Greensboro Daily Photo

Café Chairs at New York Pizza

We've been experiencing technical difficulties at GDP, but today, we think we are back online. Thank you faithful readers for not your patience. Today, the City Daily Photo theme is "café chairs". The café chairs we are sharing can be found at New York Pizza at the corner of Tate Street and Walker Avenue. Even more delightful than the chairs is the brilliant artwork at this establishment. How fun to eat among Pac-man and the riot of color. The scene makes an otherwise gray day feel a little brighter. Hats off to New York Pizza for their commitment  to the artwork. We were told it changed frequently. We'll need to stop by this weekend to see if that is, indeed, the case.

Happy weekend, folks. See you at First Friday!

Happy New Year 2013

Happy 2013 Greensboro!

We hope your year is off to a great start and, if you are inclined to making resolutions, that they will be reasonably attainable. The international city daily photo community, of which GDP is a part, encourages members to post their best photo of the previous year on January 1st. We've selected the 85th anniversary/birthday celebration of the Carolina Theatre for our post. The celebratory event, held Octover 29th, represents the best of the Greensboro community- people from all walks of life coming together to support the arts.

In Greensboro, we are so fortunate to have great arts programs, performers, artists and venues. Even if we don't get a new performing arts center, Greensboro has so much to celebrate and to support. Let's make a collective resolution to support one community-based arts event a month this year. Can we do that? Let's each invite a friend, and ask that friend to invite a friend, and see what we can do to show all of our performing and visual artists how much we appreciate them. Here's to a great 2013, and not just sitting back and expecting our community to be good to us. Let's do what we can to contribute to that greatness. Happy 205th year, Greensboro; happy 86th year, Carolina Theatre; happy 60, plus years Children's Theatre of Greensboro; happy 14th birthday Triad Stage. happy, happy, happy... and HEALTHY!

You've Got Mail on "Our Street"

Considering how busy the postal service gets this time of year, we just had to share this van, spotted on North Battleground Avenue (near Big Lots and Wendy's) this week. The mailbox at the top is "air mail" and just below is "e-mail." Behind the back door is "residential mail" and on the trailer hitch on the bottom is "junk mail, bills, taxes." Gotta love this sense of humor. We only wish we'd had a Christmas card to drop in the residential mailbox or some of our junk mail to hand off to the van's owner. We don't know where they really get their mail, but the van has North Carolina tags. What does your vehicle say about you and your lifestyle? If it is this interesting, you just might find it on Greensboro Daily Photo.

It is a busy weekend in Greensboro. we hope you find time to do something fun and meaningful. Today is theme day for the City Daily Photo Community, the meme that inspired this website. People around the world will be showing us "their streets." 

 

200th Anniversary Honoring of Bethel Veterans

Yesterday, Bethel Presbyterian Church*  held a special ceremony to honor all veterans and members of the Armed Forces affiliated with their church. The program started with a welcome and invocation by the church's pastor, Rev. Paul L. Rhodes. Several veterans and service organizations participated in the service. The event was organized partly to honor the 200 year history of the church and its members.

A rifle salute and cannon salute were conducted by people in uniforms of previous wars. The people in the above photo were dressed in period attire to represent the US Civil War. The woman on the left belongs to the Society of the Black Rose. This organization was established in 1998 to help with memorial services. Wearing a complete period mourning outfit, she is present to remind people of the loss of life during the Civil War.  The Black Rose was named in honor of Rose O'Neal Greenhow, who lost her life trying to help the Confederate Cause.  

The Bethel event also included a flag retirement ceremony and the presentation and raising of a new flag. This fine ceremony was educational to many and meaningful to all who attended.

*Read our earlier post on Bethel Presbyterian here.

got, ELECTRICITY?

It is March 1st which means that it is theme day for the City Daily Photo community. This month's theme is 'electricity'.

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The ubiquitious phone and electrical lines are easier to capture in photos than not, as seen in the above picture.  The power lines cut the photo in half and reinforce the horizontal aspect of the photo. From the power lines on down, the photo is very rigid and angular. Above the lines, the clouds are fluffy and fleeting. The property is offered for sale by C-Ray Properties, begging the question, "Is it Rays of electricity we are C-ing?".

The vacant, mid-century, flat-roofed building offered for sale, likely will not be long for this world. The trend is to build multi-family units on this part of Lee Street as the Univeristy of North Carolina at Greensboro is not too far away. The privacy wall and elevated windows add a layer of intrigue to this photo.Is the cloaked man Guy Noir? Possibly looking for Ms. Guy Noir?

If you had this building, what would you use it for? We took this photo last week on a blustery, winter day on West Lee Street. 

Occupy Greensboro II

We resurrected this photo from the Occupy Greensboro March a couple of months ago because today's first-of-the-month theme for the City Daily Photo community is action shot. Well, we haven't taken many action shots this month and, above, there is lots of action, literal and conceptual! We don't know about the rest of the USA, but the Occupy Greensboro group was very well mannered and many of the marchers were either in college or college graduates. Several university professors participated.

Today's photo should appeal to the international crowd as the young man in the front is carrying a sign that reads, "we are the power" in French.  "Nous sommes le pouvoir" right here on Elm Street in front of the International Civil Rights Museum, says the man with the mohawk.

 Glenwood Coffee and Books is actually hosting a planning meeting for Occupy Greensboro today so, the cause is neither gone nor forgotten.

As for the City Daily Photo theme day: 

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October 1: Mystery Objects at City Daily Photo Sites

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

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

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

House on Alamance Church Road

Gargoyles, crosses, stained glass window, piles of rocks, columns of lions, bright red door, and a widow's walk are among the items featured prominently at this abode. This blue house, located beside the highway not too far from I-85 and Alamance Elementary, at 1822 Alamance Church Road, is quite an enigma. If online databases are correct, it was built in 1895, has four bedrooms, one bath, and is 6,299 square feet. That's one bedroom per appoximately 1,500 feet and only one bathroom for the whole house-- possibly a world record! In 1995, the house sold for $39,000. Surely, they have been working on it since then. If you look between lion-topped column 1 and 2, you can see a structure peeking out. Is this a private residence? Are they gearing up for an HGTV episode of "If there walls could talk?" 

We posted this house with this odd perspective and the fading lions on the right because today is theme day for the City Daily Photo community and September's theme is "perspective." Whether you define perspective as 'point of view' or 'the visual/spatial effect of something appearing to get smaller on a two-dimentional surface,' today's photo is definitely an odd perspective! Visually, it is a lot to parse! Do help us find out its story. Do head over to the City Daily Photo site to see more interesting photos from around the world.          Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Greensboro Fire Rescue on Elm St.

According to their website, "The Greensboro Fire Department operates 33 fire companies from 23 fire stations strategically located throughout the City of Greensboro."  Firemen are an important and much-needed part of any community. They not only cover fires, rescues, and hazardous material incidents, they are first responders for all medical emergencies. In their non-emergency work times, firemen make every effort to interact with the community. Above, they have a ladder truck and water to share in the Fun Fourth festivities on Elm Street. 

Fire departments have been affected by the economic downturn and are spread thin. Many districts are depending more and more on volunteers. Next time you see a fire fighter, thank him/her. Our city wouldn't be the same without them. For August 1st, the City Daily Photo theme around the world is "Postcard Worthy." Since the whole world could be clicking through today, we wanted to share a scene of people out having fun in our community and a photo with the word "Greensboro" on it. 

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We dedicate today's post to our blogging buddy, Abe Lincoln, over at Brookville (OH) Daily Photo whose testimonial will remind you why you should never smoke and will reaffirm what we have said above about responders to medical emergencies!

Green is for ACTION GREENSBORO

It is the first of July which means that City Daily Photo blogs worldwide are celebrating the theme "green." Well, how could GREENsboro resist participating in the "green" theme? For our contribution, we've selected the window of Action Greensboro, a non-profit organization established in 2001 to enhance Greensboro's economy and to break new ground in addressing community needs (reference). Action Greensboro endeavors to address the following six community needs: 1) Attraction and retention of young professionals; 2) development of  the center city; 3) recruitment and retention  of business and industry; 4) enhancing Greensboro's image; 5) enhancing small business development and entrepreneurism; and 6) supporting the public schools. 

Action Greensboro is located in an historic building at 317 South Elm Street. Their funding is provided by: the CEMALA Foundation; Community Foundation of Greater Greensboro; Cone Health Foundation; Ellison Family Foundation; Bryan Foundation; Tannenbaum-Sternberger Foundation; and the Weaver Foundation. This list is evidence of how much Greensboro's local families give back to the community. 

The Center City effort has been especially visible.If you want something to do, head down to Elm Street or Center City Park and celebrate First Friday this evening. You will think you are on a vacation without leaving town. Finally, if you want to see more green, visit Greensboro's famous GREEN drink featured on GDP last Saturday or head on over to City Daily Photo to see green from Paris to Mumbai!

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T is for Tate Street

Today is ABC Wednesday and "T" is for Tate Street. Tate Street is located on the eastern edge of the University of North Carolina at Greensboro and just west of Greensboro College. It has never gained the notoriety of Chapel Hill's Franklin Street as UNCG and Greensboro College, combined, don't approach the student population at Chapel Hill (approx. 17,000; 1,200; and 29,000 respectively). However, owners of businesses like Tate Street Coffee and Sisters Jewelry have worked tirelessly to bring special music events, art exhibits, and street festivals-- good, clean family fun-- to Tate Street. Weatherspoon Gallery and Aycock Auditorium also attract people from all walks of life to the area.

Tate Street is located in College Hill, a revitalized neighborhood that became an historic district in 1980. According to the city's website, the city and the College Hill residents have collaborated to refurbish and revitalize its streets (reference here). If you are interested in learning more about the College Hill Plan, read here.

We selected 309 Tate for our "T" entry today because, Greensboro Daily Photo is a member of the city daily photo community and we like to participate in the first-of-the-month theme day. For June, the theme is "under construction." 309 Tate, like College Hill, is under (re)construction. As can be seen by the ladder, the new porch ceiling boards and the paint-in-process, 309 Tate is undergoing a facelift. Speaking of "under construction" one has only to drive by South Mendenhall and Spring Garden and you will see a giant student housing compound under construction in College Hill. We only hope there will always be room for single family dwellings in this neighborhood.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants of CDP's  "Under Construction" theme day!

You Can Always Go......... Downtown

Today is First Friday and the Indie Market will start up at 4pm. Restaurants and visual arts venues will come alive early this evening. Downtown will be door-to-door fun. While all is quiet in the above photo, the Bellemeade/Greene Street view combines several interesting buildings in Greensboro. The low, one-story building with all the color is Riva's Trattoria, a small family-style Italian Restaurant with great food. Chef Tracey purchases most of the food locally at one of the farmers' markets. Riva's may be quiet on the outside but inside, they are busy preparing exciting meals for you. Next, the round structure is a parking garage, a hub of activity during business hours. The tall, rose colored granite structure in the background is the headquarters for mortgage lender United Guaranty, a company established in Greensboro in 1963.

If this week's weather has you a little down or work has been stressful, being with people can help lift your mood. Petula Clark said it best, "When you're alone and feeling lonely, you can always go downtown ... the lights are much brighter there. You can forget all your troubles, forget all your cares. So go downtown, where all the lights are bright. Downtown-- waiting for you tonight. Downtown-- you're gonna be all right now."  Today is not only Skywatch Friday but also theme day for the City Daily Photo Community and April's theme is "edges." 

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Enjoy three minutes "Downtown" here.  

Happy 2011-- Greensboro, North Carolina

Happy New Year! The City Daily Photo Community encouraged us to post our favorite 2010 photo on New Years Day. For Greensboro, we keep coming back to this photo of Elm Street, the main street downtown. Elm Street, the heart of the city, runs from north to south, dividing Greensboro into east and west. This rainy twilight shot is the quieter side of Elm. We also like the festive, busy view (here).  Did you know Greensboro Daily Photo is one of about 1,300 cities worldwide who have people volunteering to publish a photo & comment a day about their city?

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We hope your New Year's Resolution is to read GDP every day! As you recruit new readers, we suggest referring them to this January 1 post to get an idea of the breath of our effort. In reflecting on 2010, here are some of our highlights:

Each week, we posted an ABC Wednesday photo featuring something unique to Greensboro. Y and Z will spill into 2011; however, to work your way back from X to A, see here. Fridays, we participated in the Skywatch Friday meme.  Scroll through a year of skies over Greensboro here. Our vehicle transportation series was pretty popular (see the year here) and did manage to capture just about every mode of transportation from train to segway. One of our favorite efforts was the Weekend Reflection series. See a couple of those photos here and here. Each Sunday, we posted something spiritual here. Curiously, our most frequently searched photo is still this ornamental cabbage! Happy New Year!

'T' is for Time-- on Elm Street

This is a scene on Elm Street, just north of Friendly Avenue. As evidenced by the time on the clock, it is 5:20pm, the point at which day is ending and night is taking over. Today is theme day for the City Daily Photo community and the theme is TIME-- open to interpretation by the thousand plus members worldwide. We took a literal, here-and-now approach to time and photographed the Rolex clock in front of the Chamber of Commerce. The clock was installed by Carlyle & Company. The high-end jewelry company was founded in Greensboro in 1922 by the Cohen family. While the company survived the stock market crash of 1929, it did not weather the recent economic storm. Sadly, after 87 years in business, Carlysle and Company closed its doors last year. The clock remains a relic of its retail history. The clock ticks and the traffic moves down the road, leading us towards whatever the future brings in Greensboro and beyond.....

Conveniently, "T" is for "time, traffic and tick tock" on ABC Wednesday and, for Watery Wednesdaynature provided us with water too! Other, more Greensboro-related "T's" that we'll feature in the future include: Tanger Outlet, Ten Thousand Villages, Tannenbaum Park, and Triad Stage. As for the wonderful City Daily Photo Community:  Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Homeward Bound

This photo was taken at the Southern Railway Station in downtown Greensboro at 236 East Washington Street. The scene evokes the lyrics of Simon and Garfunkel's song, "Homeward Bound," at least some of them.

"I'm sittin' in the railway station got a ticket for my destination.....Homeward bound, I wish I was homeward bound, home where my thought's escaping..."  

Without the one night stands or guitar in hand, this family did, indeed, look homeward bound, waiting patiently for either the train or the bus late one morning. This railway station is a photographer's dream. Here is a color photo we posted in July. Here is an exterior view of the train station which has been a Greensboro landmark since 1927! If we had one wish for the station, it would be to see it utilized more; not only for getting from Point A to Point B and for visiting the great coffee shop and information center, but also for having local events. How about a quick day trip to Raleigh? Let's do it! We can depart Greensboro at 9:11 am and get to Raleigh by 10:48 am!!!

This month's theme for the City Daily Photo is public transportation. At Greensboro Daily Photo, we're saluting our city's great railroading history and the reason we are nicknamed the Gate City. 

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G is for Growing & Gardening in Greensboro

At the Greensboro Farmer's Market on Sandy Ridge, one vendor sells carnivorous plants native to North Carolina. As the habitat, mostly bogs and wet savannas, gets destroyed, carnivorous plants are threatened. We rely on responsible growers like the man at the Farmer's' Market to raise awareness for and to provide a legal supply of these plants. See a nice series of photos of North Carolina's carnivorous plants from Duke University here. If you want some fun, watch this YouTube video on the ultimate in carnivorous plants in "Little Shop of Horrors"!!!

G is our big week on ABC Wednesday as G  is for GREENSBORO and GUILFORD County where Gardening and Growing are passions for many of us. Additionally, September's theme for City Daily Photo is open air markets so, we've double dipped and found this photo of from Sandy Ridge. 

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Beth David Synagogue: Stained Glass

As you may already know, Greensboro Daily Photo (in North Carolina-- some people ask) is a member of the City Daily Photo Community. The first day of every month is theme day with the CDP community and August's theme is Bright Colors. Since we also like to post something related to religion on Sundays, these stained glass windows at Beth David Synagogue were perfect for both themes! This picture was taken during our photo shoot last week when we also took this photo. There are at least ten of these panels in the sanctuary. Each window has great symbolism in the Jewish faith. Having a few minutes of repose in this colorful, sacred place is something we will remember for a long time.

Regarding City Daily Photo's Theme Day, Click here to view thumbnails for all participants. Not everybody participates in theme day but there are almost 1,500 City Daily Photo sites now. About 300 existed when we started two years ago.

Love is All Around

This photo, from the Summer Solstice Celebration, evokes the 1960's song by the Troggs, "Love is All Around." 

 "I feel it in my fingers, I feel it in my toes. Well love is all around me, and so the feeling grows. It's written in the wind, it's everywhere I go. So if you really love me, come on and let it show"

Here we see an arboretum full of people letting love show. Here we see a man TIRELESSLY blowing bubbles for the children around him. As soon as he would suspend a giant bubble in the air, a child would gleefully burst it. Also, the man in the striped shirt would put his daughter's head into the bubble, it would pop, and she would giggle. The little boy in the tie-dyed T shirt could pop bubbles faster than we could snap photos. Truly, love was all around. 

The July Theme Day theme for the City Daily Photo Community is, REFLECTION. First, we are reflecting on summer fun and the profound sense of community felt that day. Second, we're admiring the brief reflection sizzling on the surface of the soap bubble.

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Highway 68

If you are from Greensboro, likely, you know this photo was taken at the intersection of Highway 68 and Pleasant Ridge Road. This section of 68, just north of the airport, is known as Lynwood Smith Expressway. In Greensboro, there is also a Lynwood Drive, Lynwood Loop, Lynwood Lakes & Lynwood Lakes Baptist Church. Our google search reveals C. Lynwood Smith, Jr. is a local judge and that Dr. C.Lynwood Smith is a physician in Wake Forest, NC. However, after a few screens of searching, we're not seeing WHY this section of highway, a memorial highway,  is named Lynwood Smith Expressway. Who was the Lynwood Smith of the highway? Do you know????

Today, the 1,300 + people who maintain city daily photo blogs were encouraged to post a picture of a funny sign. Our signs aren't "ha ha" funny but they are FUN signs that situate the picture in Greensboro. When seeing the 68 North 68 South sign, one must decide: head north? south? go straight? It is kind of funny that the GREENsboro water tower is red checkered. Actually our city was named for Major General Nathanael Greene, even though the green trees could have you thinking otherwise. 

 
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February 1 Statue for CDP Theme Day

We were saving this photo for February 1, 2011; however, since today's theme for the City Daily Photo community is "statues," we wanted to share this one with the world. If you are from Greensboro, likely, you recognize this as the statue of the four college freshmen who inspired the sit-in movement. The statue is located on the campus of NC A & T University, where it was unveiled on 2/1/02 (link). 

Jibreel Khazan, Franklin McCain, Joseph McNeil and the late David Richmond are remembered for their heroic refusal to get up from the lunch counter where, at that time, African-Americans were not served. Here, you can see our photo of the statue from the front. However, this view from the back makes us feel "one" with history, as if we are following these great men. Today, many of the 1,200 plus city daily photo blogs around the world are posting photos of statues.  Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

We're also sharing this with the Monochrome Weekend group!

got Graffiti?

Likely, graffiti is the most polarizing of all art forms. There are those who LOVE it and those who HATE it. This krylon piece is found on the railroad tracks just off South Elm Street. Last time we posted a photo where this word was barely visible, we had over 50 visitors from a graffiti blog! Here's hoping their search engines find us today. Graffiti, graffiti, graffiti!!!

We picked this photo as it fits with our loosely-organized theme of "Easter" this week. The red VIVI above reminds us of the Bibles that type what Jesus said in red letters. Also, "Vivi" being the root word for "live/lived" in the Romance languages, is appropriate for the Easter season. Finally, the theme day for the 1,000+ City Daily Photo blogs, and the theme is RED:

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Footbridge to UNCG

 

Sunday's intense, fluffy clouds seemed to align perfectly with the footbridge that connects the School of Music with the rest of campus at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. The 130,000 square foot music building is grand in every way: from its scale (pun intended)  to the performances offered therein, to the faculty, students, courses, summer programs, you name it. This footbridge is no exception as it makes walking to and from the dorms and other buildings on campus a pleasant experience. The alternative would be traipsing through hilly terrain underneath which can be quite wet and swamplike. This week, we'll feature an array of photos taken around and near this building. Stop back to see the building itself!

We wanted to save today's photo for our Skywatch Friday collection as clouds like these don't come along every day.  However, it is the first of the month and the theme for the community of 1,000+ City Daily Photo Blogs is PASSAGEWAYS, so we're sharing the photo with the CDP community. 

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Sno-White Cleaners

For December's City Daily Photo December theme, Waiting, we feature Sno-White Cleaners, located at 511 S. Elam Avenue. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.

Sno-White Cleaners is a Greensboro institution that has a reputation for being a top-of-the-line dry cleaner. When people mention complicated dry cleaning situations, or needing to clean garments made of costly, fine fabrics, locals quickly comment, "Take it to Sno-White.. it may cost more or be a little bit out of your way, but it's worth WAITING to take your garment there."

According to the Better Business Bureau, the shop opened in February 1959. Thirty four years later, in 1993, Sno-White received a NC OWR Grant to improve its operations and to reduce its emissions into the atmosphere. In the business profile, printed in the grant's final report, it was stated that for the then-newly installed dryers, solvent usage reduction was estimated at 75%. At that time, Lindley Smith was managing the business that had been started by his father, a man who "taught dry cleaning at NC State A & T Univ in Greensboro."

In our world of Greensboro and for the MY WORLD meme, Sno-White (NOT a Disney character) is going strong and, with her touches of red in the window, is also worthy of the Ruby Tuesday meme.
 

Church of the Covenant

The cornerstone on the Presbyterian Church of the Covenant reads 1914; however, the need for a Presbyterian church to meet the needs of the neighborhood between State Normal and Industrial College and Greensboro Female College (now UNCG and Greensboro College respectively) was established in 1894. The original wooden structure, completed in 1906, was replaced by this brick one in 1914. Greensboro architect Harry Barton designed this building with two equally grand façades with Ionic porticos to take advantage of the corner lot. The façade on the left faces Greensboro College and the one on the right faces the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. 

This liberal-minded church community bills itself as an inclusive, open-minded, home for your soul. In additional to more traditional services, they have extensive, inspirational music events. Over the years, with expansions, the building encompasses the major portion of the city block and has helped keep the Mendenhall/Walker Avenue area of College Avenue a spiritual haven for many. 

This is our contribution to what we have dubbed Sacred Sunday. Also, every first of the month, the 1,000+ City Daily Photo sites are invited to participate in theme day. This month's theme is: Doorways. Here we offer TWO!   Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Greensboro Recycles!

Greensboro's plastic bottle ban takes effect today. Plastic bottles can be thrown into the garbage can no longer. All No 1 PETE and No 2 HDPE bottles must be rinsed out and placed in a recycling bin either at home or like this one found behind the fire station on Horse Pen Creek Road. When in doubt, look for the 1 or 2 on the bottom of the item inside the triangle with arrows.

This photo is our contribution to the City Daily Photo Theme Day. October's theme: CONTRAST. We're contrasting those who recycle with those who don't. Also in this photo is contrasted MAN and NATURE. The cement parking lot and dumpster butt up to green grass and are featured front and center below a beautiful blue sky. Last time we checked, there were over 1,000 cities with daily photo cites (an outgrowth of a blog by Eric of Paris). Many daily photo sites will participate in theme day.

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BIG Rock on the Campus of Greensboro College

Here we see the BIG painted rock on the Greensboro College campus. The back side says "Have a Great Summer." The side visible above looks like a graffitied, foil-covered baked potato! On many school campuses in the USA, these rocks are installed so that students spray paint their messages in an approved area. Many campuses have their own BIG ROCK traditions. For example, usually graduating seniors post a message for their class; students who have died tragically are remembered; competing teams paint unwanted messages on the opponents' rock. Now that the fall semester is underway, likely this BIG ROCK at Greensboro College has a new look. What are your school's traditions for students making their mark? Have you ever been involved in painting one? Would you like to have one in your yard?

This is our contribution to the City Daily Photo theme day. The theme for September is BIG. Click here to view thumbnails for all participants. 

UNCG Sapphires: Singing A'Cappella, at Night, in the Rain

The August 2009 theme for the 1,000 City Daily Photo sites around the globe is: NIGHT. Greensboro's contribution is this photo of the Sapphires, an all-female a'cappella singing group from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG). We took the photo AT NIGHT in the pouring rain at Greensboro's 2008 Summer Solstice event. We want to feature this very talented group and encourage you to enjoy their music. Their always-fine music varies depending on the strengths of the current members. For example, in the above photo, the singer holding the water bottle makes amazing, percussive sounds with her mouth. This You Tube video is a good example of the percussive sound of the Sapphires. Also, the song, "Numb," an MP3 file on the Sapphires' My Space account will leave you convinced that they are using instruments.

The Sapphires formed in 2000, after two members of the Spartones, UNCG's male a'cappella group, decided that UNCG needed a female group. Ironic that the male group formed first since UNCG has only been accepting male students since 1968. At any rate, we are thrilled to have both groups in Greensboro.  Let's hope CDP's August 2009 Theme Day gives the Sapphires a little international recognition!

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It's Firecracker Time in North Carolina

Happy July, a month of pure summer fun in North Carolina!  

In Greensboro, we're about equal distance from the mountains and the beaches, and many of us ride up and down I-40 all month long enjoying nature, festivals, and getting away in our state. Also, it is that time of year when the ubiquitous FIREWORKS tents appear in just about every parking lot in town! Here we see the back side of one at Wal-Mart. The tent, parking lot, and stores are located under a Carolina blue sky on the property of the former Carolina Circle Mall. How nice to experience the retail revival of northeast Greensboro, in the neighborhood of Cone Blvd. and US-29.

The Fourth of July is the only day of the year when North Carolinians are allowed to use fireworks. This rule can be a hard one to obey with South Carolina, "the mother of all fireworks," as our southern neighbor! For North Carolinians, South Carolina was the original "South of the Border." If your neighborhood is anything like ours, you've been hearing "boom, boom, sizzle, pop, boom" all week-- a prelude to July 4th, legal or not!

Have a safe Fourth of July and if you aren't sure which fireworks are legal in NC, check out USFireworks. 

Finally, today's City Daily Photo theme is "empty." Here, we see an "empty" fireworks tent! Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

Elsewhere Artist Collaborative (City Daily Photo Theme Day: Yellow!!!)

Elsewhere Artist Collaborative, located at 606 and 608 South Elm St. (Greensboro, NC, USA), is the site of today's GDP post, celebrating the City Daily Photo April 2009 theme-- YELLOW. Does this photo yell YELLOW, or what? If you are interested, here is the history behind Elsewhere. 

Joe and Sylvia Gray owned the South Elm Street building and maintained a thrift store inside. The inventory was the result of nearly 60 years of collecting. After Joe died and Sylvia got up in years, she had a sign posted on the door of her thrift shop saying something along the lines of, "call before you come. I may open up at 12:00 noon, and then again, I may not." We always got a chuckle out of her cavalier attitude towards committing to a fixed schedule. By the time of her death in 1997, Sylvia's store was stacked floor to ceiling with over 1,000,000 second-hand treasures. Thrift shoppers looked longingly through the windows at the items they only dreamed of purchasing. Developers looked at the building wondering how they could get her to clear it out. Along came George Scheer.

In 2003, Sylvia's grandson, George Scheer, opened a "museum" and artist collaborative in the location. Since the opening of Elsewhere, none of the million pieces has been for sale. NOTHING is for sale. The items serve as artifacts of a life of collecting and a place for artists to creatively assemble the items into visual feasts. Elsewhere is referred to as a "playhouse for artists." It has quickly developed a following and is gaining international attention, receiving grants, and evolving into a legitimate artists' venue worthy of grants and special events. The above picture was taken in one of the far back corners of the space. Who(m) do you think the mannequins resemble? Are you starting to appreciate the spirit of the collaborative?

Go here to read more about Elsewhere.

Since this is the first day of the month, it is theme day for the city daily photo community. This month's theme is "yellow." Click here to view thumbnails for all participants.