Cow killers at Table Rock

Judd and I both had Monday off to play with Kelcy.  We went to brunch at Buttercloud Bakery in Medford where they are known for their biscuits.  It was a bit chilly that morning, and a little overcast (with rain clouds not wildfire clouds) so it was a surprising pleasure that the bakery provides thick bright blue fleecy blank-ees so you can still sit outside.  Kelcy chose the " breakfast salad"-- a bed of kale and seeds with a big biscuit on the side.  I had a biscuit "sandwich" with zucchini and roasted red peppers. Judd suddenly felt self-conscious about his vegetarian hash, with a biscuit as it looked as if his veggies were less wholesome than ours.

We found the road 15 min away to the Table Rock mesas.  Driving through the neighborhoods between our house-town, my work-town and Judd's work-town, we can see two big flat buttes around the corner. They are upper Table Rock and lower Table Rock, jointly owned by the Nature Conservancy and the Bureau of Land Management. They're both about 2000+ft elevation. (Kelcy, having just hiked in Alaska, was not too impressed with the height or the challenge level, but he was ultimately polite.) There was an easy trail with switchbacks to the top and then about a mile walk straight across the length of the flat top to a view of Medford on the south end. We saw a couple deer and a couple humans -- no dogs allowed. It sprinkled a little but thank goodness, we never encountered a "Cow killer"  pictured on the poster at the trail head.  They are called red velvet ants which are actually in the wasp family and the female's sting is supposed to be REALLY BAD.
http://southernoregon.com/tablerock/

Tuesday, Judd and Kelcy walked to town and Kelcy book-shopped at Rebel Heart Books while Judd got a real ol' fashioned haircut at a real ol' fashioned barber. The barber lady asked, " What will it be,  just a gentleman's haircut?" and Judd said, " splendid." He looked pretty normal at the end; trimming the  errant eyebrows is what makes it gentlemanly.  Judd and Kelcy did the domestic chores like our laundry and shopping and were all ready to cook me up a steak dinner when I got back home from work. We then helped Kelcy purge and pack for his 7am fight to DC.  He purged some massive boots and salami and books, which I said I would mail him later so he didn't have to schlepp them through D.C.  He did repack one of his frozen halibut steaks, wrapped in sweaters, to give Robert and we bubbled wrapped two Rogue Brewfest beer glasses for Kelcy to take with him as party favors. We're going to miss playing tour guides!