Hanging over the old bridle path that passes under the entry to the park, obscured by bushes, a splash of purple blossoms caught my eye.\u00a0 It was wisteria, growing from a thick root outcrop, between the barren vine covering the north pergola and the precipice.\u00a0 The button seller told me that it sometimes bloomed there; now I saw it for myself.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
There was hellebore among the spent wood hyacinth, and hot pink azalea closer to the road.\u00a0 Under the judgmental squint of Daniel Webster, a squirrel faced off with a dog on a leash, just out of reach.\u00a0 How did I miss the trillium yesterday?\u00a0 Single three-petaled flowers opened pink and white out in the open, while in the shade of an Eastern Hemlock, they were wine red.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The white and red azaleas led me down to Bethesda Fountain, where the lunchtime crowd was light.\u00a0 A cool breeze blew off the lake.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
My first contributor dropped a pocketful of change into my case.\u00a0 I spread it around to weigh down the 2 singles — shill bills — I use to give people the right idea.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Coming down the path in her green Central Park Conservancy volunteer tee shirt, skipped Joan.\u00a0 Five years ago, Joan heard me singing the verse to \u201cHave You Ever Seen a Dream Walking,\u201d and joined me for the chorus.\u00a0 A year or 2 later, we met up again for a reprise.\u00a0 Today, for the third time, we belted out her number.\u00a0 And for the third time, she walked away without a tip.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
An Argentine girl did a Latin hula while her friends photographed her.\u00a0 She too walked away.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
A young woman couldn\u2019t pass by without stopping.\u00a0 She and her friend worked in the area, and were having a hard day.\u00a0 I pitched the therapeutic benefits of hula.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019m up for that,\u201d she said.\u00a0 Her friend demurred, until I started playing \u201cThe Hukilau Song.\u201d\u00a0 Soon both of them were gracefully swaying, hips and arms, languid and relaxed.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
At the end of the dance, they gave me 2 dollars.\u00a0 \u201cThat was fun,\u201d said the first.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cSo what kind of work do you guys do?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cWe raise money for people richer than we are,\u201d said the second.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Another young woman of about the same age, 20-25, stopped to hula.\u00a0 \u201cDo you know how to hula?\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cDo you know how to hula to the hukilau?\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
In fact, she\u2019d never heard of a hukilau and had only a loose grasp of the hula.\u00a0 As she dropped a fiver in my case, she told me she was from Utah.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The breeze had picked up.\u00a0 When I tried to anchor the leis across the back of my case, one flew off into the fountain and floated away.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Next came 3 Italian girls from Milan.\u00a0 They wanted me to say something in Italian to their friend Katerina.\u00a0 I think it was Happy Fortieth Birthday.\u00a0 They filmed it and tipped $2.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
By the end of my set, the lei had floated back to me.\u00a0 I plucked it from the water and spread it out in the sun.\u00a0 By the time I counted my money, $10.78, it was dry.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"