Orange Photography is made up of a really hard working group of people. Not only do we have a nationwide network of photographers shooting at any given moment, but there is a full-time team of people working behind the scenes back at the office! One thing I love about Orange is that every summer, the team takes a break from the office for the Summer Offsite Retreat so that everyone can enjoy nature and each other in a more kick-back setting.
This year was my first Orange Summer Retreat, and I was so excited to go that I offered to help be a part of the planning committee. After talking to everyone about what they were hoping for, we decided to have the retreat at The Stone House on Lake Alpine. It had everything we wanted – a lake to kayak in, boulders to climb, tons of paths to hike, a beautiful grill to cook on, firepits and fireplace for keeping us warm and the cutest Stone House which had enough space for all of us so that we could still sleep in real beds!
The Stone House was built in 1892 and was originally intended to store the dynamite being used to create the nearby dam. Today it is a private residence and has a few extra rooms. Its very rustic and was absolutely perfect for us. Because it is the only cabin on the entire lake, the nights get perfectly quiet and extremely dark. We had some amazing star gazing our first night there. All of us saw at least one shooting star!
Our second day consisted of hiking, grilling, and barbecuing. A sudden hailstorm midday chased us all inside, but we kept it in stride by playing Catch Phrase, Scattegories and tons of other fun games that kept us laughing all night. We tried to keep the weekend non-work related, but of course topics kept popping up and it was actually really great to be able to discuss new ideas and future plans in such a relaxed, gorgeous setting. Day Three was spent sleeping in and kayaking before we cleaned up the house and headed out.
The thing that is so great about the Orange Team is not only are they all really hard workers and smart people, but they are all such good friends! I am really so pleased to be a part of the team now, and I can’t wait for our next adventure together!
