Hiking adventure at Estero Llano State Park in Weslaco, Texas

Estero Llano State Park, Weslaco, Texas

In all the years I’ve lived in the Rio Grande Valley, I had never taken the time to visit Estero Llano in Weslaco, Texas. I’m not sure I can be proud of that statement. I’ve missed out.

Hiking hasn’t been my thing, ever. If you know me, you know that snakes scare the bejeezus out of me and bugs induce soprano tones from my throat. It’s no lie. Ask my kids. They’ll chuckle and tell you all about it.

Since life has us all turned around and masked up, the family has gotten creative about how we can safely see friends and loved ones. Frankly, we rarely go anywhere these days but over the holiday break, we wanted to see familiar faces and embrace the holiday spirit.

The solution, outdoor gatherings in large open spaces while masked. That’s what worked for us and honestly, it was a beautiful opportunity to do things I don’t generally do. I have to admit. This holiday break taught me to be a little more open minded about hiking and exploring the outdoors. Aside from being mildly scared of the wildlife, I found that I was mostly astounded by the beauty.

The cool breezes took me back to all the days I played outside as child and the outings kept nudging me to try some more. So over the holiday break, we not only explored this beautiful state park… we kept on exploring and I can’t wait to tell you about those.

Estero Llano has clearly marked trails that lead you to various bodies of water which are perfect to catch a glimpse of the many birds that travel through South Texas on their migration journeys. I hear there’s also an alligator which I did not get to see (thank goodness) and the kids were kind of bummed about missing “Alli the Alligator” as they called it.

There is an area with a small incline that leads you to a water reservoir… if you make it out there, the view is worth the extra steps. We saw plenty more beautiful birds and looked down to catch a glimpse of the park while we were up there. (I make it sound like a steeper mountain but it’s really just like getting to the top of a canal..)

If you plan to head out, take me with you next time. I’d love to document your family hike. :) (I promise not to hit the soprano notes on your outing…)

~Norma H

Covid-19 & Graduation 2020

Graduation Portraits during the Covid-19 Pandemic

The year 2020 took a pretty unexpected turn. When spring break came around, I never imagined that my kids wouldn’t be returning to classes after that week of vacation. I also had not factored in that my own kindergartner and senior wouldn’t be celebrating graduation as planned.

If you are one of the many families with a 2020 graduate, I can relate to that sense of loss. It’s a pretty big accomplishment for our kids to work hard in class (whether that was their first year in kinder or their final year in high school) and then miss out on the end-of-year celebration.

Well my friend Amy and I decided to make the most of this situation and we hit a beautiful sunflower field to celebrate with a photo session. Her own daughter was scheduled to walk with all her Kinder class this year and well, since plans changed, why not commemorate that moment with some photos.

If your own little one (or not so little one) is home with a gown, I’d love to chat about making memories with you guys. Maybe 2020 isn’t going as planned, we can still create some beautiful memories to document this very special time in your lives.

Congratulations to the class of 2020! You did it!

If you are still practicing social distancing, rest assured that we will keep more than 6 feet apart for your photography session with us. (Find our packages here.)

Not sure about scheduling a session? Ask about our editing services. You take your own photos on your favorite camera or smart phone and we edit them! #easypeasyphotoediting The fee is small and we’d be happy to work with you quickly.

xoxo

Norma H