Sue & Tim Metcalf 235 Cayuga Rd · Lake Orion, MI 48362 · (248)690-7192
December, 2022
We closed last year’s letter on a hopeful note. We’re happy to report that this year has been all that we hoped it would be. Let’s look at the highlights. We spent the end of 2021 in Seattle with Chris, Sarah, Slone, and Sarah’s mom Marsha. The trip included four days, including Christmas, camping in a rustic cabin on the shores of Puget Sound. To add to the excitement, we even had a few inches of snow, giving us a white Christmas. The Miami Boat show was back in full swing this year. We stayed with our friends Mark and Doreen Murray on their trawler in Stuart. We spent two days at the show, one with Mark, Doreen, and Todd Quick, another friend who joined us in Florida, and one with Cal and Nancy Killen, old friends from our days at IBM. It was great time! The Michigan Horse Expo was also back on this year, after a year’s absence. Sue always looks forward to this show. She had an excellent show, selling all of the ClintRMints she took, and securing some new dealers. Unfortunately, Tim could only help set up and tear down, as he was suffering the after effects of COVID. In April we had a nice Palm Sunday lunch with Tim’s mom, his sister Jackie, and her husband George. The next day Tim flew to Florida to help Mark Murray bring his 60-foot Selene trawler north. It was an eventful trip, and included some gnarly weather in the Gulf Stream. He flew home from Hampton, Virginia, and Mark continued his trip north. June saw us back in Cleveland for Tim’s fifty-second high school reunion. It was a nice evening. In addition to seeing old friends, we spoke with some classmates that he hadn’t spoken with since graduation. Early July brought Chris, Sarah, and Slone to visit for ten days. It was wonderful! Slone is five years old now and is really a little boy. He is fascinated with all things space, loves playing with Legos, and enjoys sailing. He went to Pony Camp at Sue’s barn for the second year and really enjoyed himself. We launched Estes rockets. We spent a couple days on our boat with them and took him sailing. We also visited Tim’s mom. Seeing Slone always makes her happy. Speaking of our boat, this year was much better than the previous two. We launched in late May and spent every weekend that we could on board. We sailed several times and had a great season. We’re looking forward to next season. In mid-September Tim joined Mark and Todd aboard “Freedom,” Mark’s 60-foot trawler. They left Port Huron, Michigan, and took the boat to New York City, where Tim got off. The trip included transiting Lakes Erie and Ontario, the Welland and Erie canals, and the Hudson River . Mark and Todd continued south from New York. In late October, Chris flew in from Seattle. He and Tim drove down to Hampton, Virginia, to participate in the Salty Dawg Sailing Association’s Caribbean Rally to Antigua.They crewed on the Fontaine Pajot 47 Saona “Solmate.” After an unprecedented twelve-day weather delay, the fleet left on November 12. It was a great trip for everyone. The weather behaved, and they landed thirteen fish, eleven of which they kept and cleaned. Fish was often on the menu! Tim’s Mom turned ninety-two this year. We’ve been able to visit her several times, including the Palm Sunday brunch and the picnic with Chris, Sarah, and Slone. Unfortunately, recently her health has declined and she has entered a nursing home. We will monitor her condition and visit as often as we can. We are grateful to Tim’s sister for being the “on scene” situation manager. Sue’s two businesses continue to thrive. The ClintRMint Company picked up many new dealers this year. Demand for The Embroidered Horse products is strong. Tim’s business, TCM Marine Electronics Services, has slowed a bit because he wants it to. Crawling around on a boat pulling cables is more difficult, so he is being selective about his projects. Once again, this year we will be flying to Seattle for a week over Christmas. It will be fun, and we can’t wait! We wish you and yours a joyous holiday season and hope that you will join us if you are in our area.
Sue and Tim
Sue@SueMetcalf.net • Tim@TimMetcalf.net |