THOMASVILLE, NC AND SURROUNDS (Mark)

We have not been able to do a drive exploring the area for quite some time, but we decided we needed some ice cream, so off we went.

Cheri got out the atlas and we headed, in a very roundabout way, toward our favorite, Spankys’ Deli and Homemade Ice Cream, located in Salisbury, NC.

We stopped in Thomasville to smell the flowers:

Thomasville, formerly a center for sales of Thomasville Furniture, was established in Davidson County NC in 1852.  It has about 28,000 residents, and hosts the state’s oldest festival, “Everybody’s Day.”

The town has a number of murals, but some of them are unfortunately quite old and fading away.

I increased the contrast of this photograph to make it easier to see the features.  I generally do not alter photos, but this one needed it to show some of the detail.

I took a number of smaller vignettes from this mural.  I love how this makes it look like the car is trying to flee the vines:

Another mural by the railway station.  Due to the manufacturing of furniture earlier in its history the railroad was very important to the city.

The Memorial United Methodist Church is quite grand.  It basically occupies an entire block just across the railroad tracks from downtown.  It was formed in 1950 when two Methodist Churches combined.

I love reflections in windows.  In this photograph you can see another mural on the brick building reflected on the window:

This restored rail car is on the western end of the main downtown, by a small visitor’s center:

The day was about perfect for strolling with a camera, in the high 70’s, nice breeze blowing, lots of clouds rolling through an otherwise blue sky.  I saw another window, no reflections, but flowers:

We left Thomasville and headed south, then saw this church in Hedricks’s Grove, a "dot" on the atlas. 

It is a Reformed United Church of Christ, established in 1890, known for the architecture.  It is described as "Romanesque Revival style with uneven height corner towers."

It also has an attached cemetery, and a very nicely done memorial to the service members of the area:

We did eventually make it to ice cream . . . a very pleasant day!