BBQ & Rainbows | A Winston-Salem Photographer's Hope for Small Businesses

I was out on an essentials run when I saw something that changed my day. The thunder had been rumbling through the screens of our open doors for about an hour. It’s like the storm knew I had things to do and wanted to encourage me out the door. Everything was in bloom, leaves unfurling, flowers flaunting their petals. Yet the sky was full of ominous dark clouds, bubbly and boil. I nodded quietly to myself, pursing my lips in contemplation. The juxtaposition of my scenery distinctly mirrored our current shelter-in-place climate. Watching through my car window as I began to drive, the clouds dropped out - first, in the distance and then eventually washing over me. I didn’t realize how much I needed that rain until that moment.


Just as quickly as it hit, the raindrops dissipated. The petrichor crept through my cracked windows, filling deep into my lungs. I sighed, drinking it in, as the ache in my skin was alleviated. My mood now lifted, I could again more easily appreciate the beauty that was around me - the newly formed petals and branches glistening. The cars driving beside me with colors more bold, their paint washed off the thick layers of pollen that had settled on them.


I hadn’t been out in a while, doing my best to stay home in recommendation of our mandated orders. It was nice to see my city again, strange as it may be with all of my favorite small businesses and other establishments sitting with a “closed” sign on their doors. It’s amazing how many differences you begin to see in 30 days. On my loop home, I saw the most striking one of all.

A little over a year ago, a small barbeque place burned up in a fire. I remember driving by it as the firemen were still putting out the flames. Seeing someone’s hard work go up in flames bears a burden. Many of us can relate to the hard work, the ache of being stretched thin, the sacrifice, the patience and the persistence it takes to build something. Then, in an instant, everything can change. That’s something, a year later from this fire and amidst this outbreak, I think the majority of us feel. That’s why, though, what I saw next brought me such hope. 

A year later, amidst a pandemic - amidst a storm - I happened upon this barbeque place once again. Raw and bold against the brooding sky, the bright tan wood of the building’s new framework and roof stood defiantly, a double rainbow perfectly crowning the whole scene. I couldn’t help but chuckle and smile. This whole display was the perfect depiction of hope and a promise that we can rebuild. As kitchsky and cheesy as it was - kind of like those “hang in there” cat posters I grew up with - I still saw the hope. I wanted to take a photograph to share, however, safe driving was more important. I did, however, snap this quick photo of the rainbow while I was safely sitting at a redlight.

* Sharing Hope and wishing you and your loved ones health and peace *

Rainbow over Peters Creek Parkway in Winston-Salem after a storm during COVID19 outbreak April 2020