{"id":2664,"date":"2026-07-10T03:25:00","date_gmt":"2026-07-10T03:25:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/uzconsulwa.org\/?p=2664"},"modified":"2026-08-07T03:29:20","modified_gmt":"2026-08-07T03:29:20","slug":"a-unique-place-preserving-the-spirit-of-central-asia-in-washington-state","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/uzconsulwa.org\/?p=2664","title":{"rendered":"A Unique Place Preserving the Spirit of Central Asia in Washington State"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\" id=\"wpb-content-root\"><p>[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Some places sell beautiful things. Others preserve beautiful memories. \u201cMusic for the Eyes,\u201d located in Langley on Washington State\u2019s Whidbey Island, is one of those truly special places.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">More than a store, \u201cMusic for the Eyes\u201d has become a distinctive cultural bridge between Central Asia and the United States.<\/p>\r\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\n\t\t\t<style type='text\/css'>\n\t\t\t\t#gallery-1 {\n\t\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\t#gallery-1 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\t\twidth: 33%;\n\t\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\t#gallery-1 img {\n\t\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\t#gallery-1 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div id='gallery-1' class='dt-gallery-container gallery galleryid-2664 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-large'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"rollover rollover-zoom dt-pswp-item\" title=\"HM5p7vLbIAAVhTy\" data-dt-img-description=\"\" data-large_image_width=\"1700\" data-large_image_height=\"2560\"href='https:\/\/uzconsulwa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/HM5p7vLbIAAVhTy-scaled.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"680\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/uzconsulwa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/HM5p7vLbIAAVhTy-680x1024.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uzconsulwa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/HM5p7vLbIAAVhTy-680x1024.jpg 680w, https:\/\/uzconsulwa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/HM5p7vLbIAAVhTy-199x300.jpg 199w, https:\/\/uzconsulwa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/HM5p7vLbIAAVhTy-768x1156.jpg 768w, https:\/\/uzconsulwa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/HM5p7vLbIAAVhTy-1020x1536.jpg 1020w, https:\/\/uzconsulwa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/HM5p7vLbIAAVhTy-1360x2048.jpg 1360w, https:\/\/uzconsulwa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/HM5p7vLbIAAVhTy-scaled.jpg 1700w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 680px) 100vw, 680px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"rollover rollover-zoom dt-pswp-item\" title=\"HM5qFwHbEAAoay5\" data-dt-img-description=\"\" data-large_image_width=\"860\" data-large_image_height=\"1280\"href='https:\/\/uzconsulwa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/HM5qFwHbEAAoay5.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"688\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/uzconsulwa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/HM5qFwHbEAAoay5-688x1024.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uzconsulwa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/HM5qFwHbEAAoay5-688x1024.jpg 688w, https:\/\/uzconsulwa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/HM5qFwHbEAAoay5-202x300.jpg 202w, https:\/\/uzconsulwa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/HM5qFwHbEAAoay5-768x1143.jpg 768w, https:\/\/uzconsulwa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/HM5qFwHbEAAoay5.jpg 860w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 688px) 100vw, 688px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t\t<a class=\"rollover rollover-zoom dt-pswp-item\" title=\"HM5qG4waEAA9oQ3\" data-dt-img-description=\"\" data-large_image_width=\"1706\" data-large_image_height=\"2560\"href='https:\/\/uzconsulwa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/HM5qG4waEAA9oQ3-scaled.jpg'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"683\" height=\"1024\" src=\"https:\/\/uzconsulwa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/HM5qG4waEAA9oQ3-683x1024.jpg\" class=\"attachment-large size-large\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/uzconsulwa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/HM5qG4waEAA9oQ3-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/uzconsulwa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/HM5qG4waEAA9oQ3-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/uzconsulwa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/HM5qG4waEAA9oQ3-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/uzconsulwa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/HM5qG4waEAA9oQ3-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/uzconsulwa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/HM5qG4waEAA9oQ3-1365x2048.jpg 1365w, https:\/\/uzconsulwa.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/HM5qG4waEAA9oQ3-scaled.jpg 1706w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 683px) 100vw, 683px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">During the visit, a warm meeting was held with Fred Lundahl. Fred and his wife, Sharon, spent nearly three decades in the U.S. Foreign Service, including an assignment at the U.S. Embassy in Tashkent. Their years in Central Asia became far more than diplomatic postings\u2014they grew into lifelong friendships, meaningful human connections, and lasting memories.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Today, in a quiet corner of Washington State, Fred and Sharon have created a place where the spirit of Central Asia continues to live. Uzbek robes, traditional musical instruments, rare books, handcrafted works of art, and historical photographs tell the story of a region they came to know and deeply cherish.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">What made the strongest impression was not only the remarkable collection but also Fred\u2019s heartfelt stories about the people, friendships, and experiences that shaped their lives. The conversation served as a powerful reminder that diplomacy is, above all, about building trust, friendship, and genuine human connections.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Seeing Uzbekistan\u2019s culture and national heritage preserved with such sincerity and respect thousands of miles from home inspired a profound sense of pride and gratitude.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">Sincere appreciation was expressed to Sharon and Fred Lundahl for their enduring affection for Central Asia, particularly Uzbekistan, and for their contribution to bringing our peoples closer together. Their story demonstrates that some journeys never truly end\u2014they simply find a new home and take on new meaning.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<p style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u00a0<\/p>\r\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p><\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text] Some places sell beautiful things. Others preserve beautiful memories. \u201cMusic for the Eyes,\u201d located in Langley on Washington State\u2019s Whidbey Island, is one of those truly special places. More than a store, \u201cMusic for the Eyes\u201d has become a distinctive cultural bridge between Central Asia and the United States. During the visit, a warm&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2665,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2664","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news_en","category-1","description-off"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/uzconsulwa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2664","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/uzconsulwa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/uzconsulwa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uzconsulwa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uzconsulwa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2664"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/uzconsulwa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2664\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2670,"href":"https:\/\/uzconsulwa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2664\/revisions\/2670"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uzconsulwa.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2665"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/uzconsulwa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2664"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uzconsulwa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2664"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/uzconsulwa.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2664"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}