The Obama Family Vacation: Scrabble With Valerie Jarrett, Reading Jonathan Franzen

For those hoping for a glimpse of the first family on vacation in Martha's Vineyard this week, the photo ops have been nearly non-existent -- except for island locals who've had their camera phones at the ready.

But the White House knows well that images of the first family on vacation at the 28-acre Blue Heron Farm, complete with its own putting range, private beach, basketball court and swimming pool -- rented for an estimated wallet-stinging $35,000 to $50,000 per week -- might not play so well at a time when the U.S. housing market has seen steep drops, and the unemployment rate remains stagnant at nearly 9.6 percent. (The Obamas, it should be noted, are paying personally for their portion of the stay. Taxpayers will pick up the tab for the Secret Service and staff accommodations at the property, according to ABC News. )

That could help explain the dearth of photos, and, well, it's been raining a lot.


The links-loving president has squeezed at least a few holes of golf into his schedule: on Friday, he played a round with White House trip director Marvin Nicholson, Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) and family friend and University of Chicago executive Eric Whitaker. On Sunday, he dodged light drizzle for a round with Whitaker and Vineyard regular Bill Lewis. And on Wednesday, he hit the Mink Meadows Golf Club (public) green with Nicholson, Whitaker and UBS President Robert Wolf. But for much of his precious downtime thus far, President Obama has been indoors.

Rain, mist, wind and other officially gross weather has kept the first family sequestered inside, doing exactly what most every other family in America does during a rainy vacation: playing board games and reading books. At a press conference on Tuesday, Deputy Press Secretary Bill Burton revealed that Taboo was among the Obama family's game selection, and that (controversially) "Valerie [Jarrett] did not do so well in Scrabble against the president."

As far as rainy-day reading material, on Saturday the president was gifted an advance copy of Jonathan Franzen's much-hyped new book, "Freedom," by the staff at the Vineyard's Bunch of Grapes bookstore. According to the New York Times, the work is "an Updikean picture window on American middle-class life," though Burton said that "as far as [he knew]" the president hadn't made a dent in it (Franzen fans everywhere, likely seething).

While "Freedom" collects a light coating of presidential dust, Obama might be entertaining himself with his other pulp purchases: "Tinkers" by Paul Harding, a work of fiction that won this year's Pulitzer Prize, and "A Few Corrections," by Brad Leithauser, about a son's quest to understand the father he never knew. (Parallels with Obama's relationship with his own father notwithstanding, Leithauser has also been called "Updikean." Not sure what this says about the first family).

And then, of course, there's always vacation chow. In the evenings, the first couple has been staying true to Michelle Obama's belief in all things local and seasonal. Monday night saw the couple -- along with Jarrett, Eric and Cheryl Whitaker -- dining at the Sweet Life Cafe, which (according to its website) "features contemporary French-American cuisine with an accent on local catches and produce." On Tuesday, they tried out the State Road restaurant for dinner with the Whitakers and Clinton heavy Vernon Jordan and his wife, Ann. The dinner lasted for over two hours, with heavy wind and rain lashing at the windows. Shanghaied by the press corps for a moment upon exiting the restaurant, the president said, "I'm having a great time -- doing a lot of reading."

Wednesday finally saw a respite from the downpour. With a break in the clouds, the first family, including Sasha and Malia, was able to skip out for lunch at Nancy's, a waterfront restaurant specializing in seafood. It was a big party: friends including the Whitakers, Jarrett, George and Clarice Walker, George Walker IV, Cy Walker, Ann Marchant, David Watkins and Elizabeth Alexander were scheduled to join the Obamas for their meal. One could sense the relief at the weather: the first lady turned to the crowd that had gathered, and asked, "How you guys doing? Drying off?" Then adding, "Finally."

Ah, but no sooner had the smiles and sun broken out than the clouds rolled right back in: reporters on site began peppering the president with questions about Iraq. This Sunday, he's scheduled to make a major speech on the subject at Fort Bliss, Texas, and later give an Oval Office address -- both marking the withdrawal of U.S. combat troops from the country. For his part, the commander in chief was not ready to talk work just yet. "We're buying shrimp, guys," he said with a smile, "C'mon."

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