Winston-Salem and Triad North Carolina

[scifan57]

Tropical Storm Michael Hits the Triad w/ Flooding, Fallen Trees, & Electrical Outages

Well, I've been off the grid and off the internet for nearly 2 days, so now back as of about noon today. After completely missing any effects from Hurricane Florence last month, we were less fortunate w/ the downgraded tropical storm that began as Hurricane Michael - we lost power about 2PM on Thursday - my APC UPS backup kept us on the internet for about 6 hours, then went down - I had plenty of lights, batteries, and a battery-radio and charged battery packs to keep our iPads going - Susan was able to cook two dinners on our gas stove (starters run off electricity but can be lit w/ a match or torch) - we had minor puddles in the basement (still have to take out some soaked small rugs) - no fallen trees. After power restoration, we checked our two refrigerators and decided to toss out some thawed out meats (probably only a $100-$150).

Many others in the Triad Area (Greensboro-High Point-Winston-Salem) were not so luck - trees on houses, cars, etc., flooding especially those near rivers and creeks - the prolonged electrical loss will certainly impact on a LOT of food being tossed. Below are some quotes as to rain (about 5-6"), winds (up to 50 mph), electric outages, about 150,000+ in the two main cities, and a few deaths in North Carolina - a video and pics showing the flooding in Tanglewood Park (western Forsyth County) and at the Bermuda Run Golf Course, both adjacent to the Yadkin River. Dave

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I'm glad the damage wasn't nearly as bad as down in Florida. I hope it doesn't take too long to recover.

 

[giradman]

I'm glad the damage wasn't nearly as bad as down in Florida. I hope it doesn't take too long to recover.

Hi Scifan.. - well, the downgrade to a 'tropical storm' lessen the potential damage a lot here - I'm sure that we'll recover quickly in the Triad, but those poor souls in Florida - the stories, devastating pics, and now the increasing death toll are just so tragic.

But this 2-day outage for Susan & I was not bad especially since we did not need our HVAC (e.g. decades ago we had a 4+ day outage in the middle of winter - I was trying to cook on our outdoor gas grill w/ little success - had electric stove then!) - as we went into day 2 having lost internet in just 6 hrs and then my batteries running out w/ no AC sources, those were my main frustrations - the food in the freezers could always be replaced.

SO, I just ordered a LARGER battery backup system made by Xantrex (shown below) and not that expensive (vs. a natural gas powered whole house generator for $4-6K) - the unit is on wheels and weighs about 55 pounds - if we lose power I can roll it into our computer room and hook up my modem/router and get up to 5-6 days of runtime; also, can easily add our AC adapters for batteries/etc. - will likely solve several of my concerns - Dave
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[giradman]

Confederate Monument in Downtown Winston Salem was removed yesterday!

The continuing controversy of the removal of Confederate Monuments and Memorials remains contentious and will for years to come, often leading to brutal and tragic events, as discussed in the quotes below. According to one source, there are over 140 such public Confederate monuments/memorials throughout the state of North Carolina alone (and hundreds more in 30 or more other states in the USA - see link in the quotes below).

The monument in Winston Salem was erected in 1905 by the United Daughters of the Confederacy (UDC) on the grounds of the old Forsyth County Courthouse, which is now on private land that was converted to apartments. After several minor acts of vandalism, support by the mayor and owner of the private building where the statue stood for 114 years, and legal debate w/ the UDC (see pics below), the memorial was taken apart and moved into 'unannounced' storage for several months - story HERE w/ video, for those interested - the plan is to re-erect the statue in Salem Cemetery next to the burial site of a number of Confederated dead - whether the structure will be safe and undamaged in that location is yet to see. Dave

For decades in the U.S., there have been isolated incidents of removal of Confederate monuments and memorials, although generally opposed in public opinion polls, and several U.S. States have passed laws over 115 years to hinder or prohibit further removals. In the wake of the Charleston church shooting in June 2015, several municipalities in the United States removed monuments and memorials on public property dedicated to the Confederate States of America. The momentum accelerated in August 2017 after the Unite the Right rally in Charlottesville, Virginia. The removals were driven by the belief that the monuments glorify white supremacy and memorialize a treasonous government whose founding principle was the perpetuation and expansion of slavery. Many of those who object to the removals, like President Trump, believe that the artifacts are part of the cultural heritage of the United States. (Source)

The vast majority of these Confederate monuments were built during the era of Jim Crow laws (1877–1954) and the Civil Rights Movement (1954–1968). Detractors claim that they were not built as memorials but as a means of intimidating African Americans and reaffirming white supremacy. The monuments have thus become highly politicized; according to Eleanor Harvey, a senior curator at the Smithsonian American Art Museum and a scholar of Civil War history: "If white nationalists and neo-Nazis are now claiming this as part of their heritage, they have essentially co-opted those images and those statues beyond any capacity to neutralize them again". In some Southern states, state law restricts or prohibits altogether the removal or alteration of public Confederate monuments. According to Stan Deaton, senior historian at the Georgia Historical Society, "These laws are the Old South imposing its moral and its political views on us forever more. This is what led to the Civil War, and it still divides us as a country...." (Source)

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[giradman]

J.C. Leyendecker Exhibit at Reynold House - Visit on September 27, 2019 - Still On!

Yesterday, Susan and I saw the J.C. Leyendecker Exhibit at Reynolda House - I was amazed thinking that Norman Rockwell was America's most noteworthy and famous magazine illustrator, however, Leyendecker preceded him by several decades and worshipped him despite issues later in their relationship (see quotes below, if interested; and also the pics w/ text to learn more about 'Joe Leyendecker').

As noted, 'Joe L.' created some of the most enduring and iconic images of American life, including the 'New Year's Baby'. Leyendecker's New Rochelle home allowed him and his partner, Charles Beach, to indulge in a luxurious lifestyle which embodied the decadence of the 1920s; apparently, his parties were famous and attended by notables of the day including F. Scott Fitzgerald, who may have based his great Gatsby character in part on Leyendeker's life. Except for the second pic, all others are mine from the excellent exhibit (just a third of what was on the walls!) - will present all of the images in two posts - for those living nearby, the exhibit is highly recommended. Dave

Joseph Christian Leyendecker (March 23, 1874 – July 25, 1951) was a German-American illustrator. He is considered to be one of the preeminent American illustrators of the early 20th century. He is best known for his poster, book and advertising illustrations, the trade character known as The Arrow Collar Man, and his numerous covers for The Saturday Evening Post. Between 1896 and 1950, Leyendecker painted more than 400 magazine covers. During the Golden Age of American Illustration, for The Saturday Evening Post alone, J. C. Leyendecker produced 322 covers, as well as many advertisement illustrations for its interior pages. No other artist, until the arrival of Norman Rockwell two decades later, was so solidly identified with one publication. Leyendecker "virtually invented the whole idea of modern magazine design." (Source)

In 1882, the Leyendecker family immigrated to Chicago, Illinois, and J. C. sought formal artistic training at the school of the Chicago Art Institute. After studying drawing and anatomy,J. C. and younger brother Frank enrolled in the Académie Julian in Paris for a year. In 1899, the Leyendecker brothers returned to America. On May 20 of that year, Joe received his first commission for a Saturday Evening Post cover – the beginning of his forty-four-year association with the most popular magazine in the country. Ultimately he would produce 322 covers for the magazine, introducing many iconic visual images and traditions including the New Year's Baby, the pudgy red-garbed rendition of Santa Claus, flowers for Mother's Day, and firecrackers on the 4th of July. (Source)

In 1900, Joe, Frank, and their sister Mary moved to New York City, then the center of the US commercial art, advertising and publishing industries. During the next decade, both brothers began lucrative long-term working relationships with apparel manufactures including Interwoven Socks, Hartmarx, B. Kuppenheimer & Co., and Cluett Peabody & Company. The latter resulted in Leyendecker's most important commission when he was hired to develop a series of images of the Arrow brand of shirt collars. Leyendecker's Arrow Collar Man, as well as the images he later created for Kuppenheimer Suits and Interwoven Socks, came to define the fashionable American male during the early decades of the twentieth century. Leyendecker often used his favorite model and partner Charles Beach (1881–1954). (Source)

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[giradman]

J.C. Leyendecker Exhibit at Reynold House - Visit on September 27, 2019 - Continued!
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[scifan57]

A truly amazing exhibit.

 

[giradman]

A truly amazing exhibit.

Hi Scifan.. - glad that you enjoyed! We were awed by his artistry and early preeminence in this field! Dave

 

[giradman]

Salem Academy & College About to Celebrate its 250th Anniversary!

Salem Academy is basically a girl's high school established in 1772 in Old Salem (then just Salem; Winston did not exist) - this was a popular 'finishing' school for girls in the colonial times and early 19th century - I'm currently reading a book on my iPad about the11th US president, James K. Polk (born in North Carolina near Charlotte); his wife Sarah Childress Polk attended Salem. Salem College offers mutliple undergraduate degrees and some advanced degrees. Some web pics below (although I do have some older posts in this thread of my own pics of the school from visits to Old Salem) - an article appear in our local paper today about some 'Salem Alums' that repeated the 'walk' from Bethlehem, PA to Old Salem as described in the first quote. Dave

Salem Academy is a boarding and day school for high school girls in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. It shares its campus with Salem College, located near historic Old Salem. Salem Academy is the oldest private school in North Carolina, and the 4th-oldest boarding school in the United States, Salem was founded in 1772 by early Moravian settlers who held the view that girls deserved an education comparable to that afforded boys. Among the town's early residents were 16 girls and women who traveled, mostly on foot, more than 500 miles from Bethlehem, Pennsylvania to join the new community. Source.

Salem College is a private liberal arts women's college in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Founded in 1772[1] as a primary school, it later became an academy (high school) and ultimately added the college. It is the oldest female educational establishment that is still a women's college[1] and the oldest women's college in the Southern United States. Though Salem is officially classified as a women's college, men 23 years of age and over are admitted into the Continuing Education program through the Martha H. Fleer Center for Adult Education and into graduate-degree programs. Source.

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[giradman]

P.S. Just left the post below in the pictures thread - wanted a copy here for those reading this one - Dave

Salem Parkway - 2021 Grand Prize Winner - Am Assoc State Highway Transportation Awards

Beginning in November 2018, a 1.2-mile-long section of the freeway in downtown Winston-Salem between Peters Creek Parkway and US 52 was closed for reconstruction to rebuild the substandard roadway, exit and entrance ramps, and bridges. (see below & HERE) - completed in early 2020 - an 18.5 mile section west of the downtown project was renamed Salem Parkway, honoring the original settlement of Salem (now 'Old Salem'). The highway started in the early 1950s as part of Interstate 40, became Interstate Business 40 (after the southern I-40 bypass was completed), and now Salem Parkway - quite an honor, although I am obviously biased - Dave

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. —
UPDATE: The Salem Parkway project was named the Grand Prize winner in the American Association of State Highway Transportation's 2021 America's Transportation Awards. The Salem Parkway project is a finalist in the national 2021 America's Transportation Awards competition. The American Association of State Highway Transportation Officials nominated the parkway as one of 12 finalists. Business 40's transformation into the Salem Parkway is a 1.2-mile improvement project. The project included multiple safety upgrades including new bicycle lanes, replacement of 10 bridges, updating shoulders and ramps and the addition of two new, signature pedestrian bridges. This project has only been possible with the extensive collaboration between the North Carolina Department of Transportation and residents of the area. The winning project could win the national Grand Prize or the People's Choice Award, both valued at $10,000 for a charity or transportation-related scholarship of the winners' choosing. (Source)

 

[giradman]

Grandover Resort & North Carolina Zoo - October 2022 - Short Escape - Part 1

Well, we decided a short break from staying indoors was needed, so setup a 2-night stay at the Grandover Resort (first pic), about a 30 min drive for us located just southwest of Greensboro; also within a half hour of the North Carolina Zoo in Asheboro. The Grandover Resort is a huge complex with the fabulous conference hotel including 36 holes of golf and both residential and commercial properties - we're eating at their excellent restaurant both nights.

The North Carolina Zoo opened in the mid-1970s with an emphasis on 'natural habitats' (see quote below and much more the link) - the North American and African habitats along with a 'Global Desert' one are the three active at the moment, but plans are in development for an Asian and Australian Habitat. We made a Monday visit and did not see all of the exhibits - a lot of walking so us oldsters were tired - there are trams between the major habitats.

Below are pics of the North American Cypress Gardens Exhibit w/ alligators, a huge snapping turtle, a cougar, and cypress swamps - we then decided to tram over to the African Habitat and be selective in our visits starting with the flamingoes. More in the next post - Dave

The North Carolina Zoo is a zoo in Asheboro, North Carolina, housing 1,800 animals of more than 250 species, primarily representing Africa and North America. It is one of two state-supported zoos in the United States, with the other being the Minnesota Zoo. With 500 acres developed, it is the world's largest natural habitat zoo. The North Carolina Zoo is a part of the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources. (Source)

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[giradman]

Grandover Resort & North Carolina Zoo - October 2022 - Short Escape - Part 2

Being selective to avoid too much walking (plus light rain came mid-afternoon), we decided to visit the Gorillas and the huge Grasslands habitat with many of the usual African animals - we saw mainly elephants and rhinoceroses (off in the distance - the single lens iPhone XR just not good for those distance shots - need a new phone - yeh! ).

First pic of 'Lemur Island' - there were 3 but just one showed its rear. Great gorilla habitat with about a half dozen of various ages (and of course all had names). The so-called Watani Grasslands habitat is 40 acres alone, and is as large as many entire zoos, and location for the large African animals. Highly recommended if in the area. Dave

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[giradman]

Z. Smith Reynolds Died in 1932 - Was the Cause Suicide or Was He Shot?

R.J. Reynolds (1850-1918), the founder of the R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Company (makers of Camel cigarettes) in Winston, North Carolina (later in 1913 to merge with Salem to become Winston-Salem) had 4 children with Katherine (nee Smith) Reynolds (1880-1924); the youngest was Zachary Smith Reynolds (1911-1932) who was married to Libby Homan (1902-1971) at the time of his death at age 20 years from a gunshot wound to the head which occurred at the family estate, Reynolda House in 1932.

Currently an exhibit is running there called Smith & Libby - Two Rings - Seven Months and One Bullet - the first half of the exhibit (see pics below) outlines the lives of Smith Reynolds and Libby Holman, quite contrasting personalities; Smith's main claim to fame was as a amateur aviator and also as heir to a multi-millionaire dollar fortune; Libby was was an American socialite, actress, singer, and activist (latter in later years). The second half of the exhibit deals with the night of the death of Smith Reynolds, the investigation, and trial, and finally with the later life of Holman.

For starters, the beginning of the exhibit, introducing the main characters up to their wedding, i.e. a young millionaire flyer marrying an older Broadway 'torch singer' - more to follow. Dave
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[giradman]

Z. Smith Reynolds Died in 1932 - Was the Cause Suicide or Was He Shot? - Part II

Well, the next pics in the exhibit centered on their marriage travels including the 6000 mile flight(s) that Smith made to meet his bride and then the start of the investigation and trial after the his death. Dave
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[scifan57]

Z. Smith Reynolds Died in 1932 - Was the Cause Suicide or Was He Shot? - Part II

Well, the next pics in the exhibit centered on their marriage travels including the 6000 mile flight(s) that Smith made to meet his bride and then the start of the investigation and trial after the his death. Dave
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A very interesting history.

 

[giradman]

Z. Smith Reynolds Died in 1932 - Was the Cause Suicide or Was He Shot? - Part II

The last part of the exhibit was more about the later life of Libby Holman, as shown in the remaining pics below - her son Topper Reynolds, who died tragically at age 16 years falling off a mountain (presumably the son of Z. Smith); also a wonderful line drawing from the KING, i.e. Al Hirschfeld - and a movie loosely based on his life, especially Written On the Wind, which I own and love (one of the many Douglas Sirk soapers of the '50s that I also own and love, especially w/ Rock Hudson).

For more there are some Libby Holman albums - tonight I listen to the one below, Moanin' Low (streamed on Spotify) - not a keeper for me, quite dated. Finally, there are many books on the Reynolds family - the one I like is The Gilded Leaf w/ Patrick Reynolds, a grand-relative and an anti-smoking advocate. Dave
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