RAPS Group Reports Book Group THE RAPS BOOK GROUP met on August 20 at the home of Joan Shireman and discussed Unsheltered, a novel by Barbara Kingsolver. This is the story of two families, in two centuries, who are experiencing major societal changes. The group liked the book very much. We were intrigued by the exploration of the ways in which the members of two families coped with change. The main characters were teachers, scientists, or writers, which made it easy for us to identify with them. Our favorite character seemed to be the warmhearted and activist daughter who was seeing the future more clearly than her elders. On Tuesday, September 17, we will meet to discuss The Library Book, by Susan Orlean, an exploration of a 1986 fire at the Los Angeles public library. The book, in its exploration, introduces the reader to a range of libraries and librarians. We will meet at the home of Nancy Chapman, 4214 NE Hazelfern Place, Portland, 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 can be there. The book group meets on the second Tuesday of every month. New members are always welcome. . —Joan Shireman 3 —Photograph by Larry Sawyerh The Opal Creek hike in July rewarded RAPS participants with pristine views of the Oregon wilderness. Hiking Group SEVEN HIKERS explored the Opal Creek area on July 23, which resulted in a 6.25-mile round trip. There were several streams in the area, which were all crystal clear and looked very cold. There were two abandoned sites on the hike. One was an old mill with lots of artifacts of note including a rusting boiler which came from the battleship USS Oregon. Opal Creek cascaded down into a narrow canyon with a relatively low stream velocity. We crossed a pedestrian bridge and found ourselves back on the road at Jawbone Flats, which was an old mining town, now used as a Nature Conservancy education center. Our September 24 hike will follow the Spring Park hiking trail to the historic Elk Rock Island in the Willamette River, near Milwaukie. The 1.5-mile loop route crosses the oldest rocks in the Portland area and offers views of the steep cliffs on the west side of the river, home to nesting birds and a railroad tunnel. We'll meet at 10:30 am at Spring Park on the mainland which is located at 19th Avenue and Sparrow Street; walk across the dry, rocky riverbed; follow a loop trail around the island; and return to Spring Park. Hiking boots or sturdy shoes are advised, due to the uneven terrain. Bring your lunch and water. Additional background information can be found at: https://www.pdx.edu/raps/RAPS-Hikers If you plan to hike in September, please contact Larry Sawyer at 503-771-1616 or larry_sawyer@comcast.net. —Larry Sawyer 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. We have had some new and returning members join us for our last few meetings. Please feel free to be another one of our new members for bridge (we really would welcome more new members). Our next meeting will be on the afternoon of September 3 in 258 Smith Center. Please mark your calendars for the following upcoming fall term meetings: Tuesday, October 1; Tuesday, November 5; and Tuesday, December 3. 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
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