Rain Bojangles

I thought I had a Blip in the bag this morning - another big tree cutting project - but then spotted this guy across Hawthorne on my way home from the grocery store. I could tell from across the street that his instrument was something unique, and indeed it is. It's a dulcitar - it sounds like a mountain dulcimer, plays like a guitar - and is very similar to the Ingly I blipped last month. This one was made in 1989, and Rain Bojangles picked it up for a song in a thrift store. He says he'd like to meet the guy who made it - Ray Jacobs - but he wasn't going to give up his dulcitar.

Rain is apparently an icon on Hawthorne (my One Street), and I'm surprised I've never seen him here before. It's his favorite neighborhood to hang out - the vibe is good and the girl-watching excellent, he says - though he plays around other places, especially in the summer when he hits the farmers market circuit.

We had a delightful conversation about our instruments of choice, about finger-picking vs flat picking, photography, social media. I'm sure we could have had some lively political and/or spiritual discussions - he's known for his pithy quotes and his philosophical ponderings (My presence of mind is frequently absent). He's even listed in the Urban Dictionary, which describes him as a twentieth century musician author artist and explorer.

There's a video online of Rain playing the dulcitar with an abstract animation of his hands. It's pretty trippy. So is Rain Bojangles.