CJ and an evening of vibrant rhythm...Jim and Marianna on their Red Neck Yacht-of-the-evening, Jazz Express...Marianna “rehearsing” her choir of Ring Billed Gulls.

AHHH; THE GOOD LIFE--

It was one of those enchanted evenings that has been firmly embossed in my memory.

Picture this: A pontoon boat ride across a placid, sun drenched lake with friends whose presence is always a treasure. The destination--a casual mooring leading to a walk in bucolic woods to a prime restaurant and a dining experience punctuated by classy, jazz music.

Marianna Basting tossed treats to a flock of gulls as husband Jim gently piloted us to the impromptu dock area of The Cabin restaurant down below Mifflin.

Our table was “stage” front where local jazz icon Dr. Tom Croghan was already sharing his keyboard magic. Our waiter, Larry, was the Basting’s favorite. I wondered if Jim had generously tipped an invisible Maitre ‘de.

Soon CJ arrived, a bundle of smoothly vibrating rhythm with a voice that had a range from New Orleans to Tahiti.

He and Croghan made music with a casual flair like two guys long acquainted. They ooze music. It’s not rehearsed. It’s a live happening. It’s jazz candy, delicious to the senses and the soul.

We ate and listened and clapped and listened some more. My shoes wanted to dance. I was enveloped in the warm fuzzies of an experience that life only occasionally awards.

Afterward, the plan was to float back to the Basting’s home with a setting sun on the bow. Actually, our lanterns bounced jiggling shadows off the trees as we mellowed our return to the boat long after sunset.

We wound up rafting Jim’s boat port side to a neighbor’s houseboat and enjoyed a boisterous, nautical frolic as we glided home through the moonlit semi-darkness.

My meal, you ask? A small fillet with all the trimmings, of course.

An enchanted evening indeed.