Michele and Marcus bust a move on the dock while awaiting departure.

Michele Bachmann took a break from her nonstop defense of Sarah Palin’s qualifications to be vice president to entertain a couple of dozen members of Congress and staff on a St. Croix River cruise Tuesday afternoon.

Bachmann’s entourage departed from the Afton City Dock aboard the Afton Princess, a cruise boat operated by the Afton House Inn, at about 11:30 a.m. A Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources conservation officer in a boat hung around the dock area for about 45 minutes while the boat was loaded and then followed it for a short distance after it set sail.

LeRoy’s River Minstrels, a Dixieland trio, provided dockside entertainment. When Michele’s husband Marcus arrived, the happy couple broke into an impromptu dance on the dock.

A few minutes later, someone shouted down from the boat’s upper deck, “Hey Marcus, where’s your purse?”

Marcus, always the cut-up, responded, “I thought you were holding it!”

Bachmann showed up for the cruise wearing tipsy wedge shoes—not exactly designed for boating. But then again, this is someone who was shown in a Star-Tribune newspaper profile vacuuming her home in high heels.

When it was noted that Bachmann hasn’t been seen in the district much these days—she hasn’t had a public meeting in the 6th CD since being elected—Bachmann looked surprised. But when asked when constituents can expect a town hall meeting, the elusive congresswoman only responded with a cheery smile.

At least Bachmann’s guests showed up for her boat ride. Later that night, at a Phyllis Schlafly-sponsored fete honoring Sarah Palin at which Bachmann was a featured speaker, Palin was a no-show.

A Wisconsin conservation officer monitored the boat

...and then followed it out of the harbor. He clearly wasn't there checking fishing licenses.

"Republican women are the life of the party."