Deese Eckstein grew up in San Antonio and first visited the Trans-Pecos in 1973 . A lawyer by training , he worked in and around the Texas Legislature for 30 years , working for Governor Ann Richards , State Senator Rodney Ellis , and others before retiring in 2020 . Since then , he splits his time between Austin and the Trans-Pecos . He publishes his own Substack and is a part of the Texas Outlaw Writers syndicate . Email : deece . eckstein @ gmail . com

Danielle Gallo is a writer who is proud to be the editor-in-chief of the Cenizo Journal . She came to the area in 2002 and currently lives in Marathon with her family . Email : editor @ cenizojournal . com

Chris Greta loves riding the Big Bend on his motorcycle nearly as much as he loves visiting his favorite people and places there . An unapologetic fan of Evan Williams bourbon and Avanti cigars , in his Austin life he spends his time overlooking Lake Travis from the basket chair on his porch , catering to the whims of two black cats , and occasionally devising brilliant marketing campaigns for businesses large and small . Email : chris @ chrisgreta . com

Russ Petre retired from firefighting prior to moving to Texas in 1997 where he sold fire trucks for more than two decades . He coincidently taught at various fire schools , including Texas A & M Municipal Fire School and Mile High Fire and Rescue School hosted by the Fort Davis Volunteer Fire Department in 2007 – 2008 . No stranger to the Big Bend region , he and his wife Cindy enjoy every visit to this marvelous area . Russ believes the people and the landscape in Marfa are the finest that Texas has to offer . He now enjoys retirement on their ranchette outside Denison , Texas . Email : rpetre123 @ yahoo . com

George Pitlik Before moving to Texas , George lived on the island of Key West , Florida , where he and his wife raised their three kids . After ten years of island bliss they moved to Houston . George interviewed for jobs wearing sandals . No socks . Everyone else wore cowboy boots ! No job offers . Finally , he used his Teaching Certificate and worked in the public schools at various assignments . George retired . The three kids grew up and started wearing shoes . After 15 years in the Big Bend George still has no boots . He can be seen walking or riding a bike wearing his high-visibility yellow shoes and yellow socks . Email : alpine _ george @ sbcglobal . net .

Alan Vannoy is a printmaker and bookbinder with a Master ’ s in fine art and a horror of artspeak . Though his prints are recognized readily throughout the region , he ’ s best known as the proprietor of Cow Dog , the gourmet hot dog food truck . Though he recently relocated to Marathon , he can still be found at the Railroad Blues most karaoke nights , feeding the hungry . Email : alanvannoy64 @ yahoo . com

Stephanie Winston is originally from the Bronx , NY but now calls the Big Bend Region Home . She moved to the area in 2016 with her husband from Houston , Texas . Prior to moving out West she worked as an occupational therapist and used her culinary degree to help people to make healthy choices when eating . She enjoys writing about her family ’ s off grid homesteading lifestyle , making candles , teaching and spending time with her family and friends . Email : Thewinstonhomestead @ gmail . com

Cenizo Fall 2022