4 RAPS SHEET n NOVEMBER 2022 RAPS Group Reports Book Group THE BOOK GROUP MET on October 18 and discussed The Lost City of Z by David Gann. For the more frivolous among us the book was a rousing adventure tale of exploration in the Amazon, featuring a hunt for Percy Fawcett, “the last of the great Victorian explorers,” who had vanished 90 years earlier on an Amazon expedition. For the more serious minded it was a disjointed tale hopping from present to past and from place to place and difficult to follow. And in the end it was a story of the very different methods of the explorer and the anthropologist and of the beginning of understanding the ancient civilizations of the Amazon. Perhaps as a reaction to having read a book set in wartime London just before reading another about being lost in the Amazon, the group decided it needed a “happy” book for November. We selected the novel This is Happiness by Niall Williams. We hope it lives up to its title. For our December meeting the group decided to read Hearts Touched with Fire: How Great Leaders are Made by David Gergen. Working to uncover the basic elements of effective leadership, the author examines a rich array of contemporary and historic leaders. It should be an interesting book and discussion. The book group meets on the third Tuesday of each month at 1:30 p.m. Traditionally we have met in the homes of various members; currently we are using Zoom for our discussions and plan to continue in this way for a time. All RAPS members are welcome to join the group. —Joan Shireman Bridge Group THE BRIDGE GROUP has begun playing in person, after a long pandemic hiatus. We need additional players; do you want to join us? I would like to hear from any interested RAPS members or others you know who might want to play in our group. The RAPS Bridge Group does not require RAPS membership. Your friends and relatives would be welcome to join us. Please rattle your social and family networks to see if you might be able to shake loose a bridge player or two. Please contact Steve Brennan, 503-889-0146. My email address is: the.steve.brennan@gmail.com.. —Steve Brennan Hiking Group FOUR PEOPLE HIKED the Cape Horn Trail on October 27, taking advantage of a break in the rain to climb some 1,200 feet and hike some 7.5 miles to see lovely views of the Columbia River and its environs. While the sun felt good, the long-distance views of Beacon Rock and Bonneville Dam were somewhat hazy. The November hike may be in Newall Creek Canyon, in Oregon City, a new Metro park, if the weather permits. If it has been raining a lot to muddy the trails, the hike will be moved to the Sellwood Bridge-to-Tilikum Bridge in Portland, which is all on paved surfaces. The hike is scheduled for November 15 with an option to adjust the day of that week to accommodate weather (the hike has been moved up one week to avoid Thanksgiving). If you are interested in joining us for this hike, please contact Tom Dieterich by November 13, tgdieterich@earthlink.net. No hike is planned for December, which is reserved for planning the next year’s hikes. If you have suggestions for RAPS hikes, please contact Tom Dieterich, tgdieterich@earthlink.net, by November 30. —Tom Dieterich Tom Hard, Mary Lane Stevens, and Cilla Murray pause while hiking 7.5 miles along the Cape Horn Trail on October 27. Tom Dieterich photo
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