Obamas swim, play and stroll on summer break (a weekend getaway in Maine)

AFP on Yahoo ^ | 7/17/10 | AFP

[NormsRevenge]

BAR HARBOR, Maine (AFP) – US President Barack Obama and his family packed a full day of tennis, swimming and hiking into a weekend getaway in the northeastern state of Maine on Saturday.

The Obamas began the day with rounds of tennis and some splashing in the pool, followed by lunch by the waterfront at an island hotel, according to reporters traveling with the president.

Obama, his wife Michelle and their daughters Malia and Sasha then toured a lighthouse on the southern tip of Mount Desert Island, taking along their rambunctious dog Bo.

The family mingled with visitors and admired the view from the top of the lighthouse before heading on a nearly hour-long hike along the Ship Harbor Hiking Trail.

"Good family time," said the First Lady's press secretary Katie McCormick-Lelyveld, who went along on the hike.

It was "about an hour walk with stops at the water to skip rocks and play with the dog. A few other families were hiking, many with their dogs, and the family stopped to say hi along the way," she said.

"Beautiful views and cool air -- and pretty rocky at times! A nice hike," she added.

After the First Family arrived on Friday, they promptly took off on a bike ride and later stopped for ice cream.

[Trillian]

Is he prancing? LOL

[Wild Irish Rogue]

” Also, he’s not looking at the dog or showing any interest in the dog - he’s basically just posing for the camera, like an actor acting like he’s taking a dog for a walk, but doing a lousy acting job.

One wonders if this fool is not just alien to America, but to normal human beings.”

That was my exact impression when I saw the video a couple of weeks ago of Barry and his oldest daughter
( the one he bizarrely ridiculed at the NAACP convention ) at a soccer game.
This was the week after he disappeared from the WH and the media was told he had gone to a phantom soccer game.
The video was taken from a distance-don’t know if it was media or amateur.
Barry apparently doesn’t realize that he’s being filmed.
The vehicle carrying Barry , his oldest daughter and some others pulls to the curb.
Barry gets out and starts walking and it looks like he’s checking his Blackberry.
He never waited to see if his daughter or the other women got out of the car.
He never looked back, never waited for them, never interacted with his daughter or anyone.
Just left them behind.
The daughter trailed behind him by herself.
The guy is cold and rude-even to his immediate family.
It was only when he got to the crowd of other parents ( and the media cameras ) at the soccer field did he suddenly throw his arm around his daughter.
It reminded me of Bill Clinton at Ron Brown’s funeral changing on a dime for the cameras.
Barry does not interact with his family in a comfortable way.
The kids always look like accessories and the normal father / child and for that matter , husband /wife dynamic is missing.
My wife said that the pictures from Maine this weekend of Barry with his arm draped over the oldest daughter actually made her cringe ,
especially after his weird remarks about
the daughter at the NAACP .
The daughter looked so uncomfortable .

[xkaydet65]

Acadia is my all time favorite place. If I heard the asteroid was coming, I would make to Acadia to spend the last hours at Otter Cliffs.

[Katya]

A bus terminal? Well, we’ll see how that goes. I haven’t been back in three years, but the widened road may be finished by the time I can find my way back to Maine.

I liked how Kristol on Fox news Sunday played the clip on how the big O and Michele had encouraged people to go on vacation on the Gulf Coast. They’re such a stellar example to us all lol

I assume you live down east year round? I can’t imagine a more beautiful place to be, particularly during the summer months. We looked at buying a place to relocate to about ten years ago, mainly between Blue Hill and Deer Isle. But then real estate was beginning to rise at a premium, and no one was looking to make a deal.