Settling In

We have moved to a new home and are finally starting to settle in. This house is perfect for us. It is in the woods and has some nice property to go with it. We have had fun moving in and still have some more to unpack. I get the feeling it is going to take a long time to get completely settled in. Here are a few photos of the house.

We are so happy here. I really think we can call this our home for a long time.

Under Contract!

We received one of the best gifts for Christmas this year. Our house went under contract! That means that we can finally start really looking for a house here in PA. We are so excited about the prospects of finding a home for the long term future. Hopefully we won't be purchasing any more houses, unless it is a vacation home. The search begins. I will keep the blogosphere posted!

Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays from my family to all of yours! We are still trying to sell the house in SC and are hoping that that happens by Christmas. It would be a great gift for us to receive this holiday season!

I am missing riding my motorcycle and am hoping to get down to Deals Gap soon. It has been quite busy since I have found a job. The schedule varies and can be tough. The job is going well though, and I am enjoying it. Well, I know this is a short post, but I felt the need to connect and wish everybody a great holiday season and an awesome New Year!

Settling In

Well, things have been really hectic lately. Moving to a new area, and doing plenty of rearranging has taken up a lot of my time. I am finally starting to settle in and am finding a lot of cool things to do. The family and I went to Highland Orchards and picked some apples and got our pumpkins for the Halloween season. Nothing like fresh apples! We are enjoying being so close to the family and went over and watched the Redskins beat the Eagles over the weekend. GO 'SKINS!

We are still trying to find a buyer for the house in SC, so if you know anybody looking for a residence down there send them that way. We have started looking at some places up here in the Northeast. It is kind of exciting! I feel like things are starting to fall into place. All I need now is some gainful employment. Stay tuned. I hope to be able to blog a little more frequently.

Sorry for the Delay.

It has been awhile since my last post. A lot of things have been happening. We have moved back to the Northeast, my son has started going to a new school, and Maureen has started a new position with her company.

With all of this going on I have been unable to get to the Gap much this year. I am hoping that this will change after things settle down. I still follow the happenings and might go for my birthday in October. We will see. I also plan on blogging more about other rides and adventures that my family may go on. So, hopefully I can make it more of a habit to blog on a more consistent basis.

Deals Gap...OPEN!!!!

I am so stoked!! Deals Gap is open, albeit only from 8am to 8pm, but it is open! This was the result of the efforts of many people, and goes to show that a well organized professional letter writing campaign to the appropriate government officials actually works!

I would like to send my thanks out to all the people who wrote letters or emails (including me :)) requesting that this situation get resolved. I would also like to thank Brad and Beth of the Deals Gap Motorcycle resort for being such great advocates for the area, and finally I would like to thank all the government representatives for doing something right, for not bickering to much, and for actually listening to the people you represent! Remember this is a government "For the People, and by the People"!

Now all I have to do is get out there and enjoy the road that I like so much!

Have a great day everybody and remember to keep it tire side down!

DEALS GAP CLOSED!!!

Well, the title says it all. Deals Gap is closed for now at the Tennessee state line. Apparently, there was a rock slide on US 129 near the Foothills Parkway. The state(TN) decided that they weren't going to accept an offer from Swain or Graham county, I'm not sure which one, for assistance regarding EMS services on the Dragon. The Gov. of TN decided to shut down US129 all the way to the state line instead, and to pay for two Highway Patrolmen and two TNDOT workers to stand guard at the barricades. You have to love the government at work!

Anyway, I am not letting this ruin my trip to the area this weekend. I will still go to the motorcycle resort and support them. There are plenty of roads in NC to ride. This little snag isn't going to keep me away from one of my favorite places. I will blog after I return from my trip. Let's hope that this gets resolved, for everybody's sake.

Remember to always look on the bright side of life!

Just A Blog

Hello to all my blog peeps! Spring has sprung, sort of here in SC! It is finally sunny and warmer. I hope my friends in the Northeast are doing OK with all the rain that they have had recently. I hope that Spring comes soon for you guys.

I have a trip planned for the end of March to...you guessed it...Deals Gap! We are going to go to Asheville this time, too. The Mother-in-law is coming down and we are heading to the Mountains. We will see if she can handle a trip through The Gap. I can't wait!

I have to plug my shop's EBay store again. Check it out! I have a link to the site on the right hand side of my blog. Please visit and come back often. The new site should be ready in the beginning of April. I will keep you all posted.

Have a great day and always try to find the good in things!

What's Up?

Well I know it has been a little bit since my last blog, but I have been a bit busy. I was going to be moving to New Jersey but that has fallen through, so I am now currently working back at the old motorcycle shop that I had been working at when we first moved to SC. I am now the Internet/eCommerce Manager and am working on the shop's new website. It should be up and running in about five to six weeks. I will let everybody know when I get it up and running. In the mean time check out our eBay store at http://stores.ebay.com/Attack-Powersports.

I know that I said that I would get pics from my last outing to the Gap but I am not on the PC that has them. I will blog them in a few. The family is doing well and we are having fun.

Until next time be safe and always look at the glass as half full.

Another Deal's Gap Adventure

Well we went out to the Gap over the weekend and stayed at a friends place. We had an uneventful drive all the way until we got to the house's driveway. In my attempt to go up the hill the car began to slip and slide backwards. The drive was a solid sheet of ice! We just missed sliding off the edge of the cliff!! Mo was not happy, but we were all safe and made it to the house. In the morning I went down the driveway and evaluated the situation. After some help from the neighbor and a local hunter we got the car out of the ditch and on safe ground.

The day was spent relaxing in the house and exploring the local dams. TVA (Tennessee Valley Authority) was letting the water levels down in the lakes. It was quite a site! John was amazed. The mountains are so beautiful. We had a safe trip home and I will have pictures to follow.

Jonesing for the Gap!

Random Gap Photo

I really need to get out to the Gap. I have been with out my curves for to long! I just found this photo on the web and thought I'd post it. I haven't quite gotten low enough to touch my elbow but I have gotten close. Anyway, I need to get back to the mountains.

Another Mobile Post

Mom rocks!

Happy New Year!!!

Maureen with her new friend!

I know it has been awhile since my last blog, but things have been a little crazy. I did Thanksgiving with my folks, then came back to SC for about 4 weeks, then drove back to NJ for the Christmas and New Year holiday season. I had a great time with friends and family. My wife, Maureen, my great friend Chris and I all went into NYC for New Years and had a great time in the city.

We walked all over and used the subway to go Uptown, Downtown and everywhere in between! It was a great day. In the evening we went to the Kitano Hotel and saw the Gene Bertonccinni Jazz Trio play. My brother came out and the four of us had a blast. Chris was texting the whole time, but hey jazz isn't really his bag. We still had fun and ushered in 2010 with the hopes of a better year and a better decade.

I think that a lot of good changes will be happening this year and this decade. We can only wait and see what the future holds!

So with that said, Happy New Year, and may good things happen to you and your families!

Mobility Rules!!!

I'm mobile!!! I just sent this from my iPhone!!!

"The Simpsons" is 20!!!!

I fired up my PC and got on the Internet and the head line on my home page was "The Simpsons" turns 20. I can't believe that this show is 20 years old! I am starting to feel my age! Anyway I just couldn't believe it so I thought that I would post it.

I had a great weekend with the kids camping, so there will be a blog very soon about that trip.

Gap Video

I made this video back in April. I just thought that I would share it here on my blog. This is why I love Deals Gap.

Deals Gap, Again!

I love the mountains. They are beautiful and the roads are awesome. I know that if you read this blog on a regular basis you already knew that. I went back to Deals Gap this week for a few days. I had to go to traffic court in Tennessee, and what a trip that was! The stuff people were wearing to court was amazing! The best one was a guy wearing some ratty old pair of shorts and a wife beater t-shirt! I couldn't believe it! These people must have thought that I was a lawyer the way I was dressed! A nice pair of khakis and button down shirt. Anyway after taking care of my traffic ticket I decided to stay and hang out for a little bit at the gap.

I met up with a friend I met while working in Waynesville, and he let me borrow one of his bikes. We rode for a little while then I drove the car through the gap and hung out with Killboy for a while. I'm glad I did because an insane group of classic cars rolled through and it was a blast to see. This has inspired me to get the "Moro" running again by this time next year so that I might be a part of this annual event. I think they call it "The Run Through the Hills". Anyway I have blabbed long enough. I had a blast and hung out with some cool folks.

The plate says "JUICY67"

This was AWESOME! 1971 'cuda with a 2008 6.1L Hemi!

This brought back some great memories of my 280z! This is a 1976.

I want to get another one someday.

"Buzz Lightyear"

I have a new nickname. Just call me "Buzz Lightyear". I had a women call me that while I was at the Gap. She said that my leathers look like Buzz Lightyear's suit. I never thought of it that way, but after they said it I think they are right. Here is a pic of me draggin' knee at the Dragon. Check out the leathers.

Patriot Day Parade

This past Saturday John, Liam And Mo were in the Florence Patriot Day Parade. It was a small parade but it was fun all the same. Mo and the kids had fun riding on the float and there were some neat things to see. There was a Cobra helicopter being towed along and some cool military trucks. St. Anthony's float won "Best Float". John was proud of that.

John & friends on the float.

Mo & Liam on the float. Liam was holding his ears because of the fire trucks.

Labor Day @ The Gap

This past Labor Day we went to Deals Gap and had a blast! John loves riding with me and is an awesome passenger! He leans with me in the turns and everything! We camped at the motorcycle resort and met some neat people. Sunday was a little rainy but Monday was awesome for riding. I got some good runs in with John and by myself. We also got to go out to Fontana Dam one of John's favorite places. He loves looking down the massive spill tunnels that allow water to go down to the river below. They give me vertigo!

Here are the happy campers! Minus the photographer.

Here is John in front of the spillway for the dam.

John next to the spillway. This shows you how big that opening is.

Here we are at the overlook.

We also stopped at a Krispy Kreme on the way home and had some fun with the hats that the kids got. All in all we had a good weekend. The only cloud over the party was my layoff from work on the Friday before we left. We didn't let that ruin our good times though!

MMMM! Yummy!!!