We've arrived.

Roswell, New Mexico. This town erupted onto the world map the year I was born. 1947. Did an "alien" spacecraft crash, with casualties as was first reported on the news? Or was a weather balloon mistakenly identified as part of a UFO? As they say, after seeing the information, you decide.

I am enjoying this vibrant town, which is growing but still not intimidating to navigate. There is much of the old, which I find visually satisfying, and what is new has yet to take over. We were both surprised by the town, and have to smile at ourselves about what we expected: a tiny dusty place, maybe. Soon, I will visit their Roswell Museum and Art Center.

Yesterday, we went to the UFO Museum, which was created in 1991 by people who had been involved years ago in the mysterious situation of July, 1947. In its second location, the museum has been popular over the years; they are raising money to build at a new location. As Debbie, who with her husband runs this RV park says about the museum, it's just a lot of reading. There's truth in that, but not entirely. What I found most moving were the number of typed and signed, notarized or witnessed statements of participants in the events, or their children or grandchildren, or someone in whom they had confided at the time. Those, and the story of the nurse who was called in to take notes as the officials secretly examined the bodies of the victims of the crash. She confided in the local mortician (also slightly involved), and he testifies that she was horribly upset and in fear for her life due to threats about what would happen if she talked about anything. Soon after, she moved, and a letter addressed to her returned, marked "deceased". Her identity was never published, and is still open to speculation.

Behind glass was the life size extraterrestrial figure used in the HBO movie, Roswell, later donated to the museum. I found it moving.

You decide.