Greensboro Daily Photo

Horse Pen Creek Road

If you haven't driven on Horse Pen Creek Road (HPCR)  lately, you might not recognize the above scene. For about five years, traversing HPCR has involved dodging orange cones, navigating lanes that switched from morning to evening, and gravel and . The proposed roadwork was under study in 2008 and 2009, with much discussion in 2013 and now a completed project, nearly a decade later.*  Look how wide the road is now. The above photo features the easternmost point of HPCR, approaching Battleground Avenue.

At one time, HPCR was one lane in each direction. Now, at this intersection, there are five lanes with divided highway. Many parts of the road are four lane with curbs, gutters, bicycle lanes, and a raised median. The road looks so crisp, clean and fresh. zlanes are freshly painted and there are no potholes. May the road weather well; winter will be the real test. The white tower in the center of the photo frequently has dozens of buzzards perching on it. The tower also looks pretty against the blue sky. Give Horse Pen Creek a try and let us know what you think.

*City of Greensboro project description, HERE.

Brad Caviness

Last night during First Friday in downtown Greensboro Brad Caviness was working diligently on one of the jars he and his brother, Bryan, create together. The two have been working on this specific sculpture for three month. Brad made the jar, Bryan carved the temple and pillars, Brad is working on the details of filing down the columns. Just look at his focus and the placement of his hands. The piece is backlit, making the inside of the jar glow and the temple stand out. The Caviness brothers are inspired by archaeology, especially historic structures from great civilizations. Part of the jar is chipped away because this structure has suffered destruction. It was a temple in Palmyra, Syria, destroyed by the Islamic State in 2015. How wonderful these structures live on in the work of Brad and Bryan.

This dynamic sibling duo is represented in Greensboro by Ambleside Gallery.  Gallery owner, Jackson Mayshark, saw the talent of these two sculptors and knew their sculptures would be a good fit for the art and artists he represents at the gallery. Ambleside is located at 528 South Elm Street. This is the first time we noticed Brad working on a piece in the window of Ambleside. How wonderful to have had the opportunity to watch him work. This is an example of the serendipity of what you will see when walking the length of Elm Street- especially on First Friday. If you want to get lost in the ancient ruins of Brad & Bryan online, head to bcclayart.com and have a look; in person, to Ambleside. We're betting you'll be wowed!

Happy Monday, dear readers.

October Full Moon

Today's  full moon in October is named for the pre-winter hunting season. It is often known as the Hunter's Full Moon. Travel, Dying Grass, and Sanguine Moon are other names. The term Hunter's Moon is so named because it coincides with hunting season for some wild game. Even the animals being hunted seem to know it is about to get cold. The above photo was taken in Northwest Greensboro. On this day of rest, Sabbath for Christians, what can be more spiritual than a full moon on a clear night, so bright, no flashlight is needed. Last night was clear, so the the moon reflected sunlight to the extent that a shadow was cast.

Last night, even the owls were howling, the air was crisp, and the sky was so clear, the stars were visible. Night skies like what we saw in Greensboro last night are so special. If you get a chance, peek out tonight and let us know what you see.

Happy Sunday!

Downtown Decorations

It is beginning to look a lot like Halloween in downtown Greensboro. Especially from the 500 block of South Elm Street  to Bain Street, downtown is very colorful. The above window is the decoration of Terra Blue, a store that sells spiritual gifts, beads and findings, bath salts, coffee, and more. Allen and Sarah McDavid opened a shop in 1999 in a neighborhood and then moved to the above location downtown. Their shop, over 20 years old, is in a building that used to be shared with the Browsery, in the building owned by Ben Matthews.* Terra Blue was very creative during the Pandemic, setting up shop outside in the entranceway of the store. Now, they have in inventory in both sides of the building and their window displays just keep getting better and better.

Last night was First Friday, the weather was nice and there were plenty of galleries, shops, bars, and restaurants open for everyone's enjoyment. The cultural arts center featured an art exhibit. The downtown parks had people in them; in Center City Park for the Drum Circle and LeBauer Park for Salsa dancing. The moon was not quite full, but it was bright, illuminating everything in its path. The serendipity of strolling on Elm Street on a night with so many places open is delightful. As we were taking this picture, a boy about 4 years walked by and started talking to us. His mom reminded him that he just can't talk to even?ryone. Persistend, he asked "Who are you?" What would you say if a four year old stranger asked you that question. Then, we stopped to watch Brian Caviness sculpting at Ambleside Gallery and then headed back up the other side of the street. The evening was very relaxing!

Happy Saturday! Head out and make some memories.

 

* read Yes Weekly article about Ben and the Browsery, here.

Happy Birthday/Founders Day UNCG

Yesterday was the Founders Day celebration at The University of North Carolina Greensboro (UNCG). October 5th was the first day of classes on the campus, 130 years ago in 1892. The event, held on the 6th this year, also honored the school's founders and early leaders, especially Charles Duncan McIver, the first President. Free t-shirts were distributed that said, McIver & Jackson & Sullivan & Gilliam- all four, memorable leaders. President Charles Duncan McIver was born in 1860 and only 45 years old when he died in 1906 at the age of 45. It is hard to believe that this crusader for women's education accomplished so much in his 45 short years. Walter Clinton Jackson was Head of the History Department, served as Dean and Vice President in the first past of the 20th century. Patricia Sullivan served as Chancellor from 1995- 1995- 2008. Finally, Franklin D. Gilliam is Chancellor now.

During Founders Day, the weather was glorious and students were having a ball playing cornhole, taking 360º photos, eating free kettle corn, playing frisbee, and eating free cake. The lines moved quickly and students really seemed to be enjoying themselves. Above is a photo of one of the cakes and, to be sure, there were many. When we left at 3:00, they had not yet run out of cake. Happy Birthday,

UNCG. Fall break is the first two days of next week and, likely, a lot of students will head out early today to enjoy a few days off, before returning and gearing up for the second half of the semester. 

Matty Sheets & Open Mic at the Green Bean

Matty Sheets has been hosting open mic sessions in Greensboro for nearly twenty years. Since June of 2021, he has held the sessions at the Green Bean Coffee Shop downtown on Elm Street. The above photo was taken at the session held there last night. Poets, singer songwriters, a percussionist, a ventriloquist, and more shared their talent. Matty doesn't have a lot of rules, other than demanding people be ready when it is their turn, and that they are nice to each other. The Tuesday night open mics are from 7-10 pm and about 25 people performed and there was a nice little crowd of spectators.

Here is Matty Sheet's personal website, where he explains that he is an artist, musician, songwriter, and a storyteller. He also explains that he is living with multiple sclerosis and that he is dizzy most of the time. He is so personable and generous with his time to host everyone's favorite open mic, which is free to musicians. Matty opened the night last night a performance on his ukulele and introduced everyone; most of the performers seem to know him on a personal basis. Matty looks so elegant and in his element in the front part of the Green Bean, in front of the rows of filled chairs. Thank you, Matty for all you do for the local performance artists. Let's hope those new advances in MS research come your way. You deserve the best!

Happy Wednesday!

 

*Great Yes Weekly article on Matty Sheets HERE.

Moses Cone Mural at the Denim Hotel

We had a chance to tour the Hotel Denim last week; above, is a mural painted on the 3rd floor. It is a painting of Moses H. Cone, the American textile entrepreneur who, with his brother Caesar,  built the largest denim mill in the world and the largest cotton mill in the US southeast. The Cones were major employers in Greensboro. Moses and his wife never had children and became great philanthropists in Greensboro and North Carolina. He accomplished so much to have died at age 51, in 1908 from pulmonary edema. Every floor of the Hotel Denim has art related to Greensboro's denim and blue jean history. The hotel's website has extensive photos of the art. We're betting the Hotel Denim, conveniently located at 1517 Westover Terrace, will be very busy during homecoming season, especially during NCA&Ts homecoming.

It seems fitting for us to feature one of Greensboro's most prominent Jewish citizens as Yom Kippur starts this evening at sundown. For those of you celebrating Yom Kippur, may you have an easy fast. 

Happy Tuesday!

201 North Eugene Street

Today's photo features the lot at 201 North Eugene Street downtown. It formerly housed Guilford Center/ Guilford County Health Department. D.H. Griffin won the demolition bid and demolition began in March 2022, and appears to be complete. According to Fox 8 News, this land was part of a City Council-approved land swap with Carroll Corporation. It was done  to facilitate Greensboro's development of the Eugene Street Parking Deck downtown. The swap and financial transaction with developer Roy Carroll were explained in a 2018 News and Record article by John Newsome. It will be interesting to see what this corner looks like when construction is completed.

We took this photo on Saturday morning, and as you can see, the strong winds blew some of the safety fencing down. Hopefully, it has been secured as this would not be a fun place to land. We're always curious if anything of interest was found once the building was gone. We're wondering where all of the sand came from. While this is not the most attractive view of our beautiful city, it is always fun to see change in progress, especially when the JP/LFG building is in plain view.

Happy Monday!

Percy Street: Prayers Answered

Percy Street, located in the Dunleath Historic District (formerly, Aycock). It is the kind of neighborhood where everybody knows your name; neighbors look out for each other; and, people do things for the community at large- not expecting anything in return. Examples of this community mindedness include Porchfest, a tiny-library-like box for free puzzles and one for free art. As we were driving to the Greensboro Farmers Market on Yanceyville, we detoured through Dunleath and saw the above tree at the corner of Percy and Brandon had split in half. The owner of the house with the split tree was called over to the porch of a neighbor who wanted to make sure they were OK. Fortunately, the tree didn't hit the house and a removal service was on its way.  There didn't appear to be any damage to houses on Percy Street. Trees are so important to the eco-system; however, the mature ones in these older neighborhoods can do great damage. If you are one who prays, to be sure, this is a prayer answered.

From the remnants of Hurricane Ian, Greensboro had whipping winds and heavy rain. Many people were without power. As far as we could see, it was mostly branches dropping and not whole trees. We hope you were spared and that if there is a lot of debris in your yard, some Good Samaritan neighbor stops by to help you get things cleaned up. After all, Greensboro is known for greenery and, in a way, the trees belong to everyone.

Happy Sunday!

Jeansboro Sculpture at LeBauer Park

It is hard to believe this photo was taken less than a month ago, back before this cold snap brought in by Hurricane Ian dropped the temperature to the 50s. The photo shows you the vibrancy of downtown, especially on Davie Street between the two city parks. The artwork is a fiberglass pair of jeans, celebrating Greensboro's rich heritage of making denim and jeans. There was a time when Greensboro made more blue jeans than anywhere else in the world. While that empire has moved overseas, the memories remain. In 2015, the name "Jeansboro" was coined as a nod to that history. We even have a Jeansboro Day.*  

The artist of the above piece is Sage Hanna Betts. There are several of these blue jean sculptures around town, one at PTI airport and another at the Greensboro Science Center.  The 4' tall sculptures were painted by local students and artists. Here is a GPS City map. We haven't tried it, because we have a pretty good idea of what is where in Greensboro; however, if you want to map out a tour, try here. We hope you have a great weekend and your are safe and your home is dry! If we took this photo today, people would be in long sleeves, rain jackets, and jeans. It is time to put the shorts away.

Happy Saturday!

* read more here.