Dave Epstein may be our class meteorologist, but I just learned we have a “storm chaser” in our class—of a very important sort. Dave Mace dropped a note from an airport while traveling for his new job doing public relations for FEMA. He’s been on the road for ice storms in Georgia, the landslide in Oso, Wash., and tornados in Alabama. He was looking forward to some downtime back in Vermont. * Peter Taubkin’s son, Nathan, 15, is following in his dad’s footsteps by attending the Hill School in Pottstown, Pa. Daughter Madeline, 13, has taken over the goaltending duties in the family, selected two years in a row to attend USA Hockey’s New York State Amateur Hockey Association summer performance camp. * Deb Pernice Duffy and family took a marathon trip this summer thanks to husband Rick’s great planning. They put 3,400 miles on the rental car and hiked, swam, kayaked, rafted, and rode horses through Wyoming, Montana, and British Columbia, ending in Seattle. Eldest child Hannah graduated from College of Charleston, and middle two Caroline and Joe are at the University of Maryland studying aerospace engineering and biology respectively. Deb holds out hope that high schooler Maggie might choose Colby. Deb still writes fiction “on the side”—see her latest at theinsidemag.com. Deb met fellow geology major Sue Whitney for a weekend visit and had a GREAT time—just like they were back in the “min lab!” They promised not to wait another 28 years. * Ricardo Sieveking enjoyed a special birthday celebration: two weeks in Italy with his wife and three sons soaking up history, art, excellent food, and wine. Their two older sons are both at SMU in Dallas, and their third son is in tenth grade. * Sally Jaffe Curley spent two weeks in Italy with husband David. Still busy with work in Ohio, she nevertheless finds time to be on the board of the “best zoo in the U.S.,” the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium. * Richard Frank will celebrate his 50th by attending class orientation for his oldest son as he starts first grade. Yes, he emphasizes oldest! * Lisa Rydin Lilliott took a different tack for celebrating her MSB (milestone birthday) by going back to school for a master’s. She is enrolled at Simmons Graduate School of Library and Information Science in Boston with plans to become a legal research and reference librarian. Her classmates can’t believe she brought a typewriter to college freshman year! * Genevieve Hammond, Wendy Lapham, Jane Powers, and Bill Northfield may win the MSB best celebration award. Bill corralled them all and a few other friends for a joint celebration of their “second 40ths,” spending a week at the 12th-century Château de Goult in Provence. The years were shed easily with excursions to markets, wine-assisted poolside snoozing, and unintentionally serenading the village with hits of the ’70s and ’80s. This was their fourth European reunion, and Bill is already planning the next, having ample time at the moment as he’s on a 12-month sabbatical from work. Jane Powers had the chance to catch up with the Tour de France as it whooshed its way across the Luberon a few miles from the château—great inspiration for the Harbor to the Bay 125-mile ride we hear she’ll be doing this fall. * Gretchen Bean Lurie was selected to join the board of the Association of Independent School Admission Professionals. The association’s executive director is proud Colby mom of Jack Crampton ’15. Gretchen enjoys running, swimming, hiking, and biking in sunny SoCal and invites any ’86ers to visit for a warm winter retreat. * With two MSBs in this household in October, Chris Engstrom and I, along with our son, Henri, indulged in two trips for the big birthday year. In June we spent a week in South Africa for a photo safari, which was utterly fantastic. We planned to head to the Algarve in southern Portugal in October to contemplate the next half-century over sardines and glasses of port with the sea in sight. We will count our blessings!