The Summer 2025 season begins on Monday, July 7.
We have four programs this summer: The Sea Sheep, The Great Turtlecon, The Potter's Guild, and The Shadow Dragon. There is still space in The Potter's Guild and The Shadow Dragon.
My dining room table is full of supplies and projects in the works -- sea slugs, turtles, dwarves, and mini soothsayer dragons. Here's a glimpse of the sea slugs in the works:
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| The Midnight Cat RL McNulty |
The mystery is among the oldest and most re-written stories from the Dragon's Eye treasury. It features my favorite villain, with the record for the most escapes. One group of detectives followed this elusive jewel thief through five different mysteries, until detectives were vowing to spend their entire professional years guarding the prison door.
This session introduces the character to our team.
A mysterious jewel thief known as the Midnight Cat leaves a trail of coded messages that leads the detectives on a wild romp through London. All roads lead to 19th century Paris, and the studio of an artist whose famous shadow plays hid a secret. Can the detectives catch this wily thief, or will the Midnight Cat vanish into the shadowlands following a game of cat and mouse?
We will be crafting Cat's Eye jewels and Shadow Puppets for this session.
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"The Fairy Queen's Flock" is the first mystery written by Oliver Van Soest. He is returning for his fourth summer as assistant, and we have all enjoyed his hilarious cartoon summaries of our mysteries each season. Oliver started as a detective in the program, so I am excited to be featuring his first mystery. The story draws on Oliver's recent studies in Irish mythology and literature.
Trouble lurks in the fairy realms when the Birds of Peace and Healing begin to lose their color. The mystery leads into the fairy mounds of Ireland and across a mythical sea to the Otherworld realms of Tir na NOg. Can the detectives save the Birds before their songs go silent?
Our project this week will feature Fey Creatures. Detectives will be summoning these creatures for help in their mystery.
A Root Doctor calls upon the detectives for some assistance with the mischievous spirits captured by her Bottle Tree. Truth and lies entwine as the tiny spirits lead our team deeper and deeper into the realms of Gullah and Geechee folklore from the sea islands and lowlands of Georgia and the Carolinas.
Along the way, the detectives will learn about the resilience of Gullah Geechee culture.
Our project this week will be inspired by the quiltmakers of Gee's Bend. We will make quilted pouches to hold our Sea Island Secret Keepers.
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| Solomon's Ring RL McNulty 2022 |
Our story draws upon Hebrew, Arabic and Ethiopian legends about Solomon and his legendary ring of power. Last summer, the detectives visited the Market at Wits End, where all things lost and found make their way through the goblin market. Our team purchased Solomon's Ring on behalf of Dog Tinker, a dream mage who has helped the detectives on several cases.
We knew this would lead to trouble -- and it has.
Dog Tinker's cat comes to the detectives in need of their help. It seems that Dog Tinker left his studio after a visit by a magical being. No trace of him can be found in this world or the dream world, so the detectives must follow the clues Dog left concerning his plans.
Our team will trace the ring's journey through the dreamtime to the African kingdom of Ethiopia, following legends and rumors from the animal kingdom.
We will be
making Animal Totems and pouches to hold them, drawing on the rich fauna of Ethiopia. Think black lions, hyenas, rhinos, hippoes and gazelles -- some very rare species, others common if you live in Ethiopia. These totems will bring help from the creatures, and allow communication in their language. Something very useful in finding Dog Tinker!
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| The Shadow Dragon RL McNulty 2022 |
The story draws on ancient dragon lore from Tibet and China, augmented by the Dragon's Eye lore about the Nine Dreamers. Dog Tinker will be teaching our team a powerful, magical dance, using a Tibetan drum, so the detectives may enter the Shadow Realms in safety.
We will meet three of the Nine Dreamers in this adventure. The Nine Dreamers call heroes to begin their journey as dragon mages and detectives. They live in Mt. Draig, and send their dreams through the Jewel of the Dragon's Eye. Each dreamer has a gift, an area of expertise -- and those gifts are part of what they awaken in the detectives who choose to walk the Heroes' Path of Honor.
Our art project will feature Portable Gau. These are tiny, portable shrines that hold bits of cloth, prayer and magic. Tibetans place a tiny figure of the Buddha or one of the Taras, or a Hindu god or goddess of personal meaning to them. For Dragon's Eye, the Gau will hold secrets about each detective's dragon.
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| Crossroads of Knowledge RL McNulty 2022 |
Our mystery this week involves a search for the lost Book of Thoth. All Spirit Roads lead to the library at Alexandria, shrine to the nine Muses and home to countless works of linterature, science, mathematics and astronomy. Our story will draw upon Egyptian and Greek history, legend and myth, with visits by Thoth, the Egyptian god of language and writing.
Ptolemy's reasons for creating the great library and center of learning and study will also be explored, with a brief introduction to the ideas of Plato, Socrates and Aristotle. The value of books and learning to society is at the heart of this adventure.
This sessions art project will focus on Book Nooks. These delightful inserts for library shelves are like miniature havens for the Keepers of Books. In our story, these book nooks will become portals that librarians use to reach other libraries in space and time. Each detective will be able to make their own miniature portal to their favorite mythical place where books are valued as the treasures they are.
Detectives are welcome to bring their own materials to add to their nooks. They are about six inches by 4.5 inches x 2 inches, so only the tiniest miniatures will fit! We will have Sculpey in many colors, to make those tiny props.
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| Friend or Foe? Find out in Session I: The Ship of Fools |
Session I features a mystery called "The Ship of Fools." The story plays with Russian folktales and a little Dragon's Eye history. Our team of detectives will be joined by two world-renowned detectives as they traverse the Russian landscape in search of a ship gone rogue. Can the detectives save the Thrice-Nine Lands from the pirate who has taken over the king's flying ship?
Session II involves a mystery called "Yemaya's Gardens." It draws on Afro-Caribbean myths about the Orisha Yemaya, goddess of the sea and mother of fishes. Yemaya has taken up residence in the Gardens of the Queen, an undersea coral reef preserve off the coast of Cuba. She needs help finding the little seahorse who followed her from the African shores to Cuba. Can the detectives find the missing dobbin of the sea before the sharks and alligators do?
For more information about the adventures, visit the Current Programs tab of the Dragon's Eye website. Details about fees and dates are there, and the title of each mystery is a link to more information about the stories. For questions, contact Rebecca McNulty at dragonseyeadventures@gmail.com.
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| Ship of Fools RL McNulty 2020 Micron Pen & Colored Pencil |
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| Yemaya's Dobbin RL McNulty, 2020 Micron Pen & Colored Pencil |
This adventure draws on the Santeria tradition of Orisha, drawing upon a mix of Yoruba and Caribbean myths about the sea goddess known as Yemaya. We will also learn about the living creatures of the sea, and discuss the environmental threats facing our coral reefs.
Here is the description for Yeamaya's Gardens:
The detectives are called to the Caribbean to investigate troubles in the watery
realms of Yemaya, the Orisha of the sea. The seahorses are vanishing, including
Yemaya’s beloved dobbin, her hardworking farm horse of the sea. Can the team find
the dobbin in time to save the sea queen’s gardens?
We
will be crafting sea creatures and coral reef gardens.
Mask of Dreams
RL McNulty 2020
Micron Pen & Colored Pencil
Mask of Dreams is one of the tried-and-true classic adventures for
Dragon's Eye Adventures, first written in 1996. This summer, it will be
the feature story for Session III, July 12 - 16. Detectives entering grades 4 through 9 are invited to tackle this mystery. The program
runs from 9 AM to 4 PM, with After Hours until 5:30 as needed. We will
be in Room 122 of the Freeport Middle School, 19 Kendall Lane, Freeport, ME, as part of the RSU5 Community Programs.
This mystery draws on Greek myths about dreams. Here is the description:
A
mysterious mask leads the Detectives to ancient Greece to seek counsel from the
Oracle at Delphi. It’s a race against time, as the Detectives enter the
Underworld in search of two dream jewels. Will Morpheus the god of dreams help,
or will the world plunge into a chaos of nightmares come true?
Our
projects include a double-sided mask of dreams and nightmares.
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| Market at Wits' End RL McNulty, 2020 Micron Pen & Colored Pencil |
I planned this story before the pandemic, and it seems strangely appropriate after a year of Covid-19. We will delve into some of the Victorian era history about underground London, touching on the pandemics that occurred in the 1850s and 1870s. The legend about black boars in the sewers took hold during this fearful time, as did the tradition of wearing gloves in public.
Detectives who solved the mystery "Goat and Ger" will recognize this story as a follow-up for that adventure. Sleuths with keen eyesight may also spot some clues about one of our favorite villains, returning with a little pocket change. "Would you like a penny?"
Here is the description for our adventure:
A timid wild goat asks the detectives for help finding a legendary trade fair known as the Market at Wits' End. A visit to a hidden library reveals that the path leads through the sewers of London. Those passageways are guarded by a host of wild black boars. Pack your hazmat suits! We're headed to realms where the muck is piled high!
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| The Book of Dragons RL McNulty, 2016 Micron pen & Colored Pencil |
The Book of Dragons was inspired by Chen Rong's Nine Dragon Scroll. The history behind this scroll is quite fascinating, and the scroll itself is among my favorite works of art. It can be viewed at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. A virtual version of the scroll can be viewed here.
I have blended the history of the scroll with the Dragon's Eye mythology we have been building for many years. So this mystery brings together a little history, Chinese mythology about dragons, and Dragon's Eye concepts about dragonmages. Here is the description of this adventure:
An old scroll from China holds clues to the location of a 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?
Our activities this week include pen, ink and watercolor Dragon Scrolls, and beautiful dragon jewels.
Dragon's Eye Adventures will offer five adventures this summer.
Details about each week will be coming, along with the Summer 2021 newsletter. Registration by email is now open, with paperwork coming within the next few days!
Dragon's Eye is moving to Freeport, to join the wonderful slate of summer offerings by RSU5 Community Programs. We will be holding our adventures at the Freeport Middle School.
The space there is wonderful -- we have a quiet wing to ourselves, with access to trails, the fields, and a sweet little pond. The hallways are perfect for our sneaking games, and we have enough space to spread out during these challenging times!
Masks and social distancing will be required, along with temperature checks. I will be sending more information about this as we get closer to the summer, since the CDC guidelines are changing.
Our games will adapt to the guidelines, too. I have never been more grateful for the ability to adapt to creative challenges! Some of our favorite games with yarnballs will have to shift, but our basic sneak should be intact. Those floating eyeballs zap from a distance already!
Details about the weeks are on the Current Programs tab. Our prices have had to increase, thanks to the extra expenses that social distancing and a new location bring. Some scholarships are available to assist with the fees.
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| The Ship of Fools RL McNulty 2020 Micron pen, colored pencils and digital ink |
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| Yemaya's Dobbin RMcNulty 2020 Micron Pen & Colored Pencil |
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| Mask of Dreams RMcNulty 2020 Micron Pen & Colored Pencil |
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| Market_at_Wits' End by RMcNulty, 2020 Micron pen, colored pencil |
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| Humongasaura Regina Micron pen and colored pencil RL McNulty 2019 |
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| Anansi's Box Micron Pen & Digital Ink RL McNulty 2019 |