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17 Jan 2024
MLK Day, Martin Luther King, Jr, holiday, Auburn, 2024, california, event, general gomez center, march, unity lewis, call and response, leader, signs

Uplifting Auburn event honors Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s legacy

Here are some images from Auburn’s 40th celebration of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr’s birthday. The General Gomez Arts & Event Center organized the march and program in downtown Auburn at their arts center. The theme for the event was “Strategizing for Change.” It was a well-attended, uplifting event with over 100 people that began with rapper Unity Lewis leading a downtown march. It was then followed by an event at the center that included Native American music by Mignon […]

13 Jan 2024
Saint Lucia, caribbean, island, vacation, holiday, honeymoon, lesser antilles, english speaking, beautiful, volcanic island, travel blog, travel, tourism, travel photography

Saint Lucia: Why honeymooners like us keep returning to this beautiful Caribbean island

Please check back in February 2024 for my article on Saint Lucia, which will be running in Outword Magazine. Until there, please enjoy these photos, which I took on two separate trips to Saint Lucia in 2014 and 2019. All photos are copyright Chris Allan and cannot be used without my written permission. Please contact me for usage rights. Thank you for reading my page Saint Lucia: Why honeymooners like us keep returning to this beautiful Caribbean island.!” To learn more about […]

21 Dec 2023

Hola Peru!

I was fortunate to be able to travel to Peru for two weeks in 2022. It was a wonderful adventure!  While there, I wrote several  blogs that you can find on my Instagram feed, as well as two articles in Outword after the trip covering the huge Pride celebration in Lima and a longer overview of the trip.  I am pasting those below with minor modifications. What an amazing country! Mucho gusto, Peru! Highlights from a two-week jaunt to South America […]

20 Dec 2023
boat, parasailing, snow, mountqins, visit south lake tahoe, slt, south lake tahoe, Photography, photographs, travel photography, lesbian photographer, gay photographer, gay travel, lgbt, lgbtq, lgbt travel, photojournalist, freelance, images, travel photographer, gay community, world travel, california travel, urban travel, Chris Allan

Finding the Fun: A Quick Visit to South Lake Tahoe and its Picturesque Lakeside

For De’s birthday this year, we opted for a quick visit to South Lake Tahoe. This amazing body of water straddles both California and Nevada and is only a two-hour drive from Auburn. We chose to do it as a circle, heading out on Highway 50 to catch the great summit view as you come into the basin. We returned via I-80, where you pass beautiful Emerald Bay. This really was just a whirlwind trip with only two nights on […]

18 Dec 2023
aztec face, public art, todos santos, Baja California Sur, Los Cabos,mexico, arts, art scene, san jose del cabo, travel photography, culture, lesbian photographer

Discovering the stunning art scene of Los Cabos (and beyond!)

The following article about the Los Cabos art scene appeared with minor modifications appeared in Outword Magazine on December 27, 2023. ¡Viva el Arte! : Los Cabos’ art scene is a stunner Photos and text by Chris Allan While most of us won’t turn down a relaxing day gazing out at emerald waves on the golden sands of a Baja beach, it turns out that’s not the only thing to do in Los Cabos. Yes, the southern tip of Baja California […]

12 Nov 2023

New Native American Statue is Unveiled in Capitol Park

Here are some images from the new Native American Statue is Unveiled in Capitol Park. It was the dedication of the beautiful bronze William J. Franklin Sr. statue in downtown Sacramento’s park. It takes the place of the Junipero Serra monument, which was toppled in 2020 during the Black Lives Matter riots. Serra was associated with the gross mistreatment of Native Americans during the Spanish colonization period. Sacramento was also built on unceeded indigenous lands, therefore Assemblyman James Ramos (the […]

26 Oct 2023

When the War is Won: Pastor Casey Tinnin was falsely accused

   With minor modifications, here is the article on Pastor Casey Tinnin that I wrote with photos that appeared in Outword Magazine in October 2023.  * * * When the War is Won It took almost three months of investigation and a 30-page document to say what Pastor Casey Tinnin already knew. “Nothing fixes things like the truth. I knew the facts. But I only know what I know.”   Tinnin is referring to the Van Dermyden Makus Investigations Law Firm report on […]

15 Oct 2023

Popular performer Michael Franti slays it at the Farm-to-Fork Street Festival

Singing hits like “Big, Big Love,” popular and very upbeat singer Michael Franti brought his show to Sacramento in September. One of the last two closing acts of the Farm-to-Fork free Street Festival, Franti is originally from nearby Davis, California. In fact, possibly the most touching part of the show was when Franti pointed out his mother. She was unassumedly hanging out in the front side of the crowd. Franti talked about how she, as a white woman, had adopted […]

13 Oct 2023

Senator Feinstein’s Memorial Events: Lying In State & Memorial Service

It was an honor to be included with the press corps during Senator Feinstein’s memorial events. I found the lying in state in San Francisco’s City Hall very beautiful. Solo or small groups of classical string musicians played in the rotunda as the line to spend a moment in from of the Senator’s casket never stopped. People paid their respects in so many different ways, by themselves or with loved ones. I had the luxury to be able to take […]

02 Oct 2023

Roseville Joint Union High School District Board Meeting: Echoes of the Past

Last week I attended the Roseville Joint Union High School District Board Meeting. Pictured here are Board members Heidi Hall (Clerk), Pete Constant (President), Julie Hirota (VP), Superintendent John Becker, and speakers Natalie Robbins (President of the Roseville Secondary Education Association), and Barb Brass of PFLAG. Purpose The meeting was almost entirely dedicated to the nearly two hours of public discussion around a proposed parental notification policy. Like other policies that have recently passed in the State, including nearby Rocklin […]