February 25, 2000. Both Poppy and Barb have Graves disease, a thyroid disorder that can cause irregular heartbeats. They are both taken medication to keep the condition under control. Dehydration can cause heart arrythmia, and that's what happened to Poppy in Florida last night. Between giving speeches for George W. and attending to his own business, Poppy has a pretty busy life. In Naples on Thursday he attended an invester's conference. A reception was followed by a dinner and Poppy then gave a speech. After that, he participated in a photo-op. By then he was sweating and had lost a lot of water. On the way to the airport the secret service diverted the motorcade to the Naples Community Hospital after Poppy, 75, complained of lightheadedness and was found to have low blood pressure. After an overnight stay, Poppy returned to Texas where he checked into Houston's Methodist Hospital for further tests. Although things will slow down for Poppy when the family opens up their Kennebunkport home in mid-May, right now he's anxious to get back on the road: ""I feel good. There's too much to do, too many exciting things to be doing in our lives."
Christmas Day, 1999. With the Austin weather in the sunny sixties, we took the opportunity yesterday afternoon to go south on Mo-Pac and east on Enfield to see what was happening at the Governor's Mansion across from the Capitol. The front of the mansion was festooned with an American flag, a flag of Texas, and numerous pink and orange Mexican decorations, including a wreath of cactus on the front door. Although the white mansion was closed to visitors, the black wrought iron gates at the red brick walk were only about twenty-five steps from the front door, so video pictures were in order. Then the screen doors to the mansion opened and out came a smiling Laura Bush and her visitors, a man and a woman and their two teen-aged daughters. While we couldn't hear what they were saying, our view was perfect as Laura, placid in a forest green shirt and black slacks, showed her guests the historic plaques on the first floor walls and posed for pictures in front of the mansion. Finally, a young woman in a full chef's costume was called from the mansion to take a picture of the entire group as they smilingly stood on the porch at the entrance. After the photo was taken we waved and went on our way.
December 12, 1999. While Poppy's been keeping a low public profile as G.W. runs for president, that hasn't been the case with Barbara. She's been making a few public appearances throughout the country each month. However, an injured foot will keep her away from this coming Thursday's Town Hall lecture series in Cleveland, so Poppy will stand in for her. At least he'll be in the country at the time of his son's debate in Iowa tomorrow. Last time, he called from some outpost of the world and asked Barbara how his son did, only to learn that he called a day early....G.W., Laura, and the twins spent Thankgiving with Poppy and Barbara in Houston....Renovation work is being done on the ranch house that came with the acreage that was purchased south of Waco. G.W. recently conducted an interview at the house and it looked suitably rustic.
November 16, 1999. Barbara's sister, Martha Pierce Rafferty, died Saturday at her home in Bloomfield, Connecticut, at the age of 79. Martha grew up in Rye, N.Y., and became a Vogue model prior to her marriage to stockbroker Walter Rafferty. While Barbara plans to attend a memorial ceremony on Thursday, it is not known if other members of the Bush family will.
November 6, 1999. Actor Robert Duvall has been in town since Tuesday, staying at the Four Seasons downtown on Town Lake and visiting the Broken Spoken and other Austin hangouts while waiting for the Texas Book Festival to begin. There was an invitation-only tribute to his script buddy Horton Foote ("To Kill a Mockingbird," "Tender Mercies") on Thursday, then on Friday evening Duvall and Foote both attended a $350 a person black-tie gala at the Marriot. Laura is Honorary Chair of the Festival, and Robert and Horton found themselves at a Governor's Mansion reception prior to the gala. George was in form, making sure to quiz invited reporters about foreign affairs. "What's the capitol of Sri Lanka?" he asked a startled female reporter as she walked through the door. Later in the Marriott lobby Laura was seen talking up a 1942 notebook on display as part of a silent auction. One Texas author not invited this year was Kinky Friedman, who created a stir last year when a lady teacher was offended by Friedman's colorful reading. The Kinkster told the woman that if she didn't like his reading she should take it up with Laura, because that's who invited him to the shindig. Perhaps she did.
November 1, 1999.There are some places on the hike-and-bike jogging trail around Austin's Town Lake where the street parallels the jogging path. George was running along one of those places, First Street near the Lamar Street Bridge, around noon today with a DPS agent on a bicycle for protection, when a trailer being pulled by a Longhorn Disposal truck, filled with concrete chunks and wood, overturned and spilled its load across the path of the men, forcing the Governor to dive out of the way. George ended up with minor leg and hip bruises, but agent Roscoe Hughey was not as lucky. According to a bystander there was a "big, loud bang" and the Governor dove clear of the spill, but "the other guy was reaching his hand up out of the debris." Staff Sgt. Hughey was taken to Brackenridge Hospital and released hours later with bruises to his side. George managed to keep on schedule, flying to New Hampshire this afternoon for a three-day campaign stay. The accident remains under investigation, but no one thinks the truck's driver was out to get the Governor.
October Letter, 1999. Family life for the Bushes has changed since George's campaign has picked up the pace this fall. George is mostly on the road, Laura is giving her share of speeches on social issues, Poppy is going from state to state, rounding up the troops, and Barb is doing her bit. She says the only thing different between Poppy's campaign and George's is that she now gets to take more time-out's. Although George still refers to the twins in some of his talks, he refuses to answer press questions about them. Meanwhile, they're still at the Governor's Mansion across from the Capitol, finishing up their Senior year at nearby Austin High School.
No matter where the family is, life goes on at the mansion. Karin, Mindy, Scott, and Karl use it as a meeting place for the high command, away from the noise and chaos of the Campaign Headquarters not far away. Perhaps they like the smell of cookies and pastry baking away in the kitchen of the mansion, run by first chefs Kathleen Russell and Sarah Bishop. Russell notes that when the Bushes first moved into the mansion in 1995, Laura met with her and described the food needs of the faimly. "She said basically that they wanted healthy food and that they liked Tex-Mex, Southern food, and home-cooking type things."
"This is the first administration with kids to cook for," adds Bishop. With this administration we do a lot of Tex-Mex, pretty simple food (pizza, soups, quesadillas), things that kids are going to like." Ann DeBois, who has been the mansion's administrator for the last 16 years and oversees the food budget, paid for by the Bushes, cautions, "We rarely open a can in the mansion or serve a frozen vegatable except spinach or produce from the mansion garden that we have frozen ourselves."
Both Russell and Bishop believe that running the mansion's kitchen for the Bushes is a better job than working in any of the great Austin restaurants within minutes of the mansion. "To do a 12-person dinner party is a dream after cooking for 100," enthuses Russell. "It's a less frantic pace. We have the freedom to come up with different menus. The atmosphere is pleasant." Laura says the feeling is mutual: "How lucky we are to have Sarah and Katy as chefs in the Governor's Mansion. Not only are they great cooks, but they are also a lot of fun." But such praise won't earn George any extras. When Russell and Bishop make up trays of cookies in advance of parties and receptions, the sign goes up: "No, don't eat! That even means you, Governor!"
September Barb and Poppy's fight for family literacy will go on a field trip in October, over to the Florida Keys where they will participate in a bonefish tournament with the profits from the charity event (entry fee is $2,250 per person) going to the Florida Keys Land and Sea Trust and the Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy. Poppy's personal record was a 13 pound bonefish catch last year, the second largest in the six-year history of the tournament.
Sunday, August 15. Georgre's spread outside the Ames, Iowa auditorium where the Iowa Straw Poll was conducted last evening was pretty elaborate: a tent for the music, a tent for the food, and a tent for the VIP's. A little after 9 p.m. when the win was announced inside the auditorium, George and Laura held hands behind a podium on the music stage and waited for the moment George was to make a brief statement announcing his win. Those in attendance were treated to a rare sight. With a band in the background playing sprightly Texas music, George put his arm around Laura, felt the tempo, and they danced some happy little steps on the crowded stage. For a guy who claims he's only danced at his wedding and his two inauguration celebrations, this was a pretty big deal!
Sunday, August 8. George is fixin' to plunk down $1.3 billion for a 1,550 acre spread outside of Crawford, Texas, near Waco, so we can assume that the land is capable of holding a bass pond for his fishing. Although it's been reported that George is not all that happy to have news of the purchase in newspapers across the nation this past six weeks, the actual sale could take place as early as tomorrow. The property includes 200 acres of canyons and woods that set off Rainey Creek, a tributary of the Middle Bosque River. George and Laura want to build their house among the cliffs and oak trees. Laura is said to have cemented the deal, favoring the property over another spread in Coryell County. If George were to become President, it would make an excellent hideway, conveniently located 20 miles from the Fort Hood Army Base. From there, the family and their visitors could take a helicopter to the ranch . If the purchase is made, a social will be held for the 1,000 or so nearby Crawford/McGregor neighbors. Mrs. Mattlage, one of those neighbors, just hopes that the Bush's won't change her community: "We like our quiet life style. He's really getting in a good community. Just so he'll be a good neighbor."
Sunday, August 1. Laura talked about politics and her family the other day in Iowa as she went solo on the campaign trail and spoke to the Iowa Federation of Republican Women : "Mainly we're just like every other couple. We talk about our kids and what our plans are for the weekend. We also read the newspapers every morning together and talk about different things we're reading in the paper. But we don't really spend a lot of time talking about politics." Laura indicated that while she will be on the hustings from time-to-time, the twins will not. "They're not candidates. They're not running for anything....They're perfectly happy to be living their own life." Talking about her political/family experience with her in-laws, she noted, ""We spent a very miserable 1992 when we saw a man we loved being characterized in a way we thought he shouldn't. It's a lot harder I think maybe when it's your father or your father-in-law. We know that's something that will happen. That's just a fact of life in politics."
Tuesday, July 27. George, Laura, and the twins have left Austin for Kennebunkport, Maine for a two week vacation. They've kicked back in Kennebunkport at George's parents' seaside home around this time of year ever since they were married, and George was not going to allow a presidential run to stand in the way of a family tradition. They will, however, take a few day trips to New Hampshire and Iowa during their vacation.
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