The President and First Lady headed to Asheville, North Carolina (population 73,000) this past weekend for a mini-vacay. The couple stayed at the Grove Park Inn Resort & Spa as did 10 previous presidents have done while visiting. As a couple, they took a Blue Mountain hike and visited the local restaurant 12 Bones Smokehouse. On Saturday, Mr. Obama indulged in his usual pastime of golf while Mrs. Obama played tennis in that morning. Its rumored she also visited the spa facilities.
Happy tax day! On the day most Americans dread, the White House released the tax return of the Obamas which indicated they paid close to $1.8 million in federal income tax and $163,303 in Illinois income taxes. Last year, the First Couple raked in $5.5 million mostly from his book sales. They gave $329,000 to charities and the President donated his $1.4 million Nobel Peace Prize award to 10 charities.
Last week, CNN caught a rare personal moment between the President and First Lady. As he walked outside surrounded by Secret Service agents and staff, Mr. Obama spotted his wife nearby and shouted “Hey FLOTUS. I was just looking for you!”
Aware the cameras were rolling, they skipped the PDA when they caught up with each other opting for the “politically correct” gesture of holding hands as they walked together into the West Wing together.
The First Couple were spotted leaving Alan Wong’s restaurant, known for its authentic Hawaiian cuisine) in Honolulu on Sunday (December 27th). It wasn’t exactly a romantic date-type dinner – they were joined by a large group which included the President’s half sister, Maya Soetoro-Ng, and her husband, Konrad; senior adviser Valerie Jarrett and her daughter; Eric and Cheryl Whitaker; Chicago friends Marty Nesbitt and his wife, Anita Blanchard, the obstetrician who delivered Malia and Sasha; and the President’s childhood friends from Hawaii, Michael Ramos, Greg Orme, and Bobby Titcombe and their wives.
The couple had dined at the restaurant in the past and the renowned chef and restaurant namesake, Alan Wong, was behind the Hawaiian-themed menu for the White House annual picnic for members of Congress and their families held this past June.
Yesterday, there was panic when the President abruptly left his golf outing and sped away in his motorcade back to his villa.
It was reported the 9 year old son of the Whitakers who joined the family on the vacation, had suffered a minor injury. All was well and the President returned to the golf course.
Image via AP
