Cenizo Journal Summer 2022 | Page 7

CENIZO JOURNAL STAFF

PUBLISHER Riley Stephens publisher @ cenizojournal . com
ASSOCIATE EDITOR Shawna Graves shawna @ cenizojournal . com
ON THE COVER :
Sotol and Cenizo bloom after Summer rains in Big Bend National Park by Tim McKenna
Tim McKenna is a 6th generation Texan who started his photography career when his Irish grandmother gave him is first camera at the age of 8 . He worked as a professional photographer for Neiman Marcus in the Houston area starting in the 1970s . Tim went on to a career in banking and other businesses in Austin , Texas , for the next 35 years . He and his wife , Julie , lived aboard their 38-foot sailing yacht for twelve years on Lake Travis . Tim retired as a commercial , scientific and archeological diver , as well as the lead sailing instructor for the Austin Yacht Club ’ s ASA Program , in 2010 . On a short vacation to the Big Bend , Tim and his wife fell in love with the scenic beauty of the area and purchased a small ranch near Big Bend National Park . They moved to their ranch in 2011 and built a new home using recycled shipping containers that is powered by off-grid solar , and they utilize rain water catchment for their water supply . Tim now concentrates on trying to capture the scenic grandeur and wildlife of the Big Bend Region . Tim was commissioned to provide all of the photos for the Big Bend National Park Calendar for 2018 and 2022 , and will also have some of his photos featured in the BBNP Calendar for 2023 . Tim has donated photographs for use on several trailhead signs throughout Big Bend National Park as well . In support of the community , Tim has donated his work to many fundraisers and charities within the Big Bend Region and beyond . His photographs are now in public and private collections in the United States and around the World . Tim ’ s work is available for purchase at Gallery on the Square in Alpine , TX , at Marguerite ’ s Quilt Shop and at the Big Bend Resorts and Adventures Café in Terlingua , TX , as well as the Chisos Mountain Lodge in Big Bend National Park . You may also view his work on his Facebook page , under Tim McKenna Terlingua . Please contact Tim with any questions or inquiries about custom orders . Shipping is available . You may reach Tim either on FaceBook at www . facebook . com / tim . mckenna . 31 or email him at SailMcKenna @ yahoo . com .
SUMMER EDITION • JULY-SEPTEMBER 2022
SUBSCRIPTIONS Print subscriptions will be mailed for $ 29 annually .
Send payment via check or credit card to Cenizo Journal , PO Box 1824 , Alpine , Texas 79831 or call 432-614-4074 ext 801 . Subscribe online at CenizoJournal . com .
SUBMISSION
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Danielle Gallo editor @ cenizojournal . com
DESIGN / PRODUCTION Ceci Marquez
We ’ d like to feature your work in the Cenizo Journal . Contact Danielle Gallo at editor @ cenizojournal . com for submission information or mail to PO Box 227 , Marathon , Texas 79842 .
Cenizo Journal is published four times per year . © 2022 Cenizo Journal . Copyright of all art and images contained within are retained by the image owner and are used with permission .

Cenizo Notes by Danielle Gallo , Editor

This edition of the Cenizo Journal Editor ’ s Notes is dedicated to the women of the Big Bend .
It ’ s for the ones who build buildings , their own or others ’, in the sweltering heat and the bitter February gales . The ones who start businesses in poor rural communities , understanding the struggle involved and forging ahead anyway .
It ’ s for the ones that work three part-time jobs and the ones who homeschool their children in the desert , on rain catchment and solar power . And here ’ s to the writers , scientists , university students , Park Service employees and artists . Dear to my heart , here ’ s to the bartenders .
West Texas is a funny place . We have a social structure built on generations of self-reliance in harsh conditions — hard work , brutal landscapes , isolation . These things force us to become their opposites : we are strong . We see the beauty in the vast empty spaces . We forge community bonds that tie us to each other in ways seldom seen in easier climes .
But there ’ s a dance we all know , ladies , a particular kind of Texas Two-Step . Up on the balls of our feet , graciously sidestepping the sweethearts and darlins and baby-girls . We become adept at translation , and knowing the difference between misguided chivalry and patronization , affection and danger . A pas-de-deux to avoid the familiar pinches and slaps , a twirl and curtsey to duck away from the drunken declarations and constant solicitations . We gracefully ignore the bulk of it , because to fight every one would be a full-time effort , and in general we understand when no harm is meant , even if there is a small loss of dignity involved .
Our society here has a long tradition of treating its women with equal measures of contempt and respect . I ’ ve worked in traditionally men ’ s professions for most of my life and have seldom had to deal with sexism or inappropriate behavior . Going out with friends , or spending time on the internet , or even just stepping out on the street can be a different story entirely . We deal with it every day , in our homes , in the community , in our justice system , in our politics . There ’ s a backlash when the media gets a hold of the ‘ lay back and enjoy it ’ comments that sink political campaigns ; but the day-to-day indignities and violations and violence are taken as a matter of course .
So this is for the lawyers and office holders who try to bring justice where it ’ s due , even when they know they ’ re likely to lose , even when they know they ’ re likely to lose their office . It ’ s for the crisis center advocates and the Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid and the best friends who listen and comfort . It ’ s for the men and women who shut down the slurs and slanders brought against people who are trying to defend themselves against a machinery built to protect its economic interests over the safety and well-being of its community .
And here ’ s for those who speak for themselves and for others . For the ones who are excoriated on bumper stickers and in back rooms , who brave their loss of privacy for a larger purpose . For the ones who are ignored , who endure the eye rolling of authority figures meant to protect them , who lose friends and jobs and homes . We see you and we hear you .
Here ’ s a quick word to the violators who walk free , and the good ol ’ boys who make it happen , for money or for the status quo . We see you , too . We see you and hear you loud and clear , but we won ’ t waste too much breath on you . You don ’ t get the final word . The final word will belong to the women of the Big Bend , for whom this is dedicated .

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