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 […]
With minor modifications, here is the article on East Los Angeles that I wrote with photos that appeared in Outword Magazine in October 2023. If you’re so over the usual Los Angeles tourist traps or you’ve found yourself with an extra day in the metropolis, why not grab the 101 and head out to Boyle Heights? It’s one of several communities in “East Los,” a vibrant, colorful area full of Chicano culture. This historic urban zone offers a non-glitzy, often gritty, but […]
After a busy calendar of events this past June, Nevada County wrapped up their Pride celebration with their first ever festival on Sunday, August 6. Held in downtown Nevada City’s Miners Foundry Cultural Center, the event had attracted over 300 people by late afternoon. “Nevada County Pride has been around for about 40 years. Originally, it was potlucks at private member’s homes, mostly gay men,” commented Nevada Pride chairperson Rick Partridge, “And the communication back then was done by postcard! […]
SACRAMENTO, CA – OCT. 29, 2022 – DIA DE LOS MUERTOS Que bueno! Me encanta el evento se llama Dia de los Muertos. Es un tiempo muy especial para recuedar las personas amadas y para la communidad Latino para crear los altares con offrendas muy spectacularas. Yup, I’m still working on my Spanish, thanks to local Spanish school Casa de Español. Last weekend we headed down to the Latino Center for Arts and Culture’s annual Day of the Dead event. […]
SANTA ROSA, CA – JUNE 4, 2022 – SONOMA COUNTY PRIDE The older I get, the more I enjoy smaller. Prides. They seem to be one of the big trends right now too – beyond the big cities, we are gradually seeing many smaller communities hosting their own home-grown Pride events. Sonoma County Pride was like a cross between a small-town July 4th parade and a mini-Mardi Gras. De and I headed out early for the two-and-a-half hour drive from […]
SACRAMENTO, CA – MAY. 14, 2022 – BANS OFF OUR BODIES MARCH On Saturday, I headed down to shoot the Bans off our Bodies March & Rally. It was organized by Planned Parenthood in response to the release of the U.S. Supreme Court draft. If the decision is finalized, it will overturn Roe v. Wade, the historic 1973 case legalizing abortion across the U.S. Because I had another event later in the day, I could only witness the first part […]
AUBURN, CA – NOV. 11, 2021, “Salute to Veterans” These images come from today’s Veteran’s Day Parade. This was the 103rd year of the event, held in downtown Auburn. The parade is one of the largest in the country. The theme this year was “Honoring All Honor Guardsl” and this year’s Grand Marshalls were Terry Crouson, Commander Auburn Area Honor Guard and Gene Freeland, CoFounder Auburn Area Honor Guard * * * All photos are copyright Chris Allan 2021 and cannot […]
AUBURN, CA, U.S.A. – OCTOBER 17, 2021 What a treat! A fundraiser for the Sierra Native Alliance, today’s Big Time Pow Wow was a special experience. I was only able to stay for a few hours, but what a rich cultural experience it was. Razzle Dazzle The event began around 10am, with California Native Dancing and M.C. Razzle Dazzle. “A ho!” he told the crowd, is the only way to show appreciation for California Indians – no clapping allowed! In […]
Pride (in Northern California) is happening! Over the past few weeks, I\’ve visited three Pride celebrations. Silicon Valley Pride was a full week of activities, with the night festival on Saturday, August 28, and the parade on August 29. Next up was Oakland Pride, BUT it got cancelled because of COVID. Then I drove down to Merced on Saturday, September 18 to see their second annual Pride. It had been cancelled too, but I did get to see the nascent […]