Winston Salem, North Carolina

Lake Salem, North Carolina

Salem lake is a dammed lake near Winston Salem. At 8 am , the morning sun was casting a warm orange glow on the calm water of the lake. Fog hanging on the surface of the lake was beautiful. Some people had started their morning walk/jog on a trail along the lake perimeter. A few row boats and canoes had left the marina, but the mirror like surface of the lake was still except for occasional wake that ducks would leave in the water.

Later in the afternoon, I witnessed a thunderstorm. Suddenly, the sunny skies gave way to torrential rain and gusty winds. Frequent thunder and lightning intermittently lit the dark skies. The experience of sitting in a car with a thunderstorm passing could be described as being one similar a carwash. I wonder if carwash is a good business to run in places frequented by thunderstorms.

When the thunderstorm passed, there were wailing sirens of ambulances and fire-engines. Many traffic lights had gone out of order and the the roads were littered with fallen leaves and broken branches.

Reyonlda House

Winston-Salem was also once called the "Camel City" after the premier brand of cigarettes made by R.J. Reynolds Company here.

Camel Brand of Cigarettes
(Smoking is Injurious to Health! It kills!)

We visited the grounds of Reynolda House, including a garden and a green house. The Reynolds family has donated the house and the grounds to a University. The house in on the National Registry of Historical places and the houses a museum of art.

Reynolda House

Another building entrance adjacent to Reynolda House

Gardens at Reynolda House Complex

The garden was well maintained. Many common (coneflowers, roses, zinnias, alyssum etc) species along with some uncommon ones ( Southern Belle Hibiscus - the flowers are huge and the leaves are a little different from the variety in India or Hawaii). There were rows of vegetables planted between rows of flowers in some patches of garden.

Nice place to spend an hour or two in the morning before it gets hot.