Since my last outing, the gardeners in Central Park have been busy.\u00a0 Skeletal tulips and south African daisies have been cut down or grubbed up to make room for new plantings, pink begonia, multi-colored cosmos, stella d\u2019oro lilies.\u00a0 Dog roses bloom in profusion, both behind the bench where the button seller sits, as well as along the paths that lead toward Bethesda Fountain.<\/p>\n
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A new guy is singing at the Imagine Mosaic.\u00a0 Unlike the usual platoon of guitarists, this on stands and sings non-Beatle songs.\u00a0 In the foliage lining the path, I spotted tradescantia and astilbe.\u00a0 Both giant catalpas are clothed in white blossoms.<\/p>\n
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It\u2019s June, and the Central Park Conservancy has covered the fountain area in tents for its fund-raiser.\u00a0 In the small area to the north, between the fountain and the water, the jazz combo has found room to play.\u00a0 I kept walking to my spot under the maple, facing the English mulberry, which has started forming berries.<\/p>\n
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Before long, 3 girls from Central Virginia stopped to hula.\u00a0 They were in their mid-teens.\u00a0 One of them knew the gestures for \u201cThe Hukilau Song,\u201d while the others followed along.\u00a0 It was very important to their mother, or whoever she was who was shepherding them around, that I understood they were not from Northern Virginia, as if she wanted to pick a political fight with this New Yorker.<\/p>\n
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A class of 30-40 high schoolers came by.\u00a0 \u201cHas this group got time for a hula today?\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u201cNot now,\u201d said the teacher in charge.\u00a0 \u201cWe\u2019re on our way to lunch.\u201d\u00a0 I sang \u201cI Wonder Where My Little Hula Girl Has Gone\u201d as they walked by.\u00a0 Two stragglers examined my case.\u00a0 One of them gave me 50 cents; not to be outdone, his friend gave me $2.<\/p>\n
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As a 40-something man approached, I saw him reach for his wallet.\u00a0 We exchanged broad smiles as he launched a dollar into my case.<\/p>\n
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A pre-teen girl started dancing as she passed.\u00a0 \u201cI know you want to hula,\u201d I said, and I was right.\u00a0 With a lei around her neck, she flashed a winning smile, planted her feet a little too far apart and started to hula.\u00a0 The more she danced, the wider her stance; by the end of the song she looked like she was going to do a split.<\/p>\n
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A woman stopped her bicycle in front of me and dismounted.\u00a0 Her name was Tony, a bus driver from the Denver suburbs.\u00a0 \u201cDid you take a day off from work?\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u201cThis is my work.\u201d<\/p>\n
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\u201cAre you retired?\u00a0 I can\u2019t wait; another 10 years to go for me.\u201d<\/p>\n
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After her hula, as she pulled 2 singles from her purse, she said, \u201cYou\u2019re probably a millionaire, and here I am giving you money.\u201d<\/p>\n
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Her friend had taken video and had already uploaded it when Tony got back on her bike.\u00a0 I ran over with my card and asked her to send me a link so I could put it in my blog.\u00a0 I do this a lot, although only once has someone actually sent it.\u00a0 That was the Minnesota woman in October, 2016.<\/p>\n
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