Open Door Policy

The weather's getting nicer in New York. The other Saturday I took the little kids out on the deck for a porch picnic lunch, which they loved.

Every morning there's a redheaded bird that sits on that same porch rail and sings to me ... looking through my grandpa's birding field guide it looks like a redpoll. I'll need to take a picture and get back to you.

Will It Blend?

My coworker Ro is a foodie and we talk about recipes and kitchen stuff all the time. This week she was cleaning out her cupboards and brought me a couple things she was tired of.

She said she was bringing a handheld mixer with a chopper attachment — good for onions and celery without smelling like them for the next two days.

The item I wasn't expecting from her was a gleaming chrome drink blender designed by the Cylon Empire. It's heavy and solid, like carrying around an Oscar. And Stewart's is having its ice cream sale next week ...

On the menu this weekend: soup and milkshakes!

Hi-Ho, Silver, Away!

Or is that Hi-ho, Alabaster Silver Metallic, away?

Meet my new wheels, the 2012 Honda CR-V EX. I'm coming up on 2,000 miles and I love, love, love this car. It's a little roomier than my previous Accord, which will be good as the kids get taller.

I did a funny thing, I bought the car without first taking a test drive. I was renting a 2011 CR-V while my wrecked car was getting adjusted, and forgot to road test the redesigned 2012 before I started signing papers. By the time I first drove a 2012, my plates were already on it. But that's how much I trust Honda. I was in for a great surprise, the 2012 CR-V rides so much smoother, it's a lot less jarring ride than the previous models.

Built into the dash is a 6-inch LCD which has the backup camera, phone and audio controls. When I get into the car Bluetooth links with my smartphone, and I can use the dash and steering wheel controls to place calls and talk hands-free. If you get into the car while you're on the phone, you can start the car and it takes over the call.

My favorite feature: a USB port to dock and charge my iPod. The dashboard and steering wheel controls extend the iPod interface to the car — the single dashboard knob with center button restores the original iPod clickwheel interface I miss so much on the new tactile-free touchscreens. Get this, even the album art shows up on the car LCD ... wicked! There's also the standard 1/8 stereo jack so backseat drivers can DJ. Or you can plug a flash drive into USB and navigate folders onscreen. When you slow down and stop, the audio quiets a touch. It's the best iPod dock and speaker system you can buy!

As with all Hondas there are thoughtful cubbies placed all over the car, and I keep finding spots to put stuff. Pull two levers in the trunk and the rear bench seat tilts into the floor while the seatbacks fold forward to make a giant hauling area.

I keep finding new things to love. This stake conference weekend I did a lot of back and forth highway driving. It's been raining buckets, but I've felt surefooted the whole way with all-wheel drive.

I love the fog lights! They expand the peripheral view of the road at night, great for deer crossings. Outside temperature readout! MPG readout! Econ readout — arcs on either side of the speedo light up green when your driving is energy-efficient. Just lots of nice touches everywhere.

Yes, it's a tool to get me between Points A and B, I can't take it with me. But meanwhile, figuratively and literally, I'm going to enjoy the ride.

Dry

We had a very mild winter with not a lot of snow, and I think we're going to pay for it. Driving west last week along the Mohawk the river was super low with a lot of exposed river bed. U.S. Geologic Service graphs show just how bad it's been — water discharge levels normally go up this time of year, but they're headed in the opposite direction. Kind of ironic after the flooding we got from Hurricane Irene in August.

Wet

One leaf hanging on for dear life in a waterfall. Handheld with a long-ish exposure to smear the water. Hiking behind neighborhood houses at Indian Kill, Easter weekend.

Birdwatch

Here are just some of the visitors that stop by outside my new office window.

Since spring came I've been visited by this small gray tufted titmouse (yes, it's a bird). Twenty times a day he'll come fluttering and banging into my window to unleash a pecking attack. My theory is he's seeing his reflection and thinks it's a mating competitor.

I've been concerned he might develop TBI (traumatic beak injury). I printed out some photos of owls, taped them on the window outside, but they didn't do any good. In fact he finds the papers a handy place to stand and plan the next attack.

It's getting to the point where I just don't hear him anymore. Stupid bird.

Forestry Service

Things were getting cramped downtown at the Albany VA Medical Center, so they moved a bunch of us who don't see patients out to an office park near Crossgates Mall. You might think this would make me feel unwanted, but it's been such an upgrade — I'm so much happier to go to work every day. My one-way commute is now 15 miles instead of 25, there are literally a thousand less cars to contend with for parking, and I'm suddenly closer to stores and errands I can get done at lunchtime.

Where I used to have the VA boiler plant and smokestack as the view out my dirty 6th floor window, I'm now on the ground surrounded by Albany's Pine Bush Preserve just 20 feet out my floor-to-ceiling corner office windows. I'll put on my wireless headset for a conference call and watch birds, squirrels and chipmunks go about their business. During a boring call I can pull out my 300mm lens and take nature shots. I'm facing the perfect direction so that on clear days Sol tracks across the sky from one window to the next, bringing warmth and sunshine whenever I want it. What a great place to work!

Twelve April Twelve

Today's my birthday! I took the day off and got up at 4:30 a.m. to travel 3 hours west to Palmyra, NY with a pile of youth from church.

We visited the temple, toured the Smith Sr. farm and log home, walked the Sacred Grove, and climbed the Hill Cumorah. At lunch in the Cumorah visitor center basement the kids rattled the floorboards singing "Happy Birthday" to me, which made me smile.

After that full day I raced home to my kids for a pizza party and Uno ruckus. They know the way to my heart: I got bags of Peppermint Patties, almond M&Ms, giant Wint-o-Green Life Savers, Tic Tacs and Post-it Notes. I'm pretty easy to please.

All that and I drove 400 miles today. I can barely keep my eyes open. Good night!

Easter 2012

I still can't decide which I like better, the picture of Claire's chocolatey hands, or her take on the daughter of Herodias asking for John the Baptist's head in a charger.

This year the Easter bunny relied on his camouflage skills to hide plastic jellybean-filled eggs around the house: we finally found a green egg in the middle of a pile of green Legos, and the last yellow egg was nestled in the fork of my yellow mountain bike. That is one sneaky bunny.

I just realized every picture here is about food, and Claire's ears perked up when one of the speakers at church said the word "Peeps" twice in his talk. But our Easter wasn't completely shallow. After church I took the little kids to Cemetery Hill in Glenville and we walked around the tombstones and talked about how all these people would wake up someday.