The Name of the Cow

I got there. And before the weekend was out I pushed through almost 4K past where I'd stopped for rewrites, completing the "aftermath" scene that follows the body drop, and beginning Penny's sojourn down Blue Highways. In a rented Toyota Tacoma, though, not on a motorbike wearing a helmet painted with an American flag.

 I'm probably going to reconstruct that opener several times before I call it close enough. But I'm pushing on to Roswell. Again the difficulties of this approach are killing me; I don't want to go deep into conspiracy theories and I really want to avoid getting into any detail about Ancient Alien stuff. If for no other reason, than it inevitably drags in Penny's historical knowledge -- and her history with similar conspiracies.

And I'm trying for, not quite blank slate, and certainly not a reboot, but not having quite so much baggage.

And McDonald got his real name. That was always a placeholder, even if I was starting to take it seriously. But I like the idea of a very ordinary hispano name that leads many of the people Penny is interacting with to think of him as just a random old guy on public support, who died without accomplishment or legacy.

Which is also what motivates Mary Cartwright (who is also hispano, with strong links to Santa Clara Pueblo, but doesn't get a revealing name. So I guess she's taking over the "yes, intermarriage is a thing" point from MacDonald).

Juan Baca.

No, not "baka"

Or "bacta"

But one of the family names of original Spanish settlers which are still extremely common in New Mexico. So a direct link to idea of heritage and identity...all the way back to who exactly was walking along that ancient Lake Otero (and when!)

Sometimes still spelled "Vaca," shortened from "de Vaca," and, yes, probably has a direct connection to that famous explorer of the southwest, Cabeza de Vaca himself.