Romney- Just Another Summer Resident From “Old Money?”

Mitt Romney has taken a few days from campaigning to enjoy his lakefront vacation home with his family.  The Village of Wolfeboro, possibly the oldest lakeside summer resort in America, dominates the more “gracious” side of the very large twenty-five mile long Lake Winnepesaukee.  This was partly due to 18th century Governor Wentworth building his Summer encampment nearby which set the tone as a resort for the well-to-do during the 19th century.  Access to this eastern edge of the lake for out-of -towners appears on early maps to be by railroad from Portland, Maine.

The Boston & Maine RR eventually ran their rails from Boston toward Montreal and opened the opposite shore to a more democratic lot of vacationers continuing on into the 20th century. Because of this history the west side of the Lake during the Summer has a more amusement park ambiance.

I get my memories of the area from my Summer vacations spent with my Father’s mother’s side of the family.  My relatives were year ’round people and all lived and worked about the upper reaches of Meredith Bay.  They were definitely on the honky-tonk side of the lake and the B&M tracks.

Romney- Just Trying to Fit Right In?

When I got a look at the results of the photo-Op I saw Mitt and his wife showing himself and his water craft off in front of his waterside manor house.  I marveled at his confident appropriation of not just the lakeshore but the masterful way he appeared to spread his ripples out onto the lake itself.  The Lord attempting to mingle with and show off to his subject audience, but not to get too close.

Then I realized that Romney just doesn’t know how to play the Great Lord that he thinks himself to be.   He and his long suffering wife were perched like two jockies straddling his personal sea-horse as they bobbed in the waves.  This does not project the desired image.

There once were elegant and expensive naturally finished mahogany runabouts racing over the inland resort waters of America.  Names from before WWII like Gar-Wood and Hacker come to mind.  These speedy craft are now only seen at classic boat regattas or on hand-tinted postcards.  Surely, the effect Romney was looking for would have been better achieved had he been at the wheel of one of these beauties from the past instead off water-bugging it on a jet-ski like the hoi polloi can and do.  He can certainly afford a restored original or at least one of the “knock off” models of these classics being replicated today.

But how’s an apparent “conehead” replica know these things?