I meant to reply earlier, but the afternoon got away from me and then I ended up outside longer than expected.
I did finally try that route you suggested through the park, and you were right, it was much quieter and a lot more relaxing than the main road.
I brought a notebook thinking I would sit for a few minutes, and somehow an hour passed before I noticed.
The breeze was nice, and the whole place felt calmer than it usually does near the weekend.
I think next time I will go a little earlier so I can avoid the last stretch when everything starts getting busier.
Also, thanks for the recommendation about bringing a lighter jacket instead of the heavier one. That turned out to be exactly right.
I was comfortable the whole time, and for once I did not feel like I had overplanned everything.

I went ahead and tested the recipe again this morning because I knew I had rushed it the first time and wanted to make sure the timing was really the issue.
It turned out much better once I stopped trying to do three things at once.
I kept the heat lower, gave everything a little more space, and paid attention to the texture instead of watching the clock.
That small change made it easier, and the end result felt much more balanced overall.
I also cleaned up as I went, which saved me from the usual pile waiting afterward, so I was in a noticeably better mood by the end.
If you try it later this week, I would say trust your instincts more than any exact instructions because your kitchen always runs a little differently.
Let me know how it turns out, because I am curious whether you get the same result with your oven and those larger pans.