Colin, the singing cowboy, asked for 30 minutes more, so I moved to the maple and set up in the shade.\u00a0 It was\u00a0another very fine day.\u00a0 Early on, a young woman gave me a dollar, but that was it for this location.\u00a0 I managed to get a French family to hula, a boy and his two sisters, while mere and pere looked on, yet, at the end of the set, they walked away without so much as a merci.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
At the fountain again, Colin was packing up.\u00a0 I quickly restored my case and all my paraphernalia, and started my set over again with \u201cMaking Love Ukulele Style.\u201d\u00a0 A Korean family sat on the bench and listened.\u00a0 A little boy in what looked like a sailor suit and hat was fascinated.\u00a0 After a few songs, mom and dad policed the area for litter, then sent their son to me with a dollar.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The next half hour passed without a hula, let alone a donation, until a rowdy bunch of Costa Ricans and Colombians entered the fountain.\u00a0 \u201cHave you got time for a hula today?\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course,\u201d said a young man enthusiastically.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I handed out leis, even taking the one off my own neck to accommodate all the dancers.\u00a0 They needed no instruction; they were dancing before I finished telling them about the hukilau.\u00a0 The second verse kicked off a display of gyrations, dips and wiggles, encouraged by the photographer, who systematically took pictures with the different cameras everyone had handed him.\u00a0 The end of the dance concluded with handshakes and air kisses, and a pair of fivers plus change in my case.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cCosta Rica and Colombia,\u201d I said, \u201care now my favorite countries.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
A boy of 16-17 listened from afar.\u00a0 When his family started moving away, he approached me with a crumpled dollar and a big grin.\u00a0 He walked away backward while I sang \u201cI Wonder Where My Little Hula Girl Has Gone,\u201d trying to catch the words before turning to catch up with his family.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Yielding $14.81, it turned out to be an excellent outing.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"