Mississippi Adventure
Sunday, April 22, 2007

I've had a crazy idea in my head for the last couple of weeks. It is one of those ideas that comes from deep inside a person where it is hard to trace the roots; an idea rarely accompanied by a practical plan to execute it.

The idea is this: to float down the Mississippi river from the headwaters here in Minnesota at Lake Itasca to the Gulf of Mexico at New Orleans in a raft or canoe like Huckleberry Finn and Jim. I don't know where the inspiration came from. Perhaps this "father of all rivers" for America that flows through Minneapolis just over a mile from my house has been calling to me for an adventure. Or at least telling me to come up with an adventure of my own. I've ordered every Mississippi River journey book I can find at the library, the two best being River Journey by Clarence Jonk (1933) and Mississippi Solo by Eddy L. Harris (1988). Eddy sums up my feelings in his introduction to his river journal:

Once they have reached a certain age, dreamers are no longer held in high esteem. They are ridiculed instead, called loony and lazy, even by their friends. Especially by their friends!

Dreams are delicate and made of gossamer. They hang lightly on breezes and suspend as if from nothing. The slightest wind can tear them apart. My dream was buffeted by my friends. What the hell for? they asked me. What are you trying to prove? Why don't you just go over Niagara Falls in a barrel?

...Putting a canoe into the headwaters of the Mississippi and aiming it for New Orleans is not something a man is supposed to do. It is not considered normal or sane. Perhaps it is the danger involved, or perhaps it it too much an act of desire and determination, an act of passion and volition, or simply too out of the ordinary.

For whatever reasons, my idea met with disapproval, and instead of childish jubilation I approached conoeing the river with doubt and sorrow - sorrow because the glory with which I first came upon this adventure was dashed by friends. Like Galileo before the Church, I was ready to relinquish my radical approaches and be normal.

But this dream of mine, still suspended on the breeze and delicate as ever, was just as real as those flimsy summer spider webs hanging in the air, and just as clinging. Once the webs attach themselves to you they are hard to get rid of. And so it was with my desire to ride the river.

I doubt I will ever float down the length of the Mississippi, but what other gossomer calling is attatched to my life? I intend to find out.

Posted by Benjamin Washam 11:40 AM 5 comments  

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Keepin' It Real, Keepin' It Fresh
Wednesday, April 11, 2007


The blog had a big facelift today in hopeful preparation for the funkiness of spring to come. Right now there is two inches on snow on the ground and it is still falling fast, but I've decided to deny the obvious and believe that warm weather is right around the corner.

Posted by Benjamin Washam 10:24 PM 1 comments  



Dog Attack!!!!!!!!!

As many of you know, I work part time as a utility meter reader to help pay the bills. Dog attacks are the number one occupational hazard for meter readers, and up until yesterday, I had been fortunate enough to avoid them!

On Tuesday I was out working in Ramsey, right on the border where suburb turns into "the country." Most people had a sizeable parcel of land with their house, and most of the houses had dogs; big ones; multiple ones. For some reason this neighborhood also liked to keep their dogs outside, untied, and all the kennel doors open!

Early in the day I approached the back side of a house looking for the electric meter. I saw the back garage door slightly ajar, and before I could think twice, two large golden colored dogs came out of it and were tearing across the property towards me with the hair on the back raised, barking like mad. I froze for a split second and then started running backwards, remembering not to turn my back on an aggressive dog. The dog in the lead ran straight towards me and was lunging at me, so I put up foot to block the teeth, but that only made me flip over backwards. Somehow in the shock and adrenaline rush of it all I ended up doing a sort of backflip/summersault and landed on my feet with my pepper spray in hand, ready to fire. After my unplanned acrobatics the dogs continued to bark but kept a slight distance, so I spared them a painful spray in the face, though I really wanted to do it. I was able to back up all the way to my car, but not before two other large dogs from the neighbors came running over to join in the barking assault.

Let's just say I was a little jumpy the rest of the day whenever I heard anything that sounded like a dog coming (a LOT of things sound like a dog coming when you've just been attacked by some) and I really wanted to go home, but knew I should probably finish the day of work. I had several other encounters that day, including an owner letting her huge dobermine pincher out into the back yard with me! (She hadn't seen me enter the yard.)

That was probably my worst day on the job so far. Something else you can pray for - safety on the job!

Posted by Benjamin Washam 10:03 PM 2 comments  

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Where Do They Keep All The Children During Winter?
Monday, March 26, 2007

Today the dam broke - as the thermometer passed 70 degrees for the first time this year, the gates of people's winter hibernation chambers (homes) opened and overflowed into the streets, populating the neighborhood. The car I've been borrowing was unavailable today, so I ended up walking everywhere. A week ago my street was practically deserted all day, now it seemed every other house had a group of people sitting on the front porch relaxing, most with a radio blaring. One house would be pumping B93 rap hits, and the next would echo back with the oompapa-oompa of Mexican rigaton, only to be followed by classic rock in the next.

The biggest surprise for me was the sheer number of children! I hardly saw any all winter, and wondered how they could all have been contained inside when now the streets are filled with their shouting and laughter! There are at least 25 kids just outside the houses around me, and the trend continues down the block.

It is now that the incredible diversity and tension of the neighborhood becomes obvious. Because of the historic housing shortage in this area, ethnic groups are forced to spread out to wherever housing is available, preventing the usual ethnic neighborhoods and pockets from forming like they do in most other large cities. An American Indian family on my left, a Mexican family on my right, a well-to-do Caucasian family beside them, a Venezuelan family below me, and an African American family across from me! Welcome to Phillips Neighborhood, and to the summer months to come!

Posted by Benjamin Washam 9:46 PM 2 comments  

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What Do The Backstreet Boys, ACDC, And Benjamin Have In Common?

What we have in common is one glorious night at Wheaton College during the Senior Banquet. Me and 8 other guys from the French House fullfulled our life dream of playing a live rock show in front of all our friends. I feel it is absolutly necessary to post this video for posterity's sake, for your enjoyment, and so that other people can back me up when I'm 60 and tell my grandkids that yes, I too was once cool.

Posted by Benjamin Washam 9:23 PM 3 comments  

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Opportunity for Leadership
Wednesday, March 14, 2007

I have a cool opportunity to co-lead an internship here in Minneapolis with my fellow InnerCHANGE apprentice, Janelle. It looks like we will have three young adults coming out for the summer to experience life and ministry among the poor, and to join the rhythm of InnerCHANGE as an order.

I don't know many details, but I'm excited about the chance to take a leadership role with the team to share the difficult joy of working incarnationally among the poor with new people. I'm being flown out to San Francisco this weekend for a few days of leader orientation, and I should have some more details to share after that.

Posted by Benjamin Washam 2:37 PM 1 comments  



Golden Eagles
Saturday, March 10, 2007

This past week I joined Golden Eagels, an after school program run by the Minneapolis American Indian Center. The MAIC is the social and cultural "hub" for American Indians in south Minneapolis.

Each Monday from 4:30-7:00pm I get to hang out with a group of 5-12 year olds from the neighborhood. After a cafeteria style dinner together at 4:30, we split up the time with homework help time, game time in the gym, and a talking circle with special guest speakers and activities.

The theme this month is Alcohol, and the guest speaker for my first talking circle was Mike the cook, who told the kids his story of struggling through alcoholism and how it had affected his friends and family. A bunch of the kids chimed in with stories of their own about family members dying as a result of alcohol. At 7 and 8 years old it was normal to have multiple family members dead as a result of alcohol. At one point Mike was explaining how alcohol was introduced to Indians with the arrival of white people and their "whiskey." I was sitting in the circle nodding my head in ageement when I realized I was the only white person in the room! It was an ironic moment that was not so much awkward as it was meaningful. After that a little girl raised her hand and innocently asked Mike "what would it have been like if the white people had never come?" Again I looked around the room, but all eyes were on Mike. He explained how the environment would probably be in much better shape, and that you might be able drink straight out of the rivers and lakes. I thought that was a terrific answer, considering his audience. :-)

This is a fantastic opportunity not only to meet local kids and have regular interactions, but also to learn about Native culture and values alongside them.

Please pray that I can form relationships of trust with these kids, and that my presence with them would be the presence of Jesus. Pray that I would have compassion and discernment in how to love these kids well, and how best to respond to the issues they face everyday.

Posted by Benjamin Washam 10:39 PM 2 comments  

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Ice and Light
Monday, March 05, 2007


Is the above picture

A: a moutain range
B: the trough of a huge sea swell
C: a waterfall frozen in time

If you guesed "c," you were correct. Saturday I visited Minnehaha falls, a 60ft. frozen waterfall located only a few miles south of my house that I didn't even know existed! Here are some shots I captured.








Posted by Benjamin Washam 4:09 PM 7 comments  

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The Death Of A Car
Wednesday, February 21, 2007

My Jeep, Mary, is dead.

In just over nine months she twice carried me and all my physical possesions across the country without a fuss, until, at the ripe old age of 210,473 miles, she passed on. That was yesterday - I was on my to read meters for work when she popped out of gear, never to go back in again. It seems she died of a severe case of disagreement between her many gears.

To find out why she was named Mary, you have to watch this Irish tv commercial where the inspiration came to the former owner, my college roomate, Mike. The phrase "come on, Mary!" was used often enough to get the car started or to make it up a big hill.

The picture at the top is of Mary and I at the Badlands in South Dakota during my road trip from Chicago back to Yakima, WA after I graduated from college. If you look closely in the picture (click on it to zoom in) you can see all my stuff crammed in the back and the tip of a lone close hanger sticking up in the passenger seat.

This is sad news as it feels like I have lost a long-time friend. But more than that - it puts me in a predicament as far as transportation goes. I just started this new meter reading job last week, and I need a car to continue working. (I can't afford to not be working right now!) I have been overwhelmed by the amount of people who have said I can borrow their car when I need it. I am hugely grateful to them, but at the same time, I am still praying that God would provide a more permanent form of transportation. I am thankful for the extra years that God seemed to stretch out of this vehicle when she should have stopped many miles ago.

Posted by Benjamin Washam 9:44 PM 2 comments  

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All In A Day's Walk
Wednesday, February 14, 2007

A few snapshots from my first two days on the job as a meter reader:

-Having a lady call the police on me because she didn't believe I was a meter reader. (The neon reflective vest that says "meter reader" and giant meter reading PDA that looks like a cell phone from 1991 weren't enough to convince her.) And don't worry, I outran the police.

-Seeing numerous pitbulls, bulldogs, german shepherds, and rottweilers, along with a million other dogs out in yards I was supposed to enter - and none of them attatched to my body! Why do people buy these dangerous guard dogs when in the same neighborhood people also leave their garage doors open all day when they're at work????

-Getting stuck in the snow in my Jeep

-Being gone for work from 7:30am to 7pm and realizing most people who commute do this every day....

Posted by Benjamin Washam 8:47 PM 2 comments  

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Eureka! A Job!
Saturday, February 10, 2007

u-til-i-ty, (yōō-tĭl'ĭ-tē); n. pl. u·til·i·ties, from L. utilitatem (nom. utilitas) "usefulness, serviceableness, profit,"

  1. The quality or condition of being useful; usefulness: "I never imagined myself finding utility in working for a utility company" -Benjamin M. Washam (1983- )
  2. A commodity or service, such as electricity, water, or natural gas, that is provided by a public utility.
This is not a desk job, or a warehouse job, or a retail job, or even a delivery job! I have entered into the nebulous field of a "meter reader." You might have seen one of these curious men or women sneaking around your house during the week with a PDA in one hand and pepper spray for aggressive dogs in the other. Please don't harass them; better yet, why not offer them a glass of hot chocolate and some warm cookies? It could be me....*

The biggest challenge at this point besides rabid dogs will, of course, be the cold. With average daytime temperatures still negative, I am having to outfit myself with fancy equipment like "wool sox" and "three layers of long underwear." One neat little trick they recommended is called yaktrax, which is basically a pair of removable snow chains for your feet. Pretty cool.

So I'm now employed with RMR Services, a independent contractor that works with utility providers in the Twin Cities Metro area to install, repair, and read meters for gas, water, and electricity. Basically, I'll be doing a short commute out to the suburbs, parking my car and walking 10-12 miles a day house to house recording gas, water, or electric meter reading. The pay is great, and the hours are flexible! If nothing else, it will help get me in shape to hike the Pacific Crest Trail in the summer of '08 if for some crazy reason I decide to join my cousin. (Why not?)

(photo credit 1) (photo credit 2)

Posted by Benjamin Washam 7:26 PM 2 comments  

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OK Computer
Monday, February 05, 2007

The power source WAS the problem, and I am now back in business! (The business of keeping this blog updated, that is.)

Posted by Benjamin Washam 5:12 PM 1 comments  

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