PRIMITIVE SCREWHEADS

Mythical Creatures by MisaQa

 
As a sucker for a good dragon I was drawn again to MisaQa's green dragon. He looks great. What a face. He's part of a group from MisaQa'a 2008 Advent Calendar. She's just posting them on Flickr today. Well worth a look. Here's a couple more.

 
 

Poker Playing Dragons

 

I got a card in the mail today. It was selling Poker Dragons. That's them up there. Normally I like dragons. They're cool. I don't know that these are cool. Might be, but I don't think so. They are smoking and we know that isn't cool anymore. The Hamiltion Mint has a lot of crap that looks like this. Small dust collectors to fill up shelves. I am no stranger to having nick nacks and little statues that populate the flat surfaces of my house, and I certainly have no judgement when it comes to buying crap like this, but I don't think I'd ever have a reason to buy these. So many other things that are better.

   

Here's a Flickr pic from someone who's kid got the first statue for his birthday. It doesn't quite look as good as the painting. They are small dragons, 3 and a half to 4 and a half inches. The poker table is about 4 and a half inches. I was looking for a pics off the internet and found this colorful painting, by some guy named Thomas Patrick Reidy the III, of dragon's playing poker. Not a style that I care for that much but not a bad painting. Then there's the LEGO version. Not the best picture. More of SavaTheAggie's LEGO at Flickr.

They're good, dragons!

That's the cover of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows deluxe edition. It's $65 but you can get a discount just about anywhere. It comes in it's own slipcase. The regular edition dustjacket illustration is reproduced on the endpapers and the book slipcase covers. The chapter illustrations by Mary Grandpre are reproduced full page in a section after the novel is done. The larger size really makes those illustrations come alive. Those chapter spots are one of the reasons the US editions are so much nicer than anyone else's editions. Nicer paper, larger size, better bindings and the great Mary GrandPre covers, they all add up to an unbeatable combination. I have the Canadian editions, touted for their recycled paper, and they are crappily made. I have a couple with major flaws, and one that has two pages that never got the glue when they made the book. They just fall out when you turn the page. On a trip to Winnipeg I bought a box set just after book 5 came out, but didn't open it until I got home. I bought a copy of the Deluxe Edition. I want to take the cover to work and make a copy for my wall at work. I would like looking at it. I do like the dragon.

Mugglenet has now got over 7000 comments on the last HP book. Here's page 132. A lot of the comments are pretty similar, as you might guess, and there is this constant complain to know more about the universe. Most, like me, were pretty satisfied with the book. It works out to be a nice story arch and it really doesn't matter who the new Minister of Magic is. Nobody could be worse than Fudge. My mom would do a better job than Fudge, or George Bush. She wouldn't be lying to you, and she makes good fried chicken. Slow cooked in a covered frying pan on top of the stove. Breaded too.

Mo' Dragons

This is Arhat Subduing "Dragon King". You can see a timelapse of it's creation here. 

Here's a real old Chinese Dragon. I don't know anything about it. I just like the simple look of it.

 

That's a dragon from Takayama Temple. Some people went there and put it in their blog. I enjoyed the cartoon of bathing instructions for westerners.

Dragons of Spratt, Ohio

I picked this up because of the dragons on the cover. Flying dragons that have no legs and feet. Not as common. Usually, there's feet, mostly four, occasionally two. I prefer the 4 foot version. There are rhinos, and giraffes and cows. Oh, my? Turns out to be a wildlife preserve on reclaimed coal land. It's based on a real place. I don't think the dragons are real. I probably woulda heard 'bout that. Too bad. I would like to see some dragons. I would have prefered the dragons with legs and feet, but I ain't picky. This was a fun book. An old female dragon settles in the Spratt area, eats some zebra, lays some eggs and dies. Then the book starts. Salt is a kid who lives on a large animal preserve. His dad is the main vet, and his mom is upper management. Their work takes them away from home. Salt's best friend is Ham and Candi is Ham's twin sister. Salt's evil aunt shows up as the parents are called away. She's big in cosmetics and Candi is fascinated by her. The aunt reveals her evil plans more and more as the book progresses. She kills one of the dragons to make an anti aging creme and that leads the kids to secret away the rest of the dragons. More antics follow. You'd almost think they could have marketed it under some sort of horror series. It's might be a bit gruesome for the really young but it's all spelled out for the older thinking kids in good understandable prose. Linda Zinnen is a good writer,she has two previous books. Here's an interview and review of her previous books. Her story flows and pulls you along nicely and she gives the evil auntie a suitable punishment. There are lots of baked goods and animals. Even a stinky buzzard. The kids are likeable and like enough to real kids. I'm glad I bought a copy.