RAPS Group Reports Book Group THE RAPS BOOK GROUP has read some excellent books in the early summer months. In May we met at the home of Gwen Pierce and discussed Evolution’s Captain by Peter Nichols, the story of the captain of the Beagle, who took Darwin along for company on the voyage. It was a lively discussion, and members liked the book very much. In June we met at the home of Eileen and Steve Brennan and discussed Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate, a novel that moves between the 1950s and the present time. It is the story of five siblings abducted, placed in a children’s home, separated despite their struggle to stay together, and adopted. In the present day a family member discovers the family secret and pieces the story together. Complex and rich in detail, the chapters told from the perspective of the children were particularly compelling. The tale is based on an actual scandal in which an adoption agency in Memphis sold stolen children to well-off adoptive parents. On Tuesday, July 16, we will meet at the home of Marge and Leif Terdal, Terwilliger Plaza, 2545 SW Terwilliger Blvd. We will be discussing Michelle Obama’s Becoming, a memoir of her life in the south side of Chicago, as a student at Princeton and Harvard Law School, and as a young lawyer at the Chicago law firm where she met Barack Obama. And, of course, of her life through campaigns and as first lady. In August we will read and discuss Unsheltered by Barbara Kingsolver. This is the story of two families, in two centuries, who are “navigating what seems to be the end of the world as they know it.” We will meet on Tuesday, August 20, at the home of Joan Shireman, l3584 SE Snowfire Dr., in Happy Valley. The book group meets on the second Tuesday of every month. New members are always welcome. . —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. We have had a few 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). Please mark your calendars for the following upcoming meetings in SMSU 258: July 2, August 6, and September 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 3 —Tom Hard photograph Hikers visiting Silver Falls State Park in June were rewarded with amazing vistas. Hiking Group ON JUNE 26 seven members of the hiking group followed trails in Silver Falls State Park to spectacular viewpoints of the falls and forest areas. The hike on July 23 will be on the Opal Creek Trail, a 6.4mile moderately trafficked out-and-back trail located near Elkhorn, Oregon, that features a waterfall and is good for all skill levels. Beginning at the Opal Creek Trailhead, this hike is on a gravel road through an old-growth forest of cedar trees. This trail takes you over a high bridge to the opal pool and hikers can loop around and go back through the historic small town of Jawbone Flats. It is a great walk along an old road and an opportunity to explore an old mining operation abandoned over a century ago in this ancient forest. Along the way you can also see Slide Falls and Sawmill Falls. On August 27, the group will explore the Oregon Coast and hike on trails in Oswald State Park West. Details of this hike are still being worked out, but there are possibilities of hiking along the beach or following trails through old growth forests that result in spectacular views. For more details about these hikes or upcoming hiking plans in 2019, please consult the RAPS hikers’ website: https://www.pdx.edu/raps/RAPS-Hikers. If you plan to hike in July or August, please contact Larry Sawyer at 503-771-1616 or larry_sawyer@comcast.net. —Larry Sawyer
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