After 4-day deluge, rain lifts on Martha’s Vineyard and the first family has lunch out
By Erica Werner, APWednesday, August 25, 2010
Rain lifts, vacationing Obamas dine out for lunch
OAK BLUFFS, Mass. — Emerging from semi-seclusion after four days of drenching rain, a cheery President Barack Obama lunched with his wife and daughters at a wharfside restaurant Wednesday and mingled with fellow vacationers. It was the family’s first public appearance together since beginning their Martha’s Vineyard stay.
“Good to see you guys, you doing alright?” the smiling president asked a crowd that cheered his arrival at Nancy’s, an eatery well known for its fried local seafood.
First lady Michelle Obama commiserated with the onlookers over the lousy weather. “You dried off finally?” she asked.
It was the Obamas’ second straight year at Nancy’s. Joining them in an upstairs dining room were daughters Sasha and Malia and a large group of friends including adviser Valerie Jarrett and Chicago pals Cheryl and Eric Whitaker.
Obama deflected a reporter’s shouted question on Iraq while ordering. He replied with a smile: “We’re buying shrimp, guys. Come on.”
Soon after the first family left the restaurant, though, the White House announced that Obama would be delivering an Oval Office address next Tuesday marking the end of combat operations in the 7-year-old war.
And, as the Obamas dined out, the White House told reporters the president earlier chaired a conference call with his economic advisers amid a cascade of dour news on the economy. A statement said the team updated Obama “on the next steps to keep the economy growing, including assistance to small business and the extension of tax cuts to the middle class.”
Despite the struggles that await Obama once his vacation ends, the president appeared almost carefree during his lunch outing. After ordering at the counter, the president joked with Boston Red Sox fans as he gestured to his own Chicago White Sox cap.
Clearly delighting in the break in the weather, Obama shook hands with the restaurant crowd. A girl complimented Mrs. Obama, clad in a coral cardigan and white capri pants, on her bright purple watch. The first lady motioned to her husband, indicating it was a gift from the president. “I think somebody told him,” she divulged.
After lunch, Obama headed out to play golf at the nine-hole Mink Meadows Golf Club in Vineyard Haven.
Reporters could see him chip onto the green at the ninth hole, sparking some appreciative whistles and applause from a small group of people watching from the clubhouse porch. Earlier, the president could be seen walking through the woods, apparently looking for the ball of someone else in his foursome.
It was Obama’s third round of golf since arriving on the island off Cape Cod last Thursday. The president and first lady have also dined out twice, and Obama took his daughters once to a Vineyard Haven bookstore. He’s also taken the family on a beach picnic.
Most of those events were private and involved little if any interaction with the public, though Obama did tell reporters after dinner Tuesday night that he was having a great time and doing a lot of reading.
The Obamas are scheduled to remain on vacation until Sunday, when the president heads to New Orleans to check on the Gulf oil spill cleanup and to mark the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.
