GOOD TO GO AWAY, GOOD TO BE HOME

Gei gazinta hait aun kum gazinta hait. The Yiddish expression, meaning go in good health and come back in good health, surfaces every time my husband and I travel.

For what seemed like endless years, my Aunt Fannie urgently repeated the sentiments before anyone in the family went on a trip. Now, our friend Barbara, who uncannily resembles Aunt Fannie, echoes her words each time we are about to travel. Admittedly, it’s comforting.

My mother’s refrain, "It’s good to go away and good to be home," never felt so right. We experienced that especially after being away for 2 1/2 weeks recently when we visited our daughter and son-in-law in Southern California and then spent a few days with our cousins traveling to tour Death Valley.

The beauty in this country is breathtaking (see my blog post at sharonmarkcohen.com, Bozeman Please, dated September 6, 2022), and Death Valley swallows up lots of that splendor. Who knew the desert could be so exciting? It helped to have a knowledgeable tour guide in our Cousin Jeffrey, who has been to Death Valley 50 times. He pointed out where many movies were filmed and even sent clips of some scenes in the now familiar territory at Dante's Peak, where Star Wars - 1977 was partially filmed.

Jeffrey noted it was where “Ben” [later revealed as Obi-Wan] Kenobi tells Luke Skywalker, “You will never find a more wretched hive of scum and villainy” when referring to Mos Eisley Spaceport. Jeffrey even sent the telling link: Sunny Wars: Episode #022, suggesting we look at seconds 10-12.

On an October midday in Death Valley, the rental car (who would take their personal auto?) showed an outside temperature of 108 degrees Fahrenheit. A dry heat. As we dropped Cousin Esther off at her house, got a quick hug from her daughter Stephanie, and headed for LAX, the temp was a comfortable dry 90 degrees.

Upon arrival home on that crisp fall morning, the thermometer registered 46 degrees when we landed in Newark and rose to 50 outside our house. We tried to brave it as the temps went up to the high 60s but had to crack the heat as the nighttime drop indicated readings in the 40s.

Although we can’t change the weather, we can rack up fond memories by traveling and taking in new scenery. There's no getting away from the fact that the experience of seeing Death Valley was enchanting, yet, it’s equally good to be home in our familiar territory and view our beautiful New Jersey gardens. The autumn colors of the trees in the Northeast made the trip home all the more inviting.

While still using abundant caution, it’s great to be back socializing and traveling after the pandemic lockdown. Not everyone is lucky enough to have a Cousin Jeffrey to use as a personal tour guide. He drove us to Pahrump, Nevada, where he arranged our overnight stay before heading back to California in the morning to explore Death Valley. As we settle in back home, we are excited at the thought of more adventures with our California family.