Bill's Blog

We were looking for a hike today combined with swimming. I settled on the Lake Mary Plains Pathway after looking at the list of Iron County hikes on the official county website. I used to go on the cross-country ski trails at Lake Mary. I don’t know much about the history of the area. I think the Department of Natural Resources pulled together a combination of private and public lands to form a state forest campground and hiking/biking/skiing area. A sign memorialized a fire in 1983 that was started by an arsonist that burned 119 acres including a 27-year-old plantation of red pines. The campground has 23 sites and there are 9 miles of trails. We completed a 5-kilometer loop on the northwest side of Glidden Lake. The mosquitos, ticks, and bugs were quite fierce so we cut the hike short and headed back to the lake.

The highlight for me was swimming in Glidden Lake. The dark water was so refreshing! There were many cold spots in the lake, especially in the deeper parts. I wonder if it is spring-fed. I swam across the lake and back.

The trail went through the wetlands surrounding the lake. An elevated platform bridge keeps hikers dry. We were able to admire the aquatic plants of the northern Great Lakes region.

We also saw a bit of wildlife. Unfortunately, two of the species were ticks we picked off our shoes. All of us had 3 to 4 ticks on our legs after the hike. The new iPhone 14 has a superior camera and I was able to identify two different species of ticks. The American Dog Tick (Dermacentor variabilis), or Wood Tick, and Black-legged Tick or Deer Tick (Ixodes scapularis) are common in the eastern United States. The deer tick is a vector of Lyme Disease. On a more positive note, on the way home we spotted Sandhill Cranes (Antigone canadensis) alongside highway 424.

It was a relaxing summer afternoon and I thank my brother Jimmer, nephew Beau and son Oliver for going out with me.

I am not an avid golfer, I find the sport too difficult, expensive, and time-consuming. However, when my son asks if I want to go golfing, I am all in! I took my two sons, Owen and Oliver, and two of my nephews, Beau and Tony to the local George Young Golf Resort. It is a beautiful 18-hole course located on the shores of Chicagoan Lake in Iron County. Owen is part of the groundskeeping crew at the course (his first summer job!) and so he is becoming interested in golf.

I had a wonderful day hanging out with my sons and nephews yesterday. We played tennis in the early afternoon at Nelson Field courts in Stambaugh followed by a round of golf in the late afternoon. We finished the day with me cooking them a rigatoni and fish sticks dinner at the house. Spending time with my family is the most rewarding time for me and I realize how precious the time is with our children. They will soon be full adults with careers and families of their own.

The strategy of learning what your children enjoy doing is my chance to spend time with them. I see the appeal of golf. I get a “buzz” when I hit a good shot. The sport is outdoors and you have lots of time for talking and joking with friends while walking around the course. I’ve been really interested in the Saudi takeover of the PGA and the LIV tour. I want to read Alan Shipnuck’s books on Phil Mickelson and the LIV tour. I fear they will be coming for tennis next, which has a similar setup as golf. Tennis professionals are independent contractors and the WTA/ATP lead organizations are not united and well-funded. It is ripe for a takeover.

As I wrote, golf is expensive and time-consuming. We completed 9 holes in 2 hours. An 18-hole round would take around 4 hours. Avid golfers must devote much of their leisure time to the sport, away from family. Sports podcaster and commentator Colin Cowherd advises not to hire people who are avid golfers because they devote too much time to golf and not enough to work. I also read a study that showed that companies underperform when their CEO is a golfer.

I fell in love with the Mediterranean while completing my Master’s degree through the College of New Jersey’s program on the island of Mallorca, Spain in the 1990s. The sunlight, mountains, sea, culture, restaurants, and history of the places around the Mediterranean are incredible. I’ve explored quite a bit of it during my lifetime. I was thinking of all of the places around the Mediterranean I’ve visited which include Malta, Valencia, the Croatian coast (Dubrovnik, Trogir, Split, Rovinj, Novigrad), Haldiki peninsula in Greece, Trieste, Cyprus, and of course, Mallorca.

I can now add the largest (25,000 km – the size of Massachusetts) and most populous island (5 million) in the Mediterranean, Sicily. It is just as beautiful as the other places I’ve visited. The Italians add incredible cuisine to the views. I see why so many tourists come here. I wonder how much HBO’s White Lotus helped tourism this summer from the USA here. I heard a lot of American accents. Being the largest island in a strategic position, Sicily has been populated by many people in its long history. I am reading John Julius Norwich’s Sicily: An Island at the Crossroads of History. Greeks, Romans, Germans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans and now the Italians have ruled over the island. It would be interesting to see a DNA analysis of Sicilians who lived here for many generations.

We stayed in the south-central part of the island for the first part of the week. The Mandranova Azienda Agricola is located just outside of Monte de Chiaro, which is close to the city of Agrigento. For the second part of the week, we were in Scopello, near the capital of Palermo in the northwest part of the island at an Air BNB.

Some parts of the island are not as picturesque as others and we are noticing some poverty. Sicilians have been emigrating from the island since the 1800s due to poverty and lack of economic opportunities. Today, an estimated 10 million people of Sicilian origin live around the world and 15% of the current residents have lived abroad sometime in their lives. The tourism and hospitality business is doing well here and I bet Sicilian wines and olive oil must do a brisk trade.

The one thing I do not like about the land Mediterranean is the lack of wilderness. Because it has been inhabited for so long, the original trees and animals of the region disappeared a long time ago. The result is a drier climate and in driving around the country, it could be compared to Iowa with agriculture replacing the ecological biomes. I know humans have greatly altered the natural world all over the globe, but here it is more prevalent than in North America. Vineyards and olive groves are romantic, but it would be nice to have more trees and the wild flora and fauna of the region.

A highlight of my trip to Sicily was the Zingaro Riserva Naturale Orientata. This is a protected coastal area located between San Vito lo Capo and Scopello on the Golfo de Castellammare. We hiked 10 kilometers round-trip from the south entrance of the park to the fifth beach from the entrance, Cala Dell’ Uzzo. As you can see from the photos below, the views are spectacular and it was nice to have a Mediterranean landscape not filled with buildings or farms. We took the coastal trail and I wish we would have had time to take the inland, mountain routes. Cala Dell’Uzzo was the most beautiful of the beaches. It was not too crowded in the morning, with people coming from the closer north entrance or boats dropping anchor in the small bay. There is another protected area west of Zingaro, Monte Cofano that would be nice to hike as well. It was quite hot and Nadia had quite the workout. The water was a godsend and refreshed us enough for the 5-kilometer walk back to the parking lot.

Some other nice things about the trip were our stay at the Villa Drago Air BNB. They had a hot tub and outdoor dining area that had spectacular views over the Mediterranean. We also had a delicious dinner in the old part of Golfo de Castellammare.

Another highlight was a visit to the Tenute Camilleri winery. Our good friends Claudiu and Vesna joined Nadia and me for wine tasting. The “Semprevento” white and “Terraranni” rosé were excellent. The owner Pepe showed us around the vineyards and gardens. He also shared photos of his family and I really felt we understood his life’s work. The setting sun, a slight wine buzz, and good company were great way to start the evening.

We met a nice Italian couple at the beach from Lake Como that summed up Sicily. “You cry twice when you visit Sicily. Once when you first arrive because of how beautiful it is and the second time when you leave because you ate too much.”

The Valley of the Temples is an ancient Greek archeological site located on a ridge outside the town of Agrigento. We drove the 30 kilometers to the site to take in the more than 3000-year-old ruins. The Greeks called the colony “Akragus” which takes the name of a river nearby that supplied crabs. There was an extensive parking lot and lots of tourists and it was an extremely hot day. Despite this, it was an awesome spectacle and made me contemplate the ancient Greeks and human existence on Earth. The Greeks were one of the first nations to colonize Sicily and it was amazing to experience one of their fortresses.

I remember learning in elementary school the difference between Doric style and Ionic style columns. This site only had Doric columns which are older and simpler. The Temple of Concordia’s six-column facade is featured in the UNESCO logo, which says a lot about the place of Greek archeology and culture with the UN world heritage system. As with many religious sites, later civilizations converted it to their religion, and the Romans and other groups converted it to a church. “Apart from the Parthenon in Athens, this is the best preserved Doric temple in the world.”

Looking out to the sea from the ridge, I see why the Greeks set up fortifications in that location. They can see who is coming and defend the high ground. It was in contrast to the modern city of Agrigento located on a parallel ridge a few miles further inland. The ancient Greeks would have marveled at Agrigento while today, we marvel at the ancient Greeks.

Bookending the site is the other awesome temple, the Temple of Hera Lacinia. This one is not as restored as the Temple of Concordia. The temple was built in 450 BC and dedicated to the wife of Zeus, Hera, or as the Romans called her, Juno. It is the twin of Concordia, also consisting of six columns in front and 13 columns on the side. The building is approximately 38 by 17 meters in area. The Carthaginians and later Romans pillaged the site.

It was awesome to see Greek history and mythology come alive and be in the same spot as the ancient Greeks.

We have a one-day layover in Riga, Latvia today, on the Summer Solstice. We are flying Air Baltic (operated by Uzbekistan Airways) from Tashkent to Riga, a 5-hour and 30-minute flight. We are on our way to a week in Sicily. I’ve been to the Baltics many times because of working in two CEESA (Central and Eastern European Schools Association) member schools. This is my third visit to Latvia. The two previous visits took place in March for basketball tournaments. This is the first time here during the summer. I chose to stay on the Baltic Sea coast in the village of Jurmala, a 30-minute drive north of the Riga city center. Living in a double landlocked country, I am craving the ocean. Juurmala was THE USSR summer holiday destination for top politicians and bureaucrats. Both presidents Kruschev and Brezhnev spent summers in the famous resorts and wooden houses that Juurmala is known for. When I stayed in Juurmala previously, the beach looked like the Arctic so I can’t wait to see what it looks like in the summer. 

We had a fantastic day in Jurmala. It is so much nicer in the summer! I knew Ocean and Nadia would love the shops and restaurants. I love the long beach and the mighty trees of Latvian forests. The town is not overcrowded and I think most of the tourists are either Latvian or Russian. Many people from Riga come out to spend the day in the resort town. I did hear some American English and I think there is a university group visiting here. We are staying in an apartment in town, called Wooden Villa. It is only a short walk to the beach and quite comfortable. The only downside to the trip so far is our baggage was checked through to Palermo so we had to go with what was in our carry-on luggage. Nadia and Ocean loved the cute shops.

The water is shallow for a long way from the sandy beach. It is not very salty and has warm and cold parts. As I get older, the simple things in life bring me more pleasure. Treading water while watching the seagulls and the vastness of the ocean on one side and the trees giving a backdrop to the beach was delightful. Nadia and I enjoyed an evening on the sandy beach. The sun did not set until 10:00 PM and I took my traditional sunset Solstice photo. I am always surprised that we do not make a bigger deal out of the longest daylight day of the year in the northern hemisphere. We seem to acknowledge a lot of holidays or anniversaries, but not one of the most important natural events of the year. Starting tomorrow, the daylight slowly gets less and less until the Winter Solstice in December, another big day. I think people should take time out to view the sunrise and/or sunset on the Solstices and Equinoxes and mark the occasion with family and friends. Humanity has lost something with our modern lifestyles separated from nature’s rhythms.

The food and view at the Lighthouse Restaurant were world-class. All of our dishes were gourmet-level seafood and I highly recommend it. I also discovered one of my favorite Latvian drinks, Riga Black Balsam has Cherry and Black Currant variations. It is nice over ice or ice cream in the summer or a straight shot in the winter warms the soul. It is a traditional, herbal liqueur made from mint, sage, dill, cinnamon, etc. It is similar to the Finnish salmiakki.

This visit got me thinking about the Baltics. I’ve visited all three, Estonia once for a CEESA Educators Conference (also in March) and Lithuania four times, once for an interview, once for the CEESA Educators Conference and once for a basketball tournament, and once for a principal/AD meeting. Estonian is a Finnish language and they are similar in culture, appearance, and temperament. Lithuanians have a long association with the Polish and I am surprised they kept a separate identity. They are tall and handsome and were one of the last groups to adopt Christianity, so pagan and worship of nature is kind of popular there. The Latvians are more similar to the Lithuanians than the Estonians. They are good at hockey and I sense their country has more Russians than the other two. All of the Baltics remind me of the topography and fauna of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. Lots of conifers, snow, and bodies of water. 

I can see why “The Wager” is number one on the New York Times Best Seller list. What a story! I was surprised when it turned up in my Great Lakes Library Libby App as I am sure lots of library patrons wanted to read it.

I read David Grann’s “The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny, and Murder” on a couple of travel days we had on our way to our summer holidays. He combines thorough research with writing like an adventure thriller. I couldn’t put it down and I highly recommend it. I love stories of people overcoming incredible hardships in nature. (This post contains SPOILERS, don’t read this post if you want to read the book.)

This non-fiction work tells the story of a British Navy contingent of 5 ships in 1740 that sets sail for an around-the-world trip to find and take a Spanish treasure ship. The British and Spanish governments were sort of at war as they were developing colonies in the New World. Some of their ships are lost at sea or shipwrecked while going around Cape Horn at the bottom of South America. One ship did complete the mission and bring home treasure. The story focuses on the sailors that were castaways on a cold, rocky island in the Straits of Magellan during a southern hemisphere winter and their struggle to get back to England. Once back, they faced British Naval justice as there were conflicting reports of mutiny and murder while the sailors were stranded.

1740 was almost 300 years ago and the technology was not there yet for ocean global travel. Imagine the following:

• Not knowing your longitude and only being able to figure out your latitude through looking at the stars. With my iPhone, today you can tell exactly where you are on the planet Earth with detailed maps. Because the earth rotates, each hour per day corresponds to 15 degrees of longitude.
• No weather forecasts. The ships were at the mercy of the weather and they often were caught in fierce winds, rain and rough seas.
• Having to rely only on the wind to propel you across the planet. The combustion and steam engines were not invented yet.
• A ship doctor that didn’t know about bacterial infections or Vitamin D deficiency.

I can’t believe Ferdinand Magellan circumnavigated the earth over 200 years before (1519) this expedition took place. These sailors were absolutely courageous and mad for going on these epic journies so long ago.

The old and rich businessmen and politicians of England at the time should be ashamed of themselves for sending young men to sea in these conditions. They were looking to enrich themselves by concocting this war against Spain (The War of Jenkin’s Ear). Sending ships at that time to sail to the Spanish colonies to hunt down a treasure-laden galleon ship was a suicide mission and not worth the loss of young lives. For example, the one ship that did accomplish the mission lost over 1,700 sailors of the 2,000 that started the trip. All throughout the book, sailors are dying of starvation, disease, hypothermia, and drowning. The incredible lack of sympathy for the death of navy sailors is astounding. “…sending their troops off on ill-conceived, poorly funded, bungle military adventures.” …”the war cost taxpayers 43 million pounds” It is never the politicians that get blamed or suffer the consequences, but the usually men, who have to follow orders and go off and do the government’s bidding. See Ukraine/Russia war.

My wife Nadia and I traveled to the tip of South America in the southern hemisphere summer of 1998-1999. We visited an island full of penguins in the Strait of Magallanes, although I can’t remember the name. It was the coldest I’ve ever been in my life. The rain and wind went right through my clothing and I remember shaking and my teeth chattering as we got off the boat to return to our hostel in Punta de Arenas, Chile. I can’t imagine what those sailors went through being stuck on Wager Island without food, shelter, or proper clothing in the southern hemisphere winter.

The book also highlighted the help of indigenous tribes, the Kawesqar, Yaghan, and Chono. It is tragic that they were wiped out. What a loss of knowledge of nature in an incredibly harsh and beautiful part of the world. “By the late 19th century, the Chono had been wiped out by contact with Europeans and by the early 20th century there were only a few dozen Kawesqar, who had settled at a hamlet about 100 miles south of the Golfo de Penas.” I would like to read more about these tribes. I remember spending an afternoon in a library in Punta De Arenas reading about the Patagonia indigenous people when I was down there.

• boatswain – a naval officer in charge of the crew and equipment

I was fascinated with how many nautical words and phrases these early sailors used that are still in use today.

• “toe the line” boys on a ship were forced to stand still for inspection with their toes on a deck seam
• “to pipe down” the boatswain’s whistle signaling for everyone to be quiet at night
• “piping hot” the boatswain call for meals
• “scuttlebutt” water cask sailors gossiped around while waiting for their rations; the modern-day water cooler
• “three sheets to the wind” when lines to a sail broke and the boat pitched drunkenly out of control
• “turn a blind eye” – Vice Admiral Nelson deliberately placed his telescope against his blind eye to ignore his superior’s signal flag to retreat

I like this description of what was needed in a captain. “command of temper, integrity of purpose, vigour of mind, and abnegation of self…” Another sailor quoted John Dryden’s poem, “Presence of mind, and courage in distress, Are more than armies to procure success.”

Shocking to learn about the 1945 “Minnesota Starvation Experiment”. 36 volunteers starved themselves over six months for scientists to study the impact both physical and mental on them.

On a final note, I went for a swim yesterday in the warm waters of the Mediterranean. I swam to a buoy that was probably 50 meters from shore. The waves coming from the deep waters were rolling through me. I was trying to put myself in those sailors’ shoes. Being on a rickety boat, miles from shore, with strong winds, huge waves, pouring rain, and cold water, wow! The sea is powerful and just getting a taste of it on a summer day off the coast of Sicily was enough for me.

For Father’s Day, the family took me out to сыроварння “Cheese Barn”. This is a Moscow-owned Italian restaurant that as the name proclaims, specializes in cheese. The food and ambiance were 10 of 10 and I highly recommend the restaurant. Every dish was delicious and we sampled the mushroom with truffle oil pizza, fish and grilled vegetables, ravioli, and green salad. It has a sophisticated but relaxed atmosphere and it is located in a park near the Bla Bla Bar in the city center.

I am getting a few last bike rides in before we travel on our summer holidays. Late yesterday afternoon I noticed police and paramedics alongside the Ankhor Canal. Divers were in the water with ropes to stabilize themselves against the strong currents. I think they were looking for someone who drowned and by the time I got back from my bike ride, they were much further down the canal by the dam. Many people swim in the cold, fast currents of the canal. It is hot and humid and I drank a lot of water on my ride. Winds picked up in the late afternoon causing lots of dust. There was a chance of rain and the temperature did cool, but no precipitation. Tashkent has a Mediterranean climate with hot, dry summers.

I ended my night playing soccer with my son’s team against the TIS maintenance/groundskeeper team. I am just happy to be able to run around and play team sports at age 56! I didn’t get hurt, although my toe towards the end of the game was starting to feel some pain, so I quit about 10 minutes before the end of the game. This morning it feels fine, so I think it was a good decision. I’ve learned to listen to my body to avoid injury because I don’t recover as fast as I used to from injury. Loved it!

Having a career in international education means you move every few years. This involves finding a different home and specifically a new bedroom every time we move. Homes sizes and styles vary greatly depending on the country and city. In Colombia, Australia, and Serbia we lived in apartments. In Japan, Venezuela, Bolivia, and Uzbekistan we lived in houses. It is a mind shift to go from say an American-sized home in Venezuela to a typical-sized home in Japan. “How is our stuff going to fit in here?”

I’ve learned that I will always want a King Size Bed. The most important thing is the width and the Standard or “Eastern” King of 76 inches is the best. The length does not concern me because at 68 inches in height, even the smallest bed, a “Twin” is suitable at 75 inches in length. When you are sleeping with a partner, it is best to be in the same bed (I don’t want to sleep in another room or a different bed in the same room) as some older couples get to. Both Nadia and I are not loud snorers so that is not a problem, it is a question of movement. I like bedrooms cooler however, and she likes it a bit warmer.

UPDATE: The Islamic Republic of Iran defeated Uzbekistan 1-0 in the finals on Tuesday evening.

I had a fantastic time with my son Oliver last night at the CAFA Nations Cup 2023 soccer game between Uzbekistan and Tajikistan. Oliver developed a passion for soccer through playing on his school’s team. Like any good dad, I want to support his interests and selfishly, spend time with him, so I got us tickets on iticket.uz. We bought the most expensive seats in the stadium ($18) and were situated at midfield about 5 rows up. Three of Oliver’s friends from his soccer team joined us.

The Central Asian Football Association consists of six teams as you can see in the table below. I put the nation’s population to get a sense of the strength of the football association. Iran is a large country that regularly qualifies for the World Cup and what Uzbekistan is striving to become. I was surprised to learn Kazakhstan (19 million) after independence chose to join UEFA instead of CAFA. I think they would be better suited to compete in the CAFA region.

Afghanistan	41.6 million population
Islamic Republic of Iran	87 million
Kyrgyzstan	6.8 million
Tajikistan	10.2 million
Turkmenistan	6.7 million
Uzbekistan	35 million

This is the inaugural CAFA Nations Cup which will be a biennial competition. Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan are the joint hosts. Uzbekistan hosts a lot of Asian competitions because it has stadium capacity, a growing economy, and a stable political climate. They invited Russia, Thailand, and Oman to participate with only Oman accepting. The seven teams are battling it out this month. With Uzbekistan’s convincing 5-1 thrashing of Tajikistan, they won Pool B and will play Iran on Tuesday night at Milliy Stadium.

Soccer games are awesome when there are goals and deadly boring for me when there are no goals. The teams didn’t disappoint last night. Tajikistan played defensively the entire game as they were outmatched talent-wise by the Uzbeks. They had a counter-attack that resulted in a foul and a free kick that resulted in a goal right before halftime. The Uzbeks turned it around in the second half scoring three goals from regular play and two penalty kicks. Their top player, Eldor Shomurodov, who currently plays for Serie B Italian club Spezio, scored a penalty kick and had a beautiful back pass assist for another goal.

Another star for Uzbekistan was not suited up for the game and sat directly behind us. Jaloliddin Masharipov plays with Christian Renaldo for the Saudi club Al Nassr. Kids were coming up to him the entire game to take selfies and shake his hand. The security guys escorted them over to meet the Uzbek soccer hero which was nice. He was patient and kind during the many interruptions to his game-viewing experience.

NYU professor and public intellectual Scot Galloway was saying the other day on his podcast that fathers sometimes need to get into what their children love instead of what they love. Soccer is a good one because I do like it and am happy Oliver loves the game. We are connecting more because I now follow the sport closely. It was so fun to spend the evening with him last night!

Nadia and I had a great time celebrating King Charles Birthday at the British Ambassador’s Residence on Thursday. Ambassador Tim Torlot is a good friend and he put on a spectacular party in the massive garden of the residence. Now that the pandemic is over I am getting to know more people in the international community of Tashkent. Tim’s posting is ending soon and Nadia and I will miss him. He is such a kind-hearted gentleman that is so interesting to listen to and be around. After the party, Aaron, Nadia, and I went out for sushi.

I drank a delicious Punk IPA from Brewdog Brewery. One of my Scottish colleagues invested in the Kickstarter campaign of the brewery when they began in Ellon, Scotland, near Abderdeen. The Punk IPA is described “Punk IPA is the beer that kick-started it. This light, golden classic has been subverted with new world hops to create an explosion of flavour. Bursts of caramel and tropical fruit with an all-out riot of grapefruit, pineapple and lychee, precede a spiky bitter finish.” It wasn’t too hoppy and was perfect for a hot summer night. I also had a refreshing Pimm’s, which is a classic, British summer “long drink”. Pimm’s is a “gin-based fruit cup” which is a type of liqueur.

This morning I went for a 35-kilometer bike ride in the northern part of the city. I came back through the area I call “Beijing” because of the long blocks of massive apartment complexes. It reminds me of the scale of construction of apartments we saw while traveling in China a few years ago.

I love playing tennis at the Olympic Tennis School. We have a Sunday morning group that often plays doubles tennis. It is a group of expatriates and in the photo above, there are players from Turkey, Ireland, Pakistan, UK, Australia, and Russia. Last Sunday was the last day of one of my friends, Steve Orr. He is moving on to a new post with the US State Department. We have regularly played over the past two years. We used to play with the US Ambassador and continued after he left. I’ve always enjoyed the competition and camaraderie. Nadia is starting to play again! Her back issues seem to be in the past and it is nice to see her on the courts again. She is such a good athlete!

Ocean and I visited a photograph exhibition in the Ilkhom Theatre entitled “Architecture of Historical Optimism” a project by artist Alexander Fedorov. Fedorov made 19 posters featuring buildings designed by Soviet architects from the 1960s to the 1980s. I am a big fan of Soviet modernism and the bold shapes and designs of building from the Soviet Union era. Many of iconic buildings were constructed after the 1966 earthquake that destroyed most of the city. The Soviet government at the time called for citizens from around the vast Soviet empire to come to Tashkent to rebuild the city into a Socialist Model of Modernism the “Shining Star of the East”. With Tashkent developing rapidly, some of the buildings have already been torn down as most do not have protection. I understand the sentiment of forgetting the domination of Russia over Uzbekistan, but for future generations, long removed from that time, the Soviet architecture is a part of the history of the city and something will be lost if some of them are not preserved. Hopefully, this exhibition will spur officials on to protect and promote that era of architecture for future generations of Tashkenters.

I am fascinated by the buildings featured in the exhibition and did some research into them.

• Experimental Home “Pearls” Architect Ophelia Aydinova’s 1985, 16-floor apartment block was built for veterans of World War II, honored workers, and neighbors who lost their homes in the building of the project. In between the 120 2-bedroom and 4-bedroom apartments, the architect put in common areas for children to play and residents to gather. I love the promotion of “third spaces” (not home, not work) to encourage people to connect and a club on the rooftop that used to have a swimming pool. The building today is in a state of decay with very few of the apartments occupied.
• Turkistan Palace of Arts This building stood partially completed for many years due to funding problems. Eventually, the first President of Uzbekistan, Karimov, got it completed in 1993, shortly after independence. Today it is a theater managed by the Ministry of Culture. It has a cool, Soviet-looking rocket launch site outdoor amphitheater.

I would like to finish this post with a video I shot of Ocean, Nadia, and me shopping last Saturday in Tashkent.