RAPS Group Reports Book Group THE BOOK GROUP met on November 12 at the home of Eileen and Steve Brennan to discuss Leonardo Da Vinci by Walter Isaacson. It is a beautiful book and a magnificent biography. As we talked we were repeatedly amazed and impressed by the range of Leonardo’s ideas. He was curious about so many things, and explored them in such detail. Some explorations were used in his art. Others seemed to have no immediate utility, other than to add to his store of knowledge. We were also interested in how much of his work was left as notes and sketches in his notebooks, with no attempt to present it for others to use. On December 18 we will meet at the home of Joan Shireman, 13584 SE Snowfire Drive, Happy Valley. Contact her at joanshireman@gmail.com or 503-698-9951 to let her know whether you can be there. We will discuss The Atomic Weight of Love, a novel by Elizabeth J. Church. The book is an exploration of the life of the heroine between the 1940s and the 1970s, as she subverts her career aspirations to those of her husband, and later finds more freedom in another era. It is said to be a captivating novel and had excellent reviews. And a member who has read it tells us we will learn a lot about crows. In January, for those who can think beyond the holiday season, we will be reading Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates. It is an acclaimed book, winner of many awards, and offers a framework for understanding the racial history of America and its current tensions. The book group meets at 1:30 pm on the third Tuesday of every month. New members are always welcome. —Joan Shireman Bridge Group THE RAPS BRIDGE GROUPmeets in the afternoon, generally on the first Tuesday of each month. We begin play at 12:15 pm. We try to finish up by 4 pm. We meet in Smith Center, on the second floor. Please mark your calendars for the following upcoming bridge group meetings: Tuesday, December 4, in SMSU 258 Tuesday, January 8, in SMSU 258 (second Tuesday) Tuesday, February 5, in SMSU 258 I will send out the reminder email notice about one week prior to each date we play. The RAPS Bridge Group members are very 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 Hiking Group THE RAPS HIKING GROUP met for the final hike of the year on Tuesday, November 27, and explored the Rock Creek Regional Trail from the Kaiser Woods Natural Area to Bethany Lake Park. The hike took place along Springville Creek and passed through meadows and forested and wetlands areas. After the hike, the group enjoyed a lunch at Bethany’s Table restaurant in the Bethany Village area. Our December meeting is a potluck lunch and 2019 hiking planning session at the home of Larry and Diane Sawyer. Please contact Larry Sawyer at 503-771-1616 or larry_sawyer@comcast.net for further information. For more details about the planning event or upcoming hikes please consult the RAPS hikers’ website: https://www.pdx.edu/raps/RAPS-Hikers —Larry Sawyer The RAPS Hiking Group explored Deschutes River State Park in October. The route had substantial climbs and led to views of the east end of the Gorge and expansive canyon vistas. —-Photograph by Deve Swaim 3
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