Gary Gionet

Kelly and I had the opportunity to visit the Out Of Africa Wildlife Park, located about 45 minutes south of Flagstaff, Arizona off Highway 17. This was a side trip from our Thanksgiving weekend vacation with my sister and brother-in-law in Parks, AZ. As usual, they are the best hosts ever - Thank you Neil & Joyce! We had a blast! The wildlife park is one of the finest we have visited. Our safari guide, Courtney, was so knowledgable of all aspects of the animals. We fired questions, and she shot back with an abundance of information we would not have received at other facilities. It was very obvious to our group that the animal handlers (Courtney for sure) are well trained, educated, and they have a natural love for the animals under their care. The animals look so healthy, and their enclosures are very spacious and as near as possible to their natural habitats. The owners have done an outstanding job of creating an environment where people can learn about these animals and their li...

Who, me?

"This is my best side...go ahead now, take the picture".

I guess we know who is in charge. I would hate to be smacked by that paw! Okay, a little trivia. While standing near the fence waiting for the Tiger Splash show, a tiger (probably this guy) backed up to the fence and sprayed me. Yes, he marked his territory all over me and my camera. Of course, Kelly & Neil thought this was the best part of their day. I am now affectionately known as "TP" (tiger pee). I did get the shot! (patting myself on the back) By the way, if you get a chance to look at all of the photographs in the gallery , you will see Neil getting french kissed by a giraffe - no kidding!

Referees smiling for the camera (and food)!

Last evening was the ACES (camera club) portrait lighting workshop. Many thanks to Betty who organized and developed the workshop, Paul who helped with the posing, and Amber our model. Amber did a fantastic job modeling for the instructional portion of the workshop, and she stuck around under the hot lights to allow the club members an opportunity to take some shots. It was a great night - thank you to all the ACES members who attended the workshop!