Last week Cindy and I traveled with our friends Kevin and Jill Anderson to New England for a fall colors trip. While there we decided to see if we might be able to visit the Romney for President headquarters offices. We arrived there early evening, Friday, 10/12. Rachel, a cheerful, professional intern agreed to meet us there. We got lost in route and she patiently awaited our arrival and was most gracious to take us on a tour of the office from about 5:30 to 6:45 on a Friday night! She was joined by Bethany, also a very professional intern.
Rachel and Bethany are standing just outside the door of Governor Romney’s office. Small details impressed me about the offices and team: Every office door I saw, whether for one person or a team, had a small sign outside the door indicating the function of the area (Finance, Communications, Political, etc.); none of them had the name of any person and there were several offices of important people we all know of in the campaign. That impressed me as a team environment above all, with no apparent egos out front. The other thing that impressed me was the fact that this was a Friday evening and about 60% of all staff were still working at the offices when we left at almost 7pm! And on the first night of the Sox/Indians playoff game at Fenway Park! Everybody was very friendly, but also focused.
One of the rooms we came across was the “War Room.” In it are approximately 25 TV monitors with about five people sitting a room smaller than a typical bedroom. Apparently they constantly monitor the mainstream media programs as well as all the cable shows. I saw a cartoon on along with Chris Matthews. All seemed to have head-phones on and all were concentrating on the various programs. IMPRESSIVE! Here are two shots; one with a flash, and one without.
Just about every hallway wall had some photograph of the Romney family, Governor Romney in various official settings, his father George as governor, etc.
Stephen Smith heads up Internet work for the campaign. I do not know Stephen’s official title, but I believe his many responsibilities include monitoring and responding to Internet information about Gov. Romney and his competition and liason work with those outside the campaign (I wonder if one would be allowed to work in this environment if one were a Yankee’s fan? — yeah, probably a silly question).
Marian heads up marketing responsibilities. I had the privilege of meeting Marian a few weeks ago when Ann Romney hosted the Orange County “Rally for Romney.” When I made this photograph, we were on our way out of the building and Marian was coming back to work around 7pm! She once called me from Boston at around midnight her time as she diligently prepared for the OC event. I asked her to stand next to a wonderful photograph of Governor George Romney in the Oval Office chatting with President Nixon.
Bethany and Rachel stand next to Governor Romney’s office door.
Rachel, Bethany, Jill and Kevin Anderson
While in the Boston area, we decided to visit Hyannis Port, located about two hours south of Boston on Cap Cod. Since my youth I have studied much of the Kennedy era and his administration and as a photographer I have always been fond of the many family photographs taken in and around the Hyannis Port “Kennedy Compound”, as it is called. So I decided to see if we couldn’t find the home and photograph it. Many people in the area said we would not be able to locate it, let alone photograph it. We did find it by walking around the point on the beach.
President John F. Kennedy once said, “I always go to Hyannisport to be revived, to know again the power of the sea, and the Master who rules over it and all of us.”
In the above photograph, see the porch in the home at the top left?; that is the same porch in the photograph I made last week just below (the porch is at the far right of the home). The above Kennedy family portrait was made in 1931 at their Hyannis Port home in Cape Cod. L-R: Bobby, Jack, Eunice, Jean, Joseph Sr., Rose with Pat in front of her, Kathleen, Joe Jr., and Rosemary. I absolutely love this photograph!
The wooden stairs, through which I made this photograph, are those used to access the beach from the back yard and is the likely place the Kennedy family has walked to the beach for decades. It is probably right at this exact spot the above family photograph was taken. I was told that Senator Kennedy resides in this home when in Massachusetts.
Above is the beach immediately in front of the Kennedy compound. At the far right of the image you can see part of the wooden stairs leading directly into the yard where the above photos were taken. Here you see a lady walking her dog on a blustery, drizzly Cape Cod day. This day fit the image of a windy Cap Cod fall or winter day with white caps and noticeable exposure to the elements. But what a beautiful location! I recommend that Governor Romney purchase the estate (one home owned by Bobby Kennedy’s son is for sale right now) and keep it in the “presidential family” for American history.
This photograph was made at the beach in front of the Kennedy home in Hyannis Port.
This is a side view of the compound with the ocean to the left. The tent structure must be semi-permanent as I saw the structure in a coffee-table book at the JFK Library/Museum.
This photograph was made in Hyannis Port home on the beach side of the home. It is a reunion of the Jack Kennedy’s PT-109 crew from World War II. Above and right of the men is the back porch with the Kennedy sisters chatting.
As we approached, we noticed a rainbow above the home. This is a good, public view of the home from the beach. My guess is that the Kennedy compound sits on about 10 acres.
This same day we visited Salem; just up the road from Boston. We attended a play reenacting the indictment of the first witch at the Salem witch trials. We, as the audience, were the “grand jury” as she was questioned by the Puritan constable. To clear one’s name as a witch, a test was offered. Here the alleged witch was asked to recite the Lord’s Prayer. As she did, she omitted the phrase, “deliver us from evil” providing proof to us and the constable that she was very likely a witch and therefore was to stand trial as a witch. We all voted (I voted to let her go) and the vote was overwhelmingly in favor of sending her to trial. She was the first of about 19 witches tried and hanged in Salem. Incidentally, we confirmed with a number of merchants in the town that about 20% of all residents of Salem today are pagans either passively so or are actively involved in the occult. It was interesting to be in that town near Halloween. It made me not want to have anything to do with Halloween. By the way, the Puritans of Salem also executed other Christians such as Quakers if they did not leave the town upon request. The Puritans came to North America for religious freedom and at least in those early years, they practiced religious freedom as long as it was their religion you practiced. The local church that traces its roots to the early Puritans is called the “Unitarian (founded in 1629)” as shown on a sign out front.
We visited the JFK Library (museum) while in Boston. Just above is the actual CBS console used at the time of the famous televised debate between JFK and Nixon. There were many great exhibits from the Kennedy administration. Don’t miss the presidential museum if you are ever in Boston. They say to set aside two hours; I say three.
Just below is the view of Boston from the JFK Library.
This photograph was made last week in Vermont.
~ Vic
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On Tuesday morning, ElectRomneyin2008.com spoke with the 37-year old Tagg Romney, who frequently shares his thoughts and experiences at the 
