4 RAPS SHEET n SEPTEMBER 2023 Book Group THE BOOK GROUP met on August 15 and discussed Pacific by Simon Winchester. The scope of the book is best described by its subtitle, Silicon Chips and Surfboards, Coral Reefs and Atom Bombs, Brutal Dictators, Fading Empires, and the Coming Collision of the World’s Superpowers. Each of these topics makes an appearance as the book explores the many facets of the cultures surrounding the Pacific Ocean. Beyond the introductory chapter each of these topics has its own chapter, allowing an increasingly complex picture of the Pacific and its cultures to emerge. The author’s opinion is clearly stated as he reviews what has happened and is happening to the people of the Pacific. For the most part book group members agreed with him. This is a beautiful book, full of intriguing maps. A world map drawn with the Pacific Ocean at its center looks quite different from the usual map focused around the Atlantic— and makes the point that history is increasingly going to be centered among these Pacific countries. As readers searched the maps for a particular island where the author had focused, our limited knowledge of this part of the world became apparent. A splendid book full of new information, the group agreed. During July we planned for our fall reading, building on suggestions from group members: in September—The House of Broken Angels by Luis Alberto Urrea; in October—Invisible Child: Poverty, Survival & Hope in an American City by Andrea Elliott; and in November—The Music of Bees: A Novel by Eileen Garvin. The Book Group meets on the third Tuesday of the month. We are still using Zoom for our meetings, and it has worked well for this group. Any RAPS member is welcome to join the group. —Joan Shireman Bridge Group THE BRIDGE GROUP is in need of additional players; do you want to join us? We really could use some more players. We are a friendly group and we promise to welcome new players warmly. I would like to hear from any interested RAPS members or others you know who might want to play in our group. The 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 RAPS Group Reports 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 SEPTEMBER 20 hike will be to the Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge in Washington. The October 18 hike will be a segment of the Wilson River Trail off Highway 6 in the Oregon Coast Range. The November 15 hike is planned for the Newell Creek Canyon in Oregon City. In August, two RAPS hikers tackled the Salmon River Trail, in the Salmon-Huckleberry Wilderness, a week after the hike had been postponed due to 100-degree air temperatures. We admired the ever-riffling river and the neverlogged forest, with its random-aged mix of western red cedar, western hemlock, and Douglas fir, including some giants. We snacked on red huckleberries along the way. To be included on the hiking group mailing list, please contact Tom Dieterich at tgdieterich@earthlink.net.. —Tom Hard RAPS hikers Tom Hard and Mary Lane Stevens stop at Salmon River Viewpoint to take a selfie during the Hiking Group’s hike in the Salmon-Huckleberry Wilderness last month.
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