by Mark Silva
This just in from Martha's Vineyard:
The place where the Obama family plans to spend the last week of August will offer some room to roam on the remote island off the coast of Cape Cod.
The Blue Heron Farm, a 28-acre retreat in the town of Chilmark, once deemed one of the most expensive towns in America, is among a stable of resorts that fetch $35,000 to $50,000 a week, according to an island correspondent, Sam Bungey, of the Vineyard Gazette, who has nailed down the location of the first family's vacation.
The "farm'' features a swimming pool, a golf tee and a small basketball court, as well as four dwellings and a half dozen other structures "in which to swing a cat'' -- plus private access to a stretch of Squibnocket Beach -- which may keep those Obama swimsuit photos to a minimum.
"It's a lavish choice of holiday home and fine fodder for those taking aim at the recession-era president,'' Bungey reports in a posting at the Daily Beast. "However, here are some mitigating factors worth considering. First, they're not renting the entire farm.''
The rest of the place is renting out to the presidential retinue, no small army. There's also a precedent for the president's visit: The previous owners played host to former President Bill Clinton and wife Hillary in 1988.
" As reported in this morning's Vineyard Gazette, while the details are still being hammered out, it appears that the rental agreement will be split into three leases: one to be held by the Obamas, another by the Secret Service and a third by a White House entourage.''
The Obamas also "are paying their own way--according to sources,'' Bungey reports. "The Obamas are treating the transaction as a standard summer rental, from payment terms right down to requesting permission to bring the family dog.''
Of course Bo goes, too.
The farm is set back from the main road, on Cobb's Hill Road, out of town. It belongs to William and Mollie Van Devender. They paid $20.35 million for the property in 2005.
Bungey reports: "The lease will be handled by Sotheby's International Realty Trust. A partner in the real estate company confirmed to the Gazette yesterday that it has leased the farm for a block of 60 days and that the company will sublease the property.''
This is strictly business, for both renter and owner: Mollie Van Devender contributed money to Republican Fred Thompson's presidential campaign. Her husband, a timber magnate, "maxed out'' in contributions to both Thompson and Sen. John McCain, the GOP's 2008 presidential nominee.
(Read more below -- and see, here, a history of the "farm'' named for a blue heron that nested on a pond -- courtesy of the great old Vineyard Gazette, paper of record on the island since 1864)
"There are four dwellings on Blue Heron Farm property, including a white Victorian farm house, a reconstructed Pennsylvania hay barn and a Vermont shed, the latter two of which date back to the 1800s and were transported and reconstructed by West Tisbury builder Rick Anderson in the early 1990s.
Named by its previous owners, the late New York real estate developer M. Anthony Fisher and his wife Anne, the farm has undergone several renovations in the last decade. Situated overlooking a remote finger of the Great Pond, it is quiet and private, with an apple orchard, flower and vegetable gardens, stone walls, a swimming pool, golf practice tee and small basketball court for the basketball-loving president.
It is understood that Mr. Obama and his family will also be offered access to the private portion of Squibnocket Beach if they so choose.
Mr. Obama will not be the first president to set foot on the property. The Fishers played host to President Clinton and his wife Hillary in the summer of 1998. The couple held a dinner party for the Clintons and more than a dozen other guests in the barn, which measures 76 by 42 feet, with a 26-by-26-foot ell.''
Comments
Enjoy your vacation time, Pres Obama - you deserve it.
GEORGE BUSH SPENT MORE TIME ON VACATION THAN ANY OTHER PRESIDENT IN HISTORY:
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"Bush recently spent his 879th day at his ranch in Crawford, Texas, since the Supreme Court, in all its great wisdom, elevated him to the presidency. This according to NPR's "Wait, Wait Don't Tell Me," which noted that Bush broke former President Reagan's record for taking vacations from the White House. It's interesting to recall, all these wild years later, that George W. Bush did not decide to buy the ranch near Crawford until after he decided to run for president. Apparently, after Ronald Reagan's example, it seemed presidential to cut brush on a ranch, and Bush was seeking a brush with history. Or something."
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http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2008/03/11/politics/uwire/main3927378.shtml
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Posted by: former Republican | July 24, 2009 12:36 PM
When President Bush went on vacation at his lowly ranch the unemployment rate was at 4.7% and we had a great economy. Now president obama has screwed up this nation by losing 2.7 MILLION jobs, a TRILLION in debt already this year and his vacation will cost us tax payers MILLIONS.
Change...you can believe in!
Paulo
Posted by: Paulo | July 24, 2009 2:07 PM
hope he finds his birth certificate their
Posted by: dinky | July 24, 2009 2:18 PM
I think it is tacky of the Obamas to spend so much money vacationing in such a wealthy enclave during this time of economic recession when so many working families are suffering.
I voted for Obama, but now after this health-care debaucle, and his ridiculous defense of Professor Gates, I regret my decision to vote for Obama.
I will be voting Republican in 2012.
Posted by: Tom LeCoste | July 24, 2009 2:19 PM
Wonder if Obama will call anyone a Racist while their.
Posted by: Inky | July 24, 2009 3:04 PM
Are all the government educated people in Chicago unable to put together an intelligible sentence or two relevant thoughts? What a bunch of illiterate knee jerkers!
Posted by: Nonnie Mouse | July 24, 2009 3:59 PM
BO's with his own ilk - the limo liberals. Hope BO doesn't let Teddy do any driving. Teddy's not to good on those roads.
Posted by: Terry | July 24, 2009 4:06 PM
That's what I call bi-partisanship.
Posted by: goinggoinggone | July 24, 2009 4:18 PM
What is truly tacky is to count presidential vacation days, as "former Republican" did above.
The president is on duty 24/7. When he's on vacation, whether in Crawford, Martha's Vineyard, Gettysburg, or wherever, there's a Secret Service guy there with the "football," and more there with the Uzi's in the fitted cases. There are briefings, and foreign dignitaries to receive and entertain, as Bush did Vladimir Putin in Crawford.
I'm going on vacation in northern Wisconsin the second week in August. From Friday, 7 August, through Monday, 17 August, I won't think about the office at all. I'll be fishing, eating in supper clubs, touring around, visiting relatives, and generally kicking back. The president doesn't get a vacation like that for four years, eight if he's lucky. Those who begrudge him, whatever his political philosophy, time on "vacation" are just being mean-spirited.
Posted by: DaveB | July 24, 2009 4:35 PM
When President Bush went on vacation at his lowly ranch the unemployment rate was at 4.7% and we had a great economy. Now president obama has screwed up this nation by losing 2.7 MILLION jobs, a TRILLION in debt already this year and his vacation will cost us tax payers MILLIONS.
Posted by: Paulo | July 24, 2009 2:07 PM
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Bush's "booming economy" was fake, you moron.
"Republicans have become extremely adept at playing with economic figures. Case in point: some Republicans have argued that because the unemployment rate was low when the expansion started the Republican policies didn't have to create more jobs than those created. In other words, because more people were employed at the beginning of this expansion fewer jobs had to be created."
"Bush tried the Reagan plan of cutting taxes on the upper income levels (the rich) and increasing spending, basically assuming that the tax cuts would pay for themselves. Unfortunately things did not work out very well. The following chart from the St. Louis Federal Reserve shows that under Reagan government revenues never caught up to government expenditures. Also note they never did under Bush II either."
"Bush era job growth was extremely weak which lead to income stagnation. To keep up their spending, the US consumer borrowed a ton of money. At the federal level Bush attempted to prove the results of the "Reagan revolution" were a historical anomaly. Instead, we learned that tax cuts for the rich don't pay for themselves (again)."
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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/hale-stewart/one-final-look-at-the-dis_b_138651.html
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I'll never vote for a Republican again for as long as I live.
Posted by: Pablo | July 24, 2009 4:42 PM
I'll never vote for a Republican again for as long as I live.
Posted by: Pablo | July 24, 2009 4:42 PM
As a society, we depend upon the "out" party to keep the "in" party honest. One-party rule leads to abuses. Case in point: Illinois. The Republican party here is weak, and many of those who call themselves Republicans are Democrats who couldn't get slated or elected when running as Democrats. Let me also hasten to say that if the state were run by Republicans to the exclusion of Democrats the situation would be just as bad.
Those who vote for candidates based upon whether they have an (R) or a (D) after their name are accessories to corruption.
Posted by: DaveB | July 24, 2009 5:21 PM
Those who vote for candidates based upon whether they have an (R) or a (D) after their name are accessories to corruption.
Posted by: DaveB | July 24, 2009 5:21 PM
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Sorry Davey,
I've already seen the damage that eight years of Republican rule does to a country, where have you been?
Posted by: Hulk SMASH! | July 24, 2009 5:58 PM
Sorry Davey,
I've already seen the damage that eight years of Republican rule does to a country, where have you been?
Posted by: Hulk SMASH! | July 24, 2009 5:58 PM
Sorry Hulkie,
I've seen the damage that godonlyknowshowmany years of predominantly Democratic rule has done to Illinois. Where have you been? Smashed the whole time?
I'm not arguing for Republicans or Democrats. I'm saying that one-party rule is destructive. Perhaps you missed my point.
Posted by: DaveB | July 24, 2009 9:38 PM
Hulk Smash,
In addition to nothing nothing about the economy, you are dumb Cub fan to boot. Loser.
Posted by: Terry | July 24, 2009 10:16 PM
We want the President back in Hyde Park. We have some great summer attractions. Museum of Science and Industry. Our lakefront park & beachs. Shakespeare at the Court Theatre.
Come home for a few days!
You won't have to pay rent to some 1 percenter Repuglicans.
Posted by: ornery | July 26, 2009 10:11 AM
What has OBomonable doen to deserve a vacation? Certainly not the first follow through on ANYTHING he said he would do! I say make him stay in DC until we take a national vote on whether he DESERVES a break from all the visionary hard work that's not working out so well!
Posted by: Bill | August 2, 2009 11:00 AM
I hope that our President Bam and his beautiful family will enjoy their stay at martha's Vineyard,he deserves only the very BEST IN LIFE,thrilled to have him as my President.
Hail to the CHIEF.
Posted by: Carol Bautista | August 21, 2009 7:49 PM
With all that he has dealt with since he has been in office. He deserves a vacation, just to get a sanity break. I don't believe we ever know the half of what this man walked into. We have many Naysayers, but no one has walked a day in his shoes.
Mr. President and family please take a sanity break just to breathe. It is so necessary with the load that you have on you.
You will never be able to please everyone, although your hopes are that you can. Do the best that you can and God has the rest. Enjoy your vacation and your family, the children grow very quickly and you really don't want to miss any of it.
Posted by: Wanda Jones | August 21, 2009 9:36 PM
It amazes me that anyone would defend a president Obama, Bush or anyone. Wake up you don't know them, they don't care about you. And a president really can't improve or make your life worse.
Get on with your life and quit worshipping celebreties. Obama, Bush and all politicians probably laugh at you guys for going ga-ga over them. All politicians are sleezy. They just want to put on a front to get themselves re-elected.
Posted by: Joe B. | August 22, 2009 1:32 PM
The Obamas will continue to do anything the dog gone please until you people wake up and see what he is really about and his Congress, Everything needs cleaned out. He is about to ruin this country, HELLO. Don't worry be Happy he will just get more ZARS so you don't know what the heck is going on. Oh People wake up.
Posted by: F. Henry | August 23, 2009 12:59 PM
Paulo I don't know your age, but I assume that you are either to young or uneducated to know what you are writing about. Everthing that is wrong in the politics didn't just happen in the last 8 months.
Posted by: keith | August 23, 2009 1:01 PM
Does the president - ANY president - deserve a vacation? Sure. Should the office of POTUS be something we want to respect? Sure.
But he would earn more "brownie points" with his middle and low-income constituents if he didn't flaunt his status like a rock star. Hawaii, Martha's Vineyard, Europe, Hawaiian luaus at the White House (on MY dime), Grand Canyon. How many people's insurance could HE pay for with the cost of jet fuel, entourage expenses, and pineapple roast pork?
OH, yeah, that's right. He's in the elite class; they are exempt from "spreading the wealth" (paying taxes unless investigated). The plebe class is mandated to share with their neighbor.
Posted by: TammyW | August 23, 2009 4:47 PM
Obama deserves a vacation? From what? TV appearances, scheming on how to Socialize more of America? He epitimizes the ulitimate Lefist,elitist: Living off the hard work of the private sector, while trashing the private sector.
Posted by: Sammy "3 Legs" | August 24, 2009 12:43 PM
Henry Louis Gates is also vacationing on Martha's Vineyard, so the two racist can get together and discuss the socialist agenda for the rest of us. Wake up America and vote them all out in 2010 to keep the freedom our founding fathers fought for!
Posted by: tracey | August 24, 2009 8:46 PM
Henry Louis Gates is also vacationing on Martha's Vineyard so the two racist can get together and discuss how to change the US into a communist, socialist country.
Wake up America, vote them all out in 2010!
Posted by: tracey | August 24, 2009 8:49 PM
What has he done to deserve vacation? Tired from all that SALUTING MAO? Tired of DESTROYING AMERICAN RAINBOWS? Maybe the White House ran out of PUPPIES FOR HIM TO STOMP ON? Maybe he just needs more time to think about how much he enjoys KILLING MY GRANDMA!
When will he fulfill even one campaign promise??? Huh?? Except health care, don't do that one. I hate health care, especially for poor people. Hopefully he doesn't fulfill that promise. Or whatever. Ill criticize him regardless.
Posted by: FormignSantencess | August 25, 2009 11:25 AM
Wow, these comments are hilarious.
"Killing grandmas," lol.
Someone has to fail enough in school and life to mow the lawns and take the trash from the dumpsters,.. and I sir, salute you for taking up the job. :)
Posted by: Mark | August 27, 2009 12:23 PM
The President deserves it,doesn't he?
Posted by: Garry@moistdesigns | September 21, 2009 9:30 AM