My Favorite Bird

While we were in Iowa, we got to enjoy great looks at my favorite North American bird, the red-headed woodpecker. This was one of the first birds I identified by myself (as a 7-year-old in Iowa in 1969, not far from where this photo was taken in September 2006) and everything about the red-headed just gets me fired up.

I love its mix of colors. I love the way its wings flash like a semaphore when in flight. I love the bird's call: Queerp! And I love the fact that where you see one red-headed woodpecker, there are almost always others around--they are loosely colonial.

We showed the red-headeds we found to our kids, our nephews, and a bunch of our dear Iowa friends. Everyone who peeked in the scope at this cooperative red-headed (above) said "Wow!"

Talk about a great bird....

Another Sign of the Times

My friend and BOTB reader Jack Cole sent this along. It seems there was a meeting in Green Valley, AZ of the folks who study flying pigs. Bet THAT cocktail hour was a fun one.

Under the Weather

Sorry, BOTB readers, for leaving you hanging for a few days. I came down with a mysterious ailment that robbed me of most of yesterday (and entirely removed my ability to blog). But I feel better now, and my first task is to get something posted here on BOTB.

Here are a few things I've learned in the interim:

• You CAN get good, friendly help at a hospital these days.
• You can buy your prescriptions from a vending machine, right inside the hospital.
• Backless hospital gowns do NOT make you feel sexy.
• One of the many reasons I did not become a doctor is that there are things you have to do and see when examining your patients that surely must try your patience.

Here's the lowdown. I was having stomach pain and, while enjoying a round of golf (with heavy amounts of bird watching), it became apparent to me that I needed to get checked out. So I went to the local hospital here in my hometown of Pella, Iowa. In fact it was the same hospital I was born in, way back somewhere in the 1960s--sorry the actual date is lost in a haze.

I was welcomed to the hospital, filled out some paperwork, went to an examination room, got seen by the physician's assistant, then the doc. Had some tests, and an X-ray. Got the results, chatted about them with the doc. All in all a very civilized treatment.

The very nice doc I was examined by thought it might be a kidney stone. I'm not completely buying it. I think it might have been the reuben sandwich I ate in Cedar Rapids, Iowa on Thursday afternoon--Cedar Rapids is not world famous for the freshness of its pastrami. But who the heck knows. So far the tests are showing it's nothing serious and I am very cool with that.

I think I am on the mend now. And we'll be home before you read this, so I am sure to be all better and fully blog-operational as soon as possible.

Special thanks to the kind folks at the Pella Regional Health Center. The next time I'm sick I hope it's in Pella.