Superstar Gov. Sarah Palin spent Wednesday poolside at the luxurious Biltmore Hotel Resort and Spa, surrounded by her children, would-be "first dude" (aka husband Todd), and a slew of family and friends.

Dressed in a pair of gym shorts, a Pittsburgh Penguins T-shirt and some big, dark sunglasses, the Alaska governor drew a nonstop flow of the curious, and graciously posed for photos with fans bold enough to speak to her (some poolgoers simply stopped by, took a few snaps and left)

Her unruly mob of children, led by the precocious Piper, 7, spent much of the day slipping down a huge water slide. "Piper! Piper!" the other kids yelled as she led a gang up the steps to the top of the slide. They hardly slowed for lunch, and apparently, the governor over-ordered...

(Palin's sister walked over to your blogster and said,

"Do you by any chance want a cheeseburger? Sarah ordered way too much food and I hate to see it go to waste." Your blogster ate said burger, dubbed by another reporter on hearing the story a "Palin Burger." No, it wasn't moose).

Palin was also working hard -- she shuffled through files and papers throughout the afternoon, sitting under a large umbrella. But she jumped up for more pictures when more onlookers strolled up, holding the files to one side, out of the photo, and was all smiles as she made small talk ("Oh, you're from Chicago? Great!").

Daughter Bristol, 17, who is pregnant, was also poolside. Her very large belly was barely covered by a T-shirt that had the outline of Alaska on one side and the outline of Texas on the other. The text below said: "Size Matters."

Joseph Curl, senior White House correspondent, The Washington Times

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