Camp David - or is it Camp Deval? - in the Berkshires
Patrick mixes politics with pleasure at his vacation manse
RICHMOND - Sweet P Farm is nestled at the top of a winding driveway, hidden from view by 77 acres of gentle woods and meadows, a retreat in the Berkshires where Governor Deval Patrick can swat a few tennis balls on his private court, work on a chapter of his memoir, or stroll through the wildflowers in his backyard.
But during this year's high summer season, Patrick is opening his rural getaway to the Massachusetts political world, transforming it into something like the state's own version of Camp David.
The governor hosted a big ticket fund-raiser at the home last week that drew 150 wealthy Democratic donors from across the state. That gala will be followed on Aug. 3 by a picnic for the Massachusetts Legislature, an event designed to build good will for the governor among lawmakers who have sometimes viewed Patrick with distrust.
"A lot of successful politics, just like a lot of successful professional lives, are about relationships," Patrick said in an interview. "You open your home. That's what you do. It's a very human thing. We intend it to be a very warm thing, and let people put some of their formalities aside and get to know them."
Burnishing one's political fortunes by entertaining in the countryside has a long tradition in US politics.
George H.W. Bush escaped to Walker's Point in Kennebunkport, Maine, and President Bush has his ranch in Crawford, Texas. Bill Clinton vacationed in Martha's Vineyard, and the Kennedys have held legendary parties at the family compound in Hyannis Port.
But when it comes to recent governors of Massachusetts, Patrick's use of his 7,500-square-foot Berkshires home, which he built in 2006, is something new, and his weekend address is bringing rare political cachet to a region of Massachusetts that has long felt ignored by most governors.
William Weld vacationed at an exclusive fishing camp in New York's Adirondacks, and Paul Cellucci spent downtime in Florida or at his in-laws' home on Cape Cod. Michael Dukakis would retreat to a humble, one-story cottage in Tyringham that was actually owned by his in-laws; he also invited lawmakers to his Brookline home - in more intimate groups because of its size.
Mitt Romney owned two vacation homes, one in ski country, Park City, Utah, and the other on Lake Winnipesaukee in Wolfeboro, N.H. He used the Lake Winnipesaukee home to foster his Republican presidential ambitions, busing in several hundred Republicans for a New Hampshire state party fund-raiser in 2005. But the Massachusetts Legislature? No.
It remained unclear last week just how many of the state's 199 lawmakers will actually RSVP with a yes to Patrick's Aug. 3 picnic invitation.
To get there, most will have to drive to the last exit on the Massachusetts Turnpike before the New York border, head up a rural blacktop road, down a gravel lane, past a pond, and through the woods. At least to some, the journey to Richmond may seem daunting.
"That's in Virginia, right?" Senator Michael Morrissey, Democrat of Quincy, joked when asked if he planned to attend. "I haven't decided. I'm a boater, and you don't get too many good weekends on the water, to be honest with you. It depends on who's going."
Patrick and his wife, Diane, bought the Richmond land in 2002 for $472,500 and started making plans for their home, which includes eight bedrooms, nine full bathrooms, four fireplaces, and a pool. It is assessed by the town at about $2.2 million, according to tax assessor Craig Swinson. During the Democratic primary, one of Patrick's chief rivals, then-Attorney General Thomas Reilly, derisively called it the "Taj Deval." Even Lieutenant Governor Timothy P. Murray, a close Patrick ally, has joked about the house: "The gift shop was awesome."
The house reflects elements of Patrick's life that are deeply private, such as his devotion to family, and very public, such as his willingness to open his home up to entertain. He said he uses either campaign money or his personal funds when he entertains there.
"Welcome," the governor, dressed in jeans, a T-shirt, and barefoot, said on Friday before giving a Globe reporter and photographer a tour of the home and property.
Most of the house is on one floor, designed so that the Patricks can retire there in their old age, although there are guest rooms on a second floor.
In his study, which has a view of the woods, the governor is planning to work on his book, which is scheduled to be published in 2010 and for which, when he signed his deal with a division of Random House, he received an advance of $1.35 million. There are numerous photos of his wife and family on a small wooden desk, framed pictures of him with Clinton, and a sign engraved with a saying from his grandfather, "Always remember who you are and what you represent."
In the basement is a ping-pong table, a pool table, a weight room, and a movie room that contains a large screen, a sound system, and plush couches.
"It is first and last a private family retreat. It's very much for our whole family," Patrick said. "We conceived it with that in mind, we built it that way, and we use it that way."
Sweet P Farm - a name that the Patricks have embroidered on hats - is derived from a term of endearment Patrick uses for Diane and their two daughters, Katherine and Sarah.
Patrick and his wife have had a wide variety of guests, including singer James Taylor and his family for a potluck dinner. Patrick had Senator Edward M. Kennedy over for dinner last year before they went to a concert at nearby Tanglewood, and US Representative John W. Olver, Democrat of Amherst, has been to the home for cocktails.
The driveway is blocked by a chained gate, warning passersby that the property is patrolled by State Police - and when the governor is there, an officer stands guard halfway up the half-mile driveway. But neighbors say the Patricks have been extraordinarily accessible, even inviting them over for drinks and hors d'oeuvres.
"I keep waiting for them to borrow a cup of sugar," said Sarah Novak, who as a welcome gift brought the Patricks homemade dandelion wine and cookies baked by her 10-year-old daughter. "That hasn't happened."
By political design or not, the house has clearly paid dividends for Patrick in a part of Massachusetts that has long felt ignored by Beacon Hill and often feels more culturally connected to New York.
"For the first time in my entire life, I feel like the Berkshires are being noticed," said Audrey Vandervoort, a 49-year-old registered nurse from West Stockbridge. "Politicians don't usually come out here."
Patrick's schedule on summer Fridays is often packed with events in Worcester and Springfield, turnpike stops on the way out west. Last year, after the governor marched in a July Fourth parade in Pittsfield, the Berkshire Eagle proudly noted that Patrick had logged more visits to the Berkshires in six months than Romney did in entire his four-year term.
Patrick also reopened a western branch of the governor's office in Springfield, the first time since 2003 residents could reach the governor in their 413 area code. He's talked of fostering a "creative economy" that would leverage communities like North Adams or the musical haven that surrounds Tanglewood. The governor also filed legislation to expand broadband Internet access in Western Massachusetts.
In Richmond, population 1,497, there's a post office, school, and volunteer fire station, but no stoplight (though one blinking light). It's the type of town where residents put "Hay For Sale" signs in their front yards. So seeing the governor and his one- or two-member security detail, which even follows him to farm stands and small markets, can be jarring.
"It's so out of context," said Lea Persing, a 44-year-old West Stockbridge resident who runs a housecleaning business and works at the Public Market where the Patricks come for morning coffee. "We're country bumpkins here. When he comes in the store, you feel the presence - even I feel awkward."
But it's also not uncommon for residents to see the governor walking his dogs or to spot one of his daughters jogging or to bump into his wife in the store down the road picking up morning coffee. The governor has been known to ride his bike around the area and tells a story of looking back in embarrassment as he realized a State Police cruiser was trailing him, preventing a long line of cars from passing (Now, a police officer follows on a bike, rather than driving alongside).
He's been spotted buying corn at a roadside stand, attending an annual zucchini festival, and obtaining his fishing license at town hall. At night, he likes going to Rouge, a restaurant and bistro in West Stockbridge that serves braised free range duck and artisanal cheeses.
In local town gossip, the governor has been eclipsed only by a rampant rumor in recent weeks that Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie were looking to buy. No one knows where the rumor started - town officials suspect it began at the local school - but it was debunked earlier this month when the home was purchased by Gordon M. Binder, the retired chief executive of pharmaceutical company
"When I tell people I live in Richmond, they ask me if I live next door to the governor," said John Hanson, a 64-year-old retired engineer. "I say no. He lives next to me. I was here first."
Matt Viser can be reached at maviser@globe.com. 