Sang Cha was 6 years old when he started taking lessons in Tae Kwon Do in his Korean homeland. That's not unusual; almost everybody in Korea studies Tae Kwon Do, where the martial art originated around two millennia ago, he said.But Cha, 46, and a 17-time Korean national champion in Tae Kwon Do, is now a grand master who operates several schools where he teaches a technique that translates as "art of hand and foot combat."Recently renamed to the Lightning Tae Kwon Do Federation: National School of Excellence, one of the schools has been in Queen Anne for a year and a half, and Cha opened up a new one in Magnolia in December, he said.
Sang Cha was 6 years old when he first started taking lessons in Tae Kwon Do in his Korean homeland. That's not unusual; almost everybody studies Tae Kwon Do in Korea, where the martial art originated around two millennia ago, he said.But Cha, 46 and a 17-time Korean national champion in Tae Kwon Do, is now a grand master who operates several schools where a technique that translates as "art of hand and foot combat" is taught. Recently renamed to the "Lightning Tae Kwon Do Federation, National School of Excellence," one of the schools has been in Queen Anne for a year and a half, and Cha opened up a new one in Magnolia in December, he said.
Somewhere in Time Unlimited, Inc. was founded in the late '80s by some people who wished to extend the historical boundaries of the 16th century. Somewhere in Time is indeed unlimited, presenting costumed social events, which reflect enjoyable aspects of past eras and places. The SITU "season" commences with an opulent holiday ball. They've danced their ways through Old Vien-na, Georgian and Dickensian England, the Russia of the Romanovs and Queen Victoria's Ambassador's Ball. Spring and autumn events are typically smaller and more informal. Themes have included an 18th-century fair, a Gothic literary tea, a 19th-century explorers' gathering, a 1920s speakeasy, a nightclub in 1930s Shanghai and - always a British favorite - murder mysteries.
Kip Gilmartin, a 42-year-old fisherman, had been missing for three weeks when his body was recovered from the waters of Fishermen's Terminal on Dec. 22, and fellow fisherman John McDonald thinks unsafe conditions at the marina were responsible for his death."When I saw the body bag coming down the dock, the policeman said he slipped off the dock and hit his head," said McDonald, who wasn't surprised."These docks are water-soaked," he said. "When it freezes, it turns into a skating rink." McDonald said that he's heard of other people slipping off the slick docks, and he added that he knows an insurance agent who won't walk on the docks when they're wet.
I'm a Queen Anne guy, Lower Queen Anne (Uptown?), that is.I like an urban neighborhood that, except for when the visiting suburban yos come screaming drunkenly out of the clubs late on Friday and Saturday nights, feels bustling but not crazy.As a younger guy, my first year in Seattle after my divorce, 20 years ago, I lived in the University District.We had nothing like it in Cincinnati, where my alma mater, the University of Cincinnati, was trapped smack dab against a couple of rough neighborhoods. As the night grew later, students and clubgoers in Cincinnati walked more and more gingerly.On the other hand, the Ave in 1985 felt like a private entertainment center and circus rolled into one just to open this Midwestern boy' eyes, and I loved it.But by the time I returned in 1993, from Idaho, I preferred Lower Queen Anne. Ditto for 2002 when I returned from Hawaii.All that said, I like to occasionally go up to Capitol Hill, which despite some gentrification is still Seattle's most urban space, conventionally un-conventional. Broadway may be the only street in Seattle that stays awake more than 16 hours most days and not just on weekends.
If nudity is a form of theater, then "Mrs. Henderson Presents" has a full repertory season of it. I'm not just talking about the miles of exposed female flesh in this British comedy-drama, which takes its inspiration from the story of the real-life Laura Henderson, a widow who bought a rundown, West End show hall in 1937 and transformed it into a venue for au naturel performances. As explored in a handsome and energetic film written by Martin Sherman (best-known as the playwright of "Bent" and "The Boy from Oz") and directed by Stephen Frears ("Dirty Pretty Things"), nudity, like a bare stage, is an invitation to project whatever a storyteller or audience needs to see or feel.
One does not need a background in opera to appreciate the enduring charm of "Die Fledermaus." There is but one prerequisite: the genuine desire to have a rollicking good time.Seattle Opera's current production of Johann Strauss' classic operetta is as accessible as it is lighthearted and fun. Perhaps a little too accessible. Its attempts to connect with a modern, American audience occasionally stumble into the realm of unnecessary anachronism, creating a sense of labored, interpretive cleverness that doesn't quite mesh with the inherent wit of the source material.The plot revolves around an elaborate scheme of good-natured revenge set in late-19th-century Viennese high society. After being humiliated at a costume ball by his friend, Gabriel von Eisenstein, Dr. Falke resolves to get even by putting his friend's marriage to the ultimate test. On the eve of Eisenstein's brief incarceration for a petty civil crime, Falke convinces him to enjoy his last hours of freedom by attending an extravagant party held by Orlofsky, a Russian prince renowned for his immense wealth and hedonistic appetites.
SentosaThe empty space on Lake Street has now opened as a restaurant. It certainly has been a long time since Vidal's closed. Finally we have Sentosa Asian Cuisine and Bakery.We went for dinner one freezing cold December evening. The restaurant is certainly inviting with its low lighting and dark wood décor. The bakery is to the guests' right upon entering and the dining room fills the old Vidal's space. The two dark mahogany pillars on either side of the reception desk add drama and anticipation for a great dinner. A great retreat on a cold night.We sat at a window table. Our duck meat, conpoy and enoki mushroom soup soon arrived. We sipped the delicious soup and nibbled the mushrooms and duck, followed by spring rolls and scallops on the half shell.
Corner cleanupSix large trees have been planted on the corner of 116th Avenue N.E. and N.E. 87th Street: three deodor cedars, two Pacific sunset maples and one ginkgo biloba. The maples will grow to 30 feet in height, and will turn orange and red in the fall. The ginkgo will be bright yellow. The combination of colors should be gorgeous! The cedars and maples were purchased with our neighborhood grant money. The ginkgo is a gift from the city. Each neighborhood was given an opportunity to select several centennial trees, which the city would pay for and plant. Each tree included a small centennial plaque. Several centennial trees will also be planted at Spinney Park.A project like the corner cleanup looks simple, but it involved dozens of hours of effort by many people, most of them volunteers.
L. W. Saddle ClubLake Washington Saddle Club recently held its annual meeting and awards banquet. It was great fun with terrific food and a wonderful silent auction. A young Bridleview resident, Cassidy Kaufman, received the junior sportsmanship award for 2005. This award is given to a young club member who has demonstrated his/her dedication and enthusiasm for all things equestrian.Cassidy, who is 12, has taken care of horses and other animals since he was 6 in order to purchase his own horse. He bought and rescued a foal three years ago.
Good day and best wishes to all for a peaceful and happy new year! Can you believe it - 2006! As I prepared to write the column this month I looked back to see what I wrote over the past few years. It was interesting to learn that I have been writing this column since March 2002. One item in particular caught my attention that some of you who have been reading the column - or following events in the neighborhood - should also find interesting. It is related to the current 85th Street Sub-Area design review currently in progress. It was in November 2003 when the Kirkland Planning Commission voted to recommend to the city council to deny the application by Honda of Kirkland to change the zoning of the property immediately to the north of the dealership on 124th Ave. N.E. A month later the city council voted to allow the private amendment request; and now as you travel up or down 124th Avenue you can see the construction progressing to build a new parking lot to store inventory for the dealership.
Around my house, I don't wait for spring to do the annual cleaning and spruce-up. After Christmas, when I put all the decorations away and do that final vacuuming and dusting, I clean out the cobwebs and reflect on where I've been and where I'm going in the coming year.It seems that all of us do a bit of this during the first of the year, what with all of the resolutions going on. I thought I'd take this month's column to do a bit of "housecleaning": Tying up some loose ends and looking forward to things we might expect in the new year in our corner of the universe.
We should all be so lucky to adore our daily toils as much as John Ebner does. He wakes up at 6:30 a.m., gets the coffee brewing and then rushes downstairs to start painting. When he says, "it's such a passion," he's not kidding.Ebner, Lakeshore Gallery's featured artist in January, starting painting in 1973 when his wife signed him up for a watercolor course as a potential new hobby.He was a Western states manufacturers' rep at the time and would "bring my supplies and paint in the motel at night," he says. He hasn't stopped painting since.
Happy New Year! Fresh starts and fresh thoughts permeate our feelings and actions in these early days of the New Year. Having mostly survived the chaos surrounding our year-end rituals, these newly quiet days provide a calm, perhaps even serene, sensibility.The plant catalogues are neatly stacked, inviting us to pursue them with a leisurely approach, for the rush of the gardening year seems far off.
The Juanita High School music department is one program that we here at Juanita have always been proud of and able to brag about. The enthusiasm and love that goes into this department has really shown through in all the students' performances and achievements.One opportunity to show off our most talented members is a competition to earn the title of "All-State Musician." This program, sponsored by the Washington Music Educators Association, is a great way for student musicians to demonstrate their skills.