004: GROUP GETAWAY
My rush to get the first coffee tin prototypes ready in “003: Building The Brand, Part I” was so I could capture our Memorial weekend getaway with friends Up North in Maple City.
A friend of a friend is a partner in Parcel, an incredibly designed “cabin” on 7 acres in Leelanaue County. The architecture (by Studio Bardo) and the interior design (by Lindsay Giambattista Cox & Chris Cox of Parcel Studio) look straight out of a magazine, partly because they are.
Beyond its well-designed amenities, Parcel provided an unplugged weekend away with friends.
We had no set itinerary or plans other than the meals we were planning to make together on the Australian grill outside.
The camera gear I’m using for this weekend is a 35mm film Canon AE-1 camera, a Polaroid One Step 2, a Sony 7C with a Pocket Dispolens, and my dad’s old Sony Hi-8 camcorder.
I’ve decided that if I want to create a “new-stalgic” vibe for the brand, then I should capture its content using lo-fi equipment from the era, with a little new tech sprinkled in to capture some of the behind-the-scenes process and angles that might not otherwise be possible.
Yes, unfortunately, that means more time, effort, and risk of footage not turning out, but that’s also part of the fun/challenge.
After transferring the camcorder footage, scanning the Polaroids, and then waiting a couple of weeks for the film to be developed, it was time to start sorting and editing the content from the weekend.
DAY 01: ARRIVALS
Amazingly, we all arrived within seconds of each other despite leaving Grand Rapids at different times and taking different routes. We couldn’t have planned it any better if we tried.
We also all had our favorite road trip snacks, from Pringles to Mambas, peanut butter-filled pretzels to cheese curds, we each had our own mobile feasts. And a choice of driving shoes, or lack thereof, for one of us.
We immediately made ourselves at home and began burning down an outdoor fire to cook chicken and veggies over a bed of hot coals.
After a delicious meal and clean-up, long chats on the couch bled into the night as we started to peel off for the night, excited for Cottage Coffee in the morning.
DAY 02: MORNING COFFEE, HIKE, CAFÉ, DINNER
We gradually woke up the next morning, ready for rounds of coffee and a slow breakfast. The nice part was that no one was unnecessarily woken up by the sound of a coffee grinder.
All we needed was hot water and a coffee maker. In this case, Parcel provided a French Press and a Chemex. We scooped and scooped and kept the cups coming.
Following a delicious brunch, we drove through Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore to hike Pyramid Point, where the nature trails were beginning to pop with signs of Spring and the views were worth the sand in your shoes.
After the scenic hike, which no one veered off-trail and got poison ivy (phew), we loaded up and drove a few minutes further down M-22 to Glen Arbor for lattes and baked goods at The Mill.
Talk about a Northern Michigan gem. The Mill is a renovated 1800s flour mill converted into a riverside café, restaurant, and guest house along the Crystal River. The interior was designed by Kelsey Duda, featuring a warm and authentic vibe worthy of any Saturday afternoon.
We headed back to Parcel and got started burning down another fire to grill burgers and veggies.
After a delicious meal and group clean-up, the game of choice was the rummy-style card game “Five Crowns” that some may also know as “Knock Knock.”
We highly recommend it. It’s an easy to understand card game that can be played in larger groups, but Kendra and I also have a long-running record of our 1-on-1 games. If anyone asks, I’m winning.
DAY 03: SLOW MORNING AND DEPARTURE
On our last day, we were in no hurry to leave. Cue the Cottage Coffee, design magazines & coffee table books, lingering chats, one last sauna, notebooking on the dock, a refreshing dip in Little Traverse Lake before we had to pack up and depart our separate ways.
