Last night, we zipped over to Newport for some Jazz On The Lawn at Rough Point, tobacco heiress Doris Duke’s Gilded Age manse turned museum at 680 Bellevue Avenue.

Now, I debated whether or not to blog about the event because there isn’t another one scheduled (checked and rechecked the Newport Restoration listings earlier this morning, just to be sure) this summer, but it was so lovely (okay, the weather cooperated and then some, so that did ramp up the enjoyment quotient all the more) that I figured why the heck not?

I mean, at the very least, it’s something to bookmark for NEXT summer in the Ocean State.

Speaking of which, as you would expect, there are stunning views of the ocean from that lawn where Doris’ two camels Baby and Princess once famously roamed. (On one of the tours we took of the property a year or so ago, the guide mentioned that DD had them living for the most part on the patio and that she used to feed them graham crackers as a snack. I, for one, love everything about THAT.)

So, the weather was ideal for a July night in NPT - not too humid, nor was it suddenly and unseasonably cold either. (Mom was right, though, you should always, always bring a sweatshirt with you because the nights can get a bit chilly.)

The music was really swell.

And frankly, everyone looked to be living their best Rhody summertime lives.

I mean, people not only had blankets, chairs, and coolers, we also spied all sorts of tables, picnic dinners (one guy near us had sushi), wine, and even a few carts for transporting everything back to the cars parked off to the side.

After seeing the level of attention to detail - not to mention the casual elegant style of so many NPT’ers in the crowd - we agreed unanimously that when (that’s WHEN, not if) we attended another one of these at some future point, we would be way better prepared.

Quite simply, I cannot think of a more enjoyable way to spend a July evening in Rhode Island.

It’s the kind of event you look back on often and with fondness, especially come the fall and winter chill around these parts.

In fact, we wish that there were more of them scheduled (hint, hint) for the remainder of this season. PS ~ I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out.