Obamas enjoy Maine scenery

July 18, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

Associated Press

BAR HARBOR, Maine

President Barack Obama and the first family played tennis and took in the sights around a Maine resort Saturday even as he contemplated a new struggle over jobless benefits with his GOP foes.

After a first vacation day packed with biking, boating and a visit to the summit of Cadillac Mountain, Saturday’s program was more laid-back. The Obamas went to the Bar Harbor Club to play tennis and “hang out” at the pool, spokesman Bill Burton said.

Then they motorcaded across Mount Desert Island to a hotel overlooking Southwest Harbor. Lunch was served against a backdrop of sailboats swinging at anchor in a gentle breeze.

The Obamas toured Bass Harbor Head Lighthouse, in the southwest corner of Acadia National Park. Built in 1858 on an outcrop overlooking Blue Hill Bay, the lighthouse is run by the Coast Guard. “It looks spectacular,” Obama said as he and his family were led on a tour.

They climbed to the top of the light and held fast to its railing as first dog Bo frolicked on a path below.

A pair of surprised kayakers paddled in close for a look, and a pleasure boat motored slowly past, its excited passengers jumping to their feet and waving. The Obamas waved back.

After the lighthouse, it was a three-minute motorcade, and off they went hiking in the park, which takes in 47,000 acres of island, granite hills, pine forests and rocky coast.

The Obamas returned to their SUV after an hour on the trail. The first lady’s press secretary, Katie McCormick-Lelyveld, reported the hike was “good family time ... with stops at the water to skip rocks and play with the dog.”

The three-day vacation was due to end this morning — a brief respite from the pressures and policy clashes of Washington.

Awaiting Obama in Washington this coming week: a victory lap — and another battle.

On Wednesday, the president plans to sign into law the financial-market overhaul that Congress approved last week after a year of often-bitter partisan wrangling.

Meantime, in his weekly radio and Internet address, Obama excoriated Senate Republicans for blocking a fresh extension of unemployment benefits on the grounds that it was not being paid for by offsetting spending cuts.