linda fetch

There’s a town on the outskirts of San Diego called El Cajon (“the box” in Spanish). Years ago it was basically a sort of cowboy town (as Frank Zappa referred to it in his autobiography.) Recently they’ve been “redeveloping” it and I have to say it’s probably for the best overall. Except that my favorite bookstore got squeezed out due to increasing rents in the downtown area…

That aside, last weekend (July 6-7) they had their second annual “Art Walk”. It’s pretty cool, as it’s centered in an alley behind Main Street. The anchor is “Sophie’s Gallery”, which is the storefront for a program run by a local charity to encourage developmentally disabled adults to express themselves through art. It’s an amazing program, and some of the pieces these people have done are extremely impressive as well. Read more about it here.

I wish I could show some of the artwork these people have done, but I won’t do so without their permission. Meanwhile, here’s a snapshot of a picturesque old building on the alley. The text painted on the wall on the right that you might not quite be able to make out reads: “…it is important to remember that the frame minus the picture could be almost as compelling as the picture minus the frame. Sometimes it can be even more so…” from John Russell. I have to confess I’m not sure who this particular John Russell is…