It was the first nice day in a week. The water plants in the fountain had bloomed, lotuses at water level in pinks and golds, red lilies towering over their sword-like leaves. Two teenagers from Cincinnati watched me set up. I sang \u201cMaking Love Ukulele Style,\u201d a simple tune written by Dean Martin, and sung by Arthur Godfrey. Of course, they\u2019d never heard of either man, or of Jerry Lewis. They never heard of Steve McQueen, or \u201cThe Cincinnati Kid.\u201d Nor, apparently, had they ever heard of tipping the musician.<\/p>\n
A family from West Virginia was next. The kids were too embarrassed to hula, but not mom and dad. Another family walked by. These kids were very interested, but mom and dad kept walking. The elder daughter, however, split from the group and ran up to me with 2 quarters and a dime.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s from Hawaii,\u201d a 20-something yelled to me, pointing out her friend.<\/p>\n
\u201cAm not,\u201d said the friend in a distinctly English accent. \u201cI just lived there for a few months.\u201d With a little coaxing, she started dancing to \u201cThe Hukilau Song,\u201d all the while saying, \u201cI don\u2019t remember, I don\u2019t remember.\u201d Nevertheless, she danced to the end and her friend rewarded me with $2.<\/p>\n
Small change here and there, tossed in by appreciative passers-by, weighted down the singles so they wouldn\u2019t fly off in the cool breeze from the lake.<\/p>\n
Last year I added \u201cDown among the Sheltering Palms\u201d to my repertoire, but when I tried to play it this year, it had flown from my head. Having boned up on the chords before I left the house in the morning, I played it now. A Saudi man and his veiled wife, a few steps behind, planted himself in front of me and started taking pictures. \u201cDo you know this song?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI do,\u201d he said, singing with me. At the final chord, he dug out a dollar and handed it to me. It amused me to imagine the caravan at the oasis; the camel-driver breaks out his uke and strums a song of love: Oh, honey, wait for me.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"