Cello case with a hat, and more "Old Joe Clark"

My friend Nicole took this photo of my cello case at the bluegrass festival earlier this month. That's my hat on it. It was threatening rain. It gives my cello case a bit more personality. I expect it to pick up a banjo and start playing.

The instrument petting zoo went well today, thanks to one of the staff people who kept sending people my way. Lots more adults wanted to try instruments than usual, and I think some of them might actually give lessons a try.

One little girl of 2 and a half was intrigued by the violins. Someone asked me to play something, so I played"Old Joe Clark" on the viola, the instrument I happened to have in my hands. It turned out this was the child's favorite song. She was beaming.

Me too. It is not every day that you bring joy to a child, simply by playing an instrument. Later, I taught her father a bit of "Old Joe Clark" on the cello. Usually, I teach them "Twinkle, Twinkle," but it was an "Old Joe Clark" kind of day.

I stayed most of the day at the Arts Festival. After my petting zoo was over, I went to various performances (jazz, country music, folk music) and enjoyed a nice day in the sunshine. Ok, I brought work with me, but I found a nice spot where I could hear the music without annoying people with my ever-present paperwork.