Carolina Time

Sunday afternoon

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Inmon) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 02:14:00 +0000

Took some time to just have fun around our house. As Ferris Bueller once said, "Life moves pretty fast, if you don't stop and look around once and a while, you could miss it."

I am so blessed!

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Just because...

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Inmon) — Mon, 27 Jul 2009 01:46:00 +0000

Need to update for our family and friends...miss you all.

My Sweet Pea

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Inmon) — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 20:27:00 +0000

She is becoming quite the shutter bug, as well as a beautiful young girl!

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Felipe Massa

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Inmon) — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 20:21:00 +0000

Prayers and well wishes go out to Formula 1 driver Felipe Massa. A spring came out of fellow competitor and friend Rubens Barrichello's Ferrari at 120 miles per hour and impacted Massa's helmet causing multiple open severe skull fractures, unconsciousness and a subsequent crash into the barriers at the Hungarian Gran Prix.

Best wishes to you and your family, stay strong.

Fun with Charwee...

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Inmon) — Thu, 28 May 2009 02:29:00 +0000

These two like to make sure we can hear them...Jackson sure loves his "Charwee".

Strawberry Patch

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Inmon) — Thu, 28 May 2009 02:14:00 +0000

Took the family to Cottle Farm in Cola for some quality time picking strawberries. Great fun together and even better strawberries fresh out of the ground.

Thanks for reading, Y'all tune in again soon.

Our Boys

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Inmon) — Thu, 28 May 2009 02:04:00 +0000

Spending a lazy Sunday afternoon with the boys in the back yard. Quite a pair! Very handsome and growing up way too fast. Enjoy the pics.

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Perfect Circles

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Inmon) — Fri, 01 May 2009 01:45:00 +0000

"Pedaling Perfect Circles is where I dream to be.

Riding and Racing to find sublime tranquility.

I look down upon my pedals and choppy squares I see.

Hoping to one day find my form of whom I achieve to be."

Sometimes life mirrors your time of silence on the bike. Refreshing to clear the mind of the weeks stresses as they release into the setting sun of my first ride in months.

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My Sweet Pea

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Inmon) — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 02:23:00 +0000

Just had one of those priceless moments you always wish for as a Dad with my daughter Charlee. The faint sounds of tears running down her face turned into the thunderous steps of a wildebeest heading down the stairs. She came to me wanting comfort, which I provided at the dinner table with a cold cup of milk, a nutty bar, caring and calming words of wisdom and support.
Shortly thereafter milk mustache smiles abound and a little snuggle time with Mom made the world just right.

Hug the ones you love and always take the time for milk and nutty bars.

Thanks reading, Y'all tune again soon...we have more nutty bars...

Day Trip

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Inmon) — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 03:14:00 +0000

Nothing like a two hour drive to the beach in the motor home to blow out the cobwebs. Jackson takes after his Momma, loves the beach and the ocean. Had so much fun we decided to camp overnight at James Island State Park so we could go back to the beach in the morning. Discovered Jackson loves doughnuts.

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Rub a dub dub, little man in the tub.

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Inmon) — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 02:57:00 +0000

What a handsome baby boy! Too cute for words. Hard to believe he is almost two...

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Snow...Columbia Style

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Inmon) — Sat, 24 Jan 2009 02:35:00 +0000

Well it came...and went...total snow time about 5 hours. Schools closed, City and State offices opened at 11:00. God forbid we ever get real accumulation in Columbia, would have to call out the National Guard.

The kids were in Heaven, Jackson went crazy with excitement seeing his first snow and could not wait to get outside. Tanner built a 6 inch snowman that is slowly melting in our beer fridge in the garage.

Enjoy the pics.

Thanks for reading, Y'all tune in again soon.

Winter Storm Advisory?

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Inmon) — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 22:38:00 +0000

Only in South Carolina...We received a call from the school about 30 minutes ago indicating that school will be cancelled tomorrow due to the forecasted Storm Advisory! Better make a run to the local grocery to stock up on milk, bread, wine, and beer. We were told when we moved here that if there is potential for or actual snow and ice that the city shuts down...Now we know!

Issued by The National Weather ServiceColumbia, SC 1:05 pm EST, Mon., Jan. 19, 2009

... WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY NOW IN EFFECT FROM 9 PM THIS EVENING TO 3 PM EST TUESDAY...

AN AREA OF LOW PRESSURE WILL DEVELOP AND MOVE EASTWARD ACROSS THE SOUTHERN PORTION OF SOUTH CAROLINA LATE TONIGHT. IT WILL REACH THE COAST SHORTLY BEFORE DAWN TUESDAY. THIS SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO BRING IN COLDER AIR AND INCREASING MOISTURE. THE PRECIP WITH THIS SYSTEM IS EXPECTED TO BEGIN AS RAIN... AND GRADUALLY CHANGE TO A MIXTURE OF RAIN AND SNOW... BEFORE TURNING OVER TO ALL SNOW BY MORNING. OVERNIGHT LOW TEMPERATURES WILL FALL INTO THE LOWER 30S. ONE INCH OR LESS OF SNOW IS EXPECTED BY MORNING. SNOW WILL BEGIN TO TAPER OFF TO LIGHT SNOW OR SNOW FLURRIES EARLY TUESDAY AFTERNOON WITH TEMPERATURES ABOVE FREEZING IN THE MID 30S. LITTLE ADDITIONAL ACCUMULATION WILL OCCUR IN THE AFTERNOON. THE WEATHER SYSTEM WILL MOVE AWAY BY MID AFTERNOON.
A WINTER WEATHER ADVISORY MEANS THAT PERIODS OF SNOW WILL CAUSE TRAVEL DIFFICULTIES. BE PREPARED FOR SLIPPERY ROADS AND LIMITED VISIBILITIES... AND USE CAUTION WHILE DRIVING

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Merry Christmas

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Inmon) — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 15:39:00 +0000

I hope that everyone had a very Merry Christmas and wish all a prosperous New Year.

Second Annual Woodcrest Halloween Parade

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Inmon) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 04:22:00 +0000

Yes I know almost a month ago but catching up. As some of you know Halloween is my favorite Holiday. When else can I dress up, act like an idiot and get away with it? Loaded question, easy now. We held our Second Annual Halloween Parade this year at our house and had big fun. We went as the Frankenfamily! We provided chili, hot dogs, adult "Ritas", and kids "Ritas". Everyone else brought side dishes, hot apple cider, hot chocolate, beer, wine, chips, dip, deserts (oh my) and three cases of wonderful noise makers. Think of a very irritating hoard of bees on steroids flying at Mach 3 around your head. That is the sound...over and over again...43 kids showed up in costume as parents lined the street (we were the only adults who dressed up). We paraded, some on scotters, in wagons, on tricycles, bicycles, and golf carts to the end of the street and back to our garage for diner where we ate and drank like Kings before heading out to trick or treat. Never before have I seen our "Rita" machines go empty in less than 30 minutes. Luckily several adult participants were hell bent on more margaritas and off to the liquor store they went. We of course had to oblige them.

Jackson had a great time on his first real trick or treating venture. We loaded he and Tootles in the wagon and off we went. He would smile as we went to the door and say "Teet" but he wanted to go inside and see their houses as well. After hitting about half a dozen houses with him we headed back to party central to find the adults maintaining security by the roadside impromptu bon fire. There we had about five families side by side all with our buffet line of candy for the kids to take. Afterwards the kids came inside for the candy exchange. Big fun was had by all.

Thanks for reading, Y'all tune in again soon.

Chimney Rock

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Inmon) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 02:24:00 +0000

Took a family day trip to Chimney Rock Park in North Carolina several weeks ago and had a fantastic time. We were about a week too early for the foliage to change but there were hints of natures wonder beginning to bloom vibrant colors of orange, yellow, red, and burgundy. This park has roots deep in our Country's history. In early 1870 a man by the name of Jerome Freeman purchased Chimney Rock and 40o acres from speculators for a whopping $25.00 (yes twenty-five dollars) with ambitions of opening a trail and public facility to the top of the rock. But it was in 1902 when things really began to take shape. A Missourian by the name of Lucious B. Morse, a physician, and his brothers purchased 64 acres of land including the Chimney and Cliffs for $5000. The Park now encompasses over 1000 acres and until 2007 was owned and operated by the Morse family. The State of NC and other partners purchased the park late in 2007 for $24 million dollars to serve as the main stage of a new state park. Several movies have been made over the years in the park such as: The Last of the Mohican's, Firestarter, A Breed Apart, and Dirty Dancing.

The truly amazing feature is the "Chimney" which is solid granite and houses a 198 foot tunnel leading to a 258 elevator shaft. Construction of this project took 18 months to complete with the aid of 8 tons of dynamite and no fatalities. Pretty amazing for something that opened to the public in 1949. It was honestly a bit unnerving walking into the tunnel leading to the elevator. It would not have been so bad but we had to wait in line for about 20 minutes (under ground) to take a 12 second ride to the top. Upon exiting the elevator we were treated to unbelievable views that even the pictures don't do justice.

The kids were in Heaven, running around, peering over the edge of the railing, making me very, very nervous. I had Jackson on my back in a pack which was great expect for the fact that I really don't like heights and he was very intent on getting out and running around with Tanner and Charlee. Now to put this in perspective, the top of the Chimney is about the size of let's say an oversized two car driveway. Only it is a rock, not a flat rock bit more like a giant wierd shaped mushroom. Now put another 40 people with you on that little piece of real estate and you have yourself one of those moments that is very difficult to smile for the camera. Obviously I was the only one this seemed to bother. From the top we hiked down the trail through the diverse plants and land features to the water falls which was one the the most breathtaking sights I have seen. Beathtaking on two levels, one the sheer beauty of the park and two the fact that I had Jackson on my back, thank God we were going down hill. Being the geek that I am I counted all the steps, man made, we walked down to the bottom...748! What a work out, my legs were shaking the whole drive home, thankfully the cruise control worked.

After leaving the park we had a great Italian dinner complete with two ice cold beers a piece to relax the legs at a place that overlooked Lake Lure. We watched the sun set over the mountain and had the literally thousands of lady bugs fluttering throughout the rays of sun around the outdoor deck. Amazing.

The ride home was rather quiet and everyone slept like the proverbial "rock". If you are ever in the area put this trip on your planner.

More updates to come, thanks for reading, Y'all tune in again soon.

Veterans Day

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Inmon) — Wed, 12 Nov 2008 13:18:00 +0000

Let us not forget those who fought for our freedom, and pray for those who are fighting for our freedom today.

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Quick Pics

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Inmon) — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 15:32:00 +0000

My Blackberry World phone took a dive in the old crapper. Thankfully I purchased insurance and now have a new Blackberry Curve. Much better phone, I really don't know why the salesman talked me into the other one. How often do I need a phone that works anywhere in the world? The Curve has all the same features as well as a camera and video recorder. However, I did notice that this little bundle of technology will be available shortly. Don't get me wrong you Mac users, I love my iPod touch but the service for the iPhone here in Cola is spotty and this new phone looks cool. These are a couple of shots from the new phone.

Thanks for reading, Y'all tune in again soon.

Life as it comes...

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Inmon) — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 03:06:00 +0000

Life moves at you pretty fast, and if you are not quite prepared it can smack you in the face.

Jackson and I had our first trip to the ER room...our kitchen bench, weighing about 20 pounds, fell over on his toe...ugly...in the ER for over 5 hours in the waiting room and Xrays...met with the ER Doc for...get this less than 10 minutes and he tells me at 12:45a.m...sorry for the wait...nothing we can do...$850 dollars later...our boy is good. Dad very tired, Doc even asked if I needed a note for my employer to relieve me for being late the next morning...I declined...But thanks!

Keep in mind the simple things in Life make all other stresses just go away...Enjoy the smiles from friends and family that come your way. Small or large...just enjoy!

Oh and by the way I put on my big boy bibs and took off with the Wednesday night ride and got my ass dropped. Damn, nothing like getting back in the saddle! At least Summit Cycles provided nice cold Sierra Nevada Pale Ale and Becks for post ride refreshments. Looking forward to the Friday night Beer ride.

Thanks for reading, Y'all tune in again soon.

Storm Classification

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Inmon) — Fri, 12 Sep 2008 01:40:00 +0000

Alright two part post:

First off I have come up with a new Hurricane Classification System. (The JC System)

Category One: (JC 1) Jim Cantore shows up in your town
Category Two: (JC 2) JC shows up in your town wearing his rain coat
Category Three:(JC3 ) JC shows up in your town wearing his raincoat leaning into the wind
Category Four: (JC4) JC shows up in your town wearing his raincoat leaning into the wind trying desperately to speak into the mic sporting his Speedo swim goggles
Category Five: (JC5) JC is nowhere to be found....

Second Part....Panic in the streets fueled by the Media...

Left work today to find Two Notch Road completely packed with traffic. Thought it was a big wreck, not too uncommon. But soon found the gas stations packed with vehicles lined up waiting for fuel. One BP Station had approximately 30 cars waiting on fuel, the next had about 18...Word on the street is that fuel lines are shut down, prices will increase one dollar overnight, and rationing will come into effect. The photo is from a station in Sumter SC about 30 miles from us.

We resisted the hysteria of loading up our vehicles and heading to the stations to top off our tanks with the majority of Columbia. However, I did make a stop off on the way home at our local grocery for two gallons of milk, a six pack of pale ale, and a bottle of Merlot. I figured that would, get us through the next couple of days. And hell worst case scenario I can work from my home office or even ride my BIKE to work. What a concept. Those in the Gulf, take care and buckle down Ike is a big mother scratcher.

Thanks for reading, Y'all tune in again soon.

Support Staff

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Inmon) — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 11:54:00 +0000

Springfield's finest showing Brad some love at the T.O.M. (Photo credit from Action Images via the Jelly Belly website).

Hope Cale was wearing sunscreen...

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Greenville County Road Trip

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Inmon) — Mon, 01 Sep 2008 02:07:00 +0000

Took a road trip today to Greenville to see the US National Road Racing Championships. Beautiful weather, great city for all things outdoors, fantastic crowds, and incredibly talented pro cyclists. Eclectic shops, fine dining, great burgers, the river walk, and cold beer brought out all types of fans and those who just wanted to get out and see what all this racing hype is all about. The crowds were not disappointed. Brad Huff was off the front all day making a great show for himself. First off in a two man break on lap two and remained in the main break which at one point had almost 3:30 seconds on the peleton. He remained in the break fighting hard for the better part of four hours until the final trip up over Paris Mountain. If you don't know Brad, you should. Great guy, funny, smart, determined, and fast as hell, big things will come for Brad, he has only just begun. Oh yeah, and he has a very interesting pre-race warm up. How about stretching and some jumping jacks. Seems to work for him!

Big George, the home town favorite was riding well with one team mate in Craig Lewis and was in the hunt until final laps. (Thanks go out to Hincapie Sports and the Team Bus with the big flat screen with the live race feed for us fans without the $100 hospitality passes.) I had the small, vocal, beer drinking crowd all cheering for Brad at the bus. But the day belonged to Rock Racing. Mike Creed in the break with Brad all day and finally Tyler Hamilton had what is takes to earn the stars and bars next year. Tyler edged out Blake Caldwell from Garmin-Chipolte by 2 one-hundredths of a second at the line. The guys at Rock not only look good, but like it or not appear to be the real deal. They now have two US Championship jerseys to sport next year.

I also watched some future racers, saw some interesting art, creative hair styles, sweet bikes from Litespeed, Storck, and Cervelo. If you get the chance to come to Carolina, put Greenville on your itinerary, this is truly a town that has it all.

Thanks for reading, Y'all tune in again soon.

Folly Beach South Carolina

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Inmon) — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 03:11:00 +0000

Two hours from our doorstep! Just 15 minutes outside of my new favorite city, Charleston. Jackson's first official trip to the beach. We have to do this more often. More later, enjoy the pics.

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Charlotte USA Crit Series Day Trip

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Inmon) — Mon, 04 Aug 2008 02:19:00 +0000

We loaded up the motor home and headed up I-77 to Charlotte to see the USA Crit Series Saturday. The setting was incredible, downtown Charlotte at dusk with my family. We had a great lunch at Ristorante Uno, headed uptown to the Discovery Center Museum (which was fantastic) and then to the start line of the race. We missed the women's race but got in some great family bonding time in the motorhome The boy's however, did not disappoint! The man of the night was Alejandro Borrajo who took a close sprint at the end over Health Net's Frank Pipp. It was full out from the gun, attack after attack that were reeled in until Bissell's Ted King went on a six lap solo flyer, but as the laps ticked down the peleton reeled him back. It was great to hear the crowd going nuts when the announcer would call out a $1000 dollar prime...several times throughout the night. Charlotte was a great setting for the Crit that had an incredible blend of people who were decked out for dinner in fine dinning establishments, those who were obviously out to meet the right person for the night, a second story outdoor patio bar with an ecletic blend of 30 something professionals to bikers all tatooed up. Next year we will however be a little more prepared. Fans had staked out the premier corners with tents, coolers, buffet tables, and music. Next year we will not be outdone! Watch for the Inmon clan in the corner with the tent and coolers! Enjoy the pics.

Thanks for reading, y'all tune in again soon.

Photo Share...stories later

noreply@blogger.com (Steve Inmon) — Thu, 31 Jul 2008 16:09:00 +0000