June 6, 2026

We decided to do something different and unique today, perfect for a rainy afternoon, we took a pearl class to make some jewelry! Delia, Terri, Suen and I all went to Pick a Pearl Jewelry Store on the main street of Coron.  We each picked a frozen giant clam shell, that had been put in a fresh water farm to develop cultured pearls. The bounty of each shell was random, we averaged 28 to 30 varying size pearls and the colors were also random. I got a mix of white, pink, lavender and pale gold pearls. Terri went first and below is the step by step process.

Trim the lips of clam off, insert knife and loosen skin (like shucking an oyster), pop it open and see your surprise!

I went next , then Suen and Delia last. We were all happy with our pearls, but sadly the rest of the class fell short in our expectations.

The Shop had lots of pretty and interesting settings for their pearls, showing off many premade pieces. Sadly, they just didn't have any availability in the products they offered us to create interesting settings for our pearls! They were terribly disorganized and had minimal supplies to make anything. We were all disappointed and kept trying to find something, to make it work. Instead, we came home with our pearls in a bag, to hopefully use somewhere else later! Terri and I each bought one of their premade items. I was able to convince them to sell me a pair of 18K gold hoops and removed their pearls from it.  Then I had them drill holes in 8 of my larger pearls, that I can change out as desired. It was an ok compromise, but such a missed opportunity on their end!

By Pat Patick August 11, 2026
Little India is a neighborhood in Singapore that I wanted to explore becase I love Indian food and their Temple's have such unique gods and Architecture, super colorful and detailed. Below is the Sri Veeramakaliamman Temple, Singapore's first temple dedicated to Veeramakaliammam or the Kali , a fierce incarnation of Shiva's wife and the "Destroyer of Evil" .
By Pat Patrick August 10, 2026
Other residents had a great experience at Singapore's Food Playground on prior visits, so we wanted to try it out! Our first day in Port, twelve of us signed up for a fun afternoon, where we got to enjoy our creations as a yummy lunch. Front row (L to R) is Ellie, Rick, their visiting friend, Sue, Christy and Angela. Back Row - Me, Bosco, Delia, John, Terri & Lori.
By Pat Patrick July 26, 2026
We just relaxed on the Island of Koh Chang, Thailand. It's one of the largest Thai Islands in the Gulf of Thailand and it has a dense, steep jungle & National Park covering the interior of the Island, which extends off shore, to coral reefs. The coast line is dotted with beaches and villages. This was a tender port, so we decided to stay on the Island for 3 nights, to be able to experience the nightlife. Turns out, it is low season, so nightlife was pretty sleepy. However, we did find a new favorite night time activity! Any Guesses?!?