MV Vacation's over! So, now it's time to honor another football team

If you have ever been to Martha's Vineyard, you will know why President Obama wants to return every year for a family vacation. This year, the weather was beautiful, and Mr. Obama was able to play 6 rounds of golf, dine at some fabulous restaurants, and spend some time on a private beach.

Great Image from gadling.com

The following links provide some very interesting pictures and summaries of Mr. Obama's vacation.

• Obamas Leave Martha's Vineyard After 8-Day Vacation
• Obama family wraps up Martha's Vineyard vacation
• The Obamas' 2013 summer vacation

But, all good things come to an end and the family returned to the White House late Sunday night.

Back at work, the President received 2 daily briefings and met once with his senior advisers once. He also met with financial regulators.

Today, he is spending the afternoon honoring the 1972 Champion Miami Dolphins.

Also today, the First Family introduced a new female dog that they purchased. it is another Portuguese Water Dog named Sunny.

Weekly Air Force One and Helicopter flying time (4 hours total):

• President Obama (and family): Martha's Vineyard to White House : 2 hours
• Obama daughters : White House to Martha's Vineyard : 2 hours

Below is a summary of President Obama's official schedule during the week of Wednesday August 14 through Tuesday August 20 2013.


Today, Tuesday, August 20, 2013

• President Obama received a daily briefing at 9:45 PM. Next at 2 PM, and lastly, he honors the 1972 Miami Dolphins at the White House.

1972 Miami Dolphins - from addmorejuice.com

Monday, August 19, 2013

• President Obama received a daily briefing at 11 AM. After, he met with his senior advisers at 11:45 AM. He completed his workday by meeting with finzncial regulators at 2:15 PM.

Sunday, August 18, 2013

• After finishing a day of golf, the President and his family left Martha's Vineyard and returned to Washington DC.

Thursday, August 15, 2013

• President Obama although on vacation, made a statement about the unrest in Egypt.
• The two daughters of Mr. & Mrs. Obama arrived in Martha's Vineyard.

West to East, North to South and back again: Mr. Obama travels the country and then Vacations in the Vineyard

Wrapping up his West Coast visit, President Obama flew back to Washington DC and prepared for his Martha's Vineyard August vacation. Making sure he is informed about national security issues, he received 3 daily briefings.  In addition, he met with Secretary of Defense John Kerry. Other than that, he attended a meeting with the Prime Minister of Greece.

The President and his wife left DC on Saturday and flew to Martha's Vineyard. On the way, they took a detour to Orlando Florida and spoke at a Disabled Veterans Conference.

Making sure that their dog was not discomforted, they flew him separately to Chilmark MA on an Osprey helicopter it was reported by HotAir. However, the Politico photo below shows the dog leaving Air Force One.

Politico.com Photo Gallery showing Bo leaving Air Force One

So, one of these 2 sources is wrong or misleading. The children did not accompany their parents either. They will fly by themselves to the rented vacation house later this week aboard the busy Air Force One.

Weekly Air Force One and Helicopter flying time (13.5 hours total):

• President Obama (and wife): White House to Orlando FL, to Cape Cod MA, to Martha's Vineyard MA : (2 + 4.5) 6.5 hours
• Bo, President Obama's Dog : White House to Martha's Vineyard MA : 2 hours (although, photos show him leaving Air Force One)
• President Obama : Los Angeles CA to White House : 5 hours

Below is a summary of President Obama's official schedule during the week of Wednesday August 7 through Tuesday August 13 2013.

Today, Tuesday, August 13, 2013

• President Obama is on vacation in Martha's Vineyard with no scheduled events.

Monday, August 12, 2013

• President Obama s on vacation in Martha's Vineyard with no official scheduled events. However, he did announce more administration appointments. Plus, a White House photo was released showing him receiving a daily briefing with Susan Rice in the MV vacation home.

Saturday, August 10, 2013

• President Obama, along with his wife Michelle, left the White House at 9:05 AM and flew to Orlando FL where the President and First Lady delivered remarks at the Disabled American Veterans Conference at noon. After that, they were back on Air Force One and flew to Cape Cod, MA and then to Martha's Vineyard to begin their vacation.

Friday, August 9, 2013

• Mister Obama received a daily briefing at 10 AM. Then at 2 PM, he signed the student loan bill. Next, he held a rambling press conference at 3 PM. And finally, he ended the day with a 4:15 PM meeting with Secretary of Defense Kerry.

Thursday, August 8, 2013

• President Obama attended a daily briefing at 10:15 AM. He was then free until 2:55 PM when he held a meeting with Prime Minister Antonis Samaras of Greece.

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

• President Obama, on the West Coast, was interviewed by the Zillow CEO at 1 PM PST. Then, at 3:50, he delivered remarks to soldiers at Camp Pendleton. Mr. Obama then boarded Air Force One at 5:20 PM and flew back to Washington DC.

Obama spends more time golfing on vacation than he does working in the White House

After the Fiscal Cliff deal was reached and passed by the Senate and Congress, President Obama took to the sky again. He boarded Air Force One in the early hours of Wednesday and flew back to Hawaii where he vacationed until Sunday.

Once he arrived on Wednesday, President Obama went to the gym at 6:15 AM and spent an hour working out. Right afterward, he went golfing. The next day, he played golf at the Turtle Bay resort.

Upon his return to Washington DC, Mr. Obama tried to overcome his jet lag by starting his working days with a 10:30 AM daily briefing and only scheduling one other function each day. On Monday, he delivered remarks announcing his choice of Chuck Hagel for Secretary of Defense, and John Brennan for Director of the CIA. Today, he will meet with Leon Panetta.

Below is a summary of President Obama's schedule during the week of Wednesday January 2 through Tuesday January 8, 2013.

Today, Tuesday, January 8, 2013

• President Obama receives a daily briefing at 10:30 AM. He will then end the day after a 2:00 PM meeting with Leon Panetta.
• Vice President Joe Biden and wife Jill are in the U.S. Virgin Island with family members.

Monday, January 7, 2013

• Mr. Obama started the day with a 10:30 AM daily briefing and ended it after making a 1:05 PM announcement.

Sunday, January 6, 2013

• Mr. Obama and his family left Honolulu Hawaii and flew back to Washington DC.

Friday, January 4, 2013

• President Obama golfed at Turtle Bay.
• VP Biden presided over a Joint Session of Congress.

Thursday, January 3, 2013

• President Obama landed in Hawaii, and then went golfing.

Wednesday, January 2, 2013

• Mr. Obama flew back to Hawaii after the Fiscal Cliff deal was passed on Tuesday.

The Fiscal Cliff Spoils Mr. Obama's Christmas Vacation in Hawaii

Mr. Obama's Hawaiian vacation was spoiled by the threat of the country going over the Fiscal Cliff. Facing potential tax hikes for all those still working and the halting of unemployment benefits for those collecting, the President flew back to Washington DC without his family two days after Christmas. His week was spent working with the Vice President and leaders of both Houses trying to work out a deal.

Finally on New Year's Eve, an agreement was reached with the Senate and the measure was passed. On the following New Year's Day, the House of Representatives ratified the bill as well. Shortly thereafter, the President boarded Air Force One and flew back to Hawaii to finish his vacation.

The following is a summary of President Obama's week from Wednesday December 26 through Tuesday January 1, 2013.

New Year's Day, Tuesday, January 1, 2013

• President Obama delivered a statement after Congress passed the Fiscal Cliff deal, and then left the White House to fly back to Hawaii.

Monday, December 31, 2013

• President Obama O delivered remarks regarding the ongoing Fiscal Cliff negotiations.

Friday, December 28, 2013

• Mister Obama held a bipartisan leadership at the White House. Afterward, he delivered a statement.

Thursday, December 27, 2013

• President Obama flew back to Washington DC from Hawaii to push the Senate and Congress to pass his Fiscal Cliff deal.

Obama Vacations and Golfs while checking Hawaiian Cliffs

The week leading up to and including Christmas was rather quiet for President Obama. During that time, he received 2 daily briefings, attended 2 services for Daniel Inouye, hosted a Holiday Reception, visited Walter Reed Medical Center, observed a moment of silence, and pushed his agenda for both raising taxes and the debt ceiling. Even with the uncertainty of the fiscal cliff, Mr. Obama was not willing to negotiate a budget agreement that would confine spending or limit raising taxes.

So, last Friday, he departed Washington DC with his family and flew to Hawaii for the Christmas Holiday. During the first 2 days there, he golfed about 11 1/2 hours, which was much more than the few hours he worked performing his Presidential duties (How Obama Vacationed).


Below is a summary of the President Obama's schedule during the week of Wednesday December 19 through December 25 2012.

Christmas, Tuesday, December 25, 2012

• Mr. Obama had no public activities

Christmas Eve, Monday, December 24, 2012

• President Obama golfed from 9:33 AM until 3:15 PM.

Sunday, December 23, 2012

• President Obama attended a memorial service for Senator Daniel Inouye at 3 PM.

Saturday, December 22, 2012

• The Obama family arrived at Kailua Oahu at 12:54 AM. After a few hours of sleep, the President golfed from 11:34 AM until 5:35 PM.

Friday, December 21, 2012

• President Obama observed a moment of silence at 9:30 AM in memory of the Newtown victims. Next, he attended a daily briefing at 9:35 AM. Mr. Obama then delivered remarks at the funeral service for Senator Inouye at 10:30 AM. He ended the day after making a personal announcement at 1:30 PM. Afterward, he and the family flew to Hawaii.

Thursday, December 20, 2012

• Mr. Obama visited Walter Reed National Military Medical Center at 2:15 PM.

Wednesday, December 19, 2012

• President Obama received a daily briefing at 9:30 AM. Then at 11:45, Mr. Obama delivered a statement in response to the Newtown massacare. He was free the rest of the afternoon, until he delivered remarks at the Diplomatic Corps Holiday Reception.

Less than 2 days of work for the Commander in Cheif after Summer begins

During the past week, the pressure of awaiting the Supreme Court's ruling on Obamacare has taken a toll on the usually campaigning President. Instead of dashing around the country, Mr. Obama attended 3 daily briefings, met with the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince, visited Walter Reed, and threw a picnic for members of congress. Itchy for lack of travel, the President did fly to Colorado to view the wildfire damage, and snuck in 1 fundraising event.

Meanwhile, he sent his wife Michelle for a day long campaign tour of Nashville and Memphis.

And, Joltin Joe Biden dropped in on campaign donors in Dubuque Iowa and Scranton PA.

That's it for the major players who were elected to lead the country during the week of Wednesday June 27 through Tuesday July 3, 2012.


Today, Tuesday, July 3, 2012

• Mr Obama is vacationing at Camp David
• Joe and Jill Biden address the National Education Association's 150th Annual Meeting and 91st Representative Assembly at the Washington Convention Center. Late in the afternoon, Mr. Biden will travel to Scranton PA to attend a campaign event.

Monday, July 2, 2012

• Mr Obama is vacationing at Camp David

Friday, June 29, 2012

• Mr. Obama flew to Colorado Springs CO

Thursday, June 28, 2012

• After a daily briefing and lunch with Biden, Mr. Obama visited the Walter Reed National Military Medical CenterMichelle Obama delivered the keynote address to the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church’s conference in Nashville TN. Later, she delivered remarks at a campaign event in Memphis

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

• President Obama had lunch with Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Zayed and then attended a campaign event. He dnded the day with a picnic for Members of Congress
• VP Biden attended a campaign event in Dubuque Iowa.

Now that the Hawaiian vacation is over, its time to start spending and taxing again

The President's Hawaiian vacation is now over. He and his family departed Honolulu together last night and are flying back to Washington.

The tanned and relaxed First Family are due to arrive around 7AM this morning. The Air Force One flight will bring them back to a chilly Washington where the political climate is cold as well.

Once he returns, Obama plans to meet with his senior advisers and then have lunch with Vice President Biden.

One topic of discussion will be his request for increasing the U.S. Debt Ceiling by another $1.2 trillion. If, and when granted, our national debt will balloon to $16.4 trillion.

Obviously, part of this increase will go towards paying for the fanciful flights to the paradise island vacation they all took on separate airplanes.

Relaxing in Hawaii after decorating the White House, shopping with Bo, and raising taxes

With the Payroll Tax Cut passed, the President flew out of Washington to Hawaii to join his family for Christmas. And, he's out of town for good reason. While pretending to lower taxes for those lucky enough to be working, the Senate Plan that he signed into law included an income tax increase on those earning more than $18,350 in the two months of January and February.  ( The Payroll Tax Cut Deal Gets Worse ).

While this may sound like a lot of money, it amounts to only $110,100 per year.

Even the lips of my liberal friends around here are buzzing, because, Obama is only supposed to target the rich. But, this sure sounds like the middle class.

And, to make things worse, the Obama's are trying to suppress the Photo Op with Bo shopping spree that the President took while he was still in DC ridiculing the Republicans. You see, the Hawaiian newspaper that covered the First Family's arrival in Oahu reported that Bo was with them (in Hawaii).

But, a couple of days later, Bo was shopping with the President in the Washington area. Was the dog in DC all the time? Or, did the President and his handlers have the audacity to fly the dog back to Washington for the spontaneous shopping event?

Lastly, we viewed the Holiday Video that the White House produced. It shows all the people who worked so hard decorating it. What always strikes me as funny is that with all that work and decoration, this First Family refuses to spend the Christmas Holiday in our White House.

Aloha Hawaii, the Obama Christmas vacation has begun

Even though the President has forced himself to remain in Washington until the payroll tax plan is passed, his family has left without him.

Flying out on Saturday, Mrs. Obama and the children have flown to Hawaii to begin their 17 day, $4 million, vacation. They arrived at their Kailua Oahu beachfront home on the 17th (17 for 17 days) in order to be there when the rest of their family and friends arrive.

This is the third time the First Family has spent the Christmas Holiday in this luxurious resort area. It's away from the hustle and bustle of Washington and Chicago politics, yet still on U.S. territory.

It's been over 3 months since the family's last vacation on Martha's Vineyard and the Obama's need their relaxation before entering the grueling re-election campaign season.

While most of us will be entertaining at home this season because of restricted budgets, the Obama's will browse the shops, swim in the turquoise surf, get in a few rounds of golf, and dine in the finest restaurants.

"Thank-you American taxpayers" they might be thinking as they awake on Christmas morning. Without your "hope and (pocket) change", we could never afford this wonderful lifestyle.

The Vacation's Over

 Well, all good things must come to an end and so too does this wonderful vacation in the Florida Keys

Like the setting sun, we are closing this Fall getaway. Hopefully the dawn of a new vacation will be upon us soon and we will be returning to this beautiful paridise.

We are checking out of our hotel and driving back to Miami where we will board our flight back to the Northeast. Oh well.

Relaxing last day in the Florida Keys resort

This is the last full day we will spend in the Keys.  We decided that we will end our little vacation the same way as it began, by just hanging out at the resort. The pools are great and the service is fantastic. They have a educational dolphin center here, so we will watch them feed an train.

Then, we will take a stroll around the island later and just pass the day. This island is mostly residential, so we can't even shop. But, it is always fun just to look at the homes and see how the other side lives.

Tonight we are going to find a small outside bar and just hang out. Everyone had a great time and nobody wants to go home, especially after an enjoyable week of dining on sea food and laying in the sun!

A 60th Birthday Party at Little Palm Island

One of the major reasons for visiting Florida this year is to celebrate the 60th birthday of one of our best friends. He retired 7 years ago and has been living in Port St Lucie. Unfortunately, that has been too far away and we only get to see each other once every 2 years.

But, hey. Now its time to party. This is a big birthday for him and we all deserve to splurge. So, at his request, we are treating him and his wife to dinner at Little Palm Island. The resort is very expensive and exclusive. No children is one of their rules.

So, this is the highlight of the day!

A Day in Key West

Today we are going traveling. We are driving to Key West and will spend the day there. First, we will walk around a little bit and look at some of the historic homes. Then, it will be lunch at Sloppy Joe's. Then, more walking and shopping. For dinner, we are going to Louie's Backyard.  It's been over 15 years since we hung out in this town, so we are sure a few things have changed.

But, some things have stayed the same. And, we are glad that our favorite dining spots are still there.

Of course, the trip will not be complete until we watch the street performers and the sunset on Mallory Square.

Life in the Middle Keys: Doing nothing!

We arrived in our resort yesterday afternoon. It is in the Middle Keys, just south of Islamorada. We do not plan to to anything today, except eat, drink, and swim in the pool. As the commercial says: "The hardest thing we will have to do is to move our chairs to watch the sun".

Tonight's dinner is something I've been waiting for a long time. We are going to a great little restaurant and dining on fresh stone crab claws!

Some folks like them steamed, but I prefer them chilled on ice. After a bowl of conch chowder, these will hit the spot.

Vacationing in Florida

With all the traveling to Florida by the President and Vice President, we decided that it was our turn to spend a little time in that state as well.

Unfortunately, since we are not elected officials, it was necessary for us to buy our own tickets, fly on a commercial jet, and rent a car.

So, along with another couple, we flew on American Airlines to Miami on Saturday afternoon. We rented a van and drove up to Port St Lucie to visit our retired friends.  Although baseball is over for the season, this is the Spring training home of the Mets.

After spending two enjoyable days, we are now going to drive down to the Keys and spend 5 more days doing absolutely nothing!

Obama family flies two planes to Martha's Vineyard, So what's wrong with keeping the peace?

The president and first family are vacationing this week on the luxurious get away resort island of Martha's Vineyard. Now that the budget crisis is past and they have 2.4 trillion dollars to spend, what's wrong with the family taking two separate U.S. government jets to the playground of the rich and famous?

Seriously, I really don't see anything wrong with this. After all, the first family was nearly house bound during the July negotiations. Then when the day came to begin their well deserved vacation, Mrs. Obama simply wanted to get to their $50 thousand a week rental property when the clock started clicking. Since her husband was too busy to leave on time, she did the right thing and left with the kids. Hey, that's a great strategy for the president. Not only did he keep the family peace, but he didn't have to help moving in the bags or setting up the house. Good thinking!

Many folks are criticizing their actions, but so what. They are having a good time!

I'm actually finding funny articles and videos about this year's Obama summer vacation. For example, Keith Koffler provides the: Top Ten Things Obama Plans to do on Martha’s Vineyard. I was up there in MV in May and didn't know anything about the lobster races or croquet matches. This is definitely a must read for all first time visitors.

Then, Fox News provides a great video called: Watters' World Drops in on Obama's Vineyard Vacation (please excuse the leading advertisement, but ther rest is humorous).

This is actually a rather funny segment and is not slanted towards criticism. Instead, it tells us what its like when the President is in town. In this clip, the producer, Jesse Watters talks to various local residents and gives us an inside peek into the pro-Obama camp.

If, however, you are more inclined to criticize the president rather than praise him, then maybe this "fair and balanced" article will be more to your taste: Obamas Take Two Planes to Martha's Vineyard, Needlessly Wasting Many Thousands in Tax Money.

Summer's almost over, so Enjoy!

Deli for Obama, Duck for Biden - Who's classier?

As the President's two new $1.2 million buses roll through the mid-west campaign trail, Obama shared yesterday's lunch hour with Minnesota veterans at the Old Market Deli ( Veterans eat with Obama ). While the Congress and Senate were embroiled  in difficult budget talks last month, we noticed that Mr. O seemed to keep a low profile. We now know that one of the items on his non-public agenda was the coordination and ordering of the two Secret Service armored buses that he is now using for his 3 state heartland, republican bashing, campaign tour ( $2.2 million for Secret Service's new armored buses ). The president is saying that the taxpayers must foot the bill for this campaign swing because he's addressing the economy. But, according to NPR the real reason is that: Bus-Touring Obama Goes After GOP Presidential Hopefuls.

But not to be undone, the Hamptons rested Vice President has jetted off to China. He is on an 8 day, all taxpayer expense paid, trip to the Far East. There, he will meet with U.S. and Chinese business leaders, and get to know China's future leadership ( US Vice President to Discuss Economic Issues in China ). Since it seems that everything we now sell in the U.S. is made in China, we think the VP wants to keep it that way. That is great for China, but it doesn't help or encourage manufacturing growth here in the U.S.

At the end of his tour, Mr. Biden will then visit Mongolia and Japan. This fun filled trip "kicks off what U.S. officials describe as a busy diplomatic calendar of Asia-Pacific events in coming months" (See above link: US Vice ... ), which will include two Asia-Pacific Economic summits, one in Honolulu and the other in Bali.

Neither Joining Forces founders in town when SEALs remains arrive back home

Yesterday afternoon, the remains of our U.S. servicemen who were killed aboard a chopper in Afghanistan reached U.S. soil when they landed at Dover Air Force Base. The President saluted and attended the solemn ceremony that followed.

However, the two founders of the Joining Forces initiative, Dr. Jill Biden and First Lady Michelle Obama, were out of town when the soldiers arrived. (see What You Can Do to Support Military Families )

We all know that Dr. Biden was in Kenya, but few of us were aware that the First Lady and family had flown to Corvallis Oregon on Monday to visit her brother. (see Michelle Obama Takes Secret Vacation to Oregon and Where's Michelle Obama as President Goes To Honor Fallen Heroes? )

Under normal circumstances, we should not expect either of these two ladies to attend the Dover ceremony. However,

• since they started the Joining Forces initiatives to: "recognize, honor, and serve our military families" (What You ...), 
• and one or both have used this initiative as a reason for us to pay their airfare and travel expenses while criss-crossing the country to attend campaign fundraisers,

we believe that one of the two should have heeded their own initiatives and attended the Dover return of our heroic servicemen.

With debt ceiling raised, it's now time to party, fundraise, and vacation

The August 2nd debt ceiling deadline set by the President was no coincidence. According to past articles, the April extension funded the federal government until September.

But, if we waited until then, the members of the Congress, Senate, and the President would have to miss their planned recesses, fundraisers, and vacations. Since nobody wanted to do that, they worked through July and resolved the debt crisis with time to spare.

Beginning tomorrow, the President will be jiving to the sounds of Herbie Hancock, Jennifer Hudson and OK Go in the Chicago Aragon Ballroom. All will be paying homage to our leader who turns 50 on Thursday. If any of you want to attend, simply give a big donation to the Obama Victory Fund 2012 (your invitation is below). Remember, though, you've got to hurry since there is only one day left, but it should be worth it.

After that big bash, the President will be off to Martha's Vineyard in late August. Since a few fundraisers were canceled in July, we are sure Mr. Obama has already rescheduled them. After all, the election is only 15 months away, and the President has no other work to do until then. So, it's time to get the cash!

While the President is enjoying the rest of his term in office, the Congress and Senate will be relaxing as well. Beginning August 8th to September 5th, those hard working representatives will be soliciting funds as well. Wow, a whole month of vacation!

You can read more about Party Time by visting these articles.

Herbie Hancock, Jennifer Hudson, OK Go set for Obama birthday fundraiser
Join the President For His Birthday Party!
Obama to head home for 50th birthday fundraiser
Debt ceiling deal or not, Obama’s going on vacation in Martha’s Vineyard

And, if you have any doubt, view the video below and pay attention to the very end, where  Jen Psaki of the White House gleefully says the Obama birthday party is on and his campaign season begins.

Two More Fundraisers after seeing the Family off to Africa

After enjoying a Father's Day weekend full of golf and ice cream, the President is back at work today, trying to solve the nations high unemployment crisis. He's kicking off the day a little after 11AM when he and VP Biden receive a daily briefing. A half hour later he will meet with his senior advisers. Then he will relax a few hours before talking to Secretary of State Clinton and then meet with mayors from both parties to hear how they are trying to create jobs.

The highlight of the day was in the early morning when he saw the family fly off to Africa for a week full of fun. Even his mother-in-law and family cousins are being treated to this all expense paid trip thanks to the hardworking taxpayers.

Tonight, the President will attend two more Democratic National Committee fund raising events which will be held in Washington.