It's not my birthday but I had a day full of gifts. Breakfast was the last little bit of Rhubarb...

Thanks to those of you who have been waiting patiently for the final New York report. I'm working hard on...

Today I got an email from the woman who was my 4th grade teacher. It's ironic because today I was...

EC, sparkle blue covering on wood rim, chrome plated metal neck, neck has fluted back and integral frets, 7-1/8" skin head, 13-1/4" scale, mechanical friction tuners with white plastic buttons, back of headstock marked "WERCO / MADE IN U.S.A.", sold AS-IS (needs new bridge, strings, set up, etc) ($185.00)

Aaah, it's nice to feel like my normal self again, with a reasonable to-do list and a found camera. Sigh......

All solid wood construction, hand selected Brazilian mahogany top, back & sides, maple neck, rosewood fretboard with abalone dots, top & back are bound in white, top has faux abalone purfling, high gloss finish. ($259.50)

Big Sigh! I went back through my mind to see if I could figure out where I might have left...

Well, I started my workday with a to-do list that had 9 items on it. Now it has 2, and...

Solid cedar top, solid rosewood back & sides, maple neck with 19 fret rosewood fingerboard, koa bound top, back & peghead, rosewood bridge & peghead veneer, white pearl position markers, ivoroid rosette, nickel geared tuners with white buttons. ($325.50)

Solid cedar top, solid rosewood back & sides, maple neck with 15 fret rosewood fingerboard, koa bound top, back & peghead, rosewood bridge & peghead veneer, white pearl position markers, ivoroid rosette, nickel friction tuners with white buttons. ($219.50)

Solid cedar top, solid rosewood back & sides, maple neck with 18 fret rosewood fingerboard, koa bound top, back & peghead, rosewood bridge & peghead veneer, white pearl position markers, ivoroid rosette, nickel geared tuners with white buttons. ($299.50)

This custom ukulele, made by special arrangement with National Reso-Phonic, is yet another labor of love. This one has a great 2-tone green & white duco crystalline finish on the steel body and coverplate. It has a 15" concert scale, 7-1/8 " body width and 23-1/2" total length. The neck, 1-3/8" wide at the nut, has an ebony fingerboard, and it is all powered by a single 6" swirl-embossed National cone with biscuit bridge. A shaped wooden hardshell case is included. ($1648.00)

Book/CD set. 27 arrangements from around the world in note/tab, and playable on any uke. Songs are grouped by level of difficulty, starting with simple arrangements within the grasp of dedicated beginners/intermediate players, through more challenging songs featuring unusual chord voicings, inversions up the neck, tricky fingerings and "all the fun stuff" the author could muster. Chord charts, inversion studies, introductory material on finger-picking and making the transition from strumming to melodic playing. Classic Hawaiian songs, folk songs, standards - even a few pieces from the classical guitar repertoire. 96 pp. ($18.95)

Soprano / Concert ukulele strings, brown, medium tension with low G. ($13.80)

Tenor ukulele strings, brown. ($13.80)

Tenor ukulele strings, brown with low G. ($15.90)

Eight string ukulele strings, clear. ($20.10)

Baritone ukulele strings, clear. ($15.90)

Soprano / Concert ukulele strings, clear, heavy tension. ($13.80)

2006 -- His attitude is tropically infectious, he plays the ukulele and - unlike Dr. Science - he's a real doctor! Kevin Patrick Baiko is the decidedly different "Dr. Sparkles" in a program of 22 highly original songs. ($14.95)