“Where’s your ukulele?” asked the woman, making a strumming action, as we passed on the path.

I pointed to the case strapped on my back.  She gave me a thumbs-up.

The day was perfect at Bethesda Fountain.  John Boyd and his crew sang in the arcade.  The big bubble man spun his creations in the center of the terrace.  I set up at the fountain, where a bride and groom were posing.  I opened with “The Hawaiian Wedding Song.”

A nice young woman gave me my first dollar.  She would not hula.  From the far side of the fountain, a pudgy kid of 8 or 9 came running.  Arms flailing and out of breath, he tossed 30 cents in the case.  He had no time to hula; he took a deep breath and raced back around the fountain.  A young woman walking with her mother stopped to give me a dollar, but not to dance.

A couple with 2 young girls sat down near me.  The elder girl, 4 or 5 years old, explored the stuff in my case.  “Would you like to hula?”

“No.”

The younger, barely walking, showed no such reticence.  With her father’s help, I put a baby lei — fashioned from broken adult leis —  around her neck.  I again invited her sister, but she just said, “No.”

The toddler floundered through the intro to “The Hukilau Song,” so I invited mom to help her out.  Mom would not take a lei, but she nevertheless took the toddler’s hand and together they managed a cute little hula.  Big sister was playing with the hula girl toys, her back turned on the action.  Dad gave me a buck.

Two 30-something women sat near me while an older woman took a picture.  “You,” she called, “get in photo.”

I grabbed 2 leis and slipped them around 2 necks.  “Sing,” she commanded.  I sang.

They were from Macedonia.  The photographer, who may have been mother, aunt or older sister, handed me 2 singles.

I ended with “Little Grass Shack,” to the delight of a man walking past, who stopped to hula for a second, then walked on.