a_stop_on_the_detour birdmad the usual gritty streets, a little busier than this city sees on a sunday afternoon, sound of a local industrial band jamming out in front of a nearby residence carrying on the occasional shifts in the breeze, friends of the homeowner and one of the artists on display in one of the houses turned into a gallery bustle of people the old, the young, the inbetween. down the next street, a cafe with a few artists on display along its inner walls, sound of The_Cure's disintegration CD playing over he patio speakers outside and in installation pieces here, series of torso sculptures, reminiscent of the idol of the co-called "Venus of Willendorf" (prehistoric fertility totem, pendulous breasts and belly) graffiti installation in the empty lot across the street, marked by cauton tape and a large highway sign hung where the road does not lead but pointing it out in large block letters DETOUR -- giant canvases further down the road in a nice big space, smell of oil-paint comfortably heavy on the air semi-abstract semi-landscape, almost a reinvnton of the impressionists but somehow in big-bold strokes, self portrait of another artist, nude except for a cowboy hat, kicking up into the air as if he were a Rockette, leg strategically covering him gallery devoted to protest pieces, some of them brilliant, some of them merely good, a couple that you could take or leave. and considering the attitude that the powers that be hold toward dissenting voices, it was only appropriate that the gallery/studio is called ThoughtCrime. someone grabbed up what appeared to be the last copy of something i had hoped to get my hands on, copy of a strange art "cut-up" zine i had before from a previous Detour a number of years ago. thought some if it was just purposely odd thought some of it was unintentionally fucking genius 2 liters of bottle water was not enough for the mileage i waled under the warm spring sun i'm tired and i ache from the walking, but it is a walk i look forward to taking again next spring Today, as Ice_Cube said, was a good day 030309 ... . . 040913 what's it to you? who go blather from