the maine points

And we're back.

I really couldn't have asked for a nicer vacation. Nicer weather, maybe (it rained five days in a row), but a nicer vacation, no.

My parents rented a beautiful house overlooking the ocean, right across the street from Walker's Point (pictured below), where the Bushes reside during the summer months.

In addition to this view, the rental house came with all the amenities, the most important of which was a pair of high-powered binoculars, which I kept on my person at all times, threatening to kick the shins of anyone who tried to take them from me. Except for my grandmother, whose shins I would never kick. I went easy on her.  ("Okay, Grandma, I'm thinking of a number between one and five hundred ...")

I just don't think other people appreciate celebrities the way I do, so I didn't want the binoculars to go to waste.

Seriously. You haven't lived until you've seen me scale a stone wall with a cocktail in one hand and a pair of binoculars in the other, yelling "I love you, Jenna Bush!"

John McCain, who was there for a campaign fund raiser, wins the Easiest to Spot Award, thanks to his blinding pallor. It's like he's made of paste. So white.

Let's see, what else?

We ate lobster, drank wine, read books, took walks, went out for ice cream ...

Oh yes. And Gus fell in love with my cousin, Alexa, who, about ten seconds ago, was the flower girl at my wedding. And now she's all grown up and beautiful and stuff. (Note: DO NOT STAND NEXT TO THIS GIRL IN A PICTURE IF YOU ARE OVER THE AGE OF FOUR. YOU WILL LOOK LIKE A GIANT SIDE OF BEEF.)

Gus every morning: "Is Alexa up yet?"
Gus every minute: "Have you seen Alexa?"
Gus every dinner: "I want to sit next to Alexa."
Gus every evening: "I want to watch a movie with Alexa."

And then, out of the blue one night,  tired of being coy, Gus says, "I'm going up to my bedroom. Alexa, you might need something from your bedroom. I'll see you up there."

So good to be back in Tennessee, where this kind of family romance can be encouraged.