Favorite Places

One of my favorite places to visit in Greensboro is the Natural Science Center. The tigers fascinate me, and I love to take pictures of them. It was a rainy day, and I had the whole place to myself when I took this picture of beautiful Kisa. She was wet and muddy, but still gorgeous, as you can see.

Greensboro is filled with interesting places to visit. We have a national park right here in town, Guilford Courthouse National Military Park . The Battle of Guilford Courthouse was a turning point in the Revolutionary War, and the park's visitor's center has a great movie that shows exactly what happened during that engagement with Cornwallis. The park itself is filled with monuments and walking trails, and each spring reinactors set up camp in Country Park, and recreate the Battle of Guilford Courthouse. It's a fun event to watch, as well as educational.

The Battleground connects to Greensboro's Country Park, which houses a veterans' memorial, lake, paddleboats, playgrounds, and picnic shelters. There is also a dog park where dogs can run free. Greensboro is filled with beautiful parks and an arboretum. A dedicated group of volunteers works hard to keep Greensboro "beautiful."

Greensboro has a wonderful historical museum that shows the history of the town and surrounding area. Recently, the International Civil Rights Museum was opened in the heart of downtown Greensboro, at the old Woolworth's building where the civil rights movement began on Feburary 1, 1960. On that day, four young NCA&T students sat down at the "white's only" counter in the store and asked for a cup of coffee. And, the rest, as they say, is history.

In 2009, in conjuction with the opening of the Civil Rights Museum, a series of sculptures, the Greensboro Coffee Cup Collaborative, was commissioned for the city of Greensboro. This is a community-based art project that is designed to give a visual celebration of that historic sit-in and other aspects of the civil rights movement. The cups are located throughout downtown Greensboro, with one at the Greensboro Coliseum. A map and explanation of the cups' locations is available at the Greensboro Visitors' Center, or online at: http://www.uacarts.org/community/documents/CCCBrochureWeb.pdf. Because the cups are located throughout downtown Greensboro, this easy walking tour is a great way to become framiliar with the city.

This is just a small taste of what my adopted home has to offer.

Battle of Guilford Courthouse

This past weekend was the first time I made it to the reenactment of the Battle of Guilford Courthouse. Two hundred and thirty years ago, Cornwallis won the battle, but he suffered severe losses that helped in his eventual defeat and surrender. The reenactment was very well done and quite interesting. The beautiful weather certainly helped bring out the crowds. It was standing room only for the battle.

Greensboro is always filled with interesting things to do and see. It's a great town to live in.

After the U.S. Championships

Hard to believe that I haven't written in this blog since July. Then, I had a picture of a beach, now it's a new year, mid-winter, and I just finished spending a week at the U.S. Figure Skating Championships shooting pictures for the Rhino.

It was a fantastic week. The skating community really made me feel a part of them, for which I am very grateful. This is probably the only figure skating competition I'll ever shoot, and having it be the Nationals is quite amazing.

Amazing too are the number of pictures I shot - 16,000+! Using continuous shooting and following the action in each group really adds up the number of pics fast. But, it was well worth it. I got some great shots. Some really lousy ones too, I have to admit. I have deleted more than half of what I took, and am still going through the pictures.

I had hoped to meet Scottie Hamilton and Evan Lysacek, and I did. My meeting with Scottie was brief, but still a thrill. Evan grew up in Naperville, Il, where we lived for 14 years, so we talked about favorite spots like Portillos and Lou Malnati's. Pretty cool.

The big names of the skating community were all at the Nationals. I saw Paul Wylie (he's coaching now and was very instrumental in the production of the competition), Todd Eldridge, Tara Lipinski (always on the phone or texting), Randy Gardner, Ben Agosto, Tanith Belbin, Peter Carruthers, and Peggy Fleming. Someone said they saw Brian Boitano in the audience, but I didn't see him. I did see Vera Wang with Even Lysacek, and Johnny Weir walked right by me. Quite an experience, that's for sure.

Now it's time to settle back down into a normal routine, if there is such a thing in my life. Next week I have to write a real estate article, then meet with a group of ladies to begin planning the annual LWML retreat in August. There is also a women's tea coming up in May for which I'm involved in the planning, and an overnight trip to Charlotte in March for an LWML board meeting and Joy Event.

The LWML national convention is in Peoria, IL, in June, and I plan to drive up to Chicago, pick up my mother, and take her to the convention with me.

Of course, there are always photography outings to go on. In May, a group of us will be spending a day with Kevin Adams up at Max Patch in the Blue Ridge. Kevin is a well-known photographer, and his insights will be really helpful. I'm looking forward to that trip.

Some of us are also planning a weekend in the Smokies to shoot spring wild flowers. That trip is scheduled for sometime in April. Busy, busy, busy!

Last night I shot pictures at a wonderful benefit concert for the preservation and upkeep of the Carolina Theatre here in Greensboro. Warren, Bodle, & Allen and Polecat Creek performed.

Both groups are terrific.

There is so many neat things that go on here in Greensboro. Tonight or tomorrow afternoon, I can go to a production Die Fledermus at UNCG. From Blue Grass to Opera, Greensboro has it all. There are clubs, community theatre groups, a symphony, choral groups, community bands, a magnificent natural science center with tigers and Wallabies, a children's hands-on museum, an art museum, and a soon-to-be aquatic center - you name it, Greensboro has it. Some people used to call this town Greensboring, but I find it filled with wonderful opportunities. If you are bored in Greensboro, it's your own fault!

Grand Haven Beach, Michigan

The picture here is of Grand Haven's public beach. My mother and I stopped there on our way home from a wedding in Mt. Pleasant. It was so good to wiggle my toes in Lake Michigan sand.
It was also wonderful to see cousins that I hadn't seen in years. I really need to get home more frequently.

I also had a great time in Chicago with my mother and friends. Sitting for hours with good friends on the patio at Lou Malnotti's in Naperville is just about a perfect way to spend a beautiful summer afternoon. Going downtown on the Metra and photographing Chicago's amazing architecture from a Wendell boat is a great experience. I highly recommend it to everyone who visits Chicago. Be sure and take the combined tour that takes you up the Chicago River then out into Lake Michigan. The Chicago skyline is gorgeous. I only wish I could have come back for the evening tour to see the lights of the city. Well...maybe next trip.

Tea Party

Boy, I opened a can a worms today when I sent out an e-mail to my Liberal "friends." A number of them told me to take them off my e-mail list. I have rarely sent political e-mails to people I know don't agree with my political views. Now I know why.

The e-mail raised some legitmate questions about President Obama, and the person who was asking them was a responsible person, Lou Pritchett, an executive with Procter and Gamble. I wonder why his comments raise such ire with liberals?

It's indicative of the vast divide there is in this country between liberals and conservatives. The picture above is of the Tea Party rally in Greensboro on Tax Day, April 15th. It was peaceful and well organized. The people who turned out were normal, every day citizens who are concerned about their country. They are hardly the right-wing radicals the left describes them as being.

Changes

My quiet evenings will change starting tomorrow. Daughter and grandaughter are moving in. They'll be living with us - I have no idea for how long. The marriage isn't working and they are now officially separated. Here in North Carolina a couple has to be separated for a year before they can divorce. A lot can happen in a year.

I feel a great sense of sadness. There is so much in the world that just isn't right. Dinner with a friend tonight was another tale of woe. Her family has been experiencing a great deal of hardship, and there seems to be no way out.

My job hunt has produced absolutely nothing. I've been out of work for a year now. I get no replies to the resumes I send out. It's so disheartening.

Random Thoughts Late at Night

Just finished reading Sarah Palin's book, "Going Rogue." I liked her before, but I really like her now. She's the kind of common sense voice that America really needs. It's too bad she didn't force the issue about being herself in the presidential campaign. I think it would have helped McCain. I doubt she'll make that mistake again. If she does decide to run for president in 2012, I've no doubt she'll the call the shots herself. If she gets to North Carolina, I plan on going to hear her. At least she's now a commentator on FOX, so we do get to hear her thoughts on the political scene.

Working on the pictorial directory I'm doing for church. It's coming along pretty well. I need to get the addresses into the book set up. That's going to take some work.

Shot pics at the NC Marathon last Saturday in High Point. The fastest man in the marathon was disqualified because he had only signed up for the half marathon. When he took a wrong turn, he decided to complete the entire marathon, but because he had signed up for it, the win didn't count. Bummer...he was four minutes ahead of everybody else.

More pics to take this week. Arbor Day tree planting and ribbon cutting of the new urban greenway. Then Saturday, Bunny Day at the Natural Science Center. That should be fun.

Now it's late - need sleep!