December 27, 2025

MERRY CHRISTMAS ALL ! Hope you all had lots of Family time and got to spend time doing the traditions you love! 

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I had lots of fun with my ship family! Above is Christmas morning PJ Breakfast party! Here's some other favorites! We had a whole Month of Fun with Elfie! Love how creative people were with their turns. We keep him contained to 5th floor public areas.

Who doesn't love a good Holiday Craft ?!?  This year I made some shell art, courteous of great clam shells in Las Pas, Mexico and an excellent partner in crime, who helped me smuggle them off an excursion ( THANKS Doc!). I also collected toilet paper rolls for weeks and made these cool snow flakes to make my room a winter wonderland! Was going to paint them, but liked better au natural!

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Christmas Eve at 11 pm we did an open Liturgy, complete with hymns and blessed host to share with 52 Residents in the Observatory - it's really nice to be part of such a supportive,  generous community. I did a reading

Another night, 30 of us surprised a good friend with a night of recognition for all his time, efforts and talent in organizing excursions for us! Ben, a retired Harvard lawyer whose career was notable as an AIDS activist and then later as an outspoken drag queen, is one of my favorites on board. Of course, he grew up in the suburbs of Philadelphia! We each printed a photo of ourself with Ben, on an outing and wrote him a note about why we appreciate him so much. His 99 year old mom was there and it was so touching and deserved!

My memory with Ben - he is always cracking me up with his zingers and quick whit!

MAGNETIC ISLAND - KOALA'S

By Patricia Patrick • February 15, 2026
We got up at 6:45am to get to National Park Forts Walk trail in the hope of seeing koalas . Prior walkers mark trails with tree branches pointing in the direction of their sighting and we were luck enough to see 3 markers in our first hour of hiking. It is so stinking hot and humid the success we had made it bearable. The koala population on the island started with 20 brought over in 1930, to escape fur hunters. Today, the island boast 800 to 1000, and they are so cute and drowsy. They need 20 hours of sleep a day! The early morning is when they are the most active.

MAGNETIC ISLAND, AUSTRALIA

By Patricia Patrick • February 14, 2026
Just off the coast of Townsville, Australia is a special little island (that used to be part of mainland, hundreds of thousands years ago). The island was formed by molten granite that was pushed to the earth's surface with volcanic force.Over time the volcanic overlay weathered away leaving an extraordinary landscape of rounded domes and boulders, many as big as a house and spectcularly perched. Over Seventy Percent of the center of the Island is a National Park. There is lots of wildlife here too - koalas, rock wallabies, snakes & birds.

CAIRNS, AUSTRALIA

By Patricia Patrick • February 14, 2026
This is my third time in CAIRNS, AUSTRALIA and I really enjoy how walkable, clean and charming it is. The waterfront esplanade and lagoon area is a nice walk day or night. We had 2 nights here in the waterfront Shangri La Marina Hotel while waiting for the Ship to arrive and then 2 additional days in Port.