Saturday, October 28, 2006

Castle Time: Castlewellan Castle… castle.

Lakeview

It wasn’t too long after we started regular older youth meetings in September that we realized we needed more than just one Saturday a week to really get to know our teens. Part of the solution to this quandary was our Great Day of Fun at Drewstown House, but the second—and more elaborate—scheme involved an entire weekend away at a castle in Northern Ireland. The castle was Castlewellan Castle in the town of Castlewellan. We like to say castle.

The trip, as planned, went through many changes and upheavals before it came true, and cancellations was at one point considered. The youth were concerned that they wouldn’t get enough time to study that weekend (imagine!); they were sick, but then they got better, but then someone else got sick; or, they mightn’t be able to get time off work for 2.5 days. Well, in the end, six leaders went (that’s all of us: Tim, Liz, Eric, Donna, Ash & myself) and six youth. That’s a 1:1 leader-to-youth ratio: any youth worker’s dream. The official date of the older youth (currently in the process of re-branding...?) Super Weekend of Fun was Friday 13 to Sunday 15 October 2006.

Twelve
There's the entire Castlewellan gang.

And what a super weekend it was. Ash & I traveled with Eric & Donna for the entire 165 minutes (shorter than your average full-length film but, nonetheless, a very long time in Ireland) and enjoyed an absorbing lesson on the history and politics of Northern Ireland, complete with a healthy, rousing debate and two different Irish perspectives (that of the first-generation English immigrant versus the tried-and-true, pure-bred—sorry Eric—southern, Catholic-raised Irishwoman). I do not at all mean to make this sound uninteresting or dry; it was not so.

At any rate, we eventually turned onto the castle grounds as the last rays of the sun disappeared ‘neath the horizon. We were cordially welcomed and shown to our rooms—pleasant enough, indeed—before we headed to our lounge for a light lunch of hot dogs and crisps, at which point the guys were thoroughly educated in the way of manners concerning women. We ate the last hot dogs.

That very night, at 22:45, we began a game of Mission Impossible, which pitted the boys against the girls in a race to deliver tokens to a designated spot whilst remaining undetected by the leaders. This was carried out in a wonderfully dark wood without torches. The boys had a very blitz-like strategy which won them 3 points, but the girls, who were far more cautious and clever, amassed a grande total of 0. Fair play to them! Next, it was the leaders’ turn to take on the youth. We played for 15 minutes before they got bored of patrolling the grounds, but we did manage to deliver 3 tokens in that time. We all gathered in the stone circle and began to think about going to bed—it was Saturday now. Wait a moment—where are Ashleigh and Liz? Alright girls! The gig is up! Time to come out! You don’t have to hide anymore!

Nearly half an hour and several grey hairs later, Ashleigh and Liz realized that, no, the youth were not trying to be tricky by impersonating the leaders and announcing that the game was over so that Ash & Liz would come out of the bushes and get caught—brilliant scheme—but no, that was not it. No, it was actually the leaders who had been looking for them since midnight. We all had a nervous chuckle about it.

The next morning, when we finally got around to inspecting the castle, we realized that it had many interesting and castley features such as rooms on the ground-and-a-halfth floor, many small and large stairways, doors that don’t close and doors that don’t open, a mounted moose head, and probably enough plaster to bridge the Irish sea. However, by far the “coolest” feature was this room:

Hidden room

Saturday was packed with activity and—you guessed it—fun. But I can’t go into detail on everything, though it would be fascinating, I’m sure! The meals were very, very good, especially considering that they were cooked up with 150 people in mind (there was another group staying at the castle as well). Tim led two excellent reflective Bible studies on discipleship and the story of Zacchaeus. While the oldest youth took a study break, the rest of us went for a leisurely stroll around the lake, which proved to be longer in circumference than we initially estimated. Along the way, we learned how to make a real raft.

Lake path
Stumped
The four of us climbed this tree stump.

Tim and I and the guys put together the zodiac and inflatable dingy which we had packed for just such an occasion as that afternoon presented us with, while Eric and the girls went horseback riding, English-style. No one fell off, but Claire had a lot of trouble with her stubborn old steed. They proceeded to the hedge-maze, which took Lynsey no time at all to conquer. However, as it turned out, the first was indeed last, for she had to sit there and wait over an hour before the last girls staggered in to the finish. While she waited, Paul and I were climbing neat-shaped trees on a little island we had chanced upon, but due to a stroke of ill luck, both of the branches Paul was holding on to broke within seconds of each other. It was a tense moment, but all turned out well, with the exception of Paul’s nerves.

Ian, Paul, Tim
Ian, Paul, and Tim.

What else did we accomplish that weekend? Very little, but we managed to scrounge up a bonfire Saturday evening. Also, at 3:00 in the middle of the night, the fire alarm went off and pretty much caused me to have an involuntary reaction. It was absolutely black as pitch, so Eric deduced there must have been a power-outtage; a fine way to inform us, I thought! But no, the lights worked fine. After some detective work by Eric, it was discovered that it had been a false alarm and, while all 130 of the kids sleeping in the castle were safely outside, ALL THE GIRLS HAD SLEPT RIGHT THROUGH THE ALARM. Paul had, in fact, woken up. But when he observed that no one else was getting up, he went right back to sleep.

The girls
The girls, who did not wake up.

On Sunday, we got the camera out and took pictures of people jumping down a grassy slope which was quite slippery. I couldn’t pick out the best one, so I made a collage. We also enjoyed the araboretum.

Jumping nine times

It was fun. Did I mention that?

Araboretum

Friday, October 27, 2006

Glen WHAT? (Liberally peppered with photos.)

Wooded slopes of Glendalough

One clear, sunny morning, we set out for another exploration. After much delay, we headed out a couple hours later than we intended, but nevertheless with a good outlook. Donna and Eric lent us their car again, and so we were off. We headed into the Wicklow Mountains, only an hour's drive from our home here (more or less—depends on the mad traffic and construction that you can run into driving the Dublin bypass). We were soon off the main road and onto narrow, bumpy roads that wound into wood and field. After a scenic detour (we got lost), we found ourselves at our intended starting point on the loop of Military Road at Glencree.

Upper Lake at Glendalough

A bit of history for you: The Wicklow Mountains were used by Irish rebels when the British were establishing rule here. There were no roads through the mountains, and the rebels held onto freedom by living where the British couldn't get to them. That is when the British made a road winding in and through the mountains, peppered it with barracks, and were able to get to the rebels. Hence the name "Military Road."

The Wicklow Mountains

Our starting point was at one such British barracks, and we wandered around them, but more enjoyed the stream we found down a little valley. Once again, we took a scenic turn and here is where we have been learning about another wonderful aspect of driving in Ireland. Though the signs may be next to non-existent, and rather cryptic when found, no matter how lost you get, you can't really go terribly far from where you want to be. You can go in circles though.

Flowers on the Great Sugarloaf

Back on track, the road took us through a landscape neither of us had ever experienced. We drove through the beautiful moorland called Sally Gap. It truly was beautiful. We were high up, and stretching out all around us was bog covered with heather and ferns. The autumn weather has brought the ferns to the end of life, but this has turned them into a burnt-orange colour that, when mixed with the greens and yellows of the moor, made a wonderful impression on the eye. We drove up and through, never getting tired of it and always marking something else we'd never seen before. Unfortunately, we had put our camera batteries in to charger the night before (smart, right?) and forgot them (wrong). Hence, no pictures of Sally Gap.

Another highlight from that day was stopping alongside the road to catch a glimpse of a random lake, and then deciding to hop out and go climb to it. This point became yet another place where Jordan "is going to live." (Jordan reminds me of his discovery here of a waterfall IN A FERN!)

Mountainside of Glenmacnass

As we drove along through this high moor, it dropped suddenly into the lush, green valley of Glenmacnass. A dramatic waterfall rushed down and into a river that snaked through the valley below. There were sheep. We do have pictures of this (we bought batteries), but they really don't do it justice!

Glenmacnass ValleyWaterfalling into Glenmacnass

We explored Glendalough in the afternoon, two lakes, upper and lower, surrounded by woods with old monastic buildings. St. Kevin is your man known for having lived here and built many of the buildings back in the day. It is something else to wander around ruins of old chapels and dwellings and wonder about the people who lived here. The woods added so much to the beauty of the place and we walked and walked and walked.

St. Kevin's kitchenAnother one of those round towersSt. Kevin's chapelJordan in the chapel doorwayPaths among St.Kevin's site

Lower Lake at GlendaloughStream in GlendaloughGlendaloughSt.Kevin's at Glendalough

Eventually, we headed off to find a place to make camp in Glenmalure. Off the beaten track, this was a place our friends here have camped before and recommended. Not being a camping ground, but rather woods and fields, they told us to cross the fjord before setting up camp, and to make sure we weren't on some farmer's land. We found ourselves in a narrow valley, with a boggy wood on one hand and open fields and brush on the other. We found some high ground in the woods and set up camp, collected wood for our fire, and had it all sorted before night fell. The woods were so green and rich—no brush to hide things, so you could see through the tree trunks on and on. It felt light and inviting.

Boggy wood good for camping

Having set up, we headed back into town to the local public house and had the best dinner ever! (Jordan has since had an even better dinner, but this does not malign the memory of Glenmalure.) It was an old, low, stone and wood building with creaking dark wood floors and a huge fire on the hearth. We sat close to the fire (it was chilly) and ate our delicious meal. Then we headed back to the woods, started the fire we had already prepared, and enjoyed the rest of the night by a warm fire. By chance we camped under a full moon, and the moment it rose over the high valley walls, there was the most luminescent moonlight flooding through the trees! (Papa—"I'm being followed by a moon-shadow…")

The next day we had a relaxed start—not late, relaxed. I was up at 7:30, scrounging for more wood, and we were both up at 8, cooking our eggs and porridge right in the fire. We took our time reading the Bible and praying together and, by the time we had packed up and left, it was 11, but we loved it.

Ash makes breakfast

That afternoon we hiked above Lough Tray, a very impressive lake. The mountains go steeply into the water and the lake itself is terribly dark, giving the impression of incredible depth. The lake, along with the land, cultivated gardens, woods, and huge house all make up one of the Guiness Estates. Can't even begin to imagine what it would be like to live in such a place!

Valley of Lough TrayThe depths of Lough TrayThe Guinness Estate

The trail we hiked hooked us up with the Wicklow Way, a walking trail through the mountains. There are many such "ways" in Ireland and we'd love to get out on one of them. This took us along the ridge of the mountain and would you believe it—we walked on boardwalk on the top on the mountain because it was bog! We never knew bog could be on the top of a mountain!

That's the Wicklow WayJordan on the windy Wicklow WayAsh on the boggy mountaintop

Next we tackled the Sugar Loaf, another mountain that we've been able to catch sight of once in a while. It was a very steep climb up, but short so that we climbed up, chilled out and took pictures at the top, and came back down in an hour and a half!

Colours on the Great SugarloafView of Dublin from the Great SugarloafAsh on the Great SugarloafJordan on the Great Sugarloaf

It still took it out of us though and we set out in search of a coffee shop. In Enniskerries, we found "Poppies," a quaint café filled with homemade everything. Carrot and Parsnip soup and a latté made us very happy, and we set out for home feeling so relaxed and refreshed from our days out.

Poppies, Enniskerries

Goodbye for now! We miss you all.

Jordan looking awayAsh on the bridge

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Funday on a Sunday

Wow, it has been a while since we were able to post! This Day of Fun took place not this past Sunday, nor the week before, but the week before that - which would have made it the 1st of October. Can you believe we're working through October already?!

The plan was to meet up with the older teens at church and embark straight away after the service for a mystery day of fun. We leaders planned a day away at Drewstown House with the headlining event of Raft Building Competition. Only it wasn't headlined, as we tried to keep everything a surprise for the teens. As our whole day was based around the outdoors, waking up to rain and clouds dampened my starting enthusiasm. Leaving from church "straight after" didn't exactly work either, as I'm sure my parents and brothers can relate to (all those attempts to leave for our holidays right from church and on time=). With that, plus a smaller turn out than what we'd hoped for could've really put a damper on our day. Fortunately, the leaders Jord and I work with here are the kind of people whom we would have had fun building rafts with it was only us! They also possess the ability and desire to choose good and enthusiastic attitudes. So, after mowing down some amazing chicken wraps, we packed into vehicles and headed off down some bouncy roads to Drewstown House. The rain came and got us wet enough to not care about getting wet in the lake after the sky cleared up. From then on, we had clear skies. Two teams were made 1) Jordan, Donna, Paul, Lynsey, and David 2) Eric, Tim, Laura, Anna, and myself.

We had so much fun! I can't convey enough what an awesome time we had! We were mucky, wet, using our imaginations, pushing and getting pushed into the lake, and even learning about teamwork and sportsmanship! No matter how much fun we were having, I don't think we would have ever gotten our rafts to float without the scavenging inspiration of Donna and Lynsey. The two of them took off for a while while the rest of us worked away at thinking up some plan to get our heavy, wet logs and our tarps to float. They returned bearing two big, empty plastic barrels to their teammates.


They were on "the other" team, however, and for a while it looked as though my team hadn't a chance. After Donna put a word into the ears of her team, they offered us one of their barrels, realizing that a competition where neither can do much is more fun than one that is terribly imbalanced. While quite impressed by this, my team wanted to first do some scavenging of our own. It was then that we made the discovery of milk crates that would turn the tide. At first the "barrel team" continued to look with sympathy at us as we bound our crates together, but eventually it became clear that we had something going!

The launching of the rafts was by far the best part of the day - so much laughing and messing. Funniest moments - Jordan slipping off his barrel and lounging on his raft submerged in mucky, smelly water; Eric leaping onto the crate raft which held Anna and Tim, then suddenly pushing them out to sea while Anna and Tim were half on, half off; Jack (Donna and Eric's boxer) going for Tim's shorts and the look of his face. The race commenced between teams with Jordan and Paul of their barrel raft and Tim and Anna on our crates. We blasted them. Then the rest of us raced to the boathouse and pulled out open kayaks and joined the others on the lake. War ensued as we soaked each other with our paddles. I even capsized while trying to help Anna out of the water where she had fallen. I haven't had a day where everyone laughed so much for a long time.

Thankfully, the owner of Drewstown House let us use the showers and after we were washed and into dry clothes, we headed out to a bonfire. It was dark early, so we managed to squeeze in a tense walk around the lake in the dark woods. Tense because Jordan and Paul ran ahead and the rest of us were wound up waiting for them to jump out at us. A stop to pick up chips and we were on our way home. The day turned out to be such an encouraging and nourishing one. As we chatted about the event over coffee the next day with the other leaders, we all expressed how uplifted, refreshed, and renewed we were from that day. Praise God for good fun and the bonds of fellowship that grow when we take time to enjoy one another and have FUN!

More from our Funday

Team Barrel's First Launch


Anna & Tim Into the Reeds


Jord & Paul Finally Set Off


Backpaddle


Nice & Warm Again

Dr. Dueck's Successful Operation


It's been a while but we FINALLY have our computer back. It was amazing how debilitated we felt from the lack of our computer! Jordan plunged boldly (but not without trepidation) into the bowels of our beast. The part that was broken during the last venture needed to be replaced - and naturally it happened to be underneath all the other parts. Isn't amazing how what starts out looking like a minor task so often evolves into an all-consuming ordeal? I, claiming unspeakable ignorance in the whole computer field (which, unfortunately is true) managed to escape the worst of it. Jordan, on the other hand, put much research, searching, effort, prayer and time into this process of healing. Some things did manage to get my optimistic husband discouraged and frustrated (such as his endless search for a T10 Torx screwdriver), and it was quite disturbing for us both as he totally dismantled our laptop. But I must brag a little here because, not only did he have the guts to proceed and the brains to learn, but he did an excellent job as the fact that I am currently writing on that once-dismantled machine testifies! So hear and wonder at the marvelous Dr. Dueck!