Sue & Tim Metcalf 235 Cayuga Rd · Lake Orion, MI 48362 · (248)690-7192
December, 2025
It’s amazing how fast this year has flown by! It seems as though it was just yesterday that we were discussing 2024, and now it’s nearly 2026. Before we get there, though, let’s take a look at 2025 for the Michigan Metcalfs. When we left off last year, we were looking forward to flying to Seattle to spend Christmas with Chris, Sarah, and Slone. It was our fourth year in a row on the west coast, and we had a great time. It’s great to see them, and Slone had so much fun opening his presents. After a quiet January, we were off to Florida for a week. We spent on day at the Miami International Boat Show, and two more with our friends Mark and Doreen Murray on their beautiful sixty-foot Selene trawler. It was very nice to be out of the snow and ice for a week. Later in February Sue and her sisters made a weekend trip to their childhood home, Decatur, Indiana, where they visited family. While Sue was gone, Tim picked up our newest member of our family, a female Mackerel Tabby. We named her Smoke, and she is a whirlwind. Sue only takes her horse treat business to one show every year, and that’s the Michigan Horse Expo. She was back there again in March and had a very successful weekend. Also in March, Tim had cataract surgery on both eyes. What a difference it has made! He no longer wears glasses, except to read, and the world is so much brighter. His night vision is improved as well. June was a busy month. Early in the month, we toured the restored Michigan Central Station. For decades, this building was a symbol of Detroit’s decline. Following a $750-million restoration by Ford, it is truly a symbol of the city’s rebirth. It is stunning! Tim came back to Cleveland for the annual golf outing and get together of his high school football team. Although he hasn’t golfed in nearly forty years, he enjoys seeing everyone. It’s really special seeing his old teammates. Near the end of June, Chris, Sarah, and Slone flew in for a week. It was a busy week – we went sailing, launched rockets, and visited Tim’s Mom. Slone and Tim even found time to build the bird house that Slone designed. July found us in New York state. We spent a long weekend staying at Sarah’s Mom’s cabin on Sodus Bay. We attended the Webster Firemen’s Parade and had a chance to see Slone at junior sailing camp. On July 24 th, we celebrated our 49 th wedding anniversary. It’s hard to believe that next summer will mark fifty years of marriage. Early in November we drove to Tim’s sister Jackie’s house in Painesville, Ohio. She and her husband George hosted a family reunion. It was fun seeing all of the nieces and nephews, and their children. We tried to visit Tim’s Mom monthly and mostly succeeded. She turned ninety-five in July. She is living comfortably in a nursing home in Newbury Township. Ohio. Sue is still enjoying riding. After her normal lesson horse suffered an injury, she moved to a new barn, where she has been reunited with Tim Sullivan, her trainer for many years after we moved to Michigan. She is very happy there. We had a good season on the boat. We didn’t sail as much as we might have liked, and we never do. After thirty-four seasons, this may be our last, as we are in the process of listing her. Sue’s businesses continue to keep her busy. She is now baking ClintRMints at a local community center, and has hired an assistant, which speeds up the process. Her embroidery business is healthy. Tim’s navigation electronics business can best be described as “slow.” He attributes this to the general economic slowdown at the end of 2024. Tim continues to be active with the Salty Dawg Sailing Association, where he is the Director of Safety and a Board member. The SDSA added its first trans-Atlantic rally this year, from Bermuda to Horta, in the Azores. The annual Caribbean Rally saw over a hundred boats depart early in November and can only be escribed as “sporty.” As we close here, we are looking forward to Christmas. Chris, Sarah, and Slone will be here this year, and we can’t wait to see them. Sarah’s Mom and her beau will join us right after Christmas. 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 |