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December 2008

It’s hard to believe that another year has come and nearly gone. This has been a busy year for us, although thankfully not nearly as busy as 2007.

We spent the Christmas holiday last year in Seattle with Chris. It was a thoroughly enjoyable trip. Chris had good time showing us the sights and sounds of the city, and we were happy to spend time with him. We’ll be going back to Seattle again for Christmas this year as well.

In January we celebrated the completion of our remodeling projects with an open house. Altogether about 60 people stopped by to help us enjoy our new lower level.

This year marked our return to serious sailboat racing. Chris brought five friends from Seattle and his girlfriend's father and a long time friend from Dearborn joined Tim as we once again raced the Bayview-Mackinac Race. We had a great first leg and a letdown on the second leg, and we finished in the middle of the pack. It was a very fast race for us, just 33 hours, and our new friends from the Pacific Northwest learned firsthand about sailing on the Great Lakes.

After the race we took the boat to Traverse City, on Lake Michigan, where Sue competed in the Horse Sports by the Bay horse show for two weeks. Along the way we were able to spend time on Beaver Island, in Charelvoix and in Northport. We also got a chance to catch up with some old friends, including Ron Fitzsimmons, Kip, Janice and Sophie Nickel, and Cal and Nancy Killen. After all that we spent a week bringing the boat back down Lake Huron. All together we were gone for five and a half weeks. What a great vacation!

Early this year our good friends Bob and Beckie Eddy bought a 47-foot catamaran in Panama. Tim spent a week working on the boat in October. He returned in mid-November, intending to help bring it back to Florida. Unfortunately, after two frustrating weeks of bad weather, he was forced to fly back to Michigan. Nonetheless, it was a great experience, and gave him the opportunity to see the Panama Canal in operation.

Sue’s embroidery business continues to do well. Having the remodeling behind us allowed her to focus on bringing in new business, and she has been busy all year. She very much enjoys her new sewing room as well.

Chris left Amazon in May to join a Seattle-based startup called blist.com. He is using his Software Engineering skills to help the company improve its development process. His girlfriend, Sarah Wait, joined him in Seattle after Thanksgiving. They’re a great couple.

It has been a satisfying 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 2008 Highlight Photos

Go to our Flickr Photo Page