{"id":1582,"date":"2013-04-21T16:51:17","date_gmt":"2013-04-21T23:51:17","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/traveltattler.com\/?p=1582"},"modified":"2013-04-21T16:52:02","modified_gmt":"2013-04-21T23:52:02","slug":"in-majestic-maine-a-summer-spot-fit-for-a-president","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/library\/1582\/in-majestic-maine-a-summer-spot-fit-for-a-president","title":{"rendered":"IN MAJESTIC MAINE, A SUMMER SPOT FIT FOR A PRESIDENT"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Captain Lord Mansion looks too charming to be real!<\/p><\/div>\n

KENNEBUNKPORT, ME \u2013 I can see why George and Barbara Bush love summering in Kennebunkport. So what I wanted to see when I came to Kennebunkport was George and Barbara Bush! I wasn\u2019t disappointed.<\/p>\n

The former President, whom the locals call #41 since he was America\u2019s 41st Commander in Chief, and his first lady make regular appearances around this quintessential northeastern seaboard town. The family estate is plainly visible across a small cove on Walker\u2019s Point, a rocky crop of land which juts into the Atlantic parallel to the shore. So many people pull their cars over on Ocean Avenue to admire the view of the Bush home and take photos that subtle benches and viewpoints have been created. The Secret Service guardhouse sees to it that people do not have access to Walker\u2019s Point, but you can see Bush, who is 86, climb into his 38-foot speedboat, named Fidelity IV, and hit the gas for a cruise up the coast or even into town for lunch at Mabel\u2019s Lobster Claw or Federal Jack\u2019s Restaurant. A smaller, black Secret Service boat trails along behind Bush and his passengers until they arrive home safely.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe former President and First Lady are pretty visible in restaurants. You usually would not see him in the shops and boutiques and art galleries, but in restaurants, sure,\u201d says Rick Litchfield. He and his wife Bev Davis operate Kennebunkport\u2019s most charming bed-and-breakfast, the Captain Lord Mansion. \u201cVery frequently I\u2019ll be talking to our guests who will say, \u2018Oh, we had dinner with George and Barbara last night!\u2019 which really means that George and Barbara and their Secret Service entourage were in the same restaurant.\u201d<\/p>\n

What is the protocol if you should find yourself in the company of the Bushes?<\/p>\n

\u201cGeorge is very convivial, he\u2019ll come around and shake hands with people, doesn\u2019t necessarily give autographs, but he will welcome people in the restaurants, which is really quite a nice thing,\u201d says Litchfield. \u201cHe is genuinely a nice person. I\u2019ve met him on occasion at functions in the Kennebunks here and he truly is a man of good character and warm sensibilities. He truly is a wonderful elder statesman for the United States.\u201d<\/p>\n

Litchfield\u2019s Captain Lord Mansion is a stately Federal home – circa 1812- and on the National Register of Historic Places, along with a carriage house and captain\u2019s quarters. 16 luxurious rooms with fireplaces and four-poster, canopied beds make it difficult to emerge for the delicious three-course breakfast included. The romantic and friendly inn is in the center of Kennebunkport\u2019s action, overlooking the Kennebunk River, but its\u2019 grassy, maple tree-covered gardens and manicured landscaping serve as a peaceful buffer. Guests can easily stroll into Dock Square for shopping and dining.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe have some beautiful white, sandy beaches and we\u2019ve got the rocky coast line. In the summer time you can do so much: there\u2019s bicycling as well as whale watches, and we have sailing cruises on old windjammers,\u201d says Litchfield of Kennbukport, which is 90 miles north of Boston and 30 miles south of Portland, Maine. \u201cWe have a package at the Captain Lord Mansion were you can even go aboard a lobster boat cruise, harvest the lobsters, and have them for dinner.\u201d
\nDon\u2019t forget the blueberry pie \u2013 Maine is famous for that, and the \u201clobster roll.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Masters of the House: Innkeepers Rick and Bev Litchfield.<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s basically a hot dog bun with lobster and mayonnaise in it,\u201d explains Litchfield, who also says Maine is known as \u201cdown east\u201d because that was the prevailing wind in the days of schooners, which, when you\u2019re standing in Kennebunkport, doesn\u2019t seem that long ago. The state slogan is \u201cMaine \u2013 the way life ought to be, but why are people from Maine called \u201cMaine-iacs?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBecause I think some of us are,\u201d laughs the amiable Litchfield, who took a turn as president of the Kennebunkport Chamber of Commerce.<\/p>\n

\u201cOctober\u2019s \u2018Pumpkinfest Weekend\u2019 is fun, as is our Halloween Weekend at the inn; and December\u2019s \u2018Christmas Prelude\u2019 is straight out of Currier and Ives, with Santa arriving by lobster boat,\u201d says Litchfield.<\/p>\n

President Bush\u2019s beloved Cape Arundel Golf Club, founded in 1896, is virtually a family heirloom, having hosted generations of Bush\u2019s, including \u201c41\u201d and the 43rd President, George W. Bush. President Bill Clinton has played as a guest, as have many PGA Tour players and celebrities.<\/p>\n

\u201cPhil Mickelson holds the current course record of 60,\u201d says Ken Raynor, Cape Arundel\u2019s longtime head golf professional and member of the Maine Golf Hall of Fame, who once held the record himself. Cape Arundel, redesigned by the famed Walter Travis is 1923, and restored by Traverse City, Michigan\u2019s Bruce Hepner in 2006, is an antique, historic course with a refreshingly casual, screen-door clubhouse. Playing the course is like walking back in time.<\/p>\n

The public is welcomed but reservations are required.<\/p>\n

And as for my hope to spot President Bush? I inadvertently sat in the front pew with \u201c41\u201d and his beloved wife Barbara at Sunday morning services. Coincidentally, the Reverend M.L. Agnew\u2019s seaside sermon that morning was based on the Gospel of Luke\u2019s verse: \u201cAsk and it will be given you\u2026for everyone who searches, finds.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whether you run into President Bush or not, Kennebunkport is a terrific tourist find all year.<\/p>\n

Visit www.captainlord.com<\/a>, www.capearundelgolfclub.com<\/a>, and www.visitthekennebunks.com<\/a><\/p>\n

Michigan-based travel writer Michael Patrick Shiels may be contacted at\u00a0InviteYourself@aol.com<\/a>\u00a0or viawww.TravelTattler.com<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

KENNEBUNKPORT, ME \u2013 I can see why George and Barbara Bush love summering in Kennebunkport. So what I wanted to… Read more »<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":43,"featured_media":1583,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3665],"tags":[1976,828006,813727,813738,813728,5941,813730,813731,827033,827347,827460,827627,1154,813736],"class_list":["post-1582","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-library","tag-maine","tag-pumpkinfest","tag-kennebunk","tag-cape-arundel","tag-kennebunkport","tag-george-bush","tag-barbara-bush","tag-walkers-point","tag-captain-lord-mansion","tag-rick-litchfield","tag-bev-litchfield","tag-dock-square","tag-phil-mickelson","tag-lobster-roll"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/34\/2013\/04\/DSC08974.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1582","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/43"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1582"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1582\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1604,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1582\/revisions\/1604"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1583"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1582"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1582"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/theaposition.com\/traveltattler\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1582"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}