Sue & Tim Metcalf 235 Cayuga Rd · Lake Orion, MI 48362 · (248)690-7192
December, 2023
As we closed last year’s letter, we were about to fly to Seattle for Christmas. It has been an eventful year since then. Let’s look at the highlights. We spent Christmas, 2022, in Seattle with Chris, Sarah, Slone, and Sarah’s mom Marsha. The trip included a rare ice storm, turning Chris and Sarah’s street, which is on a hill, into a skating rink for a couple of days. Although that was “interesting,” we had a great time. February found us back in Florida for the Miami International Boat Show. It was better than ever, and we spent one day there. We also took the opportunity to take an air boat tour of a small part of the Everglades. All we can say is wow! After that we spent a few days with our friends Mark and Doreen Murray on their trawler in Stuart, Florida. In March, The ClintRMint Company was back at the Michigan Horse Expo. Sue reorganized the booth this year and it was quite attractive. Once again, she sold all her product and attracted several new dealers. We launched the boat in late April, earlier than we had for several years. Unfortunately, we soon realized that our house battery bank had reached its end of life and needed to be replaced. In June Tim travelled to Virginia for a good friend’s memorial service. While he was there, he picked up a new Lithium Iron-Phosphate battery. The installation occupied the next few weeks. In late July Chris, Sarah, and Slone joined us for a week. It was wonderful! Slone is six years old now and is really a boy. He is still fascinated with all things space, loves playing with Legos, and enjoys sailing. He went to Pony Camp at Sue’s barn for the third year and really enjoyed himself. We launched Estes rockets. We spent a weekend on our boat with them and took Slone on a river ride. We also visited Tim’s mom. Seeing Slone always makes her happy. We had a great season on the boat, albeit with less sailing than we would have preferred. We finally got off the dock, spending Labor Day weekend in Port Sanilac. Our autopilot was working, and it was a great trip. We’re already looking forward to next season. After the boat was hauled in early October, we made another visit to the Annapolis Sailboat Show. We enjoyed visiting the vendor tents and got on one boat, a Hylas 57 owned by an SDSA Board member. We attended the SDSA Annapolis Rendezvous, where Gary Jobson was our guest speaker. While we were there, we visited the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum Annex at Dulles airport. It was amazing, and we’ll be back there again next year. Although he didn’t sail with the SDSA fleet this year, Tim spent a week in Hampon, Virginia, making sure that the participants’ communications equipment was ready for the rally. Sadly, this year’s rally was marred by a crew member’s death at sea. It was a sad incident in an otherwise successful event. Tim’s Mom turned ninety-three this year. We visited her several times, including the visit with Chris, Sarah, and Slone in July that really brightened her day. We wish we could visit her more. We continue to be grateful to Tim’s sister for being the “on scene” situation manager. Sue’s two businesses are more than healthy. Demand for The ClintRMint Company ’s products is stronger than ever. Demand for The Embroidered Horse products is strong, and she can now easily create a custom sales website for her customers. Tim’s marine electronics business, TCM Marine Electronics Services, had one of its best years. He already has several interesting projects lined up for next year. This year, for the third year in a row, we will be flying to Seattle for a week at Christmas. It will be fun, and we’re excited to spend some time with Chris, Sarah, and especially Slone. We wish you and yours a joyous holiday season and invite you to visit us if you are in our area.
Sue and Tim
Sue@SueMetcalf.net • Tim@TimMetcalf.net |