\u201cWhere\u2019s your ukulele?\u201d asked the woman, making a strumming action, as we passed on the path.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I pointed to the case strapped on my back.\u00a0 She gave me a thumbs-up.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The day was perfect at Bethesda Fountain.\u00a0 John Boyd and his crew sang in the arcade.\u00a0 The big bubble man spun his creations in the center of the terrace.\u00a0 I set up at the fountain, where a bride and groom were posing.\u00a0 I opened with \u201cThe Hawaiian Wedding Song.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
A nice young woman gave me my first dollar.\u00a0 She would not hula.\u00a0 From the far side of the fountain, a pudgy kid of 8 or 9 came running.\u00a0 Arms flailing and out of breath, he tossed 30 cents in the case.\u00a0 He had no time to hula; he took a deep breath and raced back around the fountain.\u00a0 A young woman walking with her mother stopped to give me a dollar, but not to dance.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
A couple with 2 young girls sat down near me.\u00a0 The elder girl, 4 or 5 years old, explored the stuff in my case.\u00a0 \u201cWould you like to hula?\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The younger, barely walking, showed no such reticence.\u00a0 With her father\u2019s help, I put a baby lei — fashioned from broken adult leis — \u00a0around her neck. \u00a0I again invited her sister, but she just said, \u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
The toddler floundered through the intro to \u201cThe Hukilau Song,\u201d so I invited mom to help her out.\u00a0 Mom would not take a lei, but she nevertheless took the toddler\u2019s hand and together they managed a cute little hula.\u00a0 Big sister was playing with the hula girl toys, her back turned on the action.\u00a0 Dad gave me a buck.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Two 30-something women sat near me while an older woman took a picture.\u00a0 \u201cYou,\u201d she called, \u201cget in photo.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I grabbed 2 leis and slipped them around 2 necks.\u00a0 \u201cSing,\u201d she commanded. \u00a0I sang.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
They were from Macedonia.\u00a0 The photographer, who may have been mother, aunt or older sister, handed me 2 singles.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I ended with \u201cLittle Grass Shack,\u201d to the delight of a man walking past, who stopped to hula for a second, then walked on.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"