This story begins a year ago. Last January, I joined a group of fellow photographers for a retreat in Evergreen, Colorado. We spent three days in a beautiful home just outside downtown Evergreen, dreaming, bouncing ideas off one another, and rejuvenating. We left that retreat feeling pumped and ready to take on the year. When Lauren (Lauren Wright Photography) messaged us that she and another photographer (Bianca Malone Photography) were throwing around the idea of doing the retreat this year in the PNW, I'm not gonna lie.... I was a little terrified and thought "haha, yeah right. No one will book their spot and actually go!". Holy moly. I was so wrong. Within six hours, the 8 spots were booked! Airfare to Seattle booked and deposit paid, we began putting in motion plans for our next retreat!
This year, we welcomed two newbies to the retreat group. All of us boarded the same flight the morning of our departure and it was GAME ON immediately! This group of ladies is such an amazing part of my life. From one of my absolute besties and primary 2nd shooter (Christina!!) to the new ladies who joined us (what up Kate and Elise!!), there's so much talent to be gleamed from and much joy that comes from getting to know each of them.
We landed in Seattle on Thursday, got our rental car, and headed into downtown Seattle to visit Pike Place Market. A few of the ladies hadn't been there yet, so we walked around and found The Pink Door for a lunch of mussels and pasta. YUM. Oh, and also got a parking ticket for missing the self-park kiosk. Ooops! Totally worth it!
We hopped back in the car and headed north to the Clinton-Mukilteo Ferry to take us over to Whidbey Island. This was a FIRST for most of us! Driving the car onto a ferry was exhilarating! After the short 10-minute ferry ride, we drove off and arrived to Strawfield Farm in Greenbank shortly after. The next three days was spent sipping wine, exploring the nearby beach, and driving up to Deception Pass State Park. Pronkin' Pastures Alpaca Ranch was next door so obviously we spent a decent amount of time chillin' with the alpaca cuties! Oh and taking a few photos.
In true photographer fashion, we photographed one another, the Milky Way stars, and the beautiful scenery of the island. The best part? We had 3 solid days of SUN AND BLUE SKY. It was 100% incredible and soul filling. No agenda, no pressure, just time to nothing. Or everything.
How could I forget our chef dinner?! On Friday night Lee Jensen, a local aspiring chef, joined us to prepare the most amazing dinner of local squash, pancetta and kale risotto, an arugula salad with fresh orange and fennel, agvolemono chicken soup, roasted pork loin, and fresh focaccia bread. Can I just say OH MY GOSH! We certainly didn't starve during this trip :O Support Lee and follow him on Instagram!
My short recap here doesn't do the trip justice. All too quickly, we were boarding the airplane home again and saying goodbye to a PERFECT weekend away. A huge HUGE shoutout to the ladies who made this trip possible and who joined us for a fabulous weekend:
Christina (McGonzo Photo)
Jennifer (J&H Photography)
Rebecca (Colorado Born Images)
Without further ado, here are the highlights from our trip to Whidbey Island!
THANK YOU Jennifer for this amazing photo! (below)
