RAPS Group Reports The RAPS Book Group met on March 17 and discussed The Orchardist by Amanda Coplin. The setting in the orchards of Wenatchee as the 20th century began was intriguing. We tried to fathom the reasons for the actions of the enigmatic characters and were taken by their stories and the way their lives were woven together. The April meeting of the book group, on April 21 at 1:30 pm, will be at the home of Brian Lewis. We will discuss The Painted Girls by Cathy Marie Buchanan. It is a tale of the young ballerinas that were the subjects of Degas’ art. “Wonderfully imagined and masterfully rendered, this story of 19th century Paris and life behind the scenes of its legendary Opera House will change the way you see the world of ballet, art, and the lives it portrays.” wrote Shilpi Somaya Gowda in the New York Times. Brian’s address is 12828 SW Walnut St., Tigard. Contact him at 503-5905890 or brianlewispdx@gmail.com to let him you know you are coming and to get directions. In May the group will meet at Joan Shireman’s home and will read A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki. The Book Group meets at 1:30 pm on the third Tuesday of each month. We try to balance our book selections to include non-fiction as well as fiction. New members are always welcome. --Joan Shireman The RAPS Bridge Group will meet (or has already met) on Tuesday, April 7, 2015. We meet regularly on the first Tuesday of each month. Given the timing of the monthly RAPS Sheet, let me inform you of upcoming bridge sessions: May 5, 2015 and June 2, 2015. We gather in the conference room of Friendly House’s Anderson Building. This building is on the North side of NW Savier Street, around the corner from the main entrance to Friendly House at 26th and Thurman. Playing begins at 1 pm and continues to about 4:30 pm. We are friendly and are always looking for new players. If you wish to join us, please contact Steve Brennan, 503-646-6297. My email address is the.steve.brennan@gmail.com. --Steve Brennan The RAPS Hiking Group, on March 13, walked the Banks to Vernonia State Trail from milepost 12 to milepost 21 in Vernonia. This is a linear park along an abandoned railroad line. The weather was ideal. All shed their jackets before the hike was over. We saw our first trillium bloom for 2015. We also saw a couple of skunk cabbage blooms at a distance and evidence of beaver small tree logging next to Beaver Creek. On April 10, the RAPS Hikers will travel up the Columbia Gorge to Rowena Crest and hike from there to Tom McCall Point. This will be an entirely different type of hike than the March hike. It will only be 3.4 miles round trip, but it will be on an unpaved trail with an elevation gain of 1100 feet. The hike appears in Sullivan’s 100 Northwest Oregon Hikes, 4th edition as Hike #58. Plan to enjoy a sack lunch at Tom McCall Point unless we decide on a late lunch in Mosier. We will carpool from the SE corner of the Gateway Transit Center parking structure. Meet us there at 9:00 am. As this will be a longer drive, plan on driver compensation. For more details, or to confirm your participation, contact Larry Sawyer at 503-771-1616 or larry_sawyer@comcast.net. (There is an underscore between “larry” and “sawyer” in that email address.) This will be a wild-flower hike. Expect a slower pace than the March hike. --Larry Sawyer 3
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