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34 FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | OCTOBER 2015 If you had the chance to climb Mt. Everest, would you? Would the consequences be what you hoped? Join us Tues. Oct. 13, at 9:30 am in the new RCM building (old sales office) to discuss John Krakauer's intriguing book, Into Thin Air. Into Thin Air is a 1997 bestselling non-fiction book written by Jon Krakauer. It details the author's presence at Mount Everest during the 1996 Mount Everest disaster, when eight climbers were killed and several others were stranded by a rogue storm. The author's expedition was led by the famed guide Rob Hall, and there were other groups trying to summit on the same day, including one led by Scott Fischer, whose guiding agency, Mountain Madness, was perceived as a competitor to Rob Hall's agency, Adventure Consultants. In the book, Jon Krakauer described the events leading up to his eventual decision to participate in an Everest expedition in May 1996, despite having mostly given up mountain climbing years before. The 1996 season expedition recorded eight deaths, the third most on Everest in a single day (the April 2015 Nepal earthquake caused the most, at least 19 deaths), including Krakauer's guides Rob Hall and Andy Harris. Initially, Krakauer, a journalist for adventure magazine Outside, stated that his intentions to climb Everest were purely professional. The original magazine story was to have Krakauer climb only to base camp, and report on the commercialization of the mountain. However, the idea of Everest reawakened his childhood desire for climbing the mountain. Krakauer asked his editor to put off the story for a year so that he could train for a climb to the summit. From there, the book chronologically moves between events that take place on the mountain and the unfolding tragedy which takes place during the push to the summit. In the book, Krakauer alleges that essential safety methods adopted over the years by experienced guides on Everest are sometimes compromised by the competition between rival guiding agencies to get their clients to the summit. November's Book Club selection will be Harper Lee's newly published Go Set a Watchman, which was written before To Kill a Mockingbird and is, according to Ms. Lee, the "parent" of her classic. For more information on the Book Club, please call Doreen Sanders at (951) 769-1913. ~ Georgia Coleman Book Club A smaller than usual attendance was no surprise on September first, before Labor Day. Yet, for a new member like Adona, as she wrote to me after the meeting, it was a perfect experience, less intimidating than a large audience. Sharon came to remind us of our participation in the Holiday celebration. Then we talked about our memories from editing in Beaumont to traveling in Alaska. I showed the galley proof of the first in a series of 11 booklets of Stories from Ancient Greece, now being printed by one of our neighbors, Alfred Lau of Beaumont Copy and Graphics. We set our goals high for the next meeting on Tuesday., Oct. 6 at 1:30 pm at the Lodge. Perhaps for most of us the only legacy we will leave to our heirs, one that can last forever, will be a few words written about our memories, knowledge or creativity. The Writers' Club can help you. Join us, it's fun and rewarding. ~ Joseph Laurin Writers' Club Our Oct. 13, 10:30 am meeting in the ballroom is another Skype session presented by Gene Barlow. He will inspect the four most common backup approaches on the market and will tell you why one backup approach are vastly superior to all of the others. Gene Barlow has worked with computer systems for over 50 years and has specialized in back up technology and hard drive utilities for the past 20 years. He can make a complex topic easy for everyone to understand, yet still provide lots of details that one should know. The meeting is open and free to all homeowners. ~ Phil Jaffe Computer Technology Amphitheater The 2015 Four Seasons Amphitheater Concert Series has come to an end with the concert actually held in our amphitheater. (This year set a record for concerts held in the ballroom due to inclement weather.) Our guest performer Barry McGuire and his band gave a stellar performance with great music and high energy. We look forward to another season in the amphitheater in 2016. See you there! ~ Elaine SanFilippo

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