Our President George H. W. Bush

Our President George H. W. Bush. . He called Kennebunkport his "anchor to windward" and he loved it. He loved the ocean, whose surf broke against the rocky shore just below his bedroom window. He loved the smell of salt in the sea breeze and the way the moon rose over the lighthouse just up the coast. He loved the feeling of power in his speedboat Fidelity when he opened the throttle to skim across the wares and the gentle quiet in that same boat as he patiently cast his line in hopes of catching the perfect fish. He loved golfing at Cape Arundel horseshoes by the house or a walk along the beach. He loved going downtown to step into a store and say hello to a shop owner, going to dinner at Mabel's and feeling a part of a real Maine community. He loved his Walker's Point home and enjoyed sharing his blessing with others. In his youth he had been nicknamed "Have-Half" for his propensity toward sharing all that he had, and that trait never faded. The invitation list to his favorite home was legendary. World leaders, diplomats, actors, actresses, athletes, musicians, local businessmen, volunteers friends, neighbors; all could find themselves being entertained "The Point" and all could beat witness to the president's generosity and kindness. Indeed, there were times when even strangers were invited over. At the end of a speaking engagement or an interview he might very well have said, "Why don't you join us," and the staff would scamble to figure it all out. He loved his friends and his loyalty to them would remain throughout his lifetime. It didn't matter whether he bonded with them in grade school, the Service, the grocery store or the White House, in George Bush you had a friend forever. Most of all he loved his family, his wife Barbara, his children, granchildren, and great grandchildren. At Walker's Point he got to spend time with all of them, tighten the bonds of love that held them so closely together and draw strength from their closeness. He led a life of great challenges and great accomplishments, but with that came frequent change. Walker's Point in Kennebunkport was his constant, and even as he climbed to the highest office in the land, he never forgot his roos, his places of comfort or his friends , and we all loved hum for it. More than that, we loved his incredible inclusiveness, his wonderful sense of humor, his willingness to help out a good cause, his faith and his commitment to serve. He was our president, but he was also our friend and neighbor. In that journey we shared together we were always left us a bit better through his example. In 2009, the "Anchor to Windward" monument was created to pay tribe to that man. , Tom Bradbury, An Anchor to Windward , FOR OUR FRIEND AND 41ST PRESIDENT , George H. W. Bush , As he was for our nation and world during four years of tumultuous and historic change, so, too, has Kennebunkport served, in the words of St. Paul, as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast" to him..