April Vacation 2017: "Return of the Midnight Cat" Update

The Midnight Cat, Summer 2013

The April vacation program for ages 9 to 16 runs from 9 AM to 4 PM on Tuesday through Friday (April 18-22) at the Landing YMCA in Brunswick.

Our mystery features one of my favorite Dragon's Eye rogues. She's causing trouble once again at the Museum of Antediluvian Antiquities in London. When the Detectives investigate, the clues lead them on a journey into the mythical realms of ancient Egypt.

We will be making winged scarab amulets and toy theaters as our projects this week. For more information about the adventure, click here.

Winter Queen Update

Serpent's Eye of Winter
Photo by R L McNulty

February 2 was Imbolc Day, and the weather was sunny and mild. That means the Cailleach went in search of more wood for her fire. Settle in for a long winter ... we're going to need the help of some Dragon's Eye Detectives to end this winter!

There are still four more spaces in "The Winter Queen"--the mystery we're running during February break. This adventure for ages 6 to 12 will be held at the Landing Y in Brunswick.

The story is growing nicely on the yellow pages where new Dragon's Eye stories begin. Who knew that the tale of the queen of winter would lead to yet another serpent dragon, one that is not only a solar serpent, but an Oroborus? I didn't, but as usual am delighted by the discovery of the more ancient roots of this seasonal myth.

It has its origins not in Ireland or Scotland, but in what is today Spain. Which makes me wonder if there's a hidden tie to Egypt. The Cailleach has much in common with Mehen, the Egyptian Oroborus who provides the serpent roads for the solar god to travel through the seasons and the day/night cycle.

Both myths are essentially star myths. The Oroborus is the Yellow Road, the ecliptic along which the sun appears to move in its journey across the heavens. If you think about this path as a serpent swallowing its tail, you begin to understand the otherwise puzzling story tying a serpent to a solar myth.

The myth will certainly provide a delightful tale for our detectives! We'll be encountering Storm Wolves and a magical baby and the Cailleach herself. Better bring winter gear, because the storms will be blowing inside this adventure!

April Vacation 2016

The Ororborus
Micron Pen & Pencil
R L McNulty 2016

Dragon's Eye Adventures is offering a special 4-day mystery during April Vacation. The mystery is for ages 9 to 14. It will run from Tuesday, April 19 through Friday, April 22, at the Landing YMCA in Brunswick. The hours are from 9 AM to 4:30 PM, with After Hours provided until 5:30. The fee is $200 for the 4-day mystery.

The mystery is "The Oroborus." The serpent eating its tail (Ororborus) is a familiar character in the Dragon's Eye world, but do the Detectives really know much about this serpent that transports them through time and space? This mystery will reveal secrets only the time and space raveler* knows, drawn from Egyptian, Indian and West African myths as old as the trees.

Our projects this week will include Dragonmage Cards and Orobori. Our team will also encounter the very first Time Jewel the Detectives have ever seen.

*This is not a typo -- a raveler is one who ravels or unravels threads (or mysteries).

Summer 2015 Update

2012 Maine Founders anticipating the roll of the 100s die.
There is no roll with a Maine Founders Amulet.

We have five Maine Founders joining the "Jewel of the Dragon's Eye" crew this summer. What does that mean? The Maine Founders are those detectives who joined Dragon's Eye during its first season in Maine. Each of them has a Founders Amulet, which brings one powerful spell that costs no jewels and is guaranteed to work.

I guess the other side will have to step up their game.

Here's an update on enrollment:
Session I July 6 - 10  Winterlands (Ages 6-9) -- FULL
Session IA July 13 - 17  Black Skystone of Doom (Ages 6 - 9) -- OPEN
Session II July 20 - 27  Pepper's Ghost (Ages 9 -12) -- OPEN
Session III July 27 - 31  Wind Horse (Ages 9 - 12) -- OPEN
Session IV Aug 3 - 7  Jewel of the Dragon's Eye (Ages 11 - 16) -- FULL

Black Skystone of Doom -- Second Week for Ages 6 - 9

The Riddle Ravelers face Freezing Ice Spells,
otherwise known as incoming yarnballs

Dragon's Eye Adventures is adding one more week to the Summer 2015 programs. This is an additional adventures for ages 6 to 9. Here is a brief summary of the week:

Session IA:  July 13 – 17 Black Skystone of Doom

A paleontologist leads the Detectives on a romp through the prehistoric swamps of the Atrocious Period. This little-known time of the dinosaurs holds a secret that may save the world from a meteor headed its way, if the Detectives can avoid the minions of Humongasaura Regina, the self-proclaimed Queen of the Dinosaurs.

Summer 2015 Programs

The Summer 2015 programs and registration forms are posted on the Current Programs tab.

Maybe it's the long winter that has inspired our first adventure of the summer. The youngest detectives (ages 6 -9) and I will be venturing into the Peary-MacMillan Arctic Museum for a mystery combining arctic myth and local history.

The second and third sessions are for ages 9 - 12. The first of the two adventures delves into the strange history of a stage illusion known as Pepper's Ghost. I have, naturally, made it even stranger, once again combining truth and fiction into an engaging story.

The second of the two adventures for ages 9 - 12 is the third brand-new adventure of the summer. This one takes the Detectives back to the time of the Mongolian empire, for a wonderful romp with wild horses.

The fourth session of the summer features something new for Dragon's Eye Adventures: An advanced mystery for the experienced adventurer, ages 11 to 16. New detectives may come up to speed through an 8 AM meeting with Rebecca on the first day. Our theme dives into the dragon myths behind the Dragon's Eye Detectives Agency, with a visit to Mt. Draig.

Dragonstones, Doorbells and Texas Dudes

Sea serpent and a crab by O. Van Soest (Age 10)
Colored pencil and Micron pen on paper

The final week of adventure opened with the smallest enrollment of the summer--two brave adventurers who faced the threatening mists of Terra Incognita on their own. It's amazing how much suspense can be created with only three of us. We were able to take the story further and deeper, so we were "off the page," improvising new material, more often than we were "on the page."

The Dragon's Eye Ventures Facebook page has an album of beautiful photos from the week--the shadowpuppetry was especially stunning. A delightful sea chart was created by one of our two artists, complete with a whole array of hilarious sea monsters. The origin maps were simple in shape and design, yet full of wonderful photos of family journeys.

Here are just a few of the things the three of us learned during this final adventure:

1)  Dragons are not always willing to part with their dragonstones, even for a good cause--like saving the world. World's End may be someone's idea of a good time.

2)  Doorbells don't always signal welcome guests, and even the lords of the underworld can make a foolish mistake. ("Ruh roh ... is that a dragonslayer at my doorstep?")

3)  And finally, the next time you decide to become Bob Marley the Texas dude, make sure the mist isn't listening. Mist has an impeccable ability to mimic any creature. You may find yourself coming back to haunt you.

A week of laughter, fun and wonderful solutions to every challenge thrown by the mist.