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Obamas to add presidential color to the Inkwell; Meow X 3; Registry to close two Cape offices; Cape on list of ten healthiest beaches

TODAY's quotes: "People are going to lose their minds," said Tonya Lewis Lee, left, wife of the filmmaker Spike Lee, who has a seaside house in Oak Bluffs on Martha's Vineyard near the Inkwell beach, so called because its chief patrons are black.
"I saw the black SUV flying in the air..." Maria Francescon, right, of Mansfield describing the view through her windshield on the Sagamore Bridge yesterday afternoon around 2:30.

From CapeCatMan: Left to right - Henry, Nicholas and Alexandra. Henry is only about ten months old. The vet says that Nicholas is a "small to medium sized Maine Coon." This makes their human parent think that Henry will be at least as large as Nicholas, since Maine Coons grow until they are three years old. Nicholas and Alexandra are six years old this month.

 Obamas to add presidential colour to the Inkwell

The Inkwell Beach along Beach Road in Oak Bluffs is at the bottom of Waban Park. A beautiful swimming spot, the Inkwell has traditionally been a meeting place for African American families and visitors. There is a dawn swimming group and activities continue throughout the day.

It is America's classiest summer playground and has been a favourite with Democratic presidents from Kennedy to Clinton.  Now Barack Obama and his family plan to spend some time next month on the glamorous island of Martha's Vineyard.

Just off Cape Cod in New England, it is where the Democratic elite come to let their hair down each summer, enjoying clambakes on the beach, garden parties, sailing and golf. It has long been a favourite haunt of Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary, who is now US Secretary of State.

The Secret Service has been looking since the spring for a suitably large, secure compound to accommodate the President and his entourage.

Their destination is also where generations of the Kennedy political clan traditionally went to blow off steam. President John F. Kennedy loved sailing across the bay from the family compound on Cape Cod. His younger brother, Senator Ted Kennedy, saw his presidential ambitions come to grief in Chappaquiddick, part of Martha's Vineyard, when he crashed after leaving a party. Mary Jo Kopechne, a young secretary and campaign worker, was found drowned in his abandoned car... The Age.
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Registry of Motor Vehicles plans to close 11 offices
Falmouth and Eastham among those to close

The Falmouth Registry office looked dismal today.

The branches will close, in the following order, between July and September: Lowell, North Attleborough, Cambridge (Cambridgeside Galleria), New Bedford, Springfield (Eastfield Mall), Southbridge, Framingham, Falmouth, Eastham, and Beverly. The Chinatown branch will close in December. Mitigation branches will open at the Cape Cod Canal Visitors center at the Sagamore Bridge.

Customers should expect longer wait times as the state Registry of Motor Vehicles closes 11 branch offices to cope with a $13 million hit in this year's state budget, Registry officials said today... Kaprielian acknowledged that "things are going to get a little crunched" but said that customer service remains the agency's "North Star." The Registry's busiest branch, in Chinatown, which draws 289,000 customers a year, will close... Globe.
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Ptown makes America's healthiest beach and lake getaways list of Top Ten

We know your summer vacation time is precious: You want to land where you can truly relax, breathe fresh air, get in some exercise and eat well -- without breaking the bank. That's why we teamed up with a panel of travel and health experts to help us find the healthiest of the nation's most popular beach and lake towns.

...and worth every one of those (s)miles.

They evaluated air and water quality, the abundance of parks, the cost of a hotel room and more to zero in on the top 10 healthiest getaways. When you're ready for that much-deserved vacay, you won't go wrong with one of these 10 shore bets.

1. Tybee Island, Georgia
A barrier island about 18 miles east of Savannah, low-key Tybee boasts a 3-mile stretch of beach that our judges labeled "magnificent," complete with gorgeous water. "The beaches here rarely have water-quality problems," says panelist and water-quality expert Nancy Stoner, who is very picky about where she dips a toe in...

10. Provincetown, Massachusetts
This outermost tip of Cape Cod had the highest score in water quality of all our towns. "Both beaches, Herring Cove and Race Point, passed every water-quality test with flying colors," judge Stoner says. Both offer kayaking, sailing and even sand-dune hiking.

The town is bike-friendly, too. So why did it come in at number 10? The hotels are on the expensive side, and there weren't as many healthy-food options.

Stay here: At the Land's End Inn (starting at $305 per night), you can have breakfast overlooking the water. The Anchor Inn Beach House (starting at $195 per night) will set up gear rentals and water excursions... CNN.