Obamas End Their Summer Vacation
By MEGAN DOOLEY
President Obama and his family ended their vacation on the Vineyard Sunday just as they had begun it 10 days earlier -- quietly and without fanfare.
Marine One departed the Martha's Vineyard Airport just before 10 a.m. in clear blue skies and warm sunshine. The departure kicked off a full day of travel for the first family, who landed at the Cape Cod Air Station in Bourne shortly after leaving the Vineyard. There they boarded Air Force One for a flight to New Orleans, where Mr. Obama delivered an address to mark the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.
The Obama family left New Orleans late in the afternoon and touched down at Andrews Air Force Base shortly after 7 p.m.
And just as it was last year, the Sunday departure at the Martha's Vineyard Airport was closed to the public. But dozens of Islanders lined the West Tisbury Road to watch the presidential motorcade after the First Family departed their vacation estate at Blue Heron Farm in Chilmark at 9:30 a.m.
Marine One tips its propellers goodbye
A group of some 15 or 20 people were camped out at Alley's General Store, where Mr. Obama had made a surprise appearance on the final day of his weeklong summer vacation last year to buy candy and snacks for his daughters and their cousin.
Lori Callo of West Tisbury narrowly missed that visit last year. "I used to come up here every day for my coffee and my paper and that one morning I thought, oh he's not coming, I'll go to Menemsha," she said Sunday. But he did, and she’s been kicking herself for missing it ever since. "I don't know what I’d do if he stopped here. You'd have to pick me up off the floor," said Ms. Callo.
But the motorcade barreled by without stopping, and the only spotting for Ms. Callo was of the first lady, whose profile was easily visible in the back of one of the large, black, sport utility vehicles.
Nine-year old Finn Camper of Chevy Chase, Md., was a little luckier. "I saw the President. He was in the fifth car from last, in the back seat. It was definitely exciting," he said. Finn's younger brother, Julius, got a nod from the first dog. "I saw Bo in one of the cars," he said. "He smiled at me."
People gathered near the airport hoping to wave goodbye to the passing motorcade did not get the pleasure of spotting a presidential profile. As they exited their cars they were stopped by a state trooper who informed them that the Secret Service had instructed him to keep people back from the roadside.
But the motorcade barreled by without stopping, and the only spotting for Ms. Callo was of the first lady, whose profile was easily visible in the back of one of the large, black, sport utility vehicles.
Nine-year old Finn Camper of Chevy Chase, Md., was a little luckier. "I saw the President. He was in the fifth car from last, in the back seat. It was definitely exciting," he said. Finn’s younger brother, Julius, got a nod from the first dog. "I saw Bo in one of the cars," he said. "He smiled at me."
The Departure Scene at Martha’s Vineyard Airport.
People gathered near the airport hoping to wave goodbye to the passing motorcade did not get the pleasure of spotting a presidential profile. As they exited their cars they were stopped by a state trooper who informed them that the Secret Service had instructed him to keep people back from the roadside.
When the motorcade finally passed, a small crowd gathered at a fenced-off corner of the airport that provided the clearest view of the helicopter takeoff. All views of the President and his family entering Marine One were blocked by a group of yellow school buses parked around the waiting helicopters.
One young boy shouted, "Obama!" as the motorcade came into sight beyond a small clearing in the trees across the airport tarmac. Another woman commented on the speed and force with which the motorcade barreled around the Island during the 10-day visit. "They drive like they're crazy, they really do," she said.
Marine One lifted off at 9:49 a.m. Mr. Obama kept a consistently low profile through most of his vacation, punctuated by frequent outings for golf. He played at the Vineyard Golf Club in Edgartown, Mink Meadows in Vineyard Haven and Farm Neck in Oak Bluffs. The Obamas dined out at the Sweet Life Cafe in Oak Bluffs, State Road in West Tisbury and on Friday night at the Beach Plum Inn in Chilmark. Their Friday night dining companions were close friend and senior advisor Valerie Jarrett, and Chicago friends Alan and Sofia King.
President takes in a glorious summer sunset outside the Beach Plum Inn in Menemsha on Friday night.
Sarah Nixon said yesterday that the restaurant was given 20 minutes notice of the presidential visit, but the wait and kitchen staff rose to the challenge to serve up a memorable meal. They were rewarded at the end of the night, when the President himself requested group photos. "He was kind enough to take a picture with the people that make us look good every single day," said Mrs. Nixon.
She declined to say what the President and his wife had eaten for dinner that night. "I served them a glorious Menemsha sunset," Mrs. Nixon said, who reported that the Obamas had gone outside to take in the view and wander the property.
Inside, the President asked Mrs. Nixon's 12-year-old daughter for advice on the menu. "Maggie, what do you like?" he had asked. She responded: "I like horseback riding," which drew laughter from both families.
"He couldn't have been more gracious," Mrs. Nixon said of Mr. Obama.
The Obama vacation this year included plenty of family time -- much of it at Blue Heron Farm, well out of the public eye, where there were reports of quiet reading and board games during a three-day northeaster that swept the Island in the middle of the week.
On Friday when the weather turned brilliant again -- warm and sunny with low humidity -- the Obamas went for a six-mile family bike ride in the Manuel F. Correllus State Forest in Edgartown. This year, the President wore a helmet, a fact noted by the detail-oriented press corps that covers his every movement including while on vacation.
Friday afternoon found Mr. Obama out on the golf course for a final time; he was joined by New York city Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Vernon Jordan and trip director Marvin Nicholson completed the foursome. But before golf there was discussion. "The President and Mayor Bloomberg took the opportunity to discuss plans for short and long-term economic growth at a pivotal point in our recovery," White House spokesman Reid Cherlin said later.
On Saturday they spent six hours on a beach outing at a private property in Pohogonot in the rural coastal reaches of Edgartown along the Great Pond.
The Obamas were announced in for the night at just after 5 p.m., and on Sunday morning the presidential vacation came to an end.
Vineyard Gazette Online
Tuesday, September 31, 2010
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