Dove Harbor

Indiana – Saturday, June 1

It was still wet and dreary out, with more rainy weather to come, so I kept my same motel room for another night so I’d have a dry place to return to during the day if I needed it. And then I headed over to the town of Anderson, to make my donation to Dove Harbor, a shelter for women and children. But first, once we were in town, Tula and I got out to walk in the historic district. Natural gas was the economic basis for this town years ago, and there were lots of old Victorian style homes and the streets were lined with 100 Newport-style gaslights. And I could tell I was in an area of Indy car racing fans, because there were numerous Indy Speedway decorations and flags in some of the yards. Then I drove over by the White River, and walked another mile. The early settlers named it the White River because the reflections of the clouds on the water does make it look white, even though at first glance it appears to be a muddy brown.

After that, I located Dove Harbor, which is housed in a big church-like building, where other programs were also offered. I had tried calling them several times, but no one answered on a Saturday, which wasn’t surprising, so I will have to mail in the donation. Dove Harbor is celebrating their 20th anniversary this year, and they have helped countless families over the years. They can shelter and support up to 10 families for 6-12 months at a time.

Then I found the White River Trail and I left Tula in the car as I walked 4 miles on that. It was a pretty walk – very green, and there were also several boardwalks. I was lucky with the weather again – it was sprinkling a bit while I was out on the trail, but the expected storms did not appear. I stopped for some soup and salad on the way back to the motel – relieved the severe weather didn’t pass through, but sad to hear about more Oklahoma tornadoes, affecting towns I have walked through and made donations in. That makes it seem more personal.