Last year I took a summer vacation from the blog. As much as I missed the activity – and I missed it a lot – the break did allow me to recharge my batteries and redouble my other writing efforts.
I think I need to do it again.
I’ll be back in September. In gratitude for your understanding, I present you with a doodle of a Film Noir duck detective.

Oh Mike, been as you’ve left us with another fab doodle, I accept your temporary disappearance. I’ll miss you…but I look forward to you coming back refreshed and dazzling us with yet more creative and humourous talent oooozing from every post – enjoy! Hugs, Harula xxx
Wait. I have to come back “more creative and humorous?” I might be gone a long time, then.
Take care, my friend!
Have fun, Mike! xoxoM
I will. Keep shutterbugging!
You ALWAYS make me smile! lol xoxoM
Love the doodle!!! Have a wonderful month off…. we shall miss you!!! 🙂 😦
Aw! I’ll miss you, too. Take care!
AAAAAAHHHHHHhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!
It’s MY DUCK!! In a FEDORA!!! With GNOMES!!!!
Thank you, Mike!
(Enjoy your break, but don’t forget to come back!)
Your duck? Really. Hm. Must be a coincidence.
Those sneaky gnomes . . . 😀
Can’t trust ’em!
I liked this but I’ll like it better when you’re back. Enjoy your break!
Thanks, Steph. During my absence please consider moving to New Jersey. You’d like it here.
Ha! I’ll talk to my husband. I hear they are giving away houses for free! Without snakes!
Free houses, eh? How lovely!
Snakewise, we rarely have anything more alarming that the shy and retiring garter. I’ve lived in this state my whole life, I hike in the woods all the time and I have only seen one garter in the wild. And he slithered away as soon as he saw me. I was kind of embarrassed for him.
Enjoy your break, Mike! You deserve it! I think we should all take summer breaks. And I’m not just saying that because I’m currently taking a break and want to feel legitimate in doing so 🙂
If anyone deserves break it is you, Susanna! Even ON a break you still blog!
Ducking out are you? Good plan – have fun!
I see what you did there!
Enjoy your break while I enjoy your doodle. Of course, I do expect the rest of the story when you return…”When we left our fearless Duckie PI, he was following the trail of Puss in Cahoots, the bandit who had been nabbing all the milk in town. What he didn’t realize was that he was leaving his own trail of smoke. Who was that stranger in the shadow following his smoking gun, smoking cig, and smoking hot skinny grande caramel macchiato.”
Nope. I have no plans for a Duckie PI story. But there is a writer I’d like to introduce you to…
http://wessonblog.wordpress.com/2014/08/03/weekend-writing-warriors73/
I’ll miss you Mike. Love the detective duck. Enjoy your time away, maybe a summer retreat? What ever you do, enjoy it. Will wait on the doorstep for your return. 🙂
Thanks, Sue.
Oh, and your Great Dane should arrive shortly!
Oh, Yeah!! Thanks again, Mike. Regardless what you may think of yourself, you ARE an artist. A doodling artist, but still an artist. Enjoy your days off. 🙂
Don’t tell anyone but I’m taking a break as well. My posts are prescheduled for a month. Maybe in your absence you’ll doodle up some cows to go with my riddle book…
Oh, you are so ding dang clever!
And perhaps someday there will be a cow in your future….
Why do cows vacation in Hawaii?
*ba dum*
They’re already wearing their mumus.
I’ve subconsciously doing the same thing. I do feel like I’m getting a bit of my brain back but not all of it! Enjoy your break, my friend. We’ll miss you!
Thanks. Take care, my friend!
Ooooh…saved by the doodle! Classy exit move! 🙂
Doodles make the bad news go down easier.
The duck has pluck, pretty jazzy. Doesn’t he know smoking is bad for him? 😀 😀 😀
Have a rejuvenating break. See you in September. Isn’t there a song by that name?? 😀
Yep. “I don’t want to say goodbye, for the summer. Promise me, nanana, na, na, nana, nanananana, na, na, na, na. Sealed with a kiss.
” I’ll see you in the sunshine, I’ll hold you close every day. na, na, nana, na, nana. But darling you won’t be there. I don’t want to say goodbye for the summer . . . ”
Best I can do-the rest is in my brain but I don’t know where it’s at..
😀 😀 😀
The Tempos. My folks played those guys all the time. I was more of a rockabilly guy.
Take care, my friend!
~(*_~)~~ Thank you and have a great break.
Cool Duck! Have a great time!
T’anks, Remrov!
I look forward to your return all “bright eyed and bushy tailed”, as they say. No, I don’t know who “they” is either.
They should mind their own business!
Great duck, Mike — and have a great summer break. Happy writing!
Thank you kind sir!
Great doodle! Enjoy your break :0)
Will do!
Blog breaks are essential…enjoy! I took a two-month hiatus last year, from all social media as well. I’m planning a month-long version in September this year, so I’ll see you in October! : )
‘Till then, Britt!
Have fun! Good DUCK handling your son! 😉 Sorry. I couldn’t help it. *sheepishly moves off-screen* 😉
I usually loathe puns, but you must’ve caught me on a good day ’cause I laughed out loud with that one.
Take care, Erik!
Have a fabulous break (but don’t break a thing, not even a pencil). You, your blog, and your doodles will be missed. See youuuuu in Septemberrrrrr (music notes up and down and around the phrase…) Musically incompetently yours, the rough wighter
Another reference to The Tempos! I should have taken my break in July; as far as I know, there is no “See ya in August” song out there.
Take care, Pam!
Love the doodle! Have an awesome break!
Thanks, Angel. And I shall do my best.
Hmm a duck would make a great criminal. They kind of have that hardened, I-don’t-care look.
Maybe I should inspect my duck run for stray bullets..
I disagree with you there, Banana. Ducks are moral and upright avian citizens. Canadian geese, however, are a different story; they are the nogoodniks of the bird world.
I have not had the good fortune to meet any Canadian geese. Should I ever make their acquaintance, I will be most careful.
It would be wise for you to do so.
Just when I was getting to know you! Enjoy your break. I will definitely check back next month.
P.S. Do you take commissions for your doodles? Seriously.
I haven’t but I’m open to the idea.
I seem to have been on a bit of a blog break lately, not a specific decision, just no time! Have a good blog break, see you on the other side. Quack quack.
“See you on the other side?” I do plan to be alive in September, you know.
Oh dear, did my comment sound like a threat?! Ha, the other side of summer I meant! 🙂
Ah! Thank goodness!
Have a good rest of the summer Mike!
You too, my friend!
Enjoy your break, Mike. You deserve it. Love your work.
Thanks, Liesa. See you in the fall!
Have a good break. I actually imagine you disappearing somewhat like Darkwing Duck – by wrapping a cape around yourself and disappearing in a puff of smoke.
I shall sit in the pumpkin patch of the blogosphere and wait for the Great Pumpkin of your blog to rise.
Oh, how I would love to have a Darkwing Duck style exit!
See you in September, my friend!
Happy summering, Writer Fellow. We will miss you over at the Dogpatch. Meanwhile, thanks for giving us such a cute duck to chase around the pond.
Glad the duck could be of service. See you on the flip side!
Ahem…I’m debating. Yes, debating. Should I or shouldn’t I actually express my deep feelings on the MAGNIFICENCE of this “DOODLE”?!!! Hmmm…nah. It’ll just fall on deaf ears! 😉 Enjoy your August, Mike 😀
Thank you, my friend. 🙂
Just returned from my break. All I can say is, “DUCK!!!” As in the verb. 😀
I really like the duck. Are you back?
Not yet, my new friend. But soon!
Hey, Mike! Since you’re not on Twitter, where I’m annoying everyone else with Direct Messages the past two days, I’ll simply annoy you HERE and let you know I FINALLY GOT THEM UP! YES, my two blogs!!!
Oh, my, did you bang your head? Here, let me help you… *lifts Mike back into chair*
And though I’m not offering up custom doodles, I AM offering up goodies with my artwork all over them! lol The giveaways end Sunday night at midnight EST, so PLEASE check BOTH of them out and enter to win something, my dear 🙂
http://writersideup.com
and
http://2creativitycookbook.com
I like the duck doodle so much I won’t even mention that it’s already September…
Shhh. Maybe no one else will notice!
Pssst. Mike—pssst! Look over here! Yeah, right here. At me. The fly on the wall! I heard that! 😉
Shh. I’m sleepin’.
Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Yo, Mike:
So how September is September? All I can say is you might wanna come back from your sabbatical by the 30th. I bet you were out on a waffle adventure–weren’t you?
Hey Mike…hope you’ve enjoyed your summer break:-) I’m looking forward to ‘seeing’ you again soon, been as you said September, and tomorrow’s the last day of that month…errr…and I notice I’m not the only one who, ummm, noticed…hugs, H xxx
Ahem! As I said over on Cricket Muse’s blog: Please stick your rodent-loving nose out of your hole so your fans don’t worry about your tail being stuck in a trap somewhere.