The president’s boat, Fidelity IV, was returning to the Kennebunk River — our daughter got married at The Breakwater right on that river last September — after an afternoon of fishing  off the Ogunquit coast. Ogunquit is south of Kennebunkport, down the coast. The large white structure is The Colony Hotel, where she had her rehearsal dinner.

The Bushes have a family retreat in Kennebunkport at Walker Point.

Not sure who was driving, but the former president apparently had trouble steering through a heavy fog. Oh yes, when they have fog in Kennebunkport, you cannot see anything.  And it appears in thick patches. About three p.m. the boat missed the Kennebunk River and landed splat in the middle of the public beach, which, if there was fog, was probably not too crowded. No one injured and once the tide came in, they got the boat off the beach and back to Walker Point.

(Thanks, Craig, for the photos.) Nancy, beware of presidential boats on the beach.

I was on the phone today with the Coast Guard at Deepwater Horizon command central and I asked about the tar balls. What are they doing with them? Collecting and disposing, said Gary Rives. Great. More landfill. Well, can’t we recycle them for a fuel source, I asked? Gary didn’t know if we (or BP) have the technology to do that — tar balls are created, he said, by a chemical reaction, and when the warm salt water breaks down the oil composition; certain compounds evaporate, bacteria works on the hydrocarbons, and you get a black taffy-like substance.

Surely someone out there can figure out a way to get energy out of those tarballs.

Or… is this just tinkling in the ocean?

Oh and one more great thing about Texas: not known for botflies. Roaches and scorpions don’t go freeloading inside a girl’s head! Of course, I guess that poor bug was just seeking its own vacation home, in a way.

(Warning, video not for the easily grossed out.)

Greetings from Kennebunkport, Maine. This is where we all gathered the day after our destination wedding: the beach house, Drakes Island, Maine. Wedding ceremony  and reception were perfect — more than perfect, actually, at Kennebunkport’s breath-taking Breakwater Inn and Spa,  on Saturday. Earlier in the day, the breeze had picked up, and though it was 75 degrees outside, I was freezing and drinking hot tea at three pm.  We turned on the exterior heaters but at about 4:50, the wind calmed and settled for the next hour. It was as if God had turned off the fan. Perfect timing. After a long, fun and quite eventful night…  we gathered at the beach house for lunch and beach walks on Sunday before everyone headed out. The gathering made me realize, more than ever, how important homes are in our lives, how they anchor us to family, memories and friends. Here we are, saying goodbye to my daughter and brand new son-in-law as they depart for their honeymoon, on the porch of the beach house where two generations have done the exact same thing. Homes: way more than bricks and mortar.

But where is here? In honor of all the contests we are having — Ten Most Beautiful Women In Dallas — you should vote, these gals are amazing ladies inside and out — and of course, the big cahuna final vote for Best Real Estate Blog In Texas (vote here) — I’m having a mini-Monday morning contest. Tell me the name of this golf course and where it is located, and I MIGHT be able to rustle up an invitation to golf there.

(Transportation not included — both the Lear and the Maserati are in the shop!)

The portion of the gain to be taxed is based on the ratio of non qualified use — the time the property is used as a vacation home or rental unit after 2008 — to the total amount of time you owned the property.Congress has changed the rules so that some of your gain will be taxable if you convert your vacation home or rental unit to a primary residence after 2008. God, how did this one slip by?

“Hi, I hope everyone is well.

This is what has been happening now:

All T.V. and radio stations have been connected to a government broadcast,
they have been doing this throughout the afternoon.  It appears that they
found out that Mel Zelaya’s ex-presidency minister, Enrique Flores Lanza
with a presidential order withdrew in his name, sometime between June 20th
and 28th, Lps. 40,000,000.00 in cash from Honduras’Central Bank’s vault.

The government broadcast is calling for anyone that has received this money
to return it to the public ministry office, and no questions will be asked.
If the money is not returned, they warn that they know the serial numbers on
the notes, and so they will be able to confiscate and detain anyone with it.

It is believed that this money is being used to buy support for the ousted
president.  There are several witnesses, they say that the money was taken
in bags in a wheelbarrow.

My comment here is that it is very evident that all of these followers are
in this for something.  They are not democratic, they all wear red (comunist
color), and are walking around with sticks, pipes and rocks.  Some even
cover their faces.  -These people do not represent the people of honduras
that Mel Zelaya talks about over and over.  He makes it sound like everyone
here is suffering because he is gone, and that the military is oppresing the
people.  That is a true lie.  The only reason why the military have to be
called is because Mel’s band of thugs is walking around the streets with
sticks, pipes, and rocks dressed in comunist colors.

I compare Mel’s pals to Hitler’s buddies, they are tight friends that are
still around here causing trouble, and added to this, the fact that Chavez
and his boys are also coaching the operation. 

I think that the U.S. intervention or non-intervention will be the
determining factor.  I do not know if they want to get involved.  So far
they keep insisting that they will not listen to an illegal government, they
do not see (or do not want to see) that this “illegal government” is
stopping comunism and setting an example. They are even helping Zelaya’s
family.

Please remember that as the U.S. stays quiet, Chavez, his buddies, and Mel
and his friends the crooks, are working hard to make this heroic effort
fail, and it is a shame.

I will keep you all posted of everything I can.  Good night, and I am sorry
if I wrote anything that is not in accordance to your belief on the subject.”

Seriously, trying to get financial info together and what do I do, surf the web looking for House Porn! I cannot help myself — look at this virile lake house, just what the Doctor would have ordered for a holiday weekend family get together. (Add a few piles of clothes, dog toys, magazines and mail to this pristine, clean great room!) I am loving the interiors and the exteriors, I am hoping we have a nice bug system installed to keep away those microscopic carnivores. I am loving the square footage of 2431: three bedrooms, two and a half baths so we don’t get too many visitors (and can pack up, leave her while we jet to Europe). Built by an architect, located on Lake Cypress Springs (the Pebble Beach equivalent to Dallas, east of Sulphur Springs) complete with country club, marina, just two hours east of Dallas. We visited friends who are right on the lake this summer in the heat of July and loved those bubbling little cool springs.  Best news of all: $900,000. Perfect for last-minute deductions.