Happy New Year to all! May you have a safe and wonderfully prosperous 2010. It's gonna be a great, great year.....let's hear your best New Year celebration stories.

Sunshine, snapping cold and a skiff of fresh snow.....ingredients for a great winter day. Debbie went walking with a family and they decided to go skating tomorrow....hearty group. Another cold day should bring the kiteboarders out on the ice.

Indoors we are preparing for New Years Eve - a subtle dinner celebration for those who want to be home with their loved ones to ring in the new year-Homecoming Jan 08 (the best weekend ever) and the Kiteboarding Weekend in late January - don't stay home, come and join us.

So many good movies just released.....what is your favourite? Poll on blog....let's hear what you think is a "must see".

Congratulations to Charlotte Kloosterman and Adam Van Spronsen who were engaged at the Resort this evening. Adam surprised Charlotte with a very romantic proposal in The Enterprise Room. Their smiles alone made this the good news of the day. Wishing you both every happiness together....now let's plan the wedding!

Merry Christmas from the ice rink on Rice Lake, at Elmhirst's Resort. Despite the cold, the resort kids wanted to try out their new skates. The ice was ideal for a pick up game or a few twirls. Rosy cheeks were rewarded with hot chocolate and holiday treats. Hope your day is magical, filled with warmth, friends and family.

Final item of business at our management meeting today was to send best wishes for a happy and safe holiday to our friends around the world. This evening guests are invited to join us for cookies, hot chocolate, carol singing and of course, the reading of "Twas the Night Before Christmas" as we sit around the fire. We'll be thinking of you and hoping you are with loved ones tonight.

It was a cold one today....down to -7 C early evening; the chickens are huddling together (they really didn't like having new bedding and shavings installed....broke the rhythm); our neighbours got together for a bit of Christmas cheer at Stephen and Caroline's - nice evening. The only thing that could have made it better? Victory for the Leafs.
To keep things toasty we are burning oat hulls from Quaker Oats - Peter is up before the sun checking on the product and ensuring the heat is keeping up to demand. So far, so good.....indoor pool is very inviting.
It's great to come home after work, sit by the fire and read the cards and letters from friends - thank you all.
One more day to get those last minute gobsmacking gifts....enjoy the long lines at checkout or call us for Gift Certificates and start the holiday season early. If you are heading out to see family tomorrow, travel safe.

It was a rockin' time at our employee Christmas event tonight....everyone was dressed up and out of uniform. After a sumptuous buffet we retired to the Wild Blue for a Rockband competition....it was lively and entertaining - no worries about any of the staff leaving us to join a travelling band. Get your family together and try a favourite Beatles tune - the challenge is on - are you ready?

Great to see Barney and Emily at Sunday Brunch - married here, moved to Toronto for work, home to visit family. Barney is the toon man responsible for our Friends Colouring book and the wall art in the Treehouse.


Seafood, berry crepes, hot and cold selections, desserts.....yours for the enjoying at Sunday Brunch.

You know the world is out of control when the hot items for Christmas giving are trackers for your children, cellphones, GPS and SPOT - satellite signal tracking devices. What happened to holding hands? No family member should ever be lost or without 911 service now....of course, you could just book your family vacation at a small lakeside resort and forego the security devices for real outdoor fun. Be free...be one with nature...smell a wood fire (gas fireplaces just don't smell)...walk in the woods or skate on the lake...it's not too late. Christmas cottages still available for those who dare to experience winter in the raw. Embrace winter at Homecoming Weekend January 08-10; try kiteboarding on the ice January 29-31; plan an overnight for Valentine's and February Family Day now - excellent gift for the entire clan. Stand up to winter!

Caught in the Wild Blue Yonder on iphone, looking very amorous, were Leanne and Dirk, married at the resort a year ago and Barry and Carol, also married at the Resort. Champagne toasts for all. Happy Anniversary and best wishes.

The Olympic Torch made a guest appearance in the bar tonight to the delight of those who missed the relay.

The sun shining on the hand painted creche (by Claude Tombs) reminded me the holiday season was close at hand. Gift Certificate sales are booming for teachers, relatives and special friends. Dining, weekends, Health Club memberships, spa services, sightseeing flights and horseback riding are most popular. Great idea for those "hard to buy for" folks on your list.

Torch fever continues as we watch the flame arrive in Toronto. Please check out the story by my torch mate, Mark Bonokoski,columnist for the Toronto Sun - his front page feature Flame On! captures the emotion of our group in Lakefield yesterday. It's a lovely article - I passed the flame to Mark and as he begins his run I am in the background getting my fuel source disabled. The relay may not have been on livecam but you can relive the moment with film by Henry on YouTube (Anne Marshall, Olympic Torch Run, Lakefield). My torch was in the lobby today but for some reason I felt better having it at home.

Oh what a day...early this morning I had the honour of carrying the Olympic torch in Lakefield, on it's way to Vancouver for the Winter Games in February. It was an amazing opportunity - being one of 12,000 who will carry the torch, through crowds of friends and wellwishers.....truly a once in a lifetime experience. I'm now looking forward to being at the Games as a volunteer. Thank you to all who came out in the chilly, daybreak to be a part of the journey. Don't forget to wear your red mittens to show support of our athletes.

Martina, Katie and Charlie (aka the Christmas Elves) take a moment at Lakeside Luncheon today....it was a full house of cheer, good will and of course, a great seasonal buffet.

Sneak Preview....Olympic mittens for carrying the torch on Wednesday morning.....only two more sleeps. I was looking for the perfect song to hum and keep my pace - Don't Stop Believing or I'm Having the Time of My Life....both work for me! Hope to see you in Lakefield for the event (0745 am).

Lakeside Luncheon today will be grand as we haven't seen some of our regulars since Thanksgiving. The Christmas Luncheon was so popular we had to add an extra day (Wednesday). Looking forward to catching up with the guests on both days. Everyone will miss our Greeter, Roy Legassicke, who is not feeling up to the challenge today.

Congratulations to Joyce and Wilburn Archer, friends who recently married without telling anyone. Tonight we celebrated with a toast in the Wild Blue Yonder. Wishing you a wonderful life together. Peter took the photo on his iphone but you can still see the glow!

During our poetry reading we encouraged guests to share their favourite poets with us....thanks to Bruce for his Leonard Cohen CD/DVD...truly a classic Canadian icon. It was fun introducing Leonard to the group.

Cold night, the smell of smoke in the air, the stars shining bright....great night for snuggling in front of the fireplace. Don't you just want to be here?

Woke up to the first ice in Rice Lake...no ducks this morning! It's beautiful to see the snowbanks and the white blanket of snow over the resort. Winter is a great season here - come and see for yourself.

The Resort, as seen by our neighbour Ronald Mackay. Today was a snow day - everyone stayed home. Cross country skiing was hard work as the snow was heavy from the rain. No ice on the lake yet....if you can't decide what to give the family, how about a Gift Certificate for horseback riding or Homecoming Weekend in January?

It was a beautiful morning at the barn.

CBY ventures out on the snow...the runway was very inviting for incoming planes.





Nordic Pole walkers found the roads and the trails enjoyable - it was our first winter walk - fun in the sun. You have got to try this!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow....first day of real snow. Yahoo. Now it feels like winter - decorated the tree while listening to Andrea Bocelli singing Christmas carols (just a few). I desperately wanted to run out and make fresh tracks in the snow. All the animals were dealing with the white stuff in their own funny way....the chickens stayed in the henhouse; the horses were squirrelly; the cattle laying low; Hunter preferred to be in the truck (she doesn't like getting snowballs in her paws).
I just love the rosy cheeks on the guests as they arrive for hot chocolate; the smell of the laundry when I bring it in off the clothesline; the clear nights and the new scenery of winter. Can't wait to try Nordic Pole Walking in another season.

View of the moon on the water this evening as seen by the attendees of a local business Christmas Dinner and Social. The brisk wind makes it feel like you are on a transatlantic cruise, looking out at the water. Okay, so maybe that's stretching it, but if you're a romantic, you get the idea. Work with me....

Only 12 days to Olympic Torch Relay day....today the stand for my torch arrived, so we can display it in the lobby....now how exciting is that?

Still time to get your letters into Santa, especially if you hope to get a few nights stay at the Resort. Call one of the Elves for reservations - we'll look forward to seeing you over the holiday season.

Oh what a day! We visited with Barb and Marv Wourms in Columbus, Ohio - we toured the state capital (very impressive with wide avenues, variety of architecture, neighbourhoods, brewery district, college grounds and no apparent traffic gridlock) before dinner and the hockey game. The Columbus Blue Jackets were most gracious, allowing the Toronto Maple Leafs to shine (making Peter very happy). Final score 6-3, evening with friends - priceless. It was wonderful to spend time with long time guests to the resort (the Wourms family have been summer guests for 26 years). Thank you Barb and Marv for your hospitality....we had a great time.

Greetings from Pittsburgh, PA...Peter and I are enroute to Columbus, Ohio for the hockey event of the season....standby for updates tomorrow. Pittsburgh by night is beautiful...the confluence of three rivers, the sports venues, the bridges, the downtown lights all make it very interesting, especially from our vantage point on Mount Washington. Many thanks Kathy and Tom, for a special evening.

We were thrilled to hear our aircraft CBY will be featured in Aerocet ads selling floats. As soon as I see a copy of the ad I'll be sure to post it here.

First snowfall for the chickens...they were excited to get out and make tracks this morning....quite a show of Chicks on Ice as they scurried to break the thin ice on the puddle....I thought only humans wanted to be the first to step on a puddle and break the ice....guess not.
We now have the Beatles Rockband for the Wii machine - until you try to be Ringo you cannot imagine how hard it really is! Open challenge to groups and families alike - see you in the Wild Blue Yonder.

FET aka The Piper Cub, on wheels, getting set for a flight east while Ground Control (Hunter)secures the area.....although the temperature dropped to zero degrees, we still had sunshine today. Wondered about the full moon but haven't heard any howling yet.
My heart goes out to our friends in Saskatchewan, suffering badly after the Grey Cup outcome - most memorable game ever! Congrats to the Alouettes.