K&W in Laguna Beach -- Saturday, 07June2014

It was an unexpectedly low turnout for such a nice summer Saturday, but we had nice people most of the time anyway. My new big-font sign is still working well -- I sold six CDs.

A pair of girls came by and one of them stopped when she recognized my name on the sign. She was flabbergasted that it was "that guy from Indian Princesses", and remembered that "Walking (sic) with Bears" song. So of course I played it (well, "Waltzing...") for her. It was fun to see her so completely blown away.

I had the continuing sound problem with the guitar, but this time I bypassed the wireless but *not* the tone box, and the problem remained, indicating an easily fixable dead battery in the tone box. That one lasts six months or more so I don't think of it when I have problems, and I don't recognize the symptoms. But maybe next time I will, and it's a relief to have it be so easily fixable and not have to get the wireless rig repaired, which I was dreading.

The Tommies (dad Tom and daughter Tomi) are back in town for the summer, and they set up on the corner across from us. It's disheartening to be playing to 3 or 4 people and to look over to see a crowd around them. Musically, they're kind of awful, but Tomi is just so cute, and impressive (for an 8-year-old) on the lead guitar. But I guess you use what you got, and young and cute beats out old but good.

But it was fun enough that we played until around 11:00. After we'd packed up, we were hanging out on the bench when a young couple walked up and the girl asked if either of us had any scissors. There's a tiny pair on my pocket knife, so I said that I did, and fished them out. I thought she might have a price tag or washing instructions tag that she needed removed, but she wanted to chop the entire bottom of her dress off!

She said that it was a bridesmaid's dress that she hated and was going to throw away tomorrow anyway, but it was too long and she couldn't dance in it, and it was ruining her evening. Her boyfriend was skeptical and tried to talk her out of it, but she was determined, and I had already produced the scissors. She started to cut into the dress, but the tiny scissors and her awkward angle weren't up to the task. Once she'd put a hole in the dress, I figured there was no going back now, so I had her stand up on the bench and switched to the knife and just hacked it off for her.

After she'd spun a full 360 and I'd hacked off a jagged 8-to-12 inch ring, she stepped out of it and dropped the over-skirt, which *wasn't* too long and covered up the field repairs. She was thrilled, and bequeathed the dress remainder to me, her hero.

As they walked away, the boyfriend inexplicably handed her two bucks to put in the tip jar. It's all part of the service, ma'am.