RAPS Group Reports Book Group THE RAPS BOOK GROUP met on February 19 at the home of Marge and Leif Terdal and discussed Salt to the Sea by Ruta Sepetys. The story of refugees fleeing the oncoming Soviet army in Prussia and northern Poland in the closing days of World War II, it is told through the first person perceptions of four very different characters. It is also the story of the sinking in the Baltic Sea of Wilhelm Gustloff, a ship packed with 10,000 refugees, most of whom were lost. The author weaves a compelling tale of loss and suffering and courage and hope. The book group discussion was animated as we focused on the perspectives of one character and then another, and on our own limited understanding of this bit of history. As we planned for our March meeting, we discovered that we were a traveling group and very few were going to be in Portland in March. So we decided to postpone our March meeting until Tuesday, April 16, when we will meet at the home of Felicia Wirtz and discuss Perfume River, a novel by Robert Olen Butler. Felicia’s home is at 16433 Avamere Ct., Portland. Contact Felicia at 503-645 0947 or feliciawirtz@gmail.com to let her know whether you will be able to be there. In May we plan to discuss Evolution’s Captain by Peter Nichols, the story of Robert FitzRoy the captain of Beagle, who took Darwin along on his voyage. 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 GROUPmembers are very friendly and are always looking for new players. We meet 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. In the current academic year we are meeting in 258 Smith Memorial Student Union, on the second floor. Our February meeting was canceled due to weather conditions, but we look forward to lively games during the rest of 2019. Please mark your calendars for the following winter and spring meetings: March 5, April 2, May 7, and June 4, all in 258 SMSU. I will send out the reminder email notice about one week prior to each date we play. If you wish to join us, please contact Steve Brennan, 503-646-6297. My email address is the.steve.brennan@gmail.com. —Steve Brennan 4 —Photograph by Larry Sawyer Tom Hard found wild crabapples on a winter RAPS hike on the Rock Creek trail. Hiking Group THE RAPS HIKING GROUP met on Tuesday, February 16, and enjoyed a hike that started on Terwilliger Blvd., reached the Portland Aerial Tram, ventured over Tilikum Crossing, walked past OMSI, and returned to the west side of the Willamette River using the Hawthorne Bridge. The March 26 hike will explore the Powell Butte Nature Park. Hikers will do a 4.5-mile trail loop on this Boring volcano in Southeast Portland, featuring upland meadows and forested ravines. It's also home to two 50-million gallon underground water storage tanks. Most of the trails are unpaved, and the total elevation gain is 530 feet. Those preferring to carpool can meet at 9:30 am in the parking lot of Ho Ho's restaurant, 3404 SE Cesar E. Chavez Blvd., just north of Powell Blvd. Our second meeting place is the Powell Butte Visitor Center, where the hike starts at 10:00 am. (From the intersection of SE Powell and 162nd Ave., drive south to the end of 162nd, the park's only parking lot, right below the Visitor Center.) Please let Tom Hard know at which meeting place to look for you. After the hike, we will gather for lunch at Ho Ho's, which has excellent Chinese food, or at another restaurant of choice. If you plan to hike in March, please contact Larry Sawyer at 503-771-1616 or larry_sawyer@comcast.net. For more details about this hike or future hiking plans in 2019, please consult the RAPS hikers’ website: https://www.pdx.edu/raps/RAPSHikers —Larry Sawyer
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