Northwest Gold Coast

Oksu Ellis joined Cascade e-Commerce Solutions, Inc. (CeSI) as an Account Assistant in January this year.  Oksu has a degree in Product Design from Cheoan National Technical Junior College, Cheoan, Korea.  Oksu’s husband, Tom is Chaplain at Federal Detention Center – SeaTac and together they have three daughters and reside in Federal Way, Washington. 

Oksu has worked in electronics and education-related firms and has experience in office administration, accounting and retail.

Oksu’s passion is adding value to every project she undertakes.  Whether she is building a list of phrases to test for a kayak tour company or identifying websites to request incoming links for a multi-location orthodontic practice, Oksu is on the lookout for ways to promote the products and services of CeSI clients.

One of Oksu’s first projects was to introduce CeSI’s staff to authentic Korean cuisine.  We hope you enjoy the article on Kokiri Restaurant.

Please join us in welcoming Oksu to our team!

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Whether you are looking to enjoy Alki Beach and its spectacular view of downtown Seattle, Puget Sound and the Olympic Mountains from the land or water, Alki Kayak Tours has something to offer.  Walk up to the Seacrest Boathouse located at Alki Crab and Fish (1660 Harbor Avenue SW Seattle, WA 98126) to secure kayak tours, kayak classes or inline skate, bicycle, skateboard or fishing boat rentals.

Alki Kayak Tours provides five featured tours, offered daily, prices ranging from $39-$199.  

• Alki Lighthouse Sea Kayak Tour takes you to Seattle’s historic lighthouse at Alki Point as well as to Elliot Bay.  
• Duwamish River Birding and Wildlife Tour is available when heavy winds are present and features Seattle’s river life including otters, bald eagles, heron, salmon and so forth.  
• Seattle Sunset Sea Kayak Tour begins two hours before sunset and is a great romantic adventure which features an unforgettable Seattle skyline! 
• Blake Island Overnight Kayak Tour is the ultimate Alki Kayak tour which includes kayaking along Alki Beach and across the Puget Sound to Blake Island, hiking through Blake Island’s beautiful forests and an all inclusive camping experience.  
• In addition to these tours, Alki Kayak offers custom tours for family getaways, wedding parties, youth groups or businesses.

Kayak lessons are available on Thursday nights for basic instruction or Wednesday nights for more advanced training such as how to cartwheel your kayak and self rescue.

In addition to kayak tours, Alki Kayak provides rentals of kayaks, inline skates, skateboards, bicycles and fishing boats.

To learn more about Alki Kayak Tours, visit their website at www.kayakalki.com.

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California Pizza Kitchen, located at 150 Andover Park West in Tukwila, opened in mid-February 2008.  It serves up a hearty lunch and dinner menu that features a signature honey-wheat pizza dough.

As you enter the double glass doors you’re surrounded by natural stone work, wood blinds, suspended lamps and sunny art deco-style décor.  The half round kitchen to the left sparkles with chrome and bright lights.  Hand paintings of eggplant, artichoke and other produce on the tops of take out pizza boxes serve as trendy 3D art in clear Lucite boxes on the perimeter walls.

There is nice variety in seating arrangements including square expandable tables, corner round booths and interior square step up booths.

A popular appetizer is the Singapore Shrimp Rolls with shrimp, baby broccoli, soy glazed Shiitake mushrooms, Romaine, carrots, noodles, bean sprouts, green onion and cilantro wrapped in rice paper, served chilled with a sesame-ginger dipping sauce and Szechuan slaw.

One favorite entrée is the Wild Mushroom Pizza.  This dish features Cremini, Shiitake, Portobello and white mushrooms, Fontina and Mozzarella cheeses and a wild mushroom  walnut pesto and is garnished with chopped Italian parsley.

Mushroom lovers also enjoy the Mushroom Pepperoni Sausage which includes fresh mushroom, pepperoni, sweet Italian sausage, Mozzarella cheese and a restaurant tomato sauce.

Over ten types of pasta grace the menu including Grilled Sausage & Pepper Penne (large penne with slices of grilled spicy Italian sausage, mild onions, red and yellow peppers and Parmesan cheese in a special marinara sauce) and Jambalaya Pasta (blackened chicken and shrimp in spicy Jambalaya sauce with crawfish, Andouille sausage and Tasso ham served on linguini fini and topped with fresh green onions.

The desserts are tasty and sized to share.  The Red Velvet Cake and Caramel Fudge Pecan Cheesecakes are smooth and rich finishes to a great meal.

While the restaurant is a bit noisy during the lunch hour, it is a great dinner date venue as it is relaxed and upbeat.

For more information: visit www.cpk.com.

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Lunch or dinner at Kokiri Restaurant (Elephant Restaurant), an authentic Korean restaurant located at 32703 Pacific Highway in Federal Way, is best shared with a group of friends or colleagues.   Guests should expect to stay at least two hours because the meal itself is an event.

While the menu is varied and extensive, the most popular meal is the Combination Dinner Ko Ki Ri Dinner A for six people.

Just as is common in Korea during the winter season, soothing hot barley tea is served first instead of ice water.  Ice water and other beverages are available upon request.

Next friendly wait staff begin bringing items to the table.  One staff person places large thin sections of marinated meat on the grill at each table.  The meats include:

• Marinated Kal Bi - Thinly cross cut beef short ribs that have been marinated in a special barbecue sauce which are one of the most internationally popular Korean foods.
• Pork Bul Go Ki - pork rib eye, marinated in a spicy sauce, gochujang (red chili paste).
• Marinated BBQ Chicken that looks and tastes similar to teriyaki chicken.

At the same time other wait staff load up the table with:

• “Banchan”- small side dishes set in the middle of the table to share. These dishes are served in small portions which are meant to be finished at each meal. Once any dish is finished, you can ask for more of that dish and more will be brought at no extra charge. Included in these dishes are a variety of Kimchee- fermented, spicy vegetable dishes usually made of baechu, radish, or cucumber.
• Denjang Chi Gae- A soybean paste soup with tofu and vegetables which is often called “Korean Miso soup”.
• Rice cake and pot sticker soup- One bowl of this mild, tasty soup is traditionally eaten on New Year’s day to signify that you will be a year older than the previous year.  In Korea your age is calculated by the number of New Year’s Days you’ve passed rather that birthdays passed. (So do we get two years older than the previous year if we eat two bowls of soup?)
• Pajeon- This pancake-like Korean dish is made mostly of eggs and flour mixed with green onion.  It is like pizza in that several different ingredients can be added to it. Dinner A includes a seafood pajeon which features invertebrates such as squid, shrimp, mussel along with other vegetables such as carrots, onions, etc.
• Purple Rice – While most of the rice in this dish is white rice, the addition of some wild rice and beans creates a deep purple hue and gives it a nutty, rich taste.
• Broiled Flounder- This grilled flounder is seasoned with the house salt rub.
• Jap Chae- These low-calorie potato clear noodles are stir-fried with vegetables and beef.
• Lettuce in which you can wrap the meat, rice and any condiments you want. You can always ask for more at no extra charge.
• Condiments- Soy bean paste, jalapeño pepper, garlic cloves.

Once all the dishes are placed on the table there is very little open space left.  Each person is provided a small plate, soup spoon and chop sticks.  Forks and knives are also available upon request. In addition, each table is supplied with tongs and scissors for turning the meat and snipping it into serving size portions.  And guests typically eat their soup and sample various banchan while the meat grills.

As is common for most Korean dishes, many of the items are seasoned with sesame oil, doenjang (fermented soybean paste), soy sauce salt, garlic, ginger and gochujang (red chili paste).  Surprisingly, Korea is the largest consumer of garlic, ahead of the rest of Asia (particularly China and Thailand,) and the Northern Mediterranean (mainly Spain, Italy, and Greece).

Ultimately, the meal is finished with slices of seasonal fruits per Korean custom.

A reservation is recommended to secure tables with built-in grills.  Ample free parking is onsite and a large semi-private room is available to support banquets and parties.  To make a reservation or obtain more information regarding Kokiri Restaurant phone 253.838.4288.

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Vincent Yee, Caricature Artist, enjoys his work.  His caricature entertainment is a clear indicator of his outlook on life and the fun he has living it while exercising his artistic abilities.  He offers his clients a blend of extravagant creativity, boundless energy and practical business sense to bring them the best quality service.

You may ask “What is ‘caricature entertainment’”

Vince (pictured here with self characterization) uses his artwork to provide visual entertainment for large and small groups.  He pens caricatures and cartoons at the rate of up to thirty drawings per hour (black and white, head, and little bodies) for events, trade shows, grand openings, business promotions, and parties.  His clients range from suburban housewives to the staffs of top Northwest-based companies.

Vince also does cartoons, illustrations, and animations.  His background was founded in the traditional applications of illustration.  He was trained in animation and multimedia at The Academy of Art College in San Francisco, and later at San Francisco State University.

Yee has been creating traditional cartoons, designs and illustrations as a staff artist in the graphic arts industry and as a freelance artist for over seventeen years.  He has also worked in the multimedia industry for five years. His experiences include creating storyboards for television, 2D animation for corporate training, CD games and art for kiosks.
You can learn more about Vince from our

Newsletter or by going to his website at
www.vincentyeestudio.com.

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Kaylen Reynolds, Quilter Extraordinaire, is one of a new breed of artists.  In recent years, the design and cost of quilting machines has made it possible for the devoted individual crafter to have his/her own quilting machine in his/her home.  This has brought about a group of artists that take the beauty of a simple quilt and make it extraordinary in much less time than traditional hand quilting takes.  Kaylen Reynolds is one of these artists.

Kaylen began sewing when she was eleven and was taught by her mother.  This hobby later became a business; she made and sold children’s reversible clothes for four years.  Being dissatisfied with certain aspects of the business but wanting to sew, she decided that her knowledge and experience in quilting put her in a good position to move in that direction.

For the past four years, Kaylen has been machine quilting out of her home in SeaTac.  Some of the quilts brought to her are ones just put together and some were pieced years ago by “great-aunt” and just never quilted.  The designs used in a quilt can make an incredible difference in how they are seen and appreciated.  Some designs are meant to “disappear” into the fabric; others meant to enhance it.  Some quilts, it’s the actual quilting that beautifies an otherwise plain piece of fabric (called whole-cloth quilting-seen here).  And while machine quilting is much quicker than hand quilting, it can still take 10 to 12 hours hours, or as many as 80 to 100 hours, depending on the type of quilting.

right

Kaylen has also used her craft to help local schools and charities.  Over the past few years she has machine quilted a number of quilts for auctions for Seattle Christian School, Tyee High School, Highline Hospital and various other charities.  In 2002 Kaylen created a special quilt for the Point Defiance Zoo’s auction (seen at right).

Besides home machine quilting, Kaylen also teaches quilt design and piecing in her home and at local fabric stores.  Prices vary according to the type of quilting done, so if you would like her to quilt that completed quilt of your “great-aunt’s” that you’ve been dragging from home to home each time you move, you can contact her by email at kaylenquilts4u@comcast.net.

Even though I am a dedicated hand quilter, I can’t help but appreciate the beauty of Kaylens quilts—and envy just a little, the speed at which she does them!

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Camille. A soft-sounding name that is full of grace and gentility. There is grace in her painting, “Extinction” and gentility in her work “Allegory”, but this Camille, Camille Patha, is a composition of passion and purpose.

Pictured here on the right is “Scarab” currently on display at SW King County Chamber of Commerce, Tukwila, WA You will see much of her work has nature as we see it here in the Pacific Northwest.

Camille has been an artist for as long as she can remember. When probed to find out just when she knew she would commit her life to her love of art she stated, “I was a child then. What I paint now comes from living life as an adult.”

Her decision to immerse herself in her artistic creativity has been a boon to the arts. She received both a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Fine Art from the University of Washington.

Thus began a kaleidoscope of painting periods. Her work in the late 60’s reflected her training as an abstract expressionist. Moving through the 70’s her work gained cleaner lines until she reached ultimate clarity in the 80’s. Her more recent work leans, again, towards the edgy abstract. She states, “If an artist’s work doesn’t evolve, then artistically, they are dead.

Her work, in all its various stages, has been and is being displayed in prominent locations all over the Northwest including the Washington State Capitol Museum, the Tacoma Art Museum and the Bellevue Art Museum.

Patha’s devotion to her life’s passion, art, is obvious. However, listening to her regale the antics of her cherished seven year old Blue and Gold Macaw, Paco, one discovers the great depths of her purpose, the ability to love. Married since age 17 to her twinkling eyed husband, John, this passionate and purposeful Camille has found, and is painting, her own exciting bird’s eye view of life, experience and love in the Puget Sound.

This second piece, “Tempo” is also on display at SW King County Chamber of Commerce in Tukwila.

To see more of her work, find out where she is currently exhibiting, or to contact her, go to her website at http://www.camillepatha.com/.

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Local artist Linda Fornas Ladzick was born and raised in Astoria, Oregon, the only child of Finnish immigrant parents. Her father owned and operated a neighborhood grocery store. Her mother was a hard worker who loved flowers, gardening and nature. She has always considered herself fortunate to have grown up in beautiful surroundings with two loving parents.

She then moved to Seattle, married and spent sixteen years in the airline industry.

One day, on a whim, she made a drawing and was startled by the result. It was like a gift! With much encouragement and support from her husband and others, she began to train with local and regional watercolor artists in workshops in the Seattle area.

Linda feels that her paintings are basically about color and her relationship to the natural world. She often paints florals, but enjoys other subjects as well. She looks for the joy in nature and in the simple things of life.

Linda has won several awards at juried art shows and her work has been commissioned. She is a member of Artists United, a fifty year old art organization, whose membership includes many renowned artists from the region. She also volunteers with Innervisions, a Pacific NW Breast Cancer Art Exhibit.

Linda’s art has been exhibited at several locations around the Seattle area, including libraries, galleries, coffee shops, community colleges and medical centers.

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SeaTac painter and photographer, Harry Johnson, has produced hundreds of works of art.  Many of these paintings portray Pacific Northwest landscapes and wildlife.

Johnson has displayed his work in art shows throughout the country, allowing him to travel.  On average, Johnson attends about 26 shows every year, one every weekend for a half a year.  While at shows, Johnson has been able to gain new inspirations for future paintings as well as share some of his ideas with others.  “Art is more than just painting.  Art gets you out among other people,” Johnson said.

Johnson has been a part of various shows including Arts for the Parks, the National Wilderness Show, the Audubon Alaska Wildlife Art Show and the Pacific Rim Wildlife Art Show Series.  Johnson has also been awarded many honors and awards for his work.  His favorite award won was through the People’s Choice Awards, for his work entitled Tumwater Canyon.

Johnson’s career turning point occurred in 1987, when he competed with 4,000-5,000 other artists and ended up being named as one of the top 100 national parks artists by the Arts for the Parks Association. Not long after making the top 100 list, the National Parks and Conservation Association (NPCA) sponsored a series and requested that Johnson’s national parks paintings be displayed in various buildings according to their park locations throughout the United States.  The NPCA series was produced by W.S. George and the Bradford Exchange.

Johnson has been painting for as long as he can remember.  Johnson developed an interest in art when he was only three years of age.  By the age of 17, Johnson was actively attending art shows.

A number of years ago while working for an art gallery, Johnson secured a $27,000 commission for painting a progressive scene of the biblical book of Daniel, the third chapter.  The painting had a neo-Babylonian style, complete with soldiers, horses and chariots.  The painting is now displayed in Israel.

While outdoors, Johnson at times will paint nature and the countryside.  “You become so focused and at peace while painting; you get captivated by your surroundings.  You don’t just paint an image, you experience the image.  You also get to take the scene home with you; the challenge is getting other people to see what you have seen,” Johnson said.  Johnson also paints from pictures in his head.

Johnson uses acrylic, gauche (opaque water color), oil, pen and ink, and water color to create his art pieces.  The paintings are usually painted on canvas.  Johnson also spends a majority of his time working archival reproduction; he uses an archival printing press to generate faithful reproductions of the original paintings, both of his own as well as various other artists.

Archival reproduction allows an artist to maintain a painting’s best possible quality; this technique provides the customer with paintings that hold their texture without fading for up to 200 years, looking like the original.

Johnson grew up in Deer Park, north of Spokane, Washington.  As a young boy, he enjoyed going up into the hills with friends to paint the rolling countryside and the farms dispersed on the horizon.  Johnson graduated from Trinity Bible College in North Dakota.  While in college, Johnson painted signs and paintings of funny cars, to support his education.

If you would like to talk to Harry Johnson or view more of his artwork, he can be reached by phone at (206) 878-2158.

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City of Des Moines Website
Des Moines Parks and Recreation
Chamber of Commerce
Featured Businesses:

• Bjorneby Auto Rebuild
• Northwest Emergency Training
• The Soggy Doggy

Known as the Waterfront Community downtown Des Moines has a direct view of the Puget Sound.
The Des Moines Marina, many restaurants, gift shops, and personal service providers make this community a treat for residents and visitors.

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City of Normandy Park Website

With densely wooded hillsides and natural streams flowing to the Puget Sound, Normandy Park is a gracious residential community. Its condensed business district features award winning restaurants and merchants who support home and family.

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City of Tukwila Website
Seattle Southside Visitor Information
Tukwila Community Center
Tukwila School District
Museum of Flight

Featured Businesses:

• Fast-Fix Jewelry Repairs
• Nations Realty
• Seattle Southside Visitor Information
• Simply Thai

Tukwila means “Wild Hazelnut”. Nestled in the Kent Valley this city has more retail shopping space than any other area in the State of Washington. Yet it maintains a small town feel for its residents and has demonstrated its extraordinary concern for the environment by becoming the first city in Washington State to be certified as a Backyard Wildlife Habitat by the National Wildlife Federation.

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City of SeaTac Website
SWKCC
Community Center
SeaTac Airport
Featured Businesses:

• Nations Realty
• Rodda and Sons
• SeaTacPark.com
• Seattle Southside Visitor Information

The City of SeaTac lies along the eastside of Seattle Tacoma International Airport.  It is an ideal location for conventions and has a thriving residential community.

Tyee High School, the city’s only high school, has won many awards for its Academy of Travel and Tourism, business studies and band programs.

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City of Federal Way Website
Chamber of Commerce
Federal Way Public Schools
Community Web Site
Featured Businesses:

• Federal Way Custom Jewelers
• McKinley & Irvin
• Nations Realty

Federal Way offers 8 miles of Puget Sound waterfront, a thriving business community and tourist attractions such as Enchanted Village/Wild Waves, the world renowned Pacific Rim Bonsai Collection, Rhododendron Botanical Garden and SeaTac Mall.

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City of Renton Website
Renton Chamber of Commerce
Renton Parks
King County Journal
Featured Businesses:

• A+ Escrow Services, LLC
• Nations Realty
• Judy Doerflinger Insurance Agency, Inc.
• Permadry Waterproofing

Located on the south end of Lake Washington, Renton is home to attractions like the Burke Museum and the Spirit of Washington Dinner Train. Local parks like Gene Coulon provide outdoor activities (water, tennis, play equipment, walking trail and swimming) for residents and visitors. The city has a strong business core including several large car dealerships. In addition, it has been undergoing significant improvements at the Piazza.

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City of Burien Website
Christmas Shopping
Discover Burien
Highline Times

Featured Businesses:

• Active Solutions
• Eye Craft, LLC
• Miss Kitty’s Kristmas, Kollectibles, & Konsignment
• Nations Realty
• Photography by Steven

With three art galleries, a performing arts center, a live theatre troupe, a community art center, an annual art walk and a summer festival that features artisans, Burien has a well deserved reputation as being home to many artists representing many genres.

In addition, Burien has a very generous business community which actively supports over seven public events each year and a Thursday Farmers’ Market from May 15th through October 2nd from 11 am to 6 pm on 4th Avenue between SW 152nd and SW 150th in Downtown Burien.

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Area Attractions

City of Seattle Website

The Seattle Times

The Seattle Post-Intelligencer

University of Washington

Featured Businesses:

• 3TreePointDentristry.com
• Above the Rest
• Adventure Associates
• Eye Craft, LLC
• Northwest Emergency Training
• Nations Realty
• PaperTracker
• Pike Place Fish
• Phasing Out
• Puppy Stairs
• Rodda and Sons
• Seattle Attractions
• Seasonal Color Pots
• Shawn Underwood
• Simply Thai
• soundtraining.net
• Washington Valuation

Seattle is full of paradoxes. While it is rich in history it also buzzes with innovation, energy and excitement.

The waterfront, Pike’s Place Market, Seattle Center, great shopping and many art and theatre venues make this city a tourist destination as well as a great place to live and work.

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West Seattle Chamber Website
Featured Business:

• Nations Realty

West Seattle offers beautiful views of Puget Sound and the Seattle waterfront.

Alki Beach is a favorite destination for area joggers, roller bladers, volley ball players, sunbathers, and waders.

Residents and visitors love the award winning bakery, burger joint, and view restaurants.

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Ballard Chamber of Commerce
Ballard News-Tribune

First settled 150 years ago, Ballard reflects its Scandinavian roots. It has small artsy shops, the Hiram M. Chittenden locks and waterfront parks along Salmon Bay and Shilshole Bay.
Located just minutes Northwest of downtown Seattle, this warm community delights residents and visitors.
On Sundays from May 5 through November 3rd Ballard Farmers Market operates from 10am to 4 pm in the US Bank Lot at 22nd Ave NW and NW 56th Street.

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