A most magical experience happened to me today. I was on my daily hike down to the creek. (Some of you have seen a page I put up about it here during the Summer.) Deer creek runs down a gentle ravine with columns of high hills on each side, covered in Oak, Cedar, and Pine. It's a very beautiful place, and I feel the faeries are watching me from the fern covered grottos and mossy clefts as I walk, listening to birds singing and waters tumbling.

Anyways today was overcast, with thick skies just a few thousand feet overhead, and no breezes whatsoever. Then, as I reached the end of the switchback facing West, something absolutely magical happened. It began with a distant whooshing roar of sorts. I looked curiously to the West, wondering if perhaps I was hearing heavy rain coming. Instead though I could see distant tree tops bending towards me, then closer ones, and closer ones. That's when it happened: All of a sudden a huge white dragon came rushing up the ravine to my right level with me, obscuring the hills. Moving incredibly fast, this long, white cloud, uncannily resembling some huge Chinese parade dragon, came rushing by on it's way up the ravine. It was immense and glorious, the wind carrying it suddenly embracing and buffeting me all at once. The air immediately smelled extra wonderful and cold as I instinctively folded my arms about me, gazing at it in stupified astonishment. It was as if the wizard Dumbledoor had just commenced some magical event in the Hogwarts hall! I looked upwards wondering if this would bring rain too, but no, that never came. Just the fresh coolness whipping all about... As I watched, the dragon's tail wisped quickly on by following the rest of it's body, and at the last of that the wind died down, everything returning back to normal.

It was so amazing and I'll never forget it. The magic of nature.

Many centuries before Christmas, the Talmud recorded the Pagan tradition of "Saturnalia" in which the Pagans gave and shared in a holiday spirit to welcome back the Light after Winter Solstice. This honored the god of agriculture, Saturn, knowing the crops would grow with the renewal of light. ("Saturday" is in recognition of Saturn too, though this day didn't get renamed.) So I just think some credit for "Christmas" should go to the Pagan folk too... not to mention mischevous faeries!

Here's a card for all of you Enchanteds... Click to open. :^)

Oh and btw, "Christmas" trees and Mistletoe were borrowed from the Pagans too. The trees are actually described quite well in the Bible - a Heathen practice! >;^)

I've three new fae to introduce, one coming from a dance I photographed just over a week ago, one from the "Nutcracker" play I photographed this weekend, and one of one of a dancer's mom that I just finished. Enjoy!

This is my young friend Annie. Annie's maybe 12 or 13 and dances... and oh, does she dance. Here I captured her and sent this to the local paper, with the hope that they'd show her off, but with an even deeper hope that she'd be thrilled.

The picture was published at the top of page two, with this caption:


"Ballet dancer Annie Aguilar performs a Grand Jeté for 'Winterdance' at the Center for the Arts."

Annie saw it and Facebooked me...
"Thank you soooo much Tommy!!!! You should have seen my face when i saw this picture in the newspaper!!! I am still smiling about it!!! And I still can't believe you got that shot...you are awesome!!!!!!"

(And I didn't even have to add wings. ;^)

This ain't much for snow country here. Rough & Ready's byline is "Above the fog, below the snow." But this morning I awoke to the white, and found a snow faery right out front!

Here it is in stereo...!

Pretty awesome stuff, my garden fae... ;^)