing, and animals are peacefully hanging out in a field. Such is the scene in the above photo, which was taken on Highway 150, out in front of the St. Thomas Pentecostal Church. It isn't clear as to whether or not the church owns the land, but it sure does buffer their buildings from Highway 150 in Summerfield, an area that gets increasingly busy and built up each year.

Pastureland is still abundant in the outer perimeters of the county. If you get a chance, take a drive and take pause when you see these lovely scenes. If you love cows and livestock, the 2019 Guilford County Youth Livestock Show is this Saturday, August 10th, starting at 8:30 a.m. at the NC Cooperative Extension, Guilford County Center at 3309 Burlington Road. Here is the link about the event.

Joel Crafton, Singer/songwriter

This past First Friday, international recording artist, Joel Crafton, played at the gallery opening in the Greensboro Cultural Arts Center. Joel,  also known as Black Pinoy, plays quite a repertoire of sounds and songs. He combines R&B, soul, and pop. This singer/songwriter is originally from New York, but fell in love with North Carolina and calls Greensboro home. What a gain for Greensboro!

Black Pinoy takes his sound worldwide. He sings in English, Spanish, and Tagalog and  identifies as American Ilocano, (The Ilocano inhabit Luzon, in the Philippines). He is a nice person and gifted at conversing with people from all walks of life. In the above photo, he is seen on the left with a keyboard against a backdrop of art. His saxophonist to the left is putting away his instrument as it was the end of the set. What a wonderful addition they were to the August First-Friday events.

 

St Thomas Chapel

St. Thomas Chapel Pentecostal Holiness Church is located at 633 Highway 150, not too far from Northern High School. Above is one of the buildings on the campus. To the left of this church is a newer, larger building, also part of the property. St. Thomas is built way back off from the main highway and just behind a cow pasture. It is a great example of how farmland and animals have to learn to adapt to being around so much human activity.

Bishop Tyrone Hunter has been pastoring the congregation for over 40 years. He is a devout believer, dedicated to his family, his church, and the gospel. If you are looking for a Pentecostal congregation to join, St. Thomas could be just what you are looking for. Take a Sunday drive out to the northern end of the county and see for yourself. Happy Sunday!

Happy 50th Anniversary, Charles Aris

Charles Aris is an international executive recruiting firm, located at the intersection of North Greene Street and Battleground Avenue. Last night, they were celebrating their 50th anniversary. Founded by Charles "Mitch" Oakley in 1969, the organization has grown not only in number of team members but also in the size of the building. The corporate headquarters is 24,000 square feet.  Last night, they celebrated fifty years of the firm's success.

As seen in the above photo, the the 50th anniversary event was beautiful. The ground floor of the corporate office and the tent directly outside were filled with fine food, catered by UNCG. There was beautiful lighting and fabulous live music that could be heard throughout the block. Everyone was dressed in their finest and the mood was festive and celebratory. It is so nice to see businesses reach the fifty-year milestone, knowing that they are Greensboro-based with a global presence.

Biking Around Greensboro

 

The above photo features the shadow of a cyclist along Hamburg Mill Road. Hamburg Mill connects Pleasant Ridge Road to North Battleground Avenue, and the Lake Higgins Marina is also in the area. The upper corner of the photo features a bed of sunflowers which, curiously, were not turning to face the sun.

Saturday and Sunday mornings are prime time for cyclists to be out on the highway. These mornings have the least automobile traffic. If you want to try biking on the road, consider joining a group ride organized by one of the local bicycle clubs or through the bike shops. There are still some stretches of road in the outer perimeters of Guilford County where it is possible to bike past beautiful farmland and other rural scenes. The greenway and off-road trails are the safest options. Even if you are not inclined to cycle, consider finding some outdoor activity that you enjoy and head outside this weekend. Happy Friday!

Tiny is the New BIG

Tucked into an unassuming lot at 4120 Causey Street in the Pamona neighborhood of west Greensboro are six tiny homes, A-F. This is the first tiny house community that the City of Greensboro has approved. In the era of large suburban homes, this little community reminds us that, at the end of the day, all we really need to live is a roof over our head, a place to fix warm meal, a way to get in out of the elements, and a place to sleep. As shared on their website (tinyhousesgreensboro.com), each has a living area, a kitchen with full sized appliances, one bedroom, and a bathroom. Five of the homes are 288 square feet and one is only 180 square feet.

The tiniest of the houses is the one on the right. It has the word "Weaver" on the door, because it was built by students at Weaver Academy, a Guilford County School. Students raised the money for the material, designed the home, and built it in one semester. What a great way for students to learn the engineering process, perform community service, and oversee a project from conceptualization to completion. Residents are excited because these houses represent a means of ensuring they not only have an affordable housing option, but one that is permanent. The thriving, community garden at the front of the lot that reminds us that while housing security is important, quality of life is made even better when there is a sense of community.

The City Daily Photo theme for August is black. The black trailer reminds us that there needs to be a way to get each home from the sight where it is built to here. See more theme day photos from around the world, here.