Southern Maine Camp Fair - Sunday, March 20

Maine Summer Camps is hosting its annual Southern Maine Camps Fair on Sunday, March 20. The fair will be held from 1 to 4 PM at East End Community School, 195 North St., Portland, ME 04101.

Seventy five camps from all over Maine will be at this event, including Dragon's Eye Adventures. Day camps and overnight camps are both represented. Camp specialties run the gamut from Legos and robotics to art, nature and magic.

Come see the wonderful array of camps that Maine has to offer your child! While you're there, stop by the Dragon's Eye table to say hello to director Rebecca McNulty.

Summer 2016 Session VI: The Well of Destiny

The Well of Destiny
Micron pen and colored pencil
R L McNulty 2016

The sixth session of the summer is for ages 12 to 16, featuring a Mystery Writer's Adventure called "The Well of Destiny." Mystery Writers Adventures are stories that also include creative story design by the Detectives. I have written the framework story, but the endings depend entirely on the creative story creation of the participants.

Our usual adventures are open-ended and non-linear -- this means that the children's choices and actions change the outcome of the story as we go along. The path an individual group takes in solving the mystery may diverge from the path another group takes. We are either "on the page" or "off the page" at any time in an adventure. If we are "on the page," the group has followed one of the many predictable choices that I could imagine as I wrote the adventure.

If we are "off the page," the group has done something that had not occurred to me--and we are "winging it." I have the entire backstory, plus my extensive research and knowledge of mythology, history and basic character development to draw on as I improvise a new pathway.

With a Mystery Writers Adventure, we venture onto pages the teens create themselves, using their research and creative ideas for where to take the story. The young people are weaving a response, a new path, that they hope will take the story where it needs to go.

Is it any wonder that this adventure involves the Norn, the three weavers of fate from Norse mythology?

Strange anomolies in the growth of the World Tree send the Detectives to the ancient Well of Urd, guarded by the three Norn, the Norse goddesses of fate. An old friend assists the Detectives as they take up their pens to inscribe alternative endings to a mystery about destiny and free will.

Our activities this week include Cards of Destiny and Rune Stones.

Summer 2016 Session V: The Book of Dragons

The Book of Dragons
Micron Pen & Colored Pencil
R L McNulty 2016

The fifth session of the summer will feature a mystery for ages 12 to 16. The adventure is "The Book of Dragons," based on one of my favorite paintings, the Nine Dragon Scroll by Chen Rong. This painting is part of the collection at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. I wish it came on display more often, but here is a website where the entire scroll may be viewed:

http://scrolls.uchicago.edu/scroll/nine-dragons

Chen Rong painted this circa 1244 during the Southern Song Dynasty. This is the period between the rules of Genghis Khan and the rise of Kubla Khan--a very turbulent time for China when the Mongol threats from Genghis' descendants in the northwest and internal battles for control of China made life risky for the common folk.

We'll be discovering some fictionalized secrets about this scroll, and learning why this minor official was painting dragons at such a dangerous time. The secrets lead to another manuscript known as the Book of Dragons.

This legendary book records the names and skills of the most ancient dragonmages. Can the Detectives find the book before it falls into the wrong hands? And will the book include the newest dragonmages?

Our activities this week include printed Books of Dragons and Time Jewels. Experienced Detectives will know that this is one of the first times that Time Jewels have appeared. Let's hope our team can handle them with care!

Summer 2016 Session IV: The Moon Rabbits

The Moon Rabbit
Micron Pen & Colored Pencil
R L McNulty 2016

This mystery for ages 9 to 12 began when I was researching Chinese myths about the ten sun ravens. Every source mentioned that the sun ravens had twelve counterparts, sister rabbits associated with the moon. Yet when I went looking for the stories about the moon rabbits, there were none to be found.

I decided that this had to be fixed. The moon daughters deserve a good story. So here it is: The Moon Rabbits.


When twelve elusive Moon Rabbits go missing, the Detectives set out in search of a lost tale from ancient China. Their search takes them to one of the oldest libraries and from there into the Celestial Heavens. Good thing they have their Moon Lanterns, because the White Road is long, cold and dark.

Our activities this week include Moon Lanterns and hand-sewn Moon Rabbits.

Summer 2016 Session III: The Shackles of Truth

"The Shackles of Truth"
Micron Pen and Colored Pencil
R L McNulty, 2016

The third session of the summer features "The Shackles of Truth" for ages 9 to 12. A search and rescue mission takes on monumental proportions when the Detectives encounter the Div of Zarathustrian mythology. The demons are up to no good, as usual, but it's not clear what that trouble is.

The Detectives set off on a journey to find the truth. The road leads to the palace of Darius I and then into the embattled realms of Ahura Mazda and Angra Mainyu, the battling gods of ancient Persian mythology.

Our activities this week include Rihla, books of travel that we will illuminate with handpainted miniatures. We will also be making Peri, tiny Persian fairies who bring luck and mischief to the humans they befriend.

Summer 2016 Session II: Troll Trouble

Troll Trouble
Pen and Colored Pencil
R L McNulty, 2016

Mischievous fairies from Scandinavian folktales lead the Detectives into a mystery involving trolls, trouble and fairy dust. This brand new adventure for ages 6 to 9 will feature lots of woodland adventures with the wee folk and the not-so-wee folk.

Fairy or troll disguises are optional, but welcome to come with our Detectives. Will we have more trolls or more fairies? Choose carefully, since the outcome may affect our adventure!

Our activities this week include Fairy Dolls and Woodland Houses, Troll Slime and Troll Tooth Necklaces.