I've enjoyed UU member Dougf's jazzy songs a great deal; his lyrics are so intelligent and so timeless, I have dubbed him the "Mose Allison" of the ukulele (and that is a high compliment for those of you who may not know of Mose). It thus goes without saying that I was thrilled Doug has submitted an image for "One Ukulele," especially since if fit perfectly over the lyrics "one ukulele's gonna sing all the songs..." The image is so breathtaking, I asked Doug to take a few minutes to describe it, which he kindly did:
"Mike, thanks for including my 'fluke in the mountains' photo. It was taken this last July at Aneroid Lake in the Wallowa Mountains of NE Oregon. My wife and I took a little road trip to visit our son who had a summer internship working for Wallowa Resources. I had bought the fluke just a few days earlier at Pacific Winds Music in Eugene, OR, specifically so I could take it along on hikes and backpacking. In addition to being light and durable -- essential qualities for backpacking -- it also sounds great. I ended up giving it to my son after taking it along on my trip to Yosemite later in the summer.
"As for me, I credit backpacking with my renewed interest in the ukulele. A couple summers back on a backpacking trip to Yosemite, my brother-in-law decided to bring his daughter's child-size guitar along for fireside strumming, so I brought my Kamaka soprano that had been collecting dust for years. We had some great jams, but after hearing what he could do with that toy guitar, I decided it was time to really learn some uke. It has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life."
It's rewarding for us, too, Doug. As proof, I ask readers to listen to the playing and lyrics of my favorite Dougf tune, "I'm Just Me," embedded below:
-Mike
