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December 2006

Another year, another newsletter. It has been another exciting year for the Metcalfs, and we hope for you as well.

In February we took the train to Chicago to see the “Strictly Sail” boat show at Navy Pier. It’s a small show, but it is a great way to get away in the middle of the winter. While we were there we visited the new U-505 exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry. This is a fascinating display of a captured WWII German U-Boat; it is definitely worth a look if you’re in Chicago.

Tim flew to Roatan, in Honduras on April 29 to help our friends Dave and Deanna Hoops bring their boat back to the US after five years of full time cruising. Dan Christian, a mutual friend from Cleveland, joined them. The trip from Roatan to Charleston, SC, included nine days at sea and a two-day layover in Key West. It was a great trip; the weather cooperated for the most part, and it was good to be offshore again.

Memorial Day weekend saw Tim in the Pacific Northwest. He flew to Seattle, and then on to Victoria, BC, with Chris. They raced in the Swiftsure Regatta on a brand new 40-foot Hanse Yacht. While there they had dinner with Chris Carver, an old friend that they hadn’t seen since Ithaca in the 1980s.

Summer was busy for both of us. Sue picked up a couple of new embroidery customers; between the business, IBM, and riding she was more than fully scheduled. Tim was busy working on the house and the boat, and doing a few paying jobs. As a result we were unable to do as much sailing as we would have liked.

We started looking for a new house in early summer, and in mid-September we closed on a house in Lake Orion, MI. It’s a wonderful house on 3.1 heavily wooded acres with a 1-acre pond. The house has lots of potential, and we love it. You can see pictures of the house and property on our web site.

Sue retired from IBM on October 1, after 30 interesting years. She can look back on her career with satisfaction, and she knows that she will be missed. Since retirement she has been busy with her business, riding, and moving into the new house, so now she knows why the second syllable of “retired” is “tired.”

We were blessed to have many in our family join us for Thanksgiving. Sue’s mom flew in for a week. Chris came back for a few days. Tim’s parents, and his sister and her family were also here. It was great being together.

Chris is doing very well in Seattle. He enjoys his job at Amazon.com, where he is more than challenged. He is fully integrated into the social scene, and enjoys both skiing and sailing, sometimes on the same weekend. He has even joined a local yacht club.

As we write this we are preparing for a month-long vacation to Australia and New Zealand. It’s going to be a very exciting trip. Watch for web site updates early in 2007!

It has been a good year for us, and we hope for you too. Best wishes for an enjoyable holiday season, and for a challenging and rewarding new year. If your travels find you in the Detroit area, please stop and see us.

Sue and Tim

Go to our 2006 Highlight Photos