I brought my camera on this trip hoping to capture something more than postcards. On Day 5, I woke early and hiked the trails inside Bentsen-Rio Grande Valley State Park. The silence was deep, broken only by the drip of dew onto leaves, occasional bird song, and the rustle of understory brush.
I crept toward a pond rim where morning light glinted. A green kingfisher perched low on a branch, scanning the water. A moment of stillness; I clicked the shutter gently. Later, I found a cluster of goldenrod where butterflies hovered, wings luminous against the green.
At sunset, I clambered onto a small hill in the park to photograph the sky’s change — from pale blue to ribbons of pink, orange, and purple. Back at campsite, I processed the day’s shots on my laptop in the clubhouse lounge.
Dinner was light: grilled fish tacos (flounder fillets, cabbage slaw, crema). I plated them carefully, snapping one last photo before eating — one for the album, one for memory.
That night, as I lay in bed, I whispered to myself: “If I never leave this resort, I’d still find endless images here.”