DOWNTOWN WOMEN'S CENTER, #1

I will be writing a lot about the Downtown Women's Center. Downtown as in Los Angeles. Women as in older female persons without children in tow. And Center as in a place to meet and live.

When it was founded 30 years ago this month, it was the FIRST agency in LA devoted to the problems of homeless women. It has permanent living quarters for 45 women, a day center, social service help, meals, employment assistance, etc. They recently purchased a larger building so they will have 90-100 living quarters and a larger facility in general. They subsist largely on donations of money, time, and stuff. They have little governmental support.

I have gotten myself involved with this through the L.I.F.E. program (Living Independently in a Friendly Environment) here in Park LaBrea. That program is focussed, correctly, on providing support and information to seniors here. However, there was the idea that we should look outside of ourselves and the Downtown Women's Center Action Group was created. I am the coordinator, but the 10-12 members are all very capable.

Our first project is a clothing drive to be held September 26. More later.

This week's painting. I was trying something a little new to me.

Linda and I always wanted to visit the Channel Islands National Park and the opportunity (ie warm weather) came when she was visiting here in early July. The nearest one, Anacapa, is an hour out from Oxnard. To say it is desolate is not an exaggeration. No one lives there; a ranger spends every other week in summer. Everything must be brought in by small boats and hauled up to the top (150 steps for visitors) by a crane.

May and June are the months for flowers. June and July are the time the Western Gulls nest. Thousands of them, all over the place. The chicks fledge in August and all are gone until next year. The other end of the island, which is not accessible by the public, is where the brown pelicans nest.They were formerly endangered, but have come back big time. The ground and air are full of birds.

For would-be birders, The Western Gulls have pink legs, the California Gulls yellow. They are not fully adult for 4 years and their plumage gradually changes from dark gray to the mostly white with gray wings.

Volunteer scuba divers showed us the underwater area and the creatures that live there. Right below where the boat comes is a kelp forest. The divers, via closed circuit TV, showed us a small shark, a Garibaldi (a bright orange fish that is the State Marine Fish) guarding its eggs, a sea urchin, and a spiny lobster. Since Linda and I do not plan to scuba dive, it was a marvel to behold.