A Big Test, a Bit of Nature, and a Little History Along the Way

Early Friday morning, Chris and I drove to Greensboro (about 30 miles to the east), so that he could take his Family Medicine boards (a regularly scheduled 9-hour test that officially makes him a board-certified Family Medicine practitioner). While he went about his test-taking fun, I went for a jog. Not knowing the area, I decided to just run up and down the driveways and parking lots of the building complex where he was testing. I'm not sure what other businesses were in any of those buildings, but apparently no one came to work before 9:30. There was virtually no traffic and the parking lots were nearly empty the entire time. It was also nice that it was a cloudy morning and the area was lined with lots of trees, so the temperature was very comfortable. When I was done, I found a lovely niche (under a stairwell actually) to do some stretching before heading off to the nearby mall.

As many of you know, I'm not a huge shopper, so I took a book and read in the lovely amphitheater, which was complete with a calming waterfall. I had a practically perfect morning, sipping on my carmel latte, seemingly unaware of the shopping mall surroundings thanks to the sound of falling water - until four juveniles decided to use the amphitheater as a leap frog course. Luckily, the game didn't last all that long before the adult responsible for them showed up and informed them that it was time to go (darn). She did, however, have to spend the next five minutes yelling at the youngest one from up above before he followed the rest. He had dropped the penny he had wanted to throw in the waterfall and was determined to find it. Unfortunately he never got to make his wish - but if he would have, I think he should have wished that the punishment he was about to receive from his mother would be bearable.

I did have one mission while I was at the mall: to pilfer two plastic forks from the food court. (Stealing seems like such a harsh word.) We had packed a picnic lunch for a mid-test break that included huge salads, but I forgot the forks! As I made the sweeping circle before any of the restaurants were even opened, I became utterly concerned that I was going to be eating lettuce with my fingers. Arby's...Sbarro...Sakura Express...nothing. Sonic...gasp - a gray four-slot plastic tray.... filled with salt, pepper, and sugar packets upon closer review :( Aaaaha- Flaming Wok... little plastic baggies filled with sets of utensils and napkins piled high on plastic trays - with two little Chinese guys standing guard over them from behind the counter. And then, the last stop on the circle...Moe's Southwest Grill...silver canisters with plastic utensils right out in front! The worker was busy scraping the grills (with his back to me), so I nonchalantly grabbed two forks and kept right on walking. Mission accomplished - finally! I thought about tossing a quarter on the counter to cover the cost, but the thought of having to explain the whole situation was too embarrassing. Don’t worry though – before our year is up, we’ll definitely eat at the non-shopping mall version of the Moe’s Southwest Grill here in WS and make sure the company gets their compensation.

Chris actually finished the test around 12:30 so the picnic turned into a celebratory conclusion instead of a mid-test break. (The nine-hour allowance must be pretty gracious – but then again, who would ever think Chris would be able to sit in front of a computer for that long anyway?) We ate our salads (with our contraband forks) at a picnic table in that same building complex where the testing center was. Except for the few stray cats, it was a surprisingly pleasant place to enjoy a picnic.


With the rest of the afternoon in front of us, we decided to check out the Greensboro Arboretum. The park was filled with all sorts of identified trees, shrubs, bushes, and flowers. The butterfly garden was beautiful with the fountain in the center, and the coniferous section had some of the most amazing trees in it. Unfortunately the roses on the huge trellis-like structure were not in bloom, but it was still quite beautiful!

After taking in some nature, we decided to take in some of Greensboro’s history as well. It is the home of the short-story writer O. Henry, so there are some great statues in a park downtown. I read a modified version of his “Gift of the Magi” every year with my fifth-graders, so it was really great getting to learn more about him as an author (like the fact that he spent three years in jail for fraud!). One of the stories on the giant book in the park even mentions Illinois! Of all the stories they could have picked, and of all the words that could be on that statue…

We went to the three-story Historical Museum and saw many more displays related to him, including his aunt’s schoolhouse where he went, and his uncle’s pharmacy shop where he worked as a teenager. (Hence the pictures of our interpretations of partaking in our respective professions in a different time period).



The museum also included a room devoted to Dolley Madison, another area native, and a section relating to the 1960 Greensboro Sit-In at Woolworth’s that sparked the Sit-In movement around the country during the Civil Right Movement.


Chris’ favorite part was the entire wing devoted to Confederate firearms, which all came from the collection of one individual collector apparently!






One last stop on our historical tour included the Guilford County National Military Park, which is the location of one of the largest Revolutionary War battles that took place in the South. While Nathanael Green and the Patriots lost the battle to Cornwallis (even though they outnumbered the Brits by nearly double), it did lead up to Cornwallis’ surrender just 7 months later. The park, which interestingly enough, was the first national park established at a Revolutionary War site, includes 220 acres with an amazing path around the loop of markers, explanations, and statues (so I’m sure we’ll be heading back with our bikes someday.)

As you can see, what we thought was going to be a long day of nothing but test-taking, turned out to be quite the trip! From history to nature to a mission at the mall, the day left us utterly exhausted…

But – not too tired to head down to the jazz concert at Corpening Plaza that happens every other Friday night! With it being just a few blocks away, we can actually hear it from our apartment, but we decided to check out the event in person. It’s yet another way the city of Winston-Salem (whose nickname is the “City of the Arts”) is really promoting downtown. Great music, great setting, and ohhh –we had our first tasting of Cheerwine, which is really just cherry soda, but is apparently a very Carolinian item.

And - after that, we went to Foothills for a surprise birthday party for a guy who lives in our building. He was the one who actually invited us (so much for surprise)! I must say - it is very awkward showing up to a surprise party hoping that you don’t have to explain how you know about the party. It becomes exponentially more awkward when the other guests there are all employees of The Rush, the fitness complex where I had just interviewed for a job the day before! Considering the circumstances, I think the night went well – but I guess that will be reflected in whether or not I get a job! I’ll keep you posted!

As you can see - a very, very busy day! As I said, utterly exhausted! In fact, I'm exhausted from just writing this all! (Sorry it was so long! And maybe someday I will remember to bring the camera so we can stop taking pictures on Chris' phone!)