Amma
& Afi are so excited!Christmas will be extra special this year, as Judy and I will be sleeping over on Christmas Eve and Christmas night at Dan & Cyndy's. For the first time we'll be able to see Julianna and Ethan's excitement on Christmas morning as they investigate Santa's surprises!
Stephan and Stephan's Sons
"Back to Our
Roots!" 
Dan,
Leif and I finally made our long anticipated trip to our ancestral
home, Iceland. We took the Ring Rider Icelandair fly
& drive package to thoroughly explore Reykjavik and environs. It
was a "Once in a Lifetime" experience for us. For me to be with my
sons for this journey at this stage of my life was truly
gratifying.
It would be an understatement to say that we
enjoyed this rugged and incredibly multifaceted country! We loved our
Nordic journey!!! From glaciers to waterfalls, 
lava
fields to fjords, the ever-changing vistas were a delight to the eye,
and the food simple but satisfying! The ever adventurous Leif tried
everything, including horse, whale, seal, and the Icelandic delicacy,
rotted shark. Dan concentrated on Kleiners, the Icelandic donuts
"just like Amma used to make" and smoothies made with Skyr, Icelandic
yogurt. Our accommodation while on the road was in farm house
B&Bs; a slightly misleading description as they were comparable
to our motels-comfortable, but located on a farm. We even managed to
visit the farm where my grandfather lived and worked prior to his
emigration to Canada in the late 1800s.
I
took on the task of editing the 12 gigabytes of photos and videos
and producing two DVDs (one for family consumption, & a
shorter version for guests), complete with authentic Icelandic music.
I've included a few photos with this letter, but will be setting up a
full description on our newly acquired web domain
(http://thestephs.ca)
in the not-so-distant future (that's nicely vague isn't it?), and
will send out the link.
Just prior to our flight home, we enjoy a dip in the famous Blue Lagoon.
All in all, an incredible trip! I hope to return with Judy after she satisfies her desire to see Tuscany.
And finally, a very special thanks to Helga, Jonas and their two children for being such wonderful hosts while we were in Reykjavik!!! These Icelanders lived in Ottawa for a few years, and were friends of a friend of Leif's. Leif e-mailed them prior to our trip and they insisted we contact them on our arrival which we did. They treated us to an excellent dinner and then insured we saw all the great spots in Reykjavik, including helping us souvenir shop and accompanying us up to the Blue Lagoon on our departure day. We certainly hope we get the chance to reciprocate in future!
Again we had a wonderful New Year's Eve celebration with the gang in Toronto, dining at the picturesque Terra Cotta Inn. The Egelnicks have planned a new venue to bring in 2009. In September we had another too much good food and too little exercise weekend at the Haliburton Highlands cottages. Even the golfers rode in carts, and it was too cold to swim. But, like Christmas, it's only once a year of overindulgence - or is it?!?
2009 was our 2nd opportunity to host the annual Poker Club Golf Get-together. We decided after several not-so-veiled comments from certain members to upgrade accommodations from the "Bates Motel" level of last year so booked the beautiful Chateau Cartier Hotel which is only eight minutes from downtown Ottawa in Gatineau, PQ.
We again booked The Hylands, (my military club) as well as Le Sorcier, a beautiful course about 20 minutes from the hotel. Even the light rain at Hylands didn't "dampen" the day. Le Sorcier was a definite challenge, but fun to play and we all agreed we'd like to have another go at it now that we had identified its idiosyncrasies.
On the social side, we dined first at L' Orée du Bois - a charming French restaurant on the edge of Gatineau Park. Next night came the highly rated L' Arôme, part of Casino Lac Leamy, so those who wished to gamble could just walk down the hall after dinner to try their luck. On Friday, we elected to remain at the Chateau Cartier. We gathered in the Stephansons' "Boutique Room" for drinks and snacks and simply took the elevator down to a private dining room, which gave us the opportunity for extreme silliness in awards and birthday presentations. Celebrating 'significant' birthdays this year were both Ozzies, who turned 70, and Judi Egelnick, edging in as a kid of 60!
Janice
Kinch (left, Fran's longtime friend) designed and constructed the
original Ladies' Trophy many years ago, and this year she won it and
took it 'home'.
The coveted Coppard Cup was won by Marshall Egelnick. As seen at right, he was truly amazed at his accomplishment, as were other members of our group!
I was assured the cup winner selection by "Judge" Weir was completely subjective meaning that actual scores were not necessarily the only criteria. Possibly good looks, who bought the drinks, and whose turn it was to win may have influenced his final selection, though he adamantly maintained this was not the case!
In summary, a great time was had by all.
Everyone certainly appreciated Judy's excellent arrangements for
dining and lodging!!! And the golf turned out to be fun even though
the ever-changing bookings made my life interesting. Next year, the
Broens & Purveses will be handling things south west of Ottawa,
so I know we can look forward to another great time!
In
July we camped at Achray Campground in Algonquin Park with Dan
& Cyn and our grandkids. The weather cooperated, affording warm
days swimming, lazing in the sun and hiking to the top of the Barron
Canyon.
Ethan, a born fisherman, spent a day canoeing on the Grand River with his Mom & Dad and caught a foot long bass. Julianna spent that same windy day in and around the campsite, climbing trees, swinging in the hammock, and meandering the beach, letting her imagination run free. For her doting Amma & Afi, it was beautiful to observe.
Later that month, Garry and Dan rediscovered
Wabun Lake, near Calabogie, which had been a favourite haunt
for picnics and skinny dipping when our boys were little. Julianna
experienced the thrill of catching her first fish! 
In early August, the "Camping Grannies",
Judy & Eileen, chose Logosland,
a campground that was less natural (no snakes) and more carnival
(water slides and cotton candy). It was family friendly and made very
safe by the presence of multiple lifeguards at the water
sites, so our four intrepid adventurers were
able to enjoy all activities independently.
Gourmet delights such as spaghetti, hot dogs, pancakes, ice cream and s'mores satisfied the appetites of our ravenous troops.
In July, Judy drove with Leif & Wendy on a quick holiday to Winnipeg, managing to see most of the family there, when Nancy's son Kirk and wife Fiona hosted a pool party and pot luck at their new home in St. Andrews. Judy managed to squeeze in a couple of sibling gatherings at Kerry & Sandy's cottage in the Whiteshell. As you can see, the weather was spectacular!
In August, Nancy's granddaughter Jordyn did a brief but intense Capital City Tour- Exhibition rides, pool time, and Parliament Hill.
We were thrilled to have our godson Clay, wife Stacey and kids Cameron and Megan make a whirlwind trip to Ottawa. Leif & Wendy welcomed all the "water baby" cousins, including Parker, to enjoy their pool and hot tub in perfect summer weather.
Following the obligatory Parliament Hill/ Byward Market tour, Judy joined the Bittners, Dan & the kids at Mont Cascades Waterpark for a funfilled day before our visitors took the train for TO, Wonderland and another adventure.
It is with great sorrow that we learned of the passing of Garry's Uncle Brian, his mother Florence's "baby brother", on November 24th at the age of 85 after a brief illness. Uncle Brian was very much a family man, hardworking, funny, warm, supportive and dearly loved. In recent years he has maintained contact with family and friends through e-mails, regularly sending out a delicious mixture of thought-provoking, humorous or totally awesome pictures and articles. We'll miss you, Uncle Brian. Thanks for the sweet memories.
Thank you for the great times shared with friends and family in Ottawa, Winnipeg, Victoria, Montreal and Toronto area and all the E-mail messages and good wishes shared with loved ones far away.
May 2010 bring to you and your loved ones happiness, prosperity and peace.
and Our Web Site: http://thestephs.ca