RAPS Group Reports Book Group THE BOOK GROUP met on December 19 and discussed Love, Africa: A Memoir of Romance, War, and Survival, Jeffrey Gettleman’s rather puzzling book. It is the autobiographical memoir of his years in Africa as correspondent for the New York Times, moving from one crisis to another, often in considerable peril, and mourning the instability of the various African countries. The parallel story is of his wife’s decision to leave a law practice in the United States and join him in Africa. The group thought that a sense of entitlement permeated the book, and we wondered why natives of Africa did not play a larger role in the book. At the same time, we enjoyed the description of his work as a correspondent and his political analysis. We will next meet on January 16 at the home of Nancy Chapman and discuss A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles. It is a novel set in Russia in 1922, the story of a former member of the aristocracy sentenced by a Bolshevik tribunal to spend the rest of his life under house arrest in a Moscow hotel—where his interactions with other hotel guests provide the story. Nancy Chapman’s home is at 4214 NE Hazelfern Place, Portland; we will meet at our usual 1:30 pm time. Call Nancy at 503-234-0162 or email her at chapmannj@comcast.net to let her know whether you will be at the meeting. In February we will be reading Jodi Picoult‘s Plain Truth, enthusiastically recommended by one of our members. We will meet at the home of Gwen Pierce. The Book Group meets the third Tuesday of every month at 1:30 pm. New members are always welcome. And we welcome suggestions of books that are interesting to read and full of issues for discussion. —Joan Shireman Bridge Group THE RAPS BRIDGE GROUPmeets in the afternoon 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, usually on the second floor, but sometimes on the third floor. Please mark your calendars for the following upcoming months; bridge dates, rooms and times: Tuesday, January 2, 2018; in SMSU 294 Monday, February 5, 2018; in SMSU 294 (Note: not on Tuesday) Tuesday, March 6, 2018; in SMSU 294 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 JANUARY HIKE is a loop involving two bridges: the Sellwood Bridge and the Tilikum Crossing. We will meet on Tuesday, January 23, at 9:30 am in the parking lot of the Sellwood Riverfront Park, located between Oaks Park and the Sellwood Bridge. We will cross the Sellwood Bridge and walk down the west side of the river to the Tilikum Crossing bridge. Next we will walk across the Tilikum Crossing and return to the parking lot at the Sellwood Riverfront Park on the east side of the river. Lunch will be somewhere in Sellwood. The estimated distance is five miles with no elevation gain. If you plan to hike in January, contact Larry Sawyer at 503771-1616 or larry_sawyer@comcast.net. For more details about this hike or future hiking plans in 2018, please consult the RAPS hikers’ website: https://www.pdx.edu/raps/RAPSHikers —Larry Sawyer Twelve members of the RAPS Hiking Group enjoyed their hiking potluck lunch in December. A planning session for the 2018 hikes followed the luncheon. —-Photograph by Larry Sawyer RAPS Scholarship donations in November and December Terril Joan Doherty John Hammond Byron Lippert Mary Ricks Joan and David Shireman Pat and Fred Squire Roger and Sylvia Moseley in memory of Robert Vogelsang Jean Morrison in memory of Hugh G. Lovell Dirgham Sbait in honor of Charlie White Holiday Brunch contributions. 3
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