3 RAPS SHEET n OCTOBER 2023 Book Group THE BOOK GROUP met on September 19 and discussed The House of Broken Angels by Luis Alberto Urrea. This is the well-told story of a large Mexican family. It takes place over one day as they celebrate a funeral and a birthday. The central character, holding the story and the family together, is Big Angel. There is Little Angel, his brother, and many family members who play a part in the confusion and the joy of a large family gathering. The book has been praised by reviewers and was identified as one of the best books of 2018. We thought it a joyful book, in places extremely funny. And overall a tribute to family life. Next month we plan to read Invisible Child: Poverty, Survival and Hope in an American City by Andrea Elliott. It also is well reviewed, and won a Pulitzer prize. It is a journalist’s report of the struggles of a poor family, and a devastating account of the minimalist nature and the racism of our child welfare system—and of the importance of family. The Book Group meets at 1:30 p.m. on the third Tuesday of every month. We are currently meeting over Zoom. Any RAPS member is welcome. —Joan Shireman Bridge Group THE BRIDGE GROUP needs additional players. Why would anyone join our group? Our players are friendly and enjoy the social aspect of playing bridge together. We benefit from the mental challenges (e.g., remembering what the trump suit is, tracking which important cards have already been played, figuring out whose turn it is to deal the next hand, and more). 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 are 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 THE OCTOBER 18 hike will be along the Wilson River Trail in the Coast Range off Highway 6, the segment to be determined. The November 15 hike will be in Oregon City at RAPS Group Reports Newall Creek Canyon. December is the hike planning month. If you have suggestions for the hiking group, please let Tom Dieterich know at tgdieterich@earthlink.net. On Wednesday, September 20, six people hiked the Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge outside Washougal, Washington. The refuge was closed for renovation in the past few years but has reopened. Our hike was around 6.5 miles along the Refuge River Trail and the Gibbons Creek Wildlife Art Trail; this latter trail closes October 1 for wintering birds. We had a brief smattering of rain, for which we all put on our rain jackets, but that ended with sun and clouds. The river was calm. We saw deer, egrets, herons, and two eagles plus other birds and ducks we didn’t identify, and there were a number of wildflowers. —Tom Dieterich RAPS members now eligible for PSU Alumni Card, a ticket to discounts on lots of goodies STARTING THIS MONTH, your membership in RAPS carries even more benefits! Thanks to the efforts of our liaison to the PSU Foundation, Claire Michie, senior director of Alumni Engagement and Annual Giving for the PSU Foundation, many of the benefits enjoyed by PSU alumni have been extended to members of RAPS. These benefits include discounts on many products and services, such as invitations to shop at the employee stores of Adidas, Columbia Sportswear, and Nike; discounts on Dell computers and AAA membership; and more. To learn more about the benefits now available to you as a RAPS member, visit https://www.pdx.edu/ alumni/discounts. To take advantage of these benefits, you will need to request an Alumni Card. This is a digital card that you will receive by email. You can request your card by filling out an Alumni Card Request form found at Portland State University Alumni Association - Alumni Card Request Form – Digital Alumni Card Request Form (portland state alumni.org).
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