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Sue & Tim Metcalf

235 Cayuga Rd · Lake Orion, MI 48362 · (248)690-7192

December, 2014

It’s hard to believe that 2014 is drawing to a close. Let’s take a look back at the past year.

The winter of 2013-2014 started early and stayed late. The Detroit Metropolitan area set a new snowfall record of almost 95 inches. The spotlights on our Christmas decorations disappeared under the snow and were not see until mid-April!

In early January Tim braved a snowstorm and drove about 45 miles north to the Genesee County Animal Shelter, near Flint. There he met and fell in love with Bianca, a white female kitten. She quickly adapted to life with two “brothers” Nigel and Grayson.
On April 12 Mother Nature played a cruel trick on the area. We had high winds and two inches of pea-sized hail that brought down all or part of nine trees on our property. Power was out for almost four days. The Lake Orion area had a lot of damage, from roofs to downed trees and power lines to damaged siding. It took months to recover.

Tim was the Commodore of the Doublehanded Sailing Association this year. As such he and Sue were invited to most of the Detroit area yacht clubs’ Commodores Balls. They attended ten such balls and made some good friends among the community of Commodores and their wives.

In late June Chris flew in to join Tim in sailing the 30th Huron Doublehanded Challenge. The Challenge, sponsored by the Doublehanded Sailing Association, is a 200-mile race from Port Huron to Rogers City. This was the fourth time the two competed and their third finish. Unfortunately they finished last. No one believed Tim when he said that as Commodore it was his obligation to stay out on the water until all the other competitors were safe at the dock.

After the Challenge we spent almost a week bringing the boat back to Sarnia. It was our first long trip in several years and we thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

Sue took her mom to Seattle for eight days in late July. Sue and her family lived in Seattle for a few months many years ago and this was her Jean’s first time back. It was whirlwind trip! They visited many of the local attractions including the Seattle Zoo, the Japanese Garden and the Space Needle. They also spent time with Jean’s three grandchildren that live in the area and their families.

Tim’s brother Jake retired from Johnson & Johnson in August. While on a visit with friends in the Cleveland are he was able to drive up and spend a few days with us. It was good to see him. He is adapting well to retirement.

One day in October Sue received a panicked call from the property manager for the movie “Batman vs Superman” which was being filmed in our area. He needed a special saddle pad and he needed it quickly. Sue was able to make it in a day; this made him very happy. If you see the movie, watch for the horse in the funeral scene. It’s wearing the pad that Sue made.

Tim’s sailing adventure this year was the delivery of a friend’s 47-foot catamaran from mid-Chesapeake to West Palm Beach, Florida. It was a great trip. Catamaran sailing is quite different from being on a monohull.

On Thanksgiving we held the traditional family dinner. It was a cozy event this year with just Tim’s mom and her companion, and his sister and her husband. Dinner was excellent as always and we were grateful for the opportunity to spend time with our families.

Business has been good for both of us this year. Tim worked on more than thirty boats this year, including preparing one boat to compete in the Newport to Bermuda Race. Sue has been buried under embroidery and blanket repairs (and one cool saddle pad). She also had her first “ClintRMint” booth at a local show.

It has been a busy and 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

Sue@SueMetcalf.net • Tim@TimMetcalf.net
www.Facebook.com/Sue.Metcalf.7 • www.Facebook.com/TCMetcalf
For pictures and more, visit our Flickr photo site at www.flickr.com/photos/tcmetcalf