Both Mr Geithner and the White House deny the rumours, but the constant battle with a stonewalling opposition has surely taken a toll.

Innkeeper Ruth Wakefield, owner of the Toll House Inn in Wakefield, Massachusetts, was trying to bake a chocolate dessert for her guests, but the chips didn't melt thoroughly.

Although the area is still relatively quiet even in Summer, tourism has begun to take its toll with increasing house prices, busier towns and most worryingly pollution to the lake itself.