KAILUA — When U.S. Sen. Barack Obama vacations in your neighborhood, you can expect folks to gravitate toward the light.

Yesterday, the celestial pinpoint was a residence along a Kailua beach where the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee and his family are kicking back before the National Democratic Convention later this month.

And although the ultimate celebrity status was pinned on Obama by his political opponent, presumptive Republican presidential nominee John McCain, few who migrated across the sands toward the Obama compound appeared to doubt it.

"We normally don't walk down quite this far," Kailua resident Rita Shuford sheepishly confessed. "We saw the crowd and thought we'd check it out," added Shuford, who walks her dogs, Koa and Kiko, farther down the beach every morning.

Shuford wasn't lucky enough to catch a glimpse of Obama, but she made no secret of the fact that she'd like to, or that she intends to vote for him come November.

And if she did bump into him, "I'd say, bring it home!" she said, giving a big thumbs up.

Beau Smith was with a group of about a dozen Mainland Obama fans who camped overnight near the residence.

"This is Barack Obama Watch '08," said Smith, of San Francisco. "We've been on the beach since last night waiting to see him. We saw him last night eating in the window. I waved, but he didn't wave back — I think he was a little busy."

The window through which Smith eyeballed Obama is attached to an 11,000-square-foot, $8.3 million residence, according to public records. The property has 10 bedrooms and nine bathrooms, and is one of the largest homes in a tree-lined, oceanside area abundant with posh homes and pools.

Police and federal agents stationed at each end of the property politely but firmly kept gawkers and newshounds at bay, and one reporter who strayed inside the no-no zone was promptly shooed away by a Secret Service agent.

"Did you know you're not supposed to be in this area?" she asked.

"Uh, no," replied the reporter.

"Well, it's not marked very well, but this is definitely a private area, so, unless you live here or you're with us, there is no access."

A GRIN AND A HELLO

Kailua resident Dianne Cook not only arrived early enough yesterday to lay eyes on Obama on the beach at around 6:30 a.m., but she snapped his photo and got a grin and hello from him to boot.

"We heard that he was staying in the area and that he might be on the beach," Cook said. "So, we decided to come down and see if we might spot him.

"And we were walking along the beach and ... all at once there he was, jogging along with his shoes in his hand. We were probably only 6 feet from him when he passed by with two or three Secret Service agents. And I guess we didn't look threatening because they didn't seem to mind us speaking to him."

Dan Kwiatkowski was sorry he missed Obama.

"If I met him I'd say I support him and that he has support from the military, which is traditionally a conservative bastion," said Kwiatkowski, who is in the Navy. "I hope he has a restful stay in Hawai'i, and I'm glad he's taking a break from the stump."

Charlotte Cox, 27, who lives on beachfront property not far from the Obama compound, echoed those sentiments.

"I've got to say I'm really glad he's going to get a vacation," Cox said. "And this is a beautiful place to have it. It's important for him to spend time with his family and for his family to spend time with him. And he's such a political figure it doesn't happen very often."

'LOST' IN THE CROWD

Long after the morning's last Obama sighting, the throng continued to mill about the beach in anticipation of his return. By the time Angela Stello, 27, of Kane'ohe showed up shortly after noon, Obama had apparently gone off to play golf.

Not that Stello was among the star-struck.

"I was just taking a walk on the beach and I saw this crowd and the cameras, and I thought maybe they were filming 'Lost,' " she said. "I went up to the people who were filming and asked them what was going on. And they said, 'Oh, supposedly Barack is staying at that house.'

"I was kind of disappointed that it wasn't 'Lost.' "