Scrapbooking

📚 Do you love reading, but wish you had a structure and a community to share your insights with? Join our small circle of curious minds (just 4 members per gathering) as we come together for an hour of focused reading—in the calm setting of a library or the cozy atmosphere of a café. Here’s how it works: First part: Quiet reading on your own—bring a book you’re exploring, whether it’s philosophy, history, psychology, literature, or anything meaningful to you. Second part: We regroup and each person shares key takeaways, insights, or questions sparked by their reading. This sparks a structured yet free-flowing conversation around ideas, perspectives, and personal reflections. Why join? Add structure to your reading habit. Discover new books, authors, and ideas through others’ choices. Build real connections by sharing and listening deeply. Socialize around something meaningful instead of small talk.

**Want to help bring your city’s community together?** We’re looking for local hosts to organize small group lunches, evening drinks, mixers, movie get-togethers and curated experiences. **No experience necessary,** just a friendly attitude, some local knowledge, and a willingness to meet a few new people. After each event, we’ll send a short feedback form so we can improve and support you. The host will also be able to provide feedback so we can learn what worked and what didn't. **[Click here](https://form.questionscout.com/6926c9ab87a828a5c11a79fc)** to apply and get started: if you’re selected, we’ll reach out for a quick screening call.

Open gaming at Panera! New players welcome. We have many games on hand or you can bring your own. We are happy to teach or learn one of yours.

SUNDAY SKATE IS CANCELLED DUE TO EXPECTED WEATHER CONDITIONS - See you all NEXT week! For current details, check Facebook and Instagram. Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/WashingtonAreaRoadskaters/events Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/weareskatedc/ We hope to see you soon!

We meet on Sundays at 8 a.m. for training runs on some of DC's best trails, including Rock Creek Park and the surrounding area. We typically meet at either Peirce Mill in Rock Creek Park, or Roosevelt Island, depending on the route. Details of the weekly schedule can be found here: https://new.vhtrc.org/runs/sip We hope you can join us for a run! All paces and levels of trail experience are welcome for these runs, which range in distance from 6 to 9 miles.

**RSVP Note:** You **MUST** register on links below, **not** on Meetup. **REGISTER: Weekend Advanced: [https://playtennis.usta.com/northbethesdamiddle/BookClass/0e83cd4f-409f-4792-8c76-210f66a4b3f6](https://playtennis.usta.com/northbethesdamiddle/BookClass/0e83cd4f-409f-4792-8c76-210f66a4b3f6)** **Private Lessons: $70** **[Read the Washington Post article about our class!](https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/its-not-whether-you-win-or-lose-its-how-much-you-sweat/2015/10/07/3b2f26c2-66b9-11e5-9ef3-fde182507eac_story.html)** Cardio Tennis is a game-based, FUN way to play and learn tennis while burning more calories than singles! Instruction and game formats are provided by internationally recognized tennis coach, speaker, author David Robinson; USPTA and PTR certified professional.

Capoeira (capo-way-ra) is an Afro-Brazilian martial art that is unlike any other martial art. Capoeira incorporates flowing movements with kicks, dodges, and some acrobatics. It is often mistaken for a dance for those reasons. Since it’s origins in the 17th century, it has evolved from a secret fighting practice into an art emphasizing self-expression and community celebration. It is great for the body and mind! In addition to gaining strength and flexibility in class, students learn about Brazilian culture, history, and language (Portuguese). On November 26, 2014 capoeira was granted a special protected status as "intangible cultural heritage” by UNESCO. No need to have a Capoeira background to join this class, just an open mind to try out a new way to move! Beginners welcome. **Please reserve your spot at www.piesfitnessyoga.com**. The session is offered InStudio only. **Sign up for sessions must be made at least 2 hours prior to class.** The address is 1322 Prince St. Alexandria, VA 22314. Our entrance is located on the side of the building, parallel to West St. **Street parking is available and additional parking is located at Shiloh Baptist church, spaces 3,5,7,9.** The church is located across the street from the studio, on the corner of Duke St. and West St.

◦Join us for a laid-back Sunday Brunch. The Brunch is All-You-Can-Eat buffet and a bottle of Champagne (750 ml) with Orange Juice. You make your own mimosa. Just only for $ 35.00 per person without tax & gratuity! It includes French toast, pancakes, waffles, omelettes made to order, Pasta, Salads, Roast Beef, Pork Ribs, oyster bar, cheese bar and Salmon, plenty of fresh fruit, yogurt, cakes, cookies, and pudding....mmmm! After brunch, we mingle and socialize. Closest Metro Station is Clarendon. Please take into account Metro's Weekend Track Work & Service Adjustments. Check it on http://www.wmata.com/ and plan accordingly.

**REGISTER: Weekend intermediate: [https://playtennis.usta.com/northbethesdamiddle/BookClass/fa56b8f7-149d-4006-8583-f9f409130266](https://playtennis.usta.com/northbethesdamiddle/BookClass/fa56b8f7-149d-4006-8583-f9f409130266)** **[REGISTER: Wednesday Eve Intermediate:](https://playtennis.usta.com/northbethesdamiddle/BookClass/2fb493a2-d5de-4e73-9976-9e3433c29e0d)** **Private Lessons available: $70 PER HOUR** **[Read the Washington Post article about our class!](https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/wellness/its-not-whether-you-win-or-lose-its-how-much-you-sweat/2015/10/07/3b2f26c2-66b9-11e5-9ef3-fde182507eac_story.html)** Instruction provided by internationally recognized tennis coach, speaker, author David Robinson; USPTA and PTR certified professional. **LEVEL: Intermediate (NTRP 3.0-4.0)** PORTION OF PROCEEDS GO TO MONTGOMERY COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS **RSVP Note:** You **MUST** register on the provided links not on Meetup.

CANCELED DUE TO WEATHER If folks want to still go to Kaldi's, check first if it's open. However, even if it is open, we won't be hosting an official "event" since the organizers will be huckered down at home. Stay safe everyone and hopefully see you next week

For January, we’re reading Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy. For fans of Flight Behavior and Station Eleven, a novel set on the brink of catastrophe, as a young woman chases the world's last birds--and her own final chance for redemption. Franny Stone has always been a wanderer. By following the ocean's tides and the birds that soar above, she can forget the losses that have haunted her life. But when the wild she loves begins to disappear, Franny can no longer wander without a destination. She arrives in remote Greenland with one purpose: to find the world's last flock of Arctic terns and track their final migration. She convinces Ennis Malone, captain of the Saghani, to take her onboard, winning over his eccentric crew with promises that the birds will lead them to fish. As the Saghani fights its way south, Franny's dark history begins to unspool. Battered by night terrors, accumulating a pile of unsent letters, and obsessed with pursuing the terns at any cost, Franny is full of secrets. When her quest threatens the safety of the entire crew, Franny must ask herself what she is really running toward--and running from. Propelled by a narrator as fierce and fragile as the terns she is following, Charlotte McConaghy's Migrations is both an ode to our threatened world and a breathtaking page-turner about the lengths we will go for the people we love.

**Our February novel is: Julia by Sandra Newman** **This month is a classic, dystopian, fiction, literary fiction, women’s fiction, and science fiction novel. The book is 394 pages in print and 14 hours and 20 minutes on audiobook.** **An imaginative, feminist, and brilliantly relevant-to-today retelling of Orwell’s 1984, from the point of view of Winston Smith’s lover, Julia, by critically acclaimed novelist Sandra Newman.** Julia Worthing is a mechanic, working in the Fiction Department at the Ministry of Truth. It’s 1984, and Britain (now called Airstrip One) has long been absorbed into the larger trans-Atlantic nation of Oceania. Oceania has been at war for as long as anyone can remember, and is ruled by an ultra-totalitarian Party, whose leader is a quasi-mythical figure called Big Brother. In short, everything about this world is as it is in Orwell’s 1984. All her life, Julia has known only Oceania, and, until she meets Winston Smith, she has never imagined anything else. She is an ideal citizen: cheerfully cynical, always ready with a bribe, piously repeating every political slogan while believing in nothing. She routinely breaks the rules, but also collaborates with the regime when necessary. Everyone likes Julia. Then one day she finds herself walking toward Winston Smith in a corridor and impulsively slips him a note, setting in motion the devastating, unforgettable events of the classic story. Julia takes us on a surprising journey through Orwell’s now-iconic dystopia, with twists that reveal unexpected sides not only to Julia, but to other familiar figures in the 1984 universe. This unique perspective lays bare our own world in haunting and provocative ways, just as the original did almost seventy-five years ago.

**I’m planning future book club meetups and would love your input. Please choose your top three from the list below—your picks will help decide what we read next!** **Book Options** *The Hong Kong Widow* – Kristen Loesch *American Spy* – Lauren Wilkinson *God of the Woods* – Liz Moore *Listen for the Lie* – Amy Tintera *The Swallows* – Lisa Lutz *The Drowning Kind* – Jennifer McMahon *The Eights* – Joanna Miller *The Quiet Librarian* – Allen Eskens Thanks so much for sharing your pick! Please **reply in the comments** with your top three. I can’t wait to see which books rise to the top and to discuss them together at our next meetups.

**History** The Columbus Museum of Art traces its roots to 1878, when it was founded as the Columbus Gallery of Fine Arts, becoming the first art museum chartered in Ohio. A group of civic leaders established it to bring touring exhibitions and build a public collection. In 1887, it merged with the Columbus Art School (now CCAD) fostering a long partnership in arts education. Initially without a permanent home, the museum operated from temporary spaces until 1919, when art patron Francis C. Sessions deeded his Victorian mansion on East Broad Street to house the growing institution. As collections expanded in the early 20th century, the need for a dedicated building became clear. The Sessions mansion was demolished, and a new Italian Renaissance Revival structure was erected on the same site, opening to the public in 1931. This elegant building, with its grand steps and arches, remains the museum's core today and was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1992. Key early acquisitions, like the Ferdinand Howald Collection of modernist works, helped establish its focus on American and European art. In the late 20th and early 21st centuries, the museum evolved significantly. It added the Ross Wing in 1974 for exhibitions and renamed itself the Columbus Museum of Art in 1978 during its centennial. A major renovation and expansion completed in 2015 introduced the Margaret M. Walter Wing and Center for Creativity, emphasizing interactive experiences. In 2018, the donation of the Pizzuti Collection and its Short North building expanded the museum's reach into contemporary art, solidifying its role as a dynamic cultural hub. The Columbus Museum of Art boasts a strong collection of late 19th- and early 20th-century European modern art, featuring well-known masters like Claude Monet, whose Impressionist landscapes capture light and atmosphere in ways familiar to many. Visitors can also encounter works by Henri Matisse, renowned for his bold use of color, and Edgar Degas, famous for his graceful depictions of ballerinas and everyday scenes. The museum's early Cubist holdings include pieces by Pablo Picasso, offering glimpses into his revolutionary fragmented style that reshaped modern art. On the American side, the collection highlights iconic figures such as Edward Hopper, whose evocative paintings of urban solitude and quiet American life are widely recognized, and Norman Rockwell, celebrated for his heartfelt illustrations of everyday Americana that have appeared on countless magazine covers. These accessible works by household-name artists provide an inviting entry point for those new to art museums, blending European innovation with distinctly American storytelling. **Summary** For this event, we will tour the [Columbus Museum of Art](https://www.columbusmuseum.org/), which is always free on Sundays. Afterward, we will head over to the nearby, highly-rated, and popular Gemüt Biergarten for drinks and food. Columbus's art museum is not large, and we won't need to rush through in order to see everything. However, it's a little windy (with a long "i") and maze-like in spots, and if you've never gone through it before, it can be a little confusing at first. **Tickets and Pricing** The Museum is free on Sundays. **Parking** The short answer here is that you can park for free (in the Safe Auto lot) when you visit the Museum on weekends. The longer answer is that the Museum has a dedicated parking lot, whose entrance and exit are on E Gay St, just north of Broad St. You can see this parking lot [here on Google Maps](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Columbus+Museum+Of+Art+Parking/@39.9648853,-82.9882364,18.67z/data=!4m14!1m7!3m6!1s0x883888d20177f111:0xbf595a71d9d8c8c5!2sColumbus+Museum+of+Art!8m2!3d39.9642074!4d-82.9878972!16zL20vMDM0Z3F6!3m5!1s0x883888d21f05e00f:0xb72a56e4ac2d4fba!8m2!3d39.9651763!4d-82.9881746!16s%2Fg%2F11f3pdx3tx?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MTIwOS4wIKXMDSoKLDEwMDc5MjA3MUgBUAM%3D). This parking has normally been $7, unless you buy something either in the Museum's gift shop or café, in which case it's $5 (you have to bring your receipt to the Museum's front desk to get this discount). However, the Museum is currently in the process of upgrading their parking lot's intercom (or some such), and until such time as this is completed, parking in this lot is free. Once this upgrade is complete, though, the charge is likely to increase from $7 to $10. This upgrade is supposed to be done by the time we run this event, but given how these things work, I wouldn't be totally surprised if it's not complete by then. You'll know the lot is free if the gate arms to both the entrance and exit are fixed in a raised position when you arrive. However, there's a large parking lot for Safe Auto on the other side of N Washington Ave, between Boone St and Hutton Pl. You can see this parking lot [here on Google Maps](https://www.google.com/maps/place/39%C2%B057'54.4%22N+82%C2%B059'13.9%22W/@39.9651069,-82.9884087,18z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m4!3m3!8m2!3d39.965105!4d-82.987191?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MTIwOS4wIKXMDSoKLDEwMDc5MjA3MUgBUAM%3D). Visitors to the Museum may always park for free in this lot on weekends. **The End of History** After completing our dissertation in [Art Appreciation](https://www.facebook.com/groups/879880336006462/posts/1734229683904852/), we'll head over to the highly-rated [Gemüt Biergarten](https://www.gemutbiergarten.com/) for [drinks and food](https://www.gemutbiergarten.com/#full-menu). The brewery is located in [Olde Towne East](https://www.google.com/maps/place/Olde+Towne+East,+Columbus,+OH/@39.9600896,-82.9935095,14z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x883888c29b9d98cb:0x55fc96810facc832!8m2!3d39.9579938!4d-82.9761254!16s%2Fm%2F026vlz4?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MTIwOS4wIKXMDSoKLDEwMDc5MjA3MUgBUAM%3D), and its actual address is [734 Oak St, Columbus, OH 43205](https://www.google.com/maps/place/734+Oak+St,+Columbus,+OH+43205/@39.9633755,-82.9808618,16z/data=!3m1!4b1!4m6!3m5!1s0x883888c53426d289:0x4aec638d8a5195d4!8m2!3d39.9633755!4d-82.9808618!16s%2Fg%2F11c4wy250w?entry=ttu&g_ep=EgoyMDI1MTIwOS4wIKXMDSoKLDEwMDc5MjA3MUgBUAM%3D). Gemüt Biergarten has a free parking lot that isn't small but also isn't huge. Street parking, however, is always free across Columbus on [Sundays and holidays](https://www.columbus.gov/files/sharedassets/city/v/1/public-service/right-of-way-permit/on-street-parking-out-of-service-policy-and-procedure-final-8.15.2022-signed.pdf), so I think we'll be okay with parking. The bigger issue may be the weather. The brewery has a good-sized outdoor patio that is covered and heated in the winter. However, that doesn't mean this patio will be warm. The inside of the brewery is "okay-sized," but again, the brewery is popular and by the time we get there, we may have no choice but to sit outside. If it's cold, I can and will ask them to fire up some of their additional outdoor heaters, which I think should be enough, but please bring something to keep you warm just in case we end up outside. Finally, while food at the Biergarten can be a little overpriced, in my experience it is excellent, and you are likely to enjoy whatever you get. We should be there by 1:00 if you can't make the Museum and just want to meet us for drinks.