5 The RAPS Sheet January 2020 RAPS Group Reports Book Group ON DECEMBER 17 the Book Group met at Joan Shireman’s house and discussed Rules of Civility by Amor Towles. There was a range of opinions about the book. Generally, the group liked it, noting particularly the excellent writing. The book, set in 1938 in Manhattan, evokes a different society in a different era. Often we were uncertain about some of the dimensions of that society and that era. In January we will be reading Lynne Olson’s Citizens of London: The Americans Who Stood with England in its Darkest, Finest Hour. The book explores the origins of an AngloAmerican alliance that helped turn the tide during the most widespread conflict in history. We will meet at 1:30 p.m. on January 21 at Leif and Marge Terdal’s home in Terwilliger Plaza, 2545 SW Terwilliger Blvd., Apt. 812. In February we have decided to discuss The Overstory by Richard Powers. A Pulitzer Prize winner, it has won wide acclaim, and we are eager to read and talk about it. The book group meets at 1:30 p.m. on the third Tuesday of each month. New members are always welcome. —Joan Shireman Bridge Group THE RAPS BRIDGE GROUP meets in the afternoon on the first Tuesday of each month. We begin play at 12:15 p.m. and try to finish by 4 p.m. 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 Tuesday, January 7, in 329 Smith Center. Please mark your calendars for the following upcoming meetings in winter term: Tuesday, February 4; and Tuesday, March 3. I will send out a 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 Hiking Group THE RAPS HIKERS planned our 2020 hikes at our potluck on December 10. Due to conflicts with the Thanksgiving holiday, we rescheduled our November hike to January 28. We will hike the section of the Banks-to-Vernonia Trail from the Buxton Trestle trailhead to Stub Steward State Park. We meet at the Buxton Trailhead at 9:30 a.m. To get there, take Highway 26 toward the coast until it merges with Highway 47. Continue on Highway 47 as it turns right toward Vernonia. Turn right on NW Fisher Road; it is the first road after leaving Highway 26. There is no trailhead sign at the turn. Continue into Buxton, where you will see a trailhead sign directing you to turn left onto NW Bacona Road. The marked trailhead is a short distance up the road. You can find more information at: https://oregonstateparks.org/index.cfm?do=parkPage.dsp_ parkPage&parkId=104 The route is approximately three miles long. We will eat sack lunches in the park picnic area, which has water and a restroom. The strong hikers will return to the Buxton Trailhead, hiking a total of under seven miles. Those who don’t want to hike that distance can carpool back to the Buxton Trailhead. Those planning to car shuttle should arrive a little earlier to spot a car in the park. Confirm your participation by emailing larry_sawyer@comcast.net or calling 503-7711616. —Larry Sawyer Brunch rings in holiday season Lauren Brown, recipient of this year’s RAPS Scholarship, speaks at the RAPS Holiday Brunch. The annual brunch, held on December 12, drew about 50 RAPS members, who enjoyed numerous hot dishes and raised $523 for the RAPS Scholarship through donations, a raffle, and the sale of homemade holiday goodies. Larry Sawyer photo
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