Welcome Dragon Master!
It is our pleasure here at Dragonsnest to welcome The Dragon Master as a guest blogger. A dracophile par excellence and founder of The Dragon Society, The Dragon Master has been generous enough to share her tale of First Sighting, a tale to which all of us can relate, be it in the rusty mesas of the American southwest or the lush rain forests of Guatemala.
Embrace and celebrate her tale. Share your stories of first sightings!
The Badlands of Northern New Mexico ~ My First Sighting ~ October 23, 1983
Journal entry:
Sunset in New Mexico Dragon Country
At this time, I am living in New Mexico running my art publishing firm. My fantastical artist friend, Marian Holquin, loves a good joke, but insists ‘here there be dragons,’ but the question remains: WHERE? Answer: up in ‘The Badlands’~ only a day’s drive. I knew she was just kidding me about an area were she often went camping, but I needed a break to see the fall leaves and feel the crisp air filled with the scent of the pungent smoke of roasting chili peppers, a view of the red rocks and quiet forests of Pinon and Juniper.
Friday, September 23, 1983
I decide to visit those canyons, staying at a local inn.
Arrive at 4:30 PM. Rest. There is an old saloon down the road, serving delicious grilled fare. I can smell it, so over I go. It’s a colorful place filled with colorful and friendly people, wonderful service and great home-cooked meals. I was playfully hoping to hear discussions of dragons ~ but no ~ just local ‘tall-tales’ of big bucks, big motorcycles, trucks, bear and mountain lions. Back to my room. The air up here is thinner, and the quiet puts you right to sleep.
Saturday, September 24, 1983
Up early for breakfast, talking to the owner. They have a wonderful little patio, a perfect place to relax and read awhile.
The Dragon Master in her natural habitat!
12:30 PM. After lunch, I drive up the road from the Inn, over a hill near the river. Visibility here goes for hundreds of miles. I have my binoculars, and my camera to capture magnificent canyons, Anasazi petroglyphs, tiny fossils in the rocks, soaring hawks, various bird species, the clear, vibrant blue, sky. The light is so different inNew Mexico, and the quiet here gets into your bones. You can barely hear the soft breezes gusting across your ears, and see grasses and leaves gently moving. But I’m ‘sailing’ ~ basking in the warm sun which is moving down the sky ~ watching the light dance on canyon walls and the colors change; grey/green, gold, amber, copper. How did this get the ‘Badlands’ label? It must be something to do with the Old West.
Canyon ~ First Sighting. New Mexico
‘Here there be Dragons,’ indeed!! My jokester, painting friend ‘had’ me again …
4: 10 PM. But wait … THERE!! Down the canyon, about a mile away. A brown ’shadow’, or is it grey. I can’t tell. But I know that it is definitely NOT a bird. The wings are wider, I scramble for my camera, darn … get it out of the bag!! The form glides on the currents. Crap! Why is the sun suddenly in my eyes?! Then the shape suddenly stops mid-flight and hovers, drops down toward me, and soars back up again. Get the lens cap off ~ I am now yelling at myself! I watch as it performs a corkscrew-type dance, very slowly ~ this is NOT a hawk ~ Camera out, lens on, cap off, Ugghghh ~ set for distance! CLICK! CLICK! It slowly disappears behind a rock formation. Nuts!! Perhaps it is a kite, with a long tail, but I am looking way down the canyon. I wait ~ but it appears, never again. Could it truly be ~ a dragon?!! Did anyone else see it? Did I?! The light here is so tricky at this time of day, and no one is around to confirm my ‘vision’. I feel my heart pounding in my throat, and my life take a major shift.
5:40 PM. I’m a little stunned! I haven’t moved in an hour ~ glued to my binoculars, camera now at the ready. But the sun is dropping, and I must make my way back to my room at theInn … where I can only begin to write furiously!! Now the agony begins, as I realize I will have to get the film to a lab in town the next day, and wait an entire week before I can see if I captured anything but canyons and clouds!
Further publishing of my journals of Fire & Flight ~ to be continued…
~ The Dragon Master ~
The Dragon Society {Est. 1984}
MacKENZIE's Dragon's Nest 
The pictures are great. I lived in NM for ten years before moving to ND. Yes, the light down in the SW is different. I never got bored with the beautiful sunrises and sunsets! Alas, I never saw a Dragon.
Sorry, karenselliott. They’re verrryyy private, and hard to get to .. more on this later. New Mexico’s pretty special all around…
~ The Dragon Master ~
The Dragon Society ( Est. 1984}
It is a stunning landscape. I am going to have to visit one of these days!
Shawn. You will be in great company here. Posting. below, a bit on D.H. Lawrence, and the ranch where he brought his eastern contemporaries .. you’d love it ! ~ T D M ~
In the mountains north of Taos along an ancient Kiowa Indian trail is the historic ranch of famed English author D.H. Lawrence.
There are towering pine trees and vistas stretching from the Colorado Rockies to the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. This is the place where Lawrence, deemed by many as one of greatest writer of the 20th century, found his inspiration for several of his stories and poems.
Visitors will be able to tour Lawrence’s ranch on June 19 with experts from the Friends of D.H. Lawrence, a local nonprofit group dedicated to all things Lawrence, and hear their stories about the famous people who frequented the ranch — from Georgia O’Keeffe to Tennessee Williams.
“When you go up there, you can feel a spirit to the place that is very special. … It’s just got an aura to it, a magical quality that many, many visitors still feel even though Lawrence left it 85 years ago,” said Hugh Witemeyer, a retired English professor and a founding member of the group.
You know, Tennesse wrote a play about Lawrence in Taos, “I Rise in Flames Cried the Phoenix.” Interesting little one act about Lawrence’s last days.
Great photos! I’ll have to add it to my bucket list.
Thank you! I had a little trouble as you can see … I have managed to get better photos since. ~ T D M ~
i was swept away in your efforts to capture the image of the mysterious flying creature that i believe was a gift to you from one that hides so well from most people who do not see awe but rather the danger. i am among those who find dragons to be magnificent and you are one of the lucky ones to have encountered one though your camera would not cooperate. maybe it was the magic of the dragon not wanting his soul to be captured on the film. also declaring you must believe without being able to show proof to others. you were however the lucky one to be blessed with the gift this dragon gave you to hold in your mind as a gift granted.
Dear Secret Keeper;
Thank you for your kindness!
As you can imagine.. I love secrets! However, I was ultimately successful in my photography, and just able to grab one unclear shot of him as he dissapeared, as you see above. I know it is a male, as my tale continues from this, my first encounter. Yes .. there is awe ~ never fear ~ and majesty, love, intelligence, passion, guidance, protection, kindness and humour. You understand them well.
Yours In Flre & In Flight,
~ The Dragon Master ~
The Dragon Society { Est. 1984 }