There was such a surreally beautiful moment that happened about 18 years ago. It was so beautiful that every once in a while Sage or I will mention it and ask the other “Did I dream that?” Every time, the answer is “No.”

One hot summer day in the Ozarks, our friend Will called us (we were living in town by this point) and asked if we’d like to come over for a barbecue. We stopped at the store to get some contributions of our own. When we got there our Will met us at the car and led us not to the backyard, but off into a field. At the edge of the field was a tree. And in the tree, suspended about 5′ in the air, no word of a lie, was a queen size bed suspended from strong branches. A few kids and their mom (Will’s partner) were relaxing in the bed.

Apparently with the summer heat, it just made sense to put the bed in the tree for siestas, relaxing, and even sleeping at night. Because it was off the ground, bugs were much less of a problem.

Now that we, the guests, had arrived, the entertainment could start. Will went over to a record player set up in the field. Fed by a long extension cord, it coloured the day with the sounds of Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker and other classic jazz musicians.

And thus we spent our afternoon, sitting in the tree-bed, listening to jazz, eating what may have been the best barbecued chicken we’ve ever had while the kids ran and played in the fields, coming back up on the bed every now and again for a cuddle or a rest.

See? I still have to ask Sage every once in a while if I dreamed it.