Friends,

It is our sincere hope that everyone enjoyed a safe and happy holiday season, and we wish everyone a prosperous and healthy 2017!

Yes, we are taking a bit of a break, as it has been over ten years since we built our site, and life has a way of pulling us in other directions, whether we like it or not.  We appreciate the emails asking after our health and well-being.  So far, all is well.  We are working on some new images, which take a bit longer, now, since there are so many layers.  Last summer, we decided to begin posting images that are more detailed and finished, which we hope you will enjoy.  Feedback is always welcome.

Ciao,

KJ & DDM

Friends,

There are new offerings in a few folders and there will be more coming, as we clear off our desks.  This year has brought new challenges and we thank those of you who sent notes, during our down time.  Creative minds need to rejuvenate, on occasion, and after ten years we thought we would take another break.  No, we are not stopping with our lads.  That would be impossible.  New images for the story will continue this week.  We hope you will enjoy all that we post and, we hope you will have a great summer.  

Ciao,

KJ & DDM

Friends,

A belated Happy Easter to everyone and we hope you enjoyed your chocolate and colored eggs.  To those for whom this is a religious time, we hope you will forgive our interest in less spiritual activities, although, a dear friend and artist, Stephan, would disagree with the premise that chocolate is anything less than a spiritual experience.  A bite of his Dark Chocolate Gateau seems to bring just about everyone around to his way of thinking, DDM and KJ included.

For many of you, who sent very nice emails asking after our health and circumstance, our absence was noticed, and for those who may have been busy with other pursuits, we did take an extended break, which was needed to replenish our energy, cupboards and wine cellar.  Spring is here and in a week or so, KJ will be potting flowers for the patio, and DDM is looking forward to bringing one of the classics out of winter storage, to tour around in the good weather we are anticipating - unless global warming has another surprise in store for us.  In spite of our Spring adventures, we will still take time to bring new images to the site.  We have posted eight new images and hope to have a few more during the coming week-ten days.   For those of you who took the time to write us, during our break, keep an eye on your email, for there is a treat on the way to each of you.

So, enjoy the new season and get away from the computer as much as possible.  Sunshine is good for you!


KJ & DDM

Friends,

KJ found a glitch with our Christmas Tree wallpapers, and has reposted replacements for them, over the weekend.  If you downloaded one of them before the New Year, then we suggest downloading the revised image.  Sorry for the mix-up.  We'll attribute it to the holiday rush.

We hope everyone had a safe and festive holiday season and we wish you all a healthy and happy new year.

Ciao,

KJ & DDM

Friends,

Well, the holidays have arrived and we hope everyone mailed his/her list to Santa, in time.  It is likely to be a busy year for the guy.  We will be adding more holiday images in the days preceding the 25th and additional images to continue our story.  Enjoy our offerings and we wish everyone a safe and joyful holiday.  Remember to be kind.

Peace,

KJ & DDM 

Friends,

The holidays are approaching, but still in the future, so we can enjoy the seasonal changes, as they occur.  So far, it seems a bit warm, for November, but no complaints from us.  We are currently working on holiday images and others, and don't have much in the ways of news that would interest others, so we will make this message a brief one.  New images going up, today, in more than one folder, so have a look around and we hope you will enjoy what we post.  


Ciao,

KJ & DDM

Friends,

We have been adding new images and we hope you are enjoying our latest contributions.  Updates to 'Our Story' will be more frequent than other folders, but it is advisable to periodically check the other folders for new work, as well.  Constructive feedback is always welcome.

On another note, I thought it would be pertinent for me to mention something else that has been on my mind, of late:  Everyone has challenges, of some kind or another, and some of those challenges can be daunting for the person who is having such an experience.  I don't wish to elaborate on mine and hope that those of you who do not have any information about my challenge will accept the fact that your curiosity will have to sustain you, for the time being.  For those of you who sent nice notes of inquiry, regarding our absence, I thank you for your thoughtfulness and you will find something special in your email, this week.  

DDM and I began this creative process about fourteen years ago, as a hobby, which we eventually shared with the public.  It still is a hobby and one for which we continue creating new work, as our activities allow.  Life has a way of interfering with well-made plans, such as a late-model, Audi sedan plowing through one's garden wall, and personal challenges that we all experience, on one level or another.  You know, the events that add colour to our lives. 

So, when there is a pause in our activities, we hope understanding and thoughtfulness will be the reactions you will choose to experience.  Should you wish to communicate with us, during such a time, please feel free to send an email and we will do our best to respond in a timely manner.  (For those who may be concerned about privacy issues, we do not save emails.) 


Ciao,

KJ  & (DDM)

Friends,

One month from tomorrow, May 28th, is Kristophe's birthday (June 28th).  Yes, he actually has one, as do the other boys, but more on that at another time.  We will be doing something to celebrate, at our end, so feel free to lift a glass of bubbles at your end, if you like.  It is not a requirement, nor are birthday salutations, although we will pass them on, should you be so inspired.  Either way, we hope you will begin your summer with a smile.  The sun is out and the beach is calling.  It's summer!

Ciao,

KJ & DDM       

Friends,

For those who may have visited our site in the last twelve hours (after 4:00 AM GMT+1 and before 4:00 PM GMT+1, on March 9, 2015): if you have downloaded one of the wallpapers for the newest image, 'Beach-2015,' we would suggest revisiting the Wallpaper page and re-downloading the image.  As it often happens, when working into the wee hours of the day, we found three pixels that - to us - were glaring errors and we have 'repaired' all of the wallpapers, as well as the original image, 0210_Beach-2015, before re-uploading.  All should be corrected and we hope you will enjoy our new offering.  Other images are still in the works, as well.


KJ & DDM

Friends,

We received a note on our FB page, which indicated we had made a mistaken use of a word on one of our webpages.  You can visit the page here to see what mistake we were purported to have made and our reason for 'continuing the offense.'

Our uploading came to a brief halt, as we had decided to upgrade three images before posting them and, as they are rather detailed and in colour, the following pages would have to wait.  After all, we don't want to get ahead of ourselves and cause confusion, do we?  Please remember that patience is supposed to be a virtue.   I can only hope that everyone else has a better handle on it than KJ, who constantly struggles with this challenge.

March appears to be going out like a lion, in our neighborhood, so April will see an interesting beginning.  Maybe it is time for another beach image, yes?  We shall see what comes up.

Stay healthy and do go out and enjoy the Spring air, as much as you can.

DDM & KJ

Friends,

We have had a slight disaster, computer-wise, in that the files prepared for our new upload batch have been lost.  We only call this one a disaster because it is not as overwhelming as the catastrophe we had a few years ago, when we lost two back-up drives within two days of each other.  That, was cataclysmic, to say the least.  This time, we will be able to replicate the work we had prepared, only it will take a few days to bring it back to the level of production that we had been preparing for weeks.  As is often said at times like this, 'Other than that, Mrs. Lincoln, how did you enjoy the play?'

We hope to be back on track in a few days and offer up a bit of new for everyone.  We appreciate your patience.


KJ & DDM

Friends,

We ask that you please forgive our lack of participation, at this time, due to circumstances unfolding in France.  We feel it would not be appropriate to upload playful/humorous images to our site, until there is a resolution to the barbarity being carried out by religious fanatics, who seem to lack any sense of humanity.

KJ & DDM

Friends,

Once again the season for giving is upon us and, as is our custom, we will be posting several images of holiday cheer - St. Precocious style.  We do hope you will enjoy them and that you will keep in mind those less fortunate than many of us.  A smile removes nothing from one's wallet, while it can lift the spirits of another.  

We will also be posting something new, around the first of the year, so do stop by when the festivities have slowed down.

Have a safe and very happy holiday. 

DDM & KJ

Friends,

Well, what do you know...we made even more changes, so those of you who take the time to check this blog will be ahead of the game.   Those that don't may become confused, or may just wander about and enjoy the experience as they find it.  Either way works.

We consolidated 'The Visit' into one section, and you can now view the images sequentially, by scrolling to the bottom of each page and clicking the 'Previous' link to go back a page, or the 'Next' link, which will take you to the next page.  We're probably 'preaching to the choir,' but we thought we should spell it out, just to be safe.  We hope you will enjoy the changes and we will be tweaking the page a bit more, although nothing that should alter it enough to cause chaos.

Don't forget, there is a new image in the story, as well, so be sure to have a look.  

Ciao,

KJ & DDM

Friends,

We've made a few changes which include better organization of our short tale, 'The Visit.'  We felt the images should be in order and we added a new image to the mix, just to spice things up a bit.  Well, it's not really spicy or prurient, though.  You will find it in 'Part 4' of the tale, should you wish to have a look.  However, the changes begin in 'Part 3', so do keep this in mind. 

We are also preparing some Christmas images (yes, it is that time of year and we were NOT going to introduce the topic until after Halloween, unlike the local retailers, who had chocolate Santas in September), as well as something we have been working on, which will be introduced in short order.  Patience, lads and lasses.  Patience.

We hope you are all well and prospering and will think of those less fortunate, over the holiday period, and all year, if you are so inclined, as we believe most of our friends to be.


Ciao,

DDM & KJ

Friends,

We didn't seem to have much summer this year, on our patch.  We hope others in the Northern Hemisphere had our share, on top of theirs.  That way, it wouldn't go to waste, at least.  For our friends in the Southern Hemisphere, we hope your summer will be extraordinary.

Our recent short series, 'The Visit,' was a bit of fun for us, using some bits and bobs that were lying about.  It was no work of art, but we hope you enjoyed it.  There will be other images going up in the next day or so, so have a look about and let us know what you think.  There is also something else on its way, but we'll let that sit on the stove, for the moment.

We wish you a colorful fall, in the north, and a warm and balmy spring, in the south.

KJ & DDM

Friends,

Well, it appears that KJ is not fully healed, yet.  He forgot to finish off some very small points on several images, before posting them.  Not to worry, he has corrected the problem(s), which seem to have gone unnoticed so far (or maybe everyone is being especially polite, this summer?).

Anyway, we suggest beginning with 'The visit - Part 4,' and up through the latest post, if you would like to have the updated images.  Not all of them needed repairs, but listing the ones that did would take up precious time, at this end.  If you are quite content with what you already have, then disregard this message and return to your local beach.

DDM

Friends,

We have been working on several things, including those which sustain our lives, such as gainful employment, but have found time to continue our little story.  One image is holding us up and will be finished in a day or so.  After that, we can post the rest...well, almost the rest of the story.

We also had a recent note asking if we will ever include boys of colour and/or boys of different ethnic backgrounds, to which we responded in writing, with a boisterous 'OUI!'   However, the twist involved with depicting characters of colour is how to do so without presenting them in a stereotypical manner.  A character with dark skin, in a black and white venue, must be shaded in such a way as to convey his/her ethnicity in a positive manner, and not one that would appear slapstick, or cliche.  It is a rather delicate matter, when producing imagery for an international crowd and it is our intent to do so in a manner that applauds the differences and does not portray any character as 'vaudevillian' in concept.  We then have to transfer the character's persona to a colour format, for some of the images, and we want to make certain we can keep the integrity of the character intact, when doing so.  Does this make any sense?  We hope so.  

This is why we are taking our time with the characters of colour and different ethnicity with which we are working.  When we do work out the details we will be sure to introduce these characters into our work.  With just under fifty characters in our story, so far, you may understand the complexity of the undertaking.  No worries, though.  We'll get it done.


Ciao,

KJ & DDM

 Friends,

 As you may have noticed we took a short (well, we thought it was short) sabbatical and tended to some of the challenges that face all of us, like death, taxes, getting cars organized for the summer, tending the garden and, oh yes, working to keep a roof over our heads. You know, the fundamentals. We will be putting up a few new images, over the next three days and we hope you will enjoy them. They will be spread out in a few folders, so have a look around and let us know your thoughts, if you like.

It is our sincere hope that everyone will have a fun-filled and safe summer.   Whatever you decide to do, keep smiling.


KJ & DDM

Friends,

We will be attempting to post new items during the next few weeks.  However, we recently lost another member of our family and it has taken its toll on our spirits.  To counter this, we are posting several reminders of summer and what is coming our way, season-wise, which we hope you will enjoy.  Sunny skies and the seashore are the best antidotes for most of life's challenges. 


DDM & KJ