2019 silverorange retreat

Steven Garrity

We’ve just returned from our annual silverorange company retreat. For a bit of background, see our posts on Why we retreat, How we retreat, and the highlights of our 2018 retreat.

Group of 18 people smiling
Hey, we look pretty good in 2019!

About half of the silverorange team is now based in Prince Edward Island, and the rest distributed across Quebec, British Columbia, and Ecuador. This year we decided to keep our retreat on PEI, as a few of the Charlottetown team have new babies at home.

We spent our week at the Centre Goeland, a retreat centre in Cape Egmont, on the south shore in western Prince Edward Island.

Sunset over beach

People standing near tall red clifs by ocean

Building with many windows at night
The sun set early and often.

We enjoyed some great meals, including a vegetarian feast prepared by Green Isle Catering.

Gourmet veggie burgers

Gourmet hors d'oevres
Veggie tumbleweeds, or “wind-balls”, by the great Green Isle Catering.

The site of the retreat centre includes a handy altar for ritual sacrifice, and is just up the shore from the Cape Egmont lighthouse, which could use a coat of paint.

Lighthouse with peeling paint

Three women in hoods pretending to sacrifice a man on an altar

Man and woman smiling in stone structure
The stone structure on site summoned some latent rituals.

We had fun, but our discussions were productive and intense.

People sitting around couches with screen Woman smiling in front of wall with post-it notes People giving presentation with TV screen Woman speaking to group with slideshow Group sitting around slideshow

We enjoyed a fireside reading of iOS app release notes (really!), some virtual reality, and some actual reality. A few enthusiastic early risers swam in the chilly Northumberland Straight.

Man in beard wearing virtual reality headset

Man reading to a group in front of fireplace

People standing in towels on cold beach

Man with camera and raincoat on shore

We each got a nice new pair of slippers. We voted for our Employee of the Year, where employees and family members are not eligible.

Flipboard with list

Circle of people's feet wearing slippers

We enjoyed some bowling in Summerside and are still sore from an amazing evening at a trampoline park.

Woman smiling and jumping on trampoline

Man upside down in air over soft mat

People smiling in pile of foam cubes

Man in mid jump on trampoline

Man in air over trampoline trying to catch a baby doll

Man in neon light bowling

Woman with hands raised on bowling alley

Two women battling with foam cubes on balance beam
That’s not a real baby.

We had an extraordinary week. Thanks for all who worked so hard on food, logistics, sessions, and for those who travelled and spent time away from home, pets, and family.

Group of 18 people posing or dancing

Let’s do it again next year!