Exploring the Wild West (of Ireland)
Sunday, September 10, 2006

A quick post to update on where I've been, a more detailed story to come. I got back yesterday from a four day, whirlwind tour of the western parts of Ireland. The west is generally more "traditional" and "old-fashioned" than the hip eastern shore; also the home of Irelands hills, cliffs, and endless tour coaches full of rowdy German tourists. The following posts will detail specific stops along the way.

Posted by Benjamin Washam 6:41 PM 0 comments  

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Ireland Day 1 and 2
Saturday, September 02, 2006

I finally made it to Ireland Friday morning and was gratefull to be met my Mike's parents, and aunt and uncle who proceeded to whisk me off directly to their favorite fish and chips place on the coast north of Dublin. After having my fill and more, we landed at 7 Corbawn Grove, Shankill, County Dublin, Ireland - their home. I slept like a baby.

The next day I was picked up my Mike's brother and sister in law, Matt and Hailey, and their two wonderful kids for my first Irish Fete. A fete is basically a giant yard sale that the entire town comes out to for the purpose of swapping junk around, plus all the small rides and food booths of a carnival, plus a gymnasium full of baked goods and happy ladies in the biggest bake sale I've ever seen (including the best banana-walnut bread I've ever purchased for 1 euro.), all sponsored by a local church, for the purpose of raising money for a school. It all sounds rather confusing, but when visited in person it is simply delightful. It was almost a dream come true for me - two of my favorite things in the world: cheap junk and baked goods!

There was one thing at the fete that really threw me off. They had a local band playing music for the fete which could be heard far beyond the limits of the church grounds. I got out of the car a couple blocks away and was startled and confused to hear not traditional Irish music beckoning me, but downright Dixieland Jazz blaring out from a quintet on the stage! And they were downright good, too! I guess it was a tribute to the globalism and multiculturalism that has overtaken much of this small nation by storm over the past decade. All in all, it was very disorienting on my first day of exploring Irish culture to have my foot tapping to a soaring trombone improvosation over a Duke Ellington-esque jam.

It was at this most unusual, and most enjoyable church/circus/garage sale that I made my first lasting friend in Ireland, and I'd like to introduce him to you, because he will probably be showing up in a lot of pictures after this.


His name is Asal. (Donkey in Irish.) I found him while rummaging through the bottom of a bin in the 'Toys' tent at the fete. He's one of those genius German made wooden toys. As you press up on a spring-loaded disk on the bottom of the base, the strings running through his body can be controlled, almost like a puppet. Basically, this donkey can dance!

That's all for now, I've got to run to a 21st birthday party for a girl at "The Goat" pub in Goatstown. Check back later!

Posted by Benjamin Washam 7:58 PM 4 comments  

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Journey Log 3 - East Coast Adventures

I arrived on the Empire Builder into Penn Station, New York, only 3 hours late! I hopped on a bus and was picked up in Jersey by 8pm by my good friend Charles Taylor who put me up most hospitably for the night. After my first night's sleep in a bed in over 5 nights, we awoke early and drove to the airport where I took off for Philadelphia. What I failed to realize before was that the numbers 11:30am and 8:30pm meant that I had almost a 9 hour layover in Philly! To make the most of the time I caught the train to downtown and had a grand old time seeing Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell (strangely, after watching American Treasure the night before) and visiting Christ Church, where our nation's first two presidents and many other officials went church every Sunday.

When I returned to the airport to get on my flight to Dublin, I heard an announcemenet over the intercom that they were overbooked and were asking for some volunteers to take a later flight to Dublin. At this I jumped up and ran to to counter, realizing that I had probably the most flexible schedule of anyone in that terminal, and also remembering that people had sometimes recieved good compensation for this act of charity. Good compensation, I found out, was to the tune of a free round-trip ticket to and from anywhere the airline flies, anytime in the next year! Woohoo!!! I still haven't decided where I'll go yet.

The delay and detour also got me a stopover in Glasgow, and a stamp in my passport from Scotland. Woohoo 2!!!

Posted by Benjamin Washam 7:48 PM 0 comments  



Journey Log 2 - Wheaton

I had a fantastic time for 48 hours in Wheaton. I stayed with some of my old suite-mates and saw generally a whole lot of people, more than I could have hoped. By the end of the first day I wasn't tired of telling why I was there, but my body was exhausted from interacting with so many people in so short a time. Thanks to all of you who stopped to chat and apologies for those I didn't run into! The entirely new Fischer dorm looks great, Saint and Elliot are now a field of dirt, and Bon Appettit is still serving the best food ever. Ahhh...all is right in that part of the world.

Posted by Benjamin Washam 7:43 PM 0 comments  

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Journey Log 1 - Train



It was long.

65 hours long, but worth it. On Amtrak's Empire Builder train, I got to see the whole country almost from shore to shore; every inch minus the ones that passed while my eyes were closed. I slept very fitfully my first night, but awoke to a gloriously mellow sunrise in the Rocky Mountains over a fog-shrouded valley. As the sun rose higher, so did the mountains as we cruised effortlessly through Glacier National Park in Northern Montana. That morning I sat in the sightseer car observing crystal clear, aqua blue mountain streams flowing along next to the tracks, spotting a mountain goat here and there.

A nice looking gentleman sat beside me, and, temporarily forgetting not to judge a book by its cover, I thought to myself, "this guy HAS to be a British professor." After I greeted him and he responded "You can call me Richard" in a very stong British accent, I knew I was on to something. The conversation came round and I asked where he was headed. He responded, "Oh, I'm just about to start a three year professorship at Cambridge University." Am I good, or am I good. After I found out he was teaching Biochemistry, I swallowed hard and then proceeded to have a brilliant and eye-opening conversation about the human immune system and the latest research. Fascinating, really.

The next 24 hours were filled with the golden, yet bottomless wasteland of Northern Montana, North Dakota, and Western Minnesota. There isn't anything there. I'm serious.

After a long stop in St. Paul, I hit Wheaton, which will be covered in the next post.

Posted by Benjamin Washam 7:06 PM 0 comments  



Me, Coming To A Town Near You!
Friday, August 18, 2006

Before the responsibilities of life come crashing in, (i.e., college loan payments) I have a couple more months of freedom. I've decided to take off on a four week, 5000 mile journey on road, rail, air and foot to see old friends and places, and to meet new ones. From August 25th to September 22 I will be MIA, available only by appointment, crazy random running into, and by cell phone. (e-mail me for the number)

I will be traveling solo in principle, but we all know how that goes. I go with open eyes to see what God is doing around the world, and to step into the good works God has prepared in advance for me to do, no matter how small. I take with me an open mind without ambition or design to learn what direction I will move in next after the trip. And I hope to see you.

If you are anywhere near any of the locations listed below at the times listed and would like to hang out, please e-mail me or just post a comment to this blog post and it will be immediatly e-mailed to me.


Itinerary

Friday, August 25, 9pm - Depart Amtrak Station, Pasco, WA

Sunday, August 27, 4pm - Arrive Union Station, Chicago, IL, depart for Wheaton, IL
Staying at Wheaton College

Tuesday, August 29, 8pm - Depart Wheaton, IL for Union Station Chicago

Wednesday, August 30, 3:30pm - Arrive Penn Station, New York, NY
Staying Overnight in an Airport in New York. (any suggestions?)

Thursday, August 31, 1:30pm - Depart LaGuardia Airport, NY

Friday, September 1, 9am - Arrive Dublin, Ireland
Staying with Mike Kingsley in Dublin

Friday, September 15, 11am - Depart Dublin, Ireland

Friday, September 15, 4pm - Arrive LaGuardia Airport, NY, depart for Bethlehem, PA
Staying with my brother Nathanael in Bethlehem

Friday, September 22, 11am - Depart Philadelphia Airport, PA, arrive Seattle, WA 4pm.
Who knows what's next?

Posted by Benjamin Washam 12:55 AM 2 comments  

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They Finally Got Me On The Grid....

A good friend of mine, Jon Felton, (see Previous Post "My First Recording Contract") has as one of his life motto's to "stay off the grid" as much as possible; basically, to live as simply, organically, self-sufficiently, and as unreliant on the economy "system" as he can. It is a not-so-subtle, mindful attempt to avoid being influenced by the powers that be and staying under the radar of the world. Examples of this lifestyle are refraining from television or internet or credit/debit cards, not having a cell phone, being a vegetarian, driving a vegetable oil powered car, making your own music, buying only used clothes, etc, etc, etc. I was a most avid follower in at least two ways, television and cell phones, as any of you who know me at all can confirm.

I write this as a confession that I have joined the grid. I now own a personal cellular telephone. The government can now track me, my communication patterns are monitored by a multi-national corporation, and I can't hide from people as well any more. I know, I know; some of you are gasping in shock and horror, others are shaking their heads with a smirk, saying "I knew ol' fashioned Benjamin would come around!" With the amount of traveling and moving around I will be doing in the next years, and my need for a permanent number for, say, job interview call backs, I figured it was right. And now I can call all my college friends who are all over the country/world.

No, I still won't post my number publicly on the web, but you can e-mail me anytime and if I like you I will send you my cell number.

Posted by Benjamin Washam 12:38 AM 0 comments  

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Back to Planet Earth

So I haven't updated my blog in a long time. A very unblog-like long time. I could make excuses, like, "I've been retreating up in the mountains away from the information super highway," or, "what little internet they do have usually doesn't work," or, "I don't have a computer up here," but you probably don't care. So I'll post a couple times to try and catch you up with the big news.

The good news is, I am coming back to planet earth. Tomorrow is my last day of work at Camp Ghormley, and this weekend I will complete the move into my first real house. Actually, it's the basement of a guy I know from church, but after living in a run-down cabin for three months, a house in Yakima with all my stuff sounds like a palace. So if you want to find me, stop by 607 South 27th Avenue.

Posted by Benjamin Washam 12:30 AM 0 comments  

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Solo
Thursday, June 01, 2006



A camping trip in the Cascade Mountains has been long overdue (like, 4 years overdue). So I went on a solo trip last night back up near the top of the ridge above Rimrock Lake. I found a meadow that had been clear-cut some years ago that provided a perfect view above the trees of the whole valley, Rimrock Lake, Mount Rainer, and the Goat Rocks Wilderness. (If you click on the panoramic photo above, you can see my tent and campfire. It's 7 photos, 180 degrees.)

I had a peaceful night of silence and solitude, complimented by the unmatched pleasure of sitting by a crackling campfire. A dazzling sunset finished it off.
This all again reinforced my conviction that experiencing the majesty of nature as we can observe it always produces some form of worship; whether that be worship of a creator, of the creation itself or of our dominion over it - it will move us to worship. I was glad to end my day on the mountaint with a rousing solo rendition of the song Let Us Adore before crawling into my sleeping bag. I stood on a high ledge and sang at the top of my lungs, echoing across the vast empty valley stretching out before me. I had the strangest feeling that though no person heard me, all creation was singing along in harmony.

Posted by Benjamin Washam 12:37 AM 2 comments  

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My First Recording Contract
Friday, May 26, 2006

A bit of personal history with a surprising ending:

Last November a band drove from Frostburg, Maryland to Wheaton College to play a one-night concert. A friend of mine played in the band, and she told me to come. I did, and was surprised to hear the most unique, refreshing, fun, prophetic and musical group I had ever heard.

The band: Jon Felton and the Soulmobile, a unique indie acoustic fusion of folk, rock, bluegrass, gospel, and catchy storytelling. The band features Jon, who plays guitar, sings, and plays drums with his feet on pedals all at the same time, accompanied by the “Soulmobile,” five other friends who play ukulele, guitar, congas, harmonica, trumpet, piano, pedal-organ, trombone, screaming, trombone case, cello, and sundry catcalls and hand percussion. I was entranced not only with the music and the lyrics, but also with the band members whose genuineness and heart for ministry caught me by the heart. After hanging out with them after the concert I told myself, “I want to do whatever I can to help this band keep spreading their music and their good news.”

I asked them if there was anything I could do to help them. They mentioned half-jokingly that they needed to record all their new music into an album, but didn’t have anyone to do it for them. At that moment I felt a weird sense from God, my soul, or both saying – “GO for it! Why not?” I had spent the past six years immersed in music, and for the previous two years had been studying and practicing music recording and mixing. I sensed that God had brought us together that night for a very special reason, and I wasn’t going to let it go.

To make a long story short, we agreed that I would fly out to Frostburg, Maryland over my Christmas break and record their new music. When I arrived, we begged, bought and borrowed enough sound equipment to put together a ramshackle recording studio in Jon’s living room and dining room. My control room was an old alcove with a mattress leaned across the doorway for soundproofing.

Basically, we recorded 23 entire tracks in 7 days, and that included setting up the studio, and me learning new recording software - a miracle, really; and some of the most fun I've had in my entire life.

The new album we recorded is called All Creation Sings, and it will be available very soon. If you’d like to hear the demo, let me know and I can get you one with 13 tracks already on it. Otherwise, you can listen to a couple songs at their myspace site, the Soulmobile link highlighted above, or wait until the album is released in early June.

Posted by Benjamin Washam 2:52 AM 0 comments  

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Something you might like....

You will notice a new box under my photo at the top to the right – Blogarithm. I borrowed the idea from my friend Mike’s blog. If you want to stay updated on my blog without having to check it all the time, simply put your e-mail address in the blank and it will simply notify you when there is a new post to save you any hassle!

Posted by Benjamin Washam 2:50 AM 0 comments  



Road Trip
Friday, May 19, 2006

I had a dilemma: I had graduated from College in Wheaton, Illinois, and was supposed to be working at a camp this summer in Washington State (see a couple posts below for info on the camp). I needed to get from point A to point B with all my earthly possesions. A friend most graciously gave me his car, a 1989 bright red Jeep Cherokee named Mary. (Thanks Mike!)

Mary and I undertook the 2253 mile journey in 6 days from school to home stopping off in three cities, having a grand old time. (Click on the Jeep for a larger picture.) Besides Mary, it was a solo trip where I did a lot of thinking, and listened to The Adventures of Hucklyberry Finn and Robinson Crusoe unabridged on CD. The total drive time was about 40 hours.

My first stop was in Minneapolis, MN with the Paurus family, friends from Wheaton. I had the privaledge of meeting Yoshi, a Japanese friend of theirs who was also a guest in their home. Yoshi drank more tea than anyone I have ever met, and showed me some cool things with Japanese characters.

On the way to my next stop, I drove through the Badlands, which were absolutely amazing. Here are some pictures.





Next, I landed in Rapid City, South Dakota. I didn't know a soul in South Dakota, so the day before I left, I looked online at the Paurus's and tried to find a place. After looking up a couple of homeless shelters, I stumbled upon an Christian and Missionary Alliance Church's website. (I grew up in the CMA.) No one answered in the church office when I called, so I had to get sneaky. I found their listing of small groups and got someone's home phone number that way. I called the number and was surprised to speak with the pastor's wife on the phone, who had actually met my dad before at a CMA conference in Seattle! She hooked me up to stay with Craig, a middle aged mechanic who ran an off-road 4x4 custom repair shop. Me and Craig had a fantastic time together, and the next morning on my way out he told me to stop by his auto shop. He ended up repairing and replacing a number of things on my Jeep at no charge. Thanks Craig!

My last stop before home was in Bozeman, MT in the middle of the Rocky Mountains. I stayed with the parents of Tim Lockie, the man I worked with for InnerCHANGE in San Francisco last summer. (See a couple of posts down for info on my summer and a picture of Tim overlooking the Golden Gate Bridge.) In Bozeman I enjoyed delicious barbeque, live Blugrass music, and made many new friends.

At 5:45pm on Wednesday, May 17th, I rolled across the Columbia Plateau of Eastern Washington, and as the Cascade Mountains appeared on the horizon and Mt. Ranier loomed nearer in the distance, I rolled into the Yakima Valley and pulled up in front of my house, just in time for dinner.

I praise God for the many prayers that kept me safe and helped Mary keep running, and for the generous hospitality I experienced that encouraged me the whole trip! home.

Posted by Benjamin Washam 12:37 AM 4 comments  

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