Gary Gionet

A few weeks ago, we had a small fire at the back of our home. Isabelle became frightened of firefighters after seeing a crew show up in all of their protective gear. Capt. Anderson and the guys from Garden Grove Fire Station 6 took time out of their busy schedule to make a special visit to Isabelle. Isabelle received all kinds of goodies, including her new companion "Cliffiord." She got to ride in the fire truck and to see the crew in their protective gear. Isabelle is no longer frightened of the "firemen," and everytime she hears a siren, she says, "there goes the firemen." The kind gestures of Capt. Anderson, Mark Weiss and Steve Fellner from Fire Station 6 displays the true spirit of the best fire department around - GGFD!!! Be safe guys. CLICK HERE to see the web album of photos from Isabelle's meeting the GGFD.

Capt. Anderson delivering "Clifford" the red dog to Isabelle. She carries her companion everywhere she goes! This crew went above and beyond for our little granddaughter. What a great group of guys! Thank you!!!

Yes, I am alive. The studio has been so busy that I have found little time for posting to this blog. I apologize to those of you who kept checking back only to find the same old Christmas pictures. March 7 - March 17, I was very fortunate to be able to travel to Central America. It was a semi-working trip, as I shot a wedding while there. We stayed mostly in El Salvador, however, we did find time to travel to Honduras and Guatemala. I traveled with some good friends Mark & Mary, and with Kimy too (Kyle's girlfriend). Everyone was so gracious and accommodating. This was a life changing trip, and I hope to be able to post my thoughts on that soon. This shot was taken from a beach resort on the coast of El Salvador. It was sunset, so the lighting was perfect. I have almost 800 photos posted in a web album on my web site. Many are family shots, but there are some of the local people, volcanoes, police officers, fire equipment, markets, and a school, etc. Click Here to se...

Before leaving El Salvador, we stopped in Los Pilas, a small town near the border of Honduras. Driving high into the mountain region, we found a small farm. For $2.00 a small boy guided us over a river and to the top of a hill, where the border of El Salvador and Honduras is marked by a monument. We briefly walked into Honduras, and then quickly retreated to our vehicles.

We stayed the night in Copan, Honduras where we visted the Copan Maya Ruins. We spent about three hours with an excellent tour guide, and followed up with a trip to the museum. The slendor of Copan spans from 426 to 820 A.D. Copan is the most beautiful Maya city, once compared to Athens. According to archeologists, at its apogee, there were more than 3,400 buildings and a population reaching 30,000 inhabitants.

Our stop in Guatemala was to visit this wonderful church featuring Guatemala's Black Christ (El Cristo Negro de Esquipulas). The Cristo Negro, is a 410-year-old statue housed in the Basilica of Esquipulas in this town of the same name. The term "Black Christ" refers to black stone used to create the statue. Worshippers are funneled by railing to the front of the statue (enclosed in glass) where they have the opportunity to pray. Worshippers then leave by walking backwards out of the church, never turning their back to the statue.