J.P.

I had to cancel my flight right before take-off. The engine was running rough and I wasn’t comfortable with taking a malfunctioning airplane a mile or more off the planet. So we reported the issue to maintenance and headed to the hangar.

As a consolation prize my husband and I stopped at a local Italian restaurant here in Tucson. It felt like it was right out of 1965 but it was a delight. There were two distinct parts to the menu: the original recipes and the “third generation” recipes, added by the current generation of owners.

I opted for the original recipe Eggplant Parmesan served “Joe’s style”, which included olive oil and red pepper flakes in the sauce. Joe definitely gave the sauce a kick and it was still quite enjoyable. We brought half of our dinner home due to the huge portions.

I look over to the leftovers.

There are some days where I just want to shut out the world and mindlessly watch videos on the Internet. YouTube suggested this “Bewitched” clip from the season five episode, “Samantha’s Super Maid”. I’ve always enjoyed this particular episodes; Endora has some great zingers, including when Samantha doesn’t know how to get rid of the maid (that will cause trouble for a home frequently visited by witches). “Samantha, you’ve been living this hum drum life for too long. Simply turn the creature into a toad and throw her out back!”.

Character actress Nellie Burt (playing Amelia, the maid) reminds me a bit of Grandma Country. Perhaps some of the facial expressions or mannerisms ring a memory or two for me.

After leaving Roswell yesterday morning I made my way south along US 70 towards Interstate 10. This brought me through the White Sands Missile Range and nearby White Sands National Monument, which apparently was renamed White Sands National Park during the Trump administration. I don’t know what the difference is between the two designations but some signs said “National Park” while others said “National Monument”.

I had a really fun time in the desert heat on the white sand. I didn’t stay outside for too long because I was worried about becoming sunburned, but I climbed a couple of the dunes and snapped some photos.

I ended up spending last night in Roswell, New Mexico. My husband and I stopped here for lunch when we first drove to Tucson in February 2021 to see the house before we signed on the dotted line.

A friendly cat welcomed me to the hotel with an air of feline disinterest. He gave me a few warm blinks in my direction but I didn’t want to disturb him from his place in the shade as it was well over 100ºF at the time.

I walked around the downtown area in an attempt to get my daily dose of steps in. I tried to make it later in the day so I wouldn’t die in the desert heat but I was still quite sweaty after all was said and done.

I’ve never seen power lines suspended over an alley or city street in the manner, but it was a common theme in Roswell.

I did notice a new sidewalk area in front of a local church but it didn’t seem particularly friendly for those with additional accessibility needs.

Dinner at a place called Peppers was good. I sat alone in a booth in the lounge area and the server didn’t make it awkward. That can sometimes happen when one dines alone but this was a good experience.