
“Money can’t buy happiness, but it can buy a ukulele, and that’s pretty close.” (author unknown.) Yes, it sounds as beautiful as it looks and that does make me happy.
This ukulele came from Moorea, French Polynesia, made by a local named Woody Howard. I played it for 20 minutes or more at his shop and we hade a good visit. The wood for the sound board came from the family-owned island in the nearby Tuamotu Archipelago.
While we toured the islands, it became an item of interest for the locals, and a great way to make friends. I played it at the Moorea Airport while waiting departure, and one of the employees saw it and asked, “Woody?” I nodded yes and let him play it and when done, we both parted with big smiles. Many more such smiles appeared during our trip, so I guess that money spent on the ukulele actually did bring happiness.