Goffstown, NH, Villa Augustina. There, on a
beautiful campus surrounded by farmland, class-
es were taught by liberally-minded nuns and lay
teachers. English was Danielle’s favorite subject
but the curriculum also included such hands-on
lessons as how to dissect frogs and mice.
She left in 1996 to attend the College Jésus
Marie de Sillery in Quebec City, an all-girls’
boarding school, on a scholarship. Here she
grappled with, and mastered, Quebecois French
and gained confidence in a new culture. Two
years later, she moved to a large public high
school in Shelton, CT where she was copy editor
of the school newspaper, and finally in 1999 to
Pinkerton Academy in Derry, NH.
Her family was not rich and Danielle had
started taking part-time jobs from age 15.
Sometimes she took outdoors manual work and
later worked in a pharmacy where she learned to
be a technician. Now it was time for college, and
in 2000 she enrolled in the Great Books curricu-
lum at prestigious St. John’s College in Santa Fe,
NM, aided by a Pell Grant but also working 30
hours a week.
At St. John’s her freshman class contained
intellectually smart but practically naïve students,
few of whom had much worldly experience. The
narrow vision of her peers and the $30,000 annu-
al fees seemed out of sync, so after two semesters
she dropped out in September 2000. Seeking a
complete change, she hiked and camped with a
friend in the nearby Sangre de Cristo Mountains
for a month – the start of a new life outdoors.
Her first job, with the US Forest Service, last-
ed the summer months working on a five- person
Trail Crew patrolling 300,000 acres. She
switched to the National Park Service in
Bandelier National Monument as Back Country
Patrolman and got used to hiking 85 miles every
8 days. She also worked for the Mule Packers,
who ferried supplies within the park, and lived in
a cabin at the bottom of a canyon.
She trained in firefighting and in spring 2002,
she got a Firefighters certificate. It was on a fire
line that she first met the Diablos, a group of
expert firefighters recruited from the Mexican
border villages across from Big Bend National
Park. She found this team of hardened firefight-
ers worked like clockwork, and the individuals
funny and sweet. In spring 2002 Danielle moved
to Marathon to continue her career as a firefight-
er at Big Bend National Park.
In May 2002, following 9/11, the Mexican
border was sealed. Two thirds of the population
of Boquillas village moved elsewhere to get work,
and the rest were reduced to eating tortillas and
beans. Danielle decided to go to Boquillas to
help, and resigned from the National Park
Service in the fall of 2003. She taught English to
adults and students and worked with other vol-
unteers to help install miniature windmills and a
water pump (the villagers had been hauling water
for one mile, by hand) and encouraged the vil-
lagers to make souvenirs to sell stateside.
She returned to Marathon in 2005 and began
working in the construction industry. In 2007
she built a papercrete house for Marathon hostel
owner Guil Jones, mixing the solution by hand.
In late 2009 she started as bartender at the
Famous Burro restaurant in Marathon, ending
as General Manager. In February 2011, seeking
a change, she moved to Clint, Texas and took a
job as bartender at a nearby sports bar,
Mamacitas, while also taking courses at El Paso
Community College.
It was in El Paso that she met Robert Trehus,
an independent trucking owner/operator. A
daughter, Daisy Jayne, was born to the couple on
August 1, 2012 in Marathon. Fittingly for a
woman whose life followed an adventurous,
unorthodox path, Daisy was born at home with
a midwife, in the dining room.
Danielle had first gotten involved with Cenizo
Journal in 2010, as a contributor and ad salesper-
son and later copy editor. She had also proof-
read some local manuscripts including works of
Alan Tenant and Edie Elfring. So, when new
Cenizo Journal owner Carolyn Zniewski needed
an editor, she was on the spot and qualified – a
happy fit of publisher with editor.
Music To Your Ears
CDs • DVDs • Vinyl
Games • Special Orders
Mon-Fri 10-6
203 E Holland Ave, Alpine
432.837.1055
[email protected]
The Chapel of Saint Mary and Saint Joseph at Lajitas Golf Resort and Spa
Holy Eucharist - First Sunday of each month at 11 a.m.
Morning Prayer - Third Sunday of each month at 11 a.m.
The Big Bend Episcopal
Mission Welcomes You
St. James’ Episcopal Church, Ave. A and N. 6th St., Alpine
Holy Eucharist or Morning Prayer every Sunday at 11 a.m.
For complete services and activities visit our Website bigbendepiscopalmission.org
Cenizo
Second Quarter 2013
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