Yesterday at the canoe some people were talking about going to the Mermaid Tavern to hear one of the new members singing. Apparently he performs there. Wakana and I decided to go. We got there early, the show didn't start until 8:00 and we got there around 7:00. The waitress brought us menus. The Mermaid Tavern is the only microbrewery on the island. Everywhere else serves either Miller or Bud or a smattering of other bottled brews. The Mermaid has their own brewery and a selection of seven beers. I had the feeling they could find a dusty bottle of Bud if you asked for one.

I requested the sampler. With that you get seven beer glasses, each with three ounces in it. You pay the same price as for a regular beer but you get twenty one ounces of beer! What a deal. I started at one end and enjoyed my way through to the other end. By the time I got to the fifth glass other people began to show up.

The waitress, a cute kid who looks a lot like a high school kid I knew back home, kept worrying about us because we sat there with our drinks and did nothing and ordered nothing more. We had already eaten and we were waiting for the rest of the crew and the musicians. We told her we were waiting for a few more people.

Chris came in and began to set up his stuff and tune his instrument. He plays an eight string ukulele, larger than the small ones you usually see but not as large as a small guitar. I asked him how long he'd been on the island. This is a common question for a haolie to hear.

He came to the island about twenty years ago as the bass player for a rock band that was falling apart. They were on a DOD contract tour, visiting military bases around the world. Guam was their last stop. After the concert he quit the band and stayed. Now he runs a boat taking tourists diving and he teaches scuba diving. In the evenings he plays music and enjoys his family. He says he has not picked up anything but his uke in a long time.

Around 8:00 I ordered an eggplant and Portobello pizza. It arrived at the same time as the first of the canoe crowd. The waitress had little to worry about. By the time we were all there we numbered about twenty people. She was a very busy lady.

We put tables together and conversation and laughter flowed. I was a little disappointed in this as I thought we were there to hear Chris. But on reflection I decided that it takes a very unique crowd to gather just to listen. Folkies will do that but most other people treat music as background fill.

At the break I talked to Jeff, the guitar player. He says he has been on the island for about thirty years. He also drives a boat taking parties fishing. I told him I had enjoyed his solo on Ohio and apologized for the noise but he said that most Saturdays there were few people there and he'd rather play to laughter than to an empty room. Can't say as I blame him.

One of our number was a young Japanese woman, a friend of Wakana's and Kayoko쳌fs. She has expressed an interest in Steve, another new member, but she is too Japanese to do anything about it. Wakana and Kayoko were playing matchmaker, pushing her into a chair across the table from him and giving her every opportunity to talk with him. It was just like watching teenagers. He was trying not to look interested but still trying to include her and she was doing the same. It쳌fs funny how humans work. She has a PhD and he is an officer in the military yet when it comes to simple human interaction we are all the same and all training and education is for naught.

Wakana had a great time. She was laughing and chatting in two languages and enjoying the music and Kiko쳌fs drum. Kiko, another member, had brought a drum with him. He is part of a drum circle that meets on Fridays. He thought he might be able to jam with the musicians. He talked about it with Chris at the break and Chris liked the idea so Kiko added a rhythm section to the room. I had brought my bones to show to Kiko. During the break I passed around the sets of bones and gave a brief lesson on playing. In the second half Chris started Jambalaya and asked me to play the bones on it. We had a pretty good time.

By the way, that is a drum circle without a bohdran! Kiko has never even heard of one!

We broke up around 11:00 after they turned the lights out over the bar. The bartender and waitress were standing back there obviously waiting for us to get out. We쳌fd had a great time, a little like the evenings I used to love back home. And like evenings I hope to have on the Big Trip.