Anyway, I created our Christmas Letter for 2009 a couple days after Christmas, but here’s a link to it online, enjoy!  Hard copies going out to the Christmas card list Tuesday, December 29th.

http://www.knowlesfamily.com/letters/ChristmasLetter2009.pdf

When I came down to San Diego to attend college at UCSD, I looked for a cheese shop in San Diego and couldn’t find one.  In my naivete, I didn’t understand that cheese shops weren’t a normal and natural shop to go to.  I mean who wouldn’t want a cheese shop?!  They just weren’t to be found and it would be a very long 25 years before I discovered a cheese shop again.  During those 25 years, the grocery stores slowly started carrying more variety of cheeses as well as stores like Trader Joe’s, but it just wasn’t the same.

Then I found Venissimo Cheese.  I don’t know how I found or when I found Venissimo cheese, but I know it was on one of my many surfing episodes….this one around cheese.  I was excited to find the shop and even more excited to find one in Del Mar…not too far away from Escondido.  My excitement peaked when I clicked on Events & Classes and scrolled down to the bottom to find my dream class….Creating a Cheese Course Experience.  I stared in disbelief….

“Experience a personal one-one-one, hands-on 1.5-hour adventure with Cheese Wiz Gina where you will learn how to cut & present cheeses for the perfect cheese course & how to make a gorgeous “cheese cake.”  From selecting to slicing, you’ll create two delicious cheese treats to take home & enjoy with friends.”

It was Chrismastime, so what did I do?  I bought My Cheese Experience!!  Yesterday at 1pm, I drove over to the Flower Hill Mall for my Experience.  I walked into the store and it was like going back 30-35 years and walking into the Village Cheese House all over again.  It smelled identical!

The owner Gina was wonderful and amazing.  I spent an hour and a half sampling cheeses (drooling the whole time) and watching her put together a little “crate” of four different cheeses (pantaleo, red leicester, cana de oveja and point reyes blue), as well as the promised “cheese cake” (coulommier cut in half, drizzled with lavender honey and these oiled almonds in the middle, topped with an edible flower and cut up dried figs and apricots). She also sent me home with four other cheeses that I loved ( hook’s 10-year cheddar, bucaneve fresco, speziato al tartufo and midnight moon) to create my own special cheese experience.

On top of all that, I think I tried at least 10 other cheese, if not more!  One of the many things that I love about Venissimo is the printout that you get with each purchase.  The printout contains the name, how to pronounce it, a brief description, where it comes from, what type of milk is used, whether it’s pasteurized or raw and finally wine suggestions….all in this neat little printout!  You can go to any of their three shops and try cheeses to your heart’s content and then choose a few for your party.

I can’t thank Gina enough for My Cheese Experience….THANK YOU GINA!

We went out to dinner at Karl Strauss Brewery & Gardens in Sorrento Mesa on Friday night and had a really nice dinner (Richard, Karen and I).

Saturday, we headed out to the Wild Animal Park in Escondido and then check out the Stone Brewing World Bistro & Gardens not far from our house.  Wow!  Richard and I had never been there before and I had been meaning to check it out.  We need to check it out it more detail next time.  They do the actual brewing right there!  They have tours and beautiful gardens with paths for Jonathan to run around and check.  The food and beer was fantastic as well!

Sunday I drove Karen to the breeder to pick up her puppy that she had chosen the day before and then drove her to the airport.  Harper is her name and here is a picture of the two of them!

That was followed with these sessions:

• Social Media on the New Internet
• Web Design and Development: Behind the Scenes
• Creating Sexy Stylesheets

The second day of Web Design and Development focused on the actual implementation and development (applications) for the re-designed website.

Again I passed on the Blue Flavor-sponsored party at the Bazaar Urban Lounge to spend time with Karen and Tom instead.  It’s been a long wee, I’m tired and I’m looking forward to flying home tomorrow.  I will miss Karen, Tom, Andrew and the dogs, but I hope to come visit again some day!