WACO, Texas -- President Bush rolled out of his ranch at dawn Tuesday for golf and talk, saying he is thoroughly at home amid the outdoor play and work of his Texas vacation.
"I'm the kind of person who likes to be outdoors; it keeps my mind and my spirits up and it keeps me a balanced person," Bush told reporters moments before he teed off at Ridgewood Golf Club on a hill overlooking Lake Waco.
"I know a lot of you wish you were on the East Coast, lying on the beach, sucking in the salt air," the president said. "But I love this place," he said of his 1,600-acre ranch up the road near the tiny town of Crawford.
"This is the house I will live in for the rest of my life," he said, speaking of his newly completed ranch house.
Bush said he was getting a lot of work done, both presidential business and the work he enjoys around the ranch. And he said that for him there is nothing like being home in Texas.
"Washington, D.C., is a fine place and I'm honored to be working in the Oval Office," he said. "But I need to be outdoors. I think it's important to be outside and do work."
The temperatures have been hovering in the 100-degree range by midday, and Bush, the state's former governor, was asked if he feels any political heat in Texas.
I'm amongst friends in Texas,'' Bush replied. There is no political heat here. It's a lot more partisan in Washington, people dig in and fight.''
The president, who received his daily security briefing while his motorcade traveled to the golf course, said he is making progress on a number of issues. He said he is not ready to announce a decision on allowing federal funding of stem cell research.
Wearing tan slacks and a red striped polo shirt, Bush walked over to the first tee, where he joined his morning golf partners. They were two Waco physicians, Dr. Kent Starr and Dr. Ned Snyder, and David Sibley, a Texas state senator from Waco.
But before leaving, Bush had one more thought. He turned back and challenged reporters to join him on a run later in the week.
Taking a leaf from Dwight D. Eisenhower, Bush calls this month away from Washington a working vacation, one he'll interrupt from time to time to stay in touch with people out in the country.
President Eisenhower adopted the working vacation format back in the 1950s to blunt criticism he paid too much attention to his golf game and too little to affairs of state.
Bush, also golfing, plans to wedge in official business with the pursuit of relaxation in the canyons and at the lake on his ranch.
The president looks forward to early morning runs before the burning heat of the Texas day sets in, laying out a nature trail, angling for bass in the well-stocked manmade lake, and flipping burgers on the grill at evening cookouts for friends.
But there's no escaping his job, says spokesman Scott McClellan.
He plans to work as well as to take a little time off,'' McClellan said. That's why we call it a working vacation.''
